2005 AUSTRALASIAN GAELIC FOOTBALL & HURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

DAILY REPORTS WRITTEN BY JENNY MUNRO:

Day 1 - Tuesday 4th October 2005

On day one of the competition the Queensland climate proved to be the main challenge for most teams. The South Australian and Queensland minors and New South Wales and Victorian womens’ teams were first up at 9am in reportedly 40 degree heat and high humidity. The home climate didn’t prove advantageous to the Queensland Minors who were defeated soundly by South Australia. The Victorian women found themselves victorious over New South Wales, setting themselves up for an afternoon clash with defending champions Queensland.

Winds were also a tricky factor as gusts picked up throughout the day, blowing the South Australians and Western Australians around as they found themselves going head-to-head in the women’s and minors’ divisions. South Australia came out with wins in both games as well as drawing against Victoria in the seniors’ division.

The South Australian women came out on top in a close game. The Southerners came back from behind after Western Australia appeared to have the upper hand of the game in the first half and early in the second. As the Western Australian women tired, the South Australians kept up the pressure to close the gap and score a winning goal in the dying seconds of the game.

The South Australia-Western Australia minors’ game was also close, with no team scoring until 15 minutes into the first half, when Western Australia’s Ben Smith broke the drought. Despite opening the scoring, Western Australia couldn’t capitalise as South Australia followed up with a number of points to lead 0-4 to 0-1 at half-time. With plenty of action in the middle the game was a low-scoring one, and South Australia held on to the lead to win 0-6 to 0-2.

The seniors’ Queensland-New South Wales clash proved to be the match of the day as the heat brought out the best and the worst in the players in an aggressive game between the traditional rivals. New South Wales started strongly and scored the first points but Queensland replied with a number of points from the boot of Steve Monteith. However New South Wales remained strong in their attack and a number of goals from Brendan McMillan saw the New South Welshmen take a 2-6 to 0-3 lead at half-time. Queensland came out strongly in the second half and put the pressure on NSW, but couldn’t hold out to their consistent attack. At the full-time whistle NSW were the victors, 3-10 to 0-8.

The last match of the day took place between the Queensland and Victorian women in the enviable cooler conditions of the early evening. Queensland started well with a number of points from Natalie Hughes, who proved to be a valuable asset, scoring most of Queensland’s points in the first half. The first points for Victoria came in spectacular fashion as Julia Boyle punched in a goal at close range, colliding with Queensland goalie Katherine Bowley who went down and was feared injured but recovered to play the rest of the half. The score was close at half-time with Queensland two points ahead at 1-5 to 1-3. Queensland forward Helena McMahon was the star of the second half, kicking a number of spectacular goals to see Queensland finish comfortable victors with a 3-7 to 1-6 win.

Day 2 - Wednesday 5th October 2005

Game 1: Minors Qld vs WA

Play got underway this morning in more favourable conditions than yesterday as the heat was offset by a cool breeze. Both teams scored a goal early in the game, and although Queensland held more territory in the first half, they failed to capitalise on their opportunities as WA seized on any mistakes. A Ben Smith goal gave WA a 2-1 to 1-2 lead at half-time.

WA appeared to have an edge in the second half as they kept up their lead and as the Queenslanders continued to find themselves coming off second-best. WA scored a number of points but Queensland came back into the game with a Conor Giles goal, closing the gap to trail by only 2 points (2-4 to 2-2). An ankle injury to WA’s speedy Scott Werner and a disallowed goal turned the tables for WA and Queensland hotted up as Brant Lyell scored a winning goal in the final minutes of the game to finish with an exciting 3-2 (11) to 2-4 (10) victory.

Game 2: Women Qld vs NSW

The New South Wales women had first touch of the ball this morning but it was Queensland who dominated the game, with the ball barely leaving the home side’s territory in the first half. Forward Helena McMahon gave a taste of things to come when she scored an early goal – her first of several for the game as she always found herself in the right place at the right time. The return of several star players from the world championships contributed to Queensland’s classy play – also allowing for a fresh bench with several substitutes – a luxury New South Wales couldn’t match. Some speedy intercepts by the Queenslanders ensured New South Wales had a tough time getting the ball out from the Queensland half, although at times NSW managed to break through, with Aine McElroy scoring NSW’s sole point for the first half. Queensland’s fast-paced attack saw the local girls score a quick succession of points, helped by some good set-ups by the midfielders, to lead 4-8 to 0-1 at half-time.

The second half saw NSW gain some more possession and territory as they admirably kept up their energy as the Queensland team tired in the growing heat of the day. Nevertheless Queensland maintained their strong lead and controlled the game to win comfortably 5-14 (29) to 0-3 (3).

Game 3: Women SA vs Vic

The midday match was fiery both in temperature and in game play, proving to be enthralling viewing for the vocal crowd. The two teams seemed fairly evenly matched in the first half as it appeared to be a case of forths-and-backs in terms of possession and territory. Victoria proved to be smarter in their scoring, with two goals by Michelle Collier and one by Julia Boyle putting the Victorians ahead at half time with a score of 3-1 to 1-4.

The second half saw Victoria come out firing, determined to hold their lead, but their vigorous defence brought them three yellow cards and conceded several crucial free kicks to South Australia. In a rough but exciting second half, the Victorians managed to hold their lead right up until the final minutes of the game despite high pressure from the South Australians. As a South Australian forward was brought to the ground in the goal square a rare red card was produced and SA was awarded a free kick in front of the goal. Tiff Lee successfully netted three points to win the game for South Australia by one point – 2-7 (13) to 3-3 (12).

Day 3 - Thursday 6th October 2005

Qld vs Vic (Seniors)
It was another scorcher of a day with hot and dusty winds, but these seniors didn’t let that stop them from going out firing. The game began evenly as both sides attacked strongly and also kept tight in defence. There were no goals scored in the first half, but Victoria was able to break through and turn opportunities into points on a few more occasions than Queensland to lead at half-time 0-6 to 0-2.

The heat began to take its toll in the second half as the players tired and some were treated for heat exhaustion. The defence slackened a little and there were also a number of turnovers and lost opportunities. But despite the conditions there were still a number of good running breaks by both sides, and there was also better judgement of the high bounce of the ball on the dry pitch. Peter Lawless scored a number of points for Victoria and Michael Duignan followed up with a goal to consolidate the lead for the southerners. Queensland came out with some impressive play late in the game as Sean Gormley scored a goal clear in front of the posts after a good pass from Matt Welsh, but it was not enough to bring them back into the game. Victoria came away with a 1-10 (13) to 1-3 (6) win.

WA vs SA (Minors)
Western Australia began strongly and scored the first points of the game, but South Australia regained some territory and were soon in the game with a John Boras goal. With some good runs and set-ups by the midfielders, SA came close to scoring more goals, but the tight WA defence didn’t let the SA forwards break through. The score was close at half-time with SA 1-1 and WA 0-3.

After the interval South Australia began well as midfielder Tom Greenshield gained possession from the ball-toss to get the ball to John Boras who made a kick over the crossbar for the first point of the second half. With some of the WA players struggling in the heat, they also struggled to get back into the game but they were nevertheless still competitive on the field. John Boras proved to be the star of the match as he soon scored his second and then his third goal for the match to strengthen SA’s lead 3-3 to 0-5. Both teams had their breaks but it was SA who was more effective in breaking through the defence and coming up with the goods in terms of points. SA finished on a high note with a goal by Justin Palmer to finish the match at 4-5 (17) to 0-6 (6).

NSW vs SA (Women)
New South Wales began well with an early goal from Angela Whitmore, but then South Australia led the scoring for the rest of the half. Two goals from Al Kenelly and a number of kicks over the bar the by the South Australians gave them a half time lead of 2-9 (15) to 1-1 (4).

In the second half New South Wales once again began well by opening the scoring, but South Australia managed to outwit NSW by generally playing together better as a team and making fewer mistakes. Nevertheless there were occasional moments of brilliance from the NSW side, such as a number of intercepts and good running breaks and kicks into the forward line from midfielder Angela Whitmore. However, numerous kicks over the crossbar by South Australia’s Al Kenelly and Tiff Lee and a goal also from Lee gave South Australia an unassailable lead to win at the full-time whistle 3-13 (22) to 1-7 (10).

Day 5 - Saturday 8th October 2005

Minors Semi-Final 1: Qld vs WA
Once again there were unseasonally hot temperatures at Gaelic park as Western Australia and Queensland faced off for a spot in the minors’ grand final. The first half was a low-scoring one as both sides kept up the pressure in defence and each also had their share of ball-stealing. Queensland managed to hold a bit of territory as they recovered the ball from a number of kick-outs, and Nick Black was able to put the ball into the net for the sole goal of the game. This goal gave Queensland the edge at half-time with a 1-1 (4) to 0-2 (2) lead.

The second half began with WA holding much of the territory but Queensland were able to bring the ball back into their half more as the game progressed. However WA were continually able to regain possession and kept the Queensland backs under the pump. Queensland goalie Dean Mosch didn’t let any WA goals in which meant they had to rely on their one-pointers, which they consistently did to win the game in the end by three points – at 0-9 (9) to 1-3 (6).

Seniors Semi-Final 1: Qld vs NSW
Originally due to play at 11:30, the first of the senior semi-finals was put back to 4:45 due to the heat. Both teams came out firing but it was New South Wales who gained the edge as they were generally more effective in attack and made the most of Queensland’s mistakes. Queensland’s Cameron Carney scored a point early in the game but otherwise New South Wales dominated the scoring to lead 0-9 to 0-1 at the break.

In the second half, Queensland came out putting the pressure on NSW and scored a number of points early, including a goal from Gerard Enright for the only three-pointer of the match. However the home side never managed to catch up to the New South Welshmen, who were consistent in both attack and defence, and able to continually steal the ball and make the most of their opportunities. A number of calls against the Queensland side also added to their frustration and New South Wales maintained their edge to win 0-16 to 1-3.

Women’s Semi-Final 1: SA vs WA
Having been pipped by South Australia last time, Western Australia were determined not to let this one get away, and their dedication showed from the start. The scoring began early and WA soon raced away to the lead with two goals, one each to Emma Pender and Angie Doyle. This was soon followed up by another Emma Pender goal, giving WA a 3-6 (15) to 0-3 (3) lead at half-time.

WA kept up their menacing form in the second half, although SA put up a good fight. Al Kenelly gave another stand-out performance, impressive in taking the ball, continually escaping her defence and scoring several points for SA. Tiff Lee also contributed some points and Alicia Watts scored SA’s only goal. SA also had some good moments in defence, especially from Nat Redforn and Marica Galic. However WA were strong in a number of areas, including defence in the goal area, consistency in attack, and general speed and accuracy with ballwork. Goals from Lydia Padgett and Marika Schulsbergs contributed to WA’s winning score of 6-10 (28) to 1-8 (11).

Women’s Semi-Final 2: Qld vs Vic
In an exciting night match under lights, Queensland and Victoria went head-to-head for a berth in the women’s grand final against Western Australia on Sunday. Queensland displayed the dominance they had shown all week, but Victoria gave them a hard time with good defence in goals, meaning Queensland had to rely mostly on their one-pointers. However some erratic kicking by the Queenslanders saw them only convert a small percentage of their attempts over the crossbar. Nevertheless the home side led 0-12 to 0-2 at half-time.

The beginning of the second half saw Queensland’s Helena McMahon score the first goal of the match to put the girls in red well ahead. Much of the second half’s play took place in Queensland territory, but Victoria occasionally worked the ball up to their end, although only managing to score one point for the whole half. Good defence by the Queensland backs including some speedy work by Megan Oliver ensured Queensland recovered the ball quickly on most occasions. Queensland forward Jen Smith scored a number of points and Helena McMahon booted her second goal of the night to boost Queensland’s winning score to 2-19 (25) to 0-3 (3).

Day 6 - Sunday 9th October 2005

Minors Grand Final: WA vs SA
In the first grand final of the day, South Australia came up against Western Australia in fine but windy conditions. Defending champions SA came out putting the pressure on, taking territory early in the game and attacking strongly. However WA handled the pressure well and defended admirably, saving several SA attempts at goal. The score remained nil-all until 15 minutes into the game, when WA’s Scott Werner kicked the first over for the match. SA quickly regained territory and scored a number of overs for themselves, with John Boras taking out a goal just before half-time to make the score 1-2 (5) to 0-1 (1).

The start of the second half saw WA attacking more and the game-play was more even. Both sides had difficulty judging the ball in the increasingly gusty conditions and WA had a tough task coming back up the field against the wind. Nevertheless they were able to score a number of overs to close up the gap in the score, but another John Boras goal put the South Australians comfortably ahead. Soon after, WA scored their first goal of the match as Scott Werner punched in a Ben Smith kick from the sideline. This gave the Western Australians a chance to close in, but they weren’t able to follow up with further points and the South Australians came away with their third Australasian title in a row with a 2-5 (11) to 1-3 (6) win.

Hurling Grand Final: NSW Coast vs NSW City
The hurling final between City and Coast began evenly, with both sides having their share of territory and possession. Scoring was scarce to begin with as the ball travelled up and down the field a number of times before City scored the first point. City went on to score a number of overs and also a goal before the interval. Coast quickly replied with a goal of their own to bring the score to 1-6 to 1-1 in favour of City at half-time.

In the second half it was Coast who scored the first goal, but City were able to stay ahead with a number of overs. A good display of skills, including good running in the midfield and an impressive hit over the crossbar from the halfway line by a City player, contributed to entertaining viewing for the crowd. City soon scored another goal for themselves, following up with a few more overs to win the match 2-14 (20) to 2-3 (12).

Women’s Grand Final: Qld vs WA
There was much anticipation coming into this grand final clash, as strong performers WA looked to make up for last year’s narrow loss against the defending champions and tournament favourites Queensland.

It was the home side that started strongly, taking possession of the ball early and scoring the first point with an over by Natalie Hughes. Helena McMahon soon followed up with the first goal of the day, and it seemed Queensland had control of the match early. WA had difficulty breaking out of Queensland territory, but some good running and skilful ballwork by Angie Doyle gave the Western Australians some ground. Queensland came under pressure in goals but defended well to prevent WA from scoring, with goalie Katherine Bowley having another injury scare after putting her body on the line and clashing with a WA player. With persistence, WA soon put themselves on the scoreboard with an over by Lydia Padgett. This was followed up by a goal from Jay Williamson to bring WA closer to Queensland’s lead. Angie Doyle kept up her good running but wasn’t able to break through the Queensland defence for another goal. Queensland were more successful in their attack with Michelle Cubis producing a goal just before the interval to consolidate the home side’s lead 2-3 (9) to 1-2 (5) at half-time.

In the second half the play began evenly with neither side scoring until ten minutes into the half, with an over by Queensland’s Jen Smith. However this was followed by a WA goal from the boot of Renae Campbell, to bring the score to 2-4 (10) to 2-2 (8) and shaving down Queensland’s lead to only two points. From there the pressure was on, as the game became a case of forths-and-backs as both sides fought for dominance. Queensland’s Trish Brown excelled in the midfield despite a heavy fall at speed early in the half and copping a stray elbow later on. With the home side tiring and perhaps not used to coming under such pressure, the defence began to break and WA only went from strength to strength in all aspects of their play. A penalty kick in front of the posts saw WA miss an opportunity to even the score with a goal, with the ball going over the crossbar for a one-pointer. However amends were made soon after when Angie Doyle set up a Kelly Tyrrell goal to bring WA into the lead for the first time all game. With time running out and the crowd on the edge of their seats, Queensland were affected by a number of unlucky calls and the game dynamics changed as the local girls found themselves being outplayed for the first time in the championships. Queensland had a few scoring opportunities but could not come up with the goods when they needed it most. WA held onto their lead until the final whistle, winning by only three points 3-7 (16) to 2-7 (13) to become the Australasian Champions for 2005.

Senior’s Grand Final: SA vs NSW
As with the women, the men were led onto the field by the Queensland Pipe Band, to sing the Australian National Anthem as well as a stirring rendition of the Irish National Anthem, led by Steve Carey.

The game got underway with the support of a 400-strong crowd, and the players didn’t disappoint, coming out firing from the start. Both sides displayed fast and impressive passages of play, with both teams scoring an over before New South Wales’s Quanah McBride scored the first goal of the match. South Australia brought the ball back into their own territory on a number of occasions, but were unable to convert their efforts into points as NSW defended the goals tightly and didn’t let SA in. Persistance eventually saw SA get the ball over the crossbar on a few occasions, but NSW replied with overs of their own to stay ahead. A second goal to NSW (Emmott Donaghy) strengthened the score for the men in blue to lead at half-time 2-5 (11) to 0-4 (4).

The second half saw NSW dominate possession with superior play and team cohesion, although SA continued to fight, and to their credit, never gave up. However, inconsistencies from the South Australians meant NSW took control of the match, with good running in the midfield and superb ballwork, eventually converting into a goal for Kevin Hughes. Soon after, Declan Rooney scored NSW’s fourth and final goal of the match to defend their title and become undisputed Australasian Champions for the third time running, with a 4-12 (24) to 0-7 (7) win.

TUE 4/10
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	5-14 (29)	V	QUEENSLAND	0-4 (4)	(M/F)
VICTORIA	5-16 (31)	V	NEW SOUTH WALES	3-5 (14)	(W/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	2-4 (10)	V	VICTORIA	1-7 (10)	(S/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	3-3 (12)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	1-6 (9)	(W/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	0-6 (6)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	0-2 (2)	(M/F)
QUEENSLAND	0-8 (8)	V	NEW SOUTH WALES	3-10 (19)	(S/F)
VICTORIA	1-6 (9)	V	QUEENSLAND	3-7 (16)	(W/F)

WED 5/10
QUEENSLAND	3-2 (11)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	2-4 (10)	(M/F)
NEW SOUTH WALES	0-3 (3)	V	QUEENSLAND	5-14 (29)	(W/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	2-6 (12)	V	VICTORIA	3-3 (12)	(W/F)
VICTORIA	0-12 (12)	V	NEW SOUTH WALES	1-8 (11)	(S/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	6-14 (32)	V	QUEENSLAND	0-3 (3)	(M/F)
QUEENSLAND	2-8 (14)	V	SOUTH AUSTRALIA	0-7 (7)	(S/F)
NEW SOUTH WALES	2-3 (9)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	3-11 (20)	(W/F)

THUR 6/10
QUEENSLAND	2-7 (13)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	1-9 (12)	(M/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	3-13 (22)	V	QUEENSLAND	2-7 (13)	(W/F)
VICTORIA	2-3 (9)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	5-7 (22)	(W/F)
QUEENSLAND	1-3 (6)	V	VICTORIA	1-10 (13)	(S/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	4-5 (17)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	0-6 (6)	(M/F)
QUEENSLAND	3-14 (23)	V	SOUTH AUSTRALIA	0-1 (1)	(W/F)
QUEENSLAND	2-7 (13)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	1-5 (8)	(W/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	2-7 (13)	V	NEW SOUTH WALES	1-15 (18)	(S/F)

SAT 8/10
NSW CITY	2-11 (17)	V	NSW COUNTRY	1-10 (13)	(H)
QUEENSLAND	1-3 (6)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	0-9 (9)	(M/F)
VICTORIA	1-6 (9)	V	SOUTH AUSTRALIA	2-7 (13)	(S/F)
NSW CITY	0-6 (6)	V	NSW COAST	1-7 (10)	(H)
QUEENSLAND	2-19 (25)	V	VICTORIA	0-3 (3)	(W/F)
NSW COUNTRY	2-6 (12)	V	NSW COAST	1-7 (10)	(H)
NEW SOUTH WALES	0-16 (16)	V	QUEENSLAND	1-3 (6)	(S/F)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	1-8 (11)	V	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	6-10 (28)	(W/F)

SUN 9/10
MINOR FOOTBALL FINAL
SOUTH AUSTRALIA	2-5 (11)	d	WESTERN AUSTRALIA	1-3 (6)
HURLING FINAL
NSW CITY	2-14 (20)	d	NSW COAST	2-3 (12)
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL FINAL
WESTERN AUSTRALIA	3-7 (16)	d	QUEENSLAND	2-7 (13)
SENIOR FOOTBALL FINAL
NEW SOUTH WALES	4-12 (24)	d	SOUTH AUSTRALIA	0-7 (7)

M/F = Minor Football W/F = Women's Football S/F = Senior Football H = Hurling