THE GAELS IN NEW SOUTH WALES GET READY FOR SEASON 2008

Aidan Savage the New South Wales PRO reports that there has been some movement in the State club scene. Sadly the Irish Rovers men’s football club has been forced to fold, Cormac McAnallens have replaced Irish Australians in women’s football and camogie is all set to go for a third year with 4 teams currently registered.

Some NSW clubs took the opportunity of pre-season competition at the Melbourne Padraig Pearse annual 7-a-side tournament in the first week of February. It was a successful venture for the 8 NSW clubs who made the trip to Victoria as the finalists in the hurling, men’s football and women’s competitions were all from Sydney. This meant all 3 trophies came over the border to NSW for the first time.

In recent years, the first NSW sanctioned competition of the season had been the summer competition which took place in Wentworth Park in the city. A 2008 initiative brought the competition to Wollongong to continue the good work to promote Gaelic games in the area by NSW GAA's newest club the University of Wollongong “Fighting Leprechauns.”

It was held on Sun 9th March and with first class facilities at the University of Wollongong, it was a very successful venture. After 27 matches over 8 hours in men’s and women’s football, congratulations went to Cormac McAnallens who won the men’s football defeating Young Irelands in extra time in a closely fought final. Clan Na Gaels second team took the silverware in the women’s football competition beating Central Coast by one point, scored by a free with the last kick of the game. Nav Sports interviewed the NSW Secretary and filmed some of the action on the day. It can be viewed by clicking the video link to Gaelic football at www.navsports.com.au.

The photos below show action and enjoyment at the recent summer competition in Wollongong.

The eagerly awaited Central Coast pre season competition held in Gosford, 2 hours north of Sydney on 30th March is next up with 15-a-side competitions in men’s and women’s football, camogie and hurling. The league starts on Sunday, 6th April with all games being played at Princes Park, Auburn.

For more information on Gaelic games in New South Wales click on the State Clubs link.

GAELS IN HOBART, LEPRECHAUNS IN WOOLONGONG,
7-A-SIDE IN MELBOURNE

During 2007 a group of people decided that Gaelic Football for men and women was what Tasmania and Hobart was missing. The group in Hobart included Tom Bawle (ex Victoria), John Devine (ex Brisbane), Barbara Middleton (sister of Australasian Secretary Gerard Roe) as well as local people.

A committee was formed and from that the Tasmanian Gaelic Football & Hurling Association was born. They obtained a playing ground at University Rugby Grounds in Hobart and their vision came to fruition when after many training sessions they played St. Kevin’s Men’s and Women’s teams from Melbourne in challenge games.

In front of a wonderful crowd on a sunny November Sunday, the Irish and Australian Flags flew proudly as the newly formed Tasmanian Gaelic Football and Hurling Association’s (TGFHA) “Tassie Gaels” hosted friendly football games with St Kevin’s. The event marked the formal start to Gaelic Football’s first ever Tasmanian season.

The day kicked off with a closely fought women’s match played in great spirit. The Tassie Gaels played well with some generous coaching and advice along the way from the St Kevin’s girls. Although this was only the Tassie girls’ second get together they demonstrated speed and agility to be competitive.

St Kevin’s took off the trophy with a 2.4. (10) to 1.2. (5) win.

Best afield judged by referee Tomas Fahey was Tassie’s Angela Dickson.

The men’s match was another matter!!

Tassie scored two early points before slotting a brilliant goal to the surprise of all. They showed speed and skills beyond their experience! St Kevin’s hit back with a point as the game see-sawed and then they scored a great goal. Just prior to half time an unfortunate injury to St Kevin’s Pat Hickey saw him leave the field and go off to hospital with a dislocated shoulder. On the resumption of play Tassie were awarded a penalty for a foul in the square and as a result another goal was scored.

The second half was hard fought even though a “friendly” and Tassie Gaels John Devine scored another goal after good teamwork forced the ball forward. Again St Kevin’s fought back and scored points to reduce the margin including a penalty which was converted to a point.

Tassie Gaels won the match 4.5. 17 to 2.6. 12.

Captain Mark Beck accepted the Mairtin MacMathuna Memorial Trophy from Mairtin’s daughter Brighde Cherrie-MacMathuna and Joan Crossin (President of the Irish Association of Tasmania). The trophy will now become a perpetual trophy played for annually.

Best afield awarded by referee Tom Bawle was Tassie’s Mat Riseley.

The real winner for the day was Gaelic Football and a big part of that is due to the hard working team led by Tom Bawle and Barbara Middleton whose vision became a reality today. Many thanks to all those who helped out to make this day successful.

St Kevin’s are to be congratulated for travelling over from Melbourne and participating with such wonderful spirit.

Pat Gavin from St Kevin’s presented TGFHA President Tom Bawle with a plaque to commemorate the historic day.

The vocal crowd was thrilled to see the skills on offer with this new game to Tasmania and news crews from Win TV and Southern Cross were there to capture the action.

Thanks are due to The Irish Association of Tasmania who presented a $1,500 donation to assist with getting this traditional part of Irish culture off the ground and also to TGFHA sponsors The Prince of Wales Hotel (Tom Bawle) who supplied the jersey’s and a much needed watering hole for after the event (!) and naughteedesign.com who designed the logo.

For further information regarding playing, sponsoring or generally becoming involved in Hobart please contact Tom Bawle on 0409 216 766 or email gaelicfootballtas@gmail.com

In January 2007 Lee Murray, Programs Manager, University of Wollongong, Recreation & Aquatic Centre attended a Gaelic Football Level 1 Coaching Course where gained Level 1 Coaching accreditation. Lee was so impressed with the skills of Gaelic Football that he undertook to recruit a team to play in the 2007 New South Wales competition. Many doubted this would happen or that he would be able to field a team made up of Australian players, something that was unheard of in Sydney which is renowned as the mecca for players on holiday from Ireland.

Whilst success on the field eluded the Leprechauns they are looking forward to 2008 having gained great experience in 2007. Lee also is looking coaching children in local primary schools as well as the possibility of entering a women’s team in the 2008 competition. Anyone either male or female who would like to be a part of the Club can contact Lee at lmurray@uow.edu.au or phone 0414 655 572

2007 Australasian Championships Report

And the winners were…………….in Hurling New South Wales City, in Minor Football Victoria, in Senior Football New South Wales and in Women’s Football Western Australia. Most of all though the winners were the 470 players whose participation made the Championships the largest ever staged.

Many wondered if it would be possible to stage up to 11 games a day at Auburn but all involved including players, mentors, officials, State and Australasian committee members ensured just about every aspect of the Championships ran smoothly.

In hurling it appeared after Western Australia won their first game when they defeated New South Wales Country by one point that they had one foot in the final however a one point defeat by New South Wales City saw them having to face City again in a semi final. They lost by six points which set up a final between City and Country. Country were the favourites after they had beaten City 0-13 to 1-7 two days earlier. This was not to be the case as City won easily 2-12 to 1-7 meaning the Australasian trophy stayed in the harbour city, its home since 1992.

Minor football saw the teams from Victoria and South Australia stand out. Whilst New South Wales and Queensland were competitive the physique and speed of the Victorian and South Australians saw them deservedly play off in the final. The Vic’s who had scored a total of 14-37 in their four games leading into the final were expected to win and did so by recording a comprehensive 5-12 to 1-6 victory.

Seven teams took part in Senior football with the return of Auckland and Hutt Valley-Wellington warmly received. Western Australia was unrecognisable from the team that won the Championships in 2006 fielding one of their youngest ever squads. Queensland also had a very young team and like Western Australia found it difficult when they played against stronger and more experienced opponents in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Most preliminary games were competitive and threw up some surprise results. What was not surprising was that the four semi finalists were New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Auckland. Comprehensive wins to NSW and Victoria in the semi finals saw them face off again in the final. Earlier in the week Victoria had beaten the “Blues” by 2 points and they hoped to repeat their win in the match that mattered.

After an even first half New South Wales took control after half time and with 6 minutes left led comfortably by 10 points. It was then that Victoria sprung to life scoring 2-1 to cut the margin to 3 points. New South Wales after being the better team were hanging on grimly when the final whistle went.

In Women’s football the added incentive for players was that they had an opportunity to be selected to represent Australasia when they defended the “World Cup” in Dublin in 2008. The standard of football in 2007 was again at a very high level with stand out players in all teams. Auckland after an absence of a number of years took part along with Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Western Australia going for three in a row was installed as early favourite with Queensland and hosts New South Wales expected to be their main rivals. South Australia with Victoria and Auckland all had initial goals of making the semi finals. Interesting results in preliminary games with WA beating Queensland, NSW beating WA and Queensland beating NSW made for a very open competition. South Australia’s defeat of Victoria gave them the fourth semi final spot.

Their ‘reward’ was to play Queensland who won the game 3-9 to 0-3. The other eagerly anticipated semi final between Western Australia and New South Wales lived up to expectations with the result in doubt until the final whistle with the team from the West in front 4-3 to 2-6.

Sunday’s final had all the ingredients to be a crackerjack affair however Western Australia with a very dominant performance turned it into a damp squib winning 4-11 to 0-3.

500 people on the Sunday evening of the finals attended the Presentation Dinner at Dockside in Darling Harbour. Also present were Sheamus Howlin, Chairman of the Overseas Committee in Croke Park and Mairtin O’Fainin Ambassador of Ireland. Presentations were made to winning team mentors, best players in each code and Australasian teams in each code.

Best players were as follows:

Hurling: Mark Tobin - NSW City
Minor Football: Niall McDonagh - Victoria
Senior Football: David Carmody - Auckland
Women’s Football: Grainne Heduan - Queensland & Lydia Padgett - Western Australia

To view photographs from the Championships and Presentation Dinner click here
all photos are courtesy of Happy Medium Photo Co. and all photos from the
2007 Championships and Presentation Dinner can be viewed and purchased at www.happymediumphoto.com.au

The 2008 Australasian Championships are scheduled for Adelaide.

NEW GROUND & FACILITIES FOR GFHA PLAYERS & MEMBERS IN PERTH After many many years of toil the GAA of Western Australia saw their search for a new ground and facilities came to fruition when Tom Bateman Sports Pavilion was officially opened on 11 October 2007.

The Pavilion is in the City of Gosnells in Perth and will be co-shared with Gosnells Hawks Baseball Club. The Baseball Club will use the centre each year between October and March with Gaelic football and hurling taking over from April to September.

A recent history of events leading up to the opening of the complex……………………

Tom Bateman Reserve is situated on the corner of Nicholson Rd and Roe Highway in Canningvale.

A joint application for funding of the development was submitted to the Dept of Sport in late October 2005. The development had already been put to council, been approved by the councillors and received a number 1 ranking. The building plans made provision for 5 changerooms, bar and kitchen area, 15m x 15m function area and a storage room. Game standard floodlighting is permitted in the area and would be used at a later date when expanding competition. Substantial funds had already committed to the project by the City of Gosnells.

March 2006 saw funding from the Dept of Sport for the new facility approved

In spite of problems encountered with issues such as funding, tendering, over budget, cut backs etc. significant progress was made. The council approved extra funding for the project and the tendering process was finalised in mid December and a builder appointed. The contract was signed in January 2007 and catered for contributions made by the GAA both in cash and in kind.

A preliminary application for funding was lodged with the GAA in Croke Park. The cost of the building was estimated at $1m and the GAA of WA was responsible for 1/6th of this which was $166,666. The actual cost was $1.15M but the City of Gosnells agreed to absorb the extra $150,000 which came in over budget. (The actual cost later rose to $1.3M)

Excavation work commenced with the removal of the mound behind which will be the baseball batting cage. The positioning of both the Gaelic pitch and the Baseball pitch was decided and agreed upon.

Mid 2007 saw the GAA in Croke Park approve a substantial grant towards the project which was greatly appreciated by all involved with Gaelic games throughout Australasia.

An incorporated entity known as the Tom Bateman Sporting Association Inc. was formed which manages the complex and in whose name the lease and management licence will be granted. This Association will comprise 50% GAA and 50% Gosnells Baseball Club with three Board members each. Fred McCormack from the GAA of WA will be the initial chairman.

After long negotiations with Council they agreed to a 10x5x5 year lease which both sporting bodies had vigorously sought.

Many people in the West Australian GAA have been involved in the search for a new ground for many years but the person who has spent most time on the project is Fred McCormack. Fred has been with the association for as long as anyone can remember and when people doubted that a new facility would eventuate he remained positive. He and the members of the GAA in Perth and Sheamus Howlin, Chairman of the Overseas Committee from the GAA in Ireland were extremely proud and rightly so, when they attended the complex when it officially opened on 11 October.

The photos below show the progress of building through to completion and of the official opening.

2007 AUSTRALASIAN GAELIC FOOTBALL & HURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

RECORDS BROKEN EVEN BEFORE THE 2007 CHAMPIONSHIPS COMMENCE!

The 2007 Australasian Gaelic Football and Hurling Championships will be held in Sydney at Princes Park, Auburn from Monday 3 October through to the finals on Sunday 7 October.

This year there are a record number of teams competing with seven men’s, six women’s, four minor and three hurling. 500 players over seven consecutive days will vie for the honour of being crowned Australasian champions. Last year in Perth there were 27 games in minor, senior and women’s football and hurling. This year there has been an increase to 56 games and this has resulted in the Championships being extended by two days. Teams will represent all affiliates in at least one of the codes viz. Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Auckland. 2007 also sees the return to the fold of Hutt Valley-Wellington after an absence of almost ten years.

MINOR FOOTBALL
There will be a new name on the Minor trophy after the late withdrawal of Western Australia. The majority of players in the South Australian, Victorian, New South Wales and Queensland teams will be making their first appearance at Australasian level so there are no early favourites for the title. The work of the mentors for each squad has been exceptional and we look forward to the closest competition for many years. For the record, Victoria have been champions nine times, South Australia seven times, Queensland on three occasions whilst New South Wales will be vying for their first trophy.

SENIOR FOOTBALL
New South Wales with home advantage are regarded as favourites to regain the trophy they lost to Western Australia in 2006. The West reportedly will be fielding a much younger team than last year which also will contain more locals than before. Victoria is always about the mark and desperate to be crowned champions for the first time since 2002. South Australia has been so close for a number of years and it will be interesting to see how they fare with a new management team in place. Queensland is an unknown quantity having continually had very young teams. The experience gained should lead to them having an opportunity to vie for a semi final place. Auckland and Hutt Valley-Wellington are the unknown factors making welcome returns to senior football. They have been training for six months for the games and their enthusiasm augurs well for them to be successful.

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Western Australia’s Coach Fred McCormack will be going all out to see his girls become only the second State after New South Wales in ’98, ’99 and 2000 to win a hat trick of consecutive Championships. Queensland and New South Wales both loom as their hardest opponents. Queensland after looking like they had a long dynasty in front of them when they won in the title in 2004 have no doubt been disappointed at losing the last two finals to the West and will be hell bent on going one better in 2007. Tertia Dex again coaches the team.

New South Wales after being the dominant force in women’s football when they won four titles between 1998 -2004 have not reached a final since they last won an epic game against Queensland in Sydney in 2003. Home ground advantage sees them as one of joint favourites to be crowned champions.

The South Australian and Victorian teams have always been amongst the most enthusiastic of participants. Both have improved every year and in 2007 with new management and players it will be interesting to see how they fare.

Auckland like their men’s team are an unknown quantity but we can be assured that like any other Kiwi sporting team they will give 100 percent and along with Victoria and South Australia will be looking at getting through to the semi final stages.

HURLING
The re-emergence of Western Australia as a hurling State in 2006 has led to them travelling to compete in the 2007 Championships. The effort of Tim Hickey and others as well as the players is greatly appreciated by all including the two teams from New South Wales who will provide their opposition. In 2006 they came so close to winning their first title and being the first team since 1991 to take the title away from New South Wales who this year will be represented by City and Country teams.

Expect to see high quality hurling games from Wednesday through to Sunday’s finals

Nicky Brennan the President of the GAA in Ireland was hoping to attend the Championships however he is unable to travel. We do however expect to see Sheamus Howlin who is Chairman of the Overseas Committee and the next Leinster Council Chairman make the trip out to Sydney. He and Ambassador Mairtin O’Fainin are strong supporters of Gaelic games in Australasia and both are looking forward to meeting with players, mentors and supporters.

The Championships will culminate with a Presentation Dinner for 750 people at “Dockside” on Darling Harbour on Sunday night 7 October.

To view the program and results click here

GERARD ROE
SECRETARY

THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD IN ADELAIDE

Despite being only in the elite competition for three and two seasons respectively the Titans and Cougars emphatically walked away with the ultimate spoils from the 2006/2007 season.

In the Hannigan Cup match Western Ireland actually started the more confident with Kyle Reeves scoring two points early taking advantage of the Titans over-possessing the ball. The band soon drew level as the pleasing crowd settled in for an afternoon longer than the average SA Redback innings. While the talk before the match was about how much pressure would be on the Titans it was the Goats who made the first crucial error with miscommunication in the defensive box leaving to a Nick Tattoli goal. A poor kick on the subsequent kick out resulting in a bread and butter point for Gabe Phillips leaving the reigning champs Western Ireland against the ropes, down 1:4 to 0:3.

Both camps were not happy with their efforts at the half with Western Ireland Captain Adam Read lamenting his team’s sloppy use of the ball and Gabe Phillips the Titans lack of patience. The huddle message was heeded first by the Farnan Cup and 9-a-side champs with Dan Della Verde drawing a penalty to increase the goal count to 3. DDV was dynamite twice more. Troy Clements delivered a cross just wide of Della who stuck the hand out, deflecting it into the back of the net. The hand of Verde will be talked about in Hannigan folklore for many years to come. With the score out to a 5:10 to 1:10 lead the final stages resembled the Mundine/Soloman fight from a couple of nights before, intriguing to the end but over long before, and making the Titans the first team to bag the Farnan, 9-a-side and Hannigan Trophies all in one year.

Final score: Titans 5:11 (26) def Western Ireland 1:14 (17). Best Titans: Tattoli, Sodestrom, Phillips, Mezzina, Della Verde. Western: Burgess, Reeves

The women’s game brought a massive upset with the Irish Australians who had not lost a game since the corresponding match last year were comfortably defeated by the IA Cougars 6:9 (27) to 1:14 (17). Like the men’s final, both teams started poorly, struggling to capitalise on possession across half back and turning the ball over regularly. With Tiff Lee being well held the Irish risked pushing players forward to create scoreboard pressure. It backfired badly with a chip from Sam Grosvenor clearing not only the half back line of the blues but also keeper Chrissie McKenzie’s head to give the Cougars the first major of the game. As was the case for the bulk of the game a Cougars goal was followed by the Blues big guns winning some ball and controlling the field of play.

While the Blues were rattled the breeze picked up at the break giving them hope that they could chip away at the deficit. Whilst a few points were pinched, the defensive pressure and in particular the smothering efforts of Keylock, Davies and Tattersall along with keeper Steph Matchett playing the game of her life wore down the Irish Australians resilience. In the end it was all about timing. The Cougars were always going to click, it was just a matter of when, whilst Irish Australians couldn’t have timed their form slump worse.

Final Score: IA Cougars 6:14 (32) Irish 1-17 (20) Best: Cougars Swaffa, Matchett, Grosvenor. Irish: Woodlands, Ferris, Attenborough.

Another column down, another season gone. Thanks to everyone and we do it all again come October.

Mick Emmett
Director Public Relations
Gaelic Football & Hurling Association of South Australia

THE "A" TEAMS (ADELAIDE & AUCKLAND) ARE IN FULL SWING
WITH THEIR SUMMER COMPETITIONS.

Mick Emmett the Adelaide P.R.O. and Kevin Harrington the Auckland President have compiled the following reports on activities within their respective associations.

GAELIC FOOTBALL MID SEASON REVIEW IN ADELAIDE

With the pre Christmas season prelims out of the way the GFHASA has had its Farnan and Mna cup matches with a report on both finals at the end of this news story.

As we have reached a Kevin Ruddesque fork in the Road we thought it would be a good opportunity to review the performance of the State League teams so far.

MEN’S LEAGUE

Western Ireland- Not a lot has changed for the dual Hannigan Cup champions as they are still dominating the competition. If anything they have got better, playing an irresistible style of running football. Only really the Titans appear to have the fitness needed to run with the goats although the Flinders O’Neills led them for a brief period in Round 3. Adam Gordon, Jon Floreani, Adam Burgess have been standouts.
Highlight: Season opening win against the Titans that quashed any thoughts of a Hannigan ‘Hann’ Over. Dave Floreani’s headband

The Titans: Seemingly the place where old SANFL legends go if they can’t find a Super Rules team or ABC cooking show. The likes of Wayne Weidermann, Mark Soderstrom and Robert Pyman have togged up for the Titans complimenting Nick Tattoli, Gabe Phillips and Arthur Konstad. The scoring has been relentless again with a 108 point difference between themselves and the opposition.
Highlight: Tough win against Na Fianna which proved they can not only win by ugly margins but also win ugly. The first team to hand out lolly snakes at half time. Kosta Mylonas’ boots.

Onkaparinga: The big improvers. Anto Keogh has taken this team on this year with the whites producing the type of football they only normally save for post Christmas. While occasionally still wasteful with the ball their calculated ball movement would warm the cockles of Gaelic traditionalists everywhere…with scores of 1-11, 3-11 and 2-12. Brad Gosling, Wade Saunders and Jai Middleton when fit continue to lead the way. The only question mark is whether this style of play can compete with the big two. Highlight: The win over Na Fianna in Round 2. Asking Brendan Hanna to play less and less.

Na Fianna: Have struggled with player numbers and have fallen back to the pack slightly. If they can find some more fresh legs such as Gavin Bosch and Dylan Gomer to support the nous of Kenny Fay and Neil O’Reilly there is potential for them to challenge the top two. Highlight: Fay’s 7 off the ground frees in the Round 3 win against Irish Australians.

Irish Australians: Last three weeks of the season ultimately undid the ground work that was put down in the earlier rounds. Conceded more points than other team in the competition as they have trouble pushing back as a unit when the ball is turned over. New recruits David Green, Shamus Gracie and Jim Holland have supported Greenshields, Doecke and co. Highlight: Gutsy wins over Onkaparinga and Flinders O Neills. Dominating 20 minutes against Na Fianna. Now for the next 40.

Flinders O Neils: Are perhaps the best equipped side to run with both the Titans and Western Ireland, actually leading both these sides in their game. Can score quickly and aggressively push into the box. If they can keep their players from week to week and play for the full sixty minutes they could be the darkest of Hannigan dark horses. Highlight: The oldest club in the association still up, about and competitive. A draw with Na Fianna in Round 5.

St Brendan’s: Have experienced similar problems to Na Fianna in terms of player numbers. Winless until last start with the great Gino Pedegrago seemingly recovered from a rib injury playing for Plympton in the Amateur league. Coach Rob Barrachina, Toby Huebener and Todd Margatitch have maintained a high level of consistency. With new players finding their feet, the team experiencing a degree of success in the nine a side competition and former Uni SA goal keeper Hayden Ryan recovering from an ankle injury the Saints should march away from the bomb shelter post Christmas. Highlight: Gino and his Gino jnr cutting the Irish to threads last start. Adam Cooney and Beau Waters kitting up for the 9 a side team. Don’t tell Rocket and Woosha!!

WOMEN’S LEAGUE

Irish Australians: Despite coach Eddie Howlett clocking up more frequent flyer miles than an elected officials the Blues have been unbeaten so far. While lower ranked teams Uni and Rovers have proven nuisance value the Blues have had comfortable wins over their expected challengers in Onkas and Na Fianna. Of concern would be the fact that they are mostly playing with the bare 13, the injury to Naomi Lowe and the potential loss of Kate Woodlands post Christmas. Highlight: The reinvention of Alicia Borowski as a defender. Any week when only one defender heads to pick up Tiff Lee.

Na Fianna: While Mick Lawlor is experiencing difficulties with his men’s side he has continued to dramatically improve the warrior women. In Mel O’Donnell and Alison Kennelly he has at his disposal perhaps the best Centre Half combination going around. This combined with consistent efforts from the like of Kate Tollner, Zoe Tully and Chrissie Kavanagh has seen the Warrior girls content with more than not. The green and blacks also appear to have the most consistent player numbers of any side, with 22 qualified for tonight’s Grand Final. This which will prove handy come late January. Highlight: Increased offensive potency but none as impressive as their 9-12 against Uni in Round 1. Association secretary Carly Brooks still limiting offensive ‘correspondence’ in defense.

Onkaparinga: Seemingly off the pace but literally third. New coach Derek Barnes has an experienced side at his disposal that is still capable of causing damage on their day. Des Packer and Michelle O’Brien have led from the front as per usual with the whites struggling with player numbers and holding half time leads, especially against the Cougars in round 4. Highlight: The round 5 spanking of the Rovers. Still no sign of Gerry Roe.

IA Cougars: At 3-4 pre Christmas equal with points with Onkas but 37 points behind on goal difference. Move the ball better than anyone between half forward and half back but brake down quicker than James Hird in a crucial match. Steph Matchett’s aggression has worked when moved forward and mid fielders Libby Grovenor, Susi Davies and Bek Keylock are still getting plenty of ball. If they play in front they can challenge for the Tom Finn, otherwise they’ll be lucky to make the four. Highlight: THAT half time comeback against Onkas. The new playing strip.

Uni SA: After being traditionally non competitive in round 1 the students under new coach Carolyn Pickering are playing the best football in their history. Amber Cooper has been the standout, combining well with Mitzy Galic and Sharon Westlake. In a result that will be great for the comp I’m tipping Uni to make the 4. Highlight: Two wins in the final 3 rounds over Rovers and Cougars with a very competitive effort against the NaFianna the meat in the victory sandwich.

IA Rovers: A bit of a come down after finally nailing the Tom Finn last season, going winless pre Christmas. B and F winner Sarah Maserio continues to shine with support from Catherine Martin and Jacqui Caston. Highlight: Club founders AJ O’Donnell and Marlene Dunne still mixing it with the best.

CUP FINALS TIME
LISTEN TO THE BAND !!!- One down, two to go

In a result that has forever changed the landscape of SA Gaelic the Titans scored their first major title beating Western Ireland 1-16 to 0-16 to win the Jim Farnan cup. The game didn’t exactly get off to the fastest of starts with early off the ball incidents leading referee Anto Keogh to call both captains into the centre of the pitch after consulting with celebrity goal umpires Gerard Roe and Sean Dunne. The Mountain Goats had the early of the early going scoring three early points before Gabe Phillips and Roc Harry steadied for ‘the band’. The fitness of both teams lead to a huge amount of numbers behind the ball forcing both teams to feed the ball back in search of extra space, instead of their normal tactic of forcing the ball forward at will.

The Titans scored 3 points in 3 minutes with defensive efforts of Arthur Konstad and John Caruana finishing the job. While disappointed at the result only a disaster will prevent Western Ireland from competing against the Titans in the Hannigan Cup final come March. Titans captain Kosta Mylonas said after the game that they would love to play Western every week and with these two teams a long way above the rest a best of 9 Hannigan Cup series would be an outstanding promotion for the game in the state.

In the Women’s Final Irish Australians won their second consecutive Mna Cup with a 3-11 to 3-6 over Na Fianna. In a match played over four quarters to accommodate the heat the Blues skipped out to an early lead through two Kate Watt points but a steadying point to Zoe Tully seemingly calmed a nervous warrior outfit. It was an intriguing contest with two contrasting game styles.

Irish pumping the ball long and the Nafs trying to take advantage of having a bench by moving the ball around. As a result Al Kennelly worked further up the pitch than usual allowing the likes of Nicole Lane the benefits of extra time. It was Lane who seemingly shifted momentum with a inspirational point and goal within minutes of each other, giving the Warriors a 1-5 to 1-4 lead at the half. Kim Marrett was also outstanding down back as the Irish run was being slowed. The half time break was perfectly timed for the reigning champions however as both Tiff Lee and then Kate Woodlands barged through a wall that was previously impervious to barging. This took them out to 3-7 to 1-6 lead, eventually hanging on for a 3-11 to 3-6 success.

AUCKLAND 2006 SEASON

Structure
In July we had our AGM and a new committee was elected with great hope of a reinvigoration of the GAA scene here in Auckland. Kevin Harrington was elected as President, to be backed up by the incredible energy and organization skills of Gerald Lohan as Secretary.

We also had the determined and passionate Feilim Gormley elected as PRO, Liam O’Keeffe as Hurling development officer and Martin Cleary as Treasurer along with representatives of the various clubs and New Committee.
All in al we’d put together a team that had one aim in mind, to build on previous great efforts made by our predecessors, most notably Mike Fox and Gay Kelly, to make Auckland a stronghold of Gaelic games in Australasia.
From the start we set ourselves three main targets
• To improve the timing and organization of match days.
• To improve discipline on the field with consistent refereeing
• To rekindle the off-field social scene.

From the outset we restructured the timing of the games so that we had a men’s and women’s game running at the same time. This allowed us to run games off in a more compact format, leaving less scope for games to be delayed. We also insisted that they start on time and, to date, we have had only two games not start on time. One was due to the referee being held up in traffic and the other actually started five minutes early.

The referees were selected from a panel and given the full support of the committee, a fact made known to all managers and players in a pre-season meeting. This ensured that discipline was greatly improved by the players knowing that the refereeing was being done in a serious fashion, and the referees had the confidence to do their jobs fully with the full and unequivocal support of the committee.

The men’s league has been extremely competitive and, for the first time in living memory, we have reached a play-off situation with Gaels and Celtic drawn for points at the end of the normal season. The play-off is scheduled for Thursday the 14th of December and, if the previous games between these sides is anything to go by, it will be “a ripper!”.

For the women’s League we had four full teams with the Harps club providing a second team, thanks almost solely to the efforts of Patricia O’Neill. Gaels Marist won the league, but only clinched it by winning the last game of the season so close was the competition. We were treated to some great football from the girls which was always competitive and a pleasure to watch. But more importantly, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, both the experienced campaigners and the girls, Kiwi, Scottish, English, Canadian, Samoan and Irish who were new to the game.
Championship this weekend

We kicked off hurling in Auckland this year too following a number of visiting teams, Cork as All-Ireland winners in January ’05 and AIB and Bank of Ireland in October of the same year generating huge interest in the game over here.
It’s worthy of mention that, of the 45 players nominated by the GPA for their annual “team of the year” selection, 15 of them played in Seddon Fields in Auckland over the last couple of years.

So far we’ve had regular training runs and a couple of matches, all extremely well patronized by both players and spectators. We even managed a trip to Wellington to take on a Wellington selection last January to coincide with the World Rugby 7’s being played the same weekend. A great trip and one that will be repeated soon.

On the social side of things we have had great success. Playin two games at a time has led to a shortening of the day and ensured that we had greater numbers in the club rooms at any given time, allied to a bit of music and the friendly service of Teri Twohig behind the bar has resulted in a much greater sense of community and “the craic” has followed.
In order to make the days at Seddon Fields more family friendly, we added a large play-pen for the younger ones where Mammy can drop off the kids and have a quiet chat with friends, happy that the kids are being occupied by toys, blackboards, jigsaws etc etc.
Thanks for this innovation goes to Barry Brennan who sponsored the whole thing.

For the older kids we’ve been holding informal coaching courtesy of Rob McDonnell, a recent immigrant from the mighty county of Dublin. Hopefully in a few years we’ll produce a home grown star to take on the best Ireland has to offer.

Finally, from the social point of view, on the 16th of December, we are holding a gala dinner dance which will be the highlight of the year socially. It’s being held in the premises of the Irish club in Auckland and we are having a champagne reception on guests arrival, a three course meal catered and a band and DJ to dance and sing on into the wee small hours

The future for Auckland GAA is bright. In the New Year we are planning a trip to take on Wellington in Gaelic Football and Hurling matches, again to coincide with the Wellington leg of the World Rugby 7’s. If last year was anything to go by, it should be a fantastic trip.

While we will be holding our annual 7-a-side competition to coincide with the St Patrick’s festival week, we are also going to organize a tournament for players new to the game, with each panel restricted to three experienced footballers and the remainder to be guys who’ve never played before. This will be great fun but on a more serious note will spread our recruitment net wider in this rugby mad nation to see if we can unearth some talent for next season.

Finally, we are traveling to Sydney in October for the State Games. Watch this space.

The association would like to thank Fred McCormack for allowing Jenny Munro to compile the following story on how the West Australian Women's team prepared for the final of the 2006 Australasian Championships.

Jenny is a budding journalist from Queensland and provided excellent match reports on a nightly basis throughout the Championships that kept everyone informed "worldwide".

Thanks Jenny.

Behind Closed Doors…..
with the Wily coach of the West Fred McCormack and the WA women’s team

IT’S perhaps not quite as scary as facing them on the field, but it was with some trepidation that I ventured into the WA dressing room prior to the 2006 Australasian women’s grand final against Queensland, to find out what really does go on “Behind Closed Doors”.

While I was as curious as everyone else as to the secret of the WA women’s success, I was a little nervous about the assignment, especially being from the northern reaches of the eastern seaboard myself.

So, to set the record straight now, no, I wasn’t sent by the Queensland team to spy on the home side’s tactics (in fact, the order came straight from the top - perhaps Gerard Roe was getting a little tired of the monotony of my match reports), and the WA side was generous enough to take my word for it and accept my presence.

When I arrived in the changeroom an hour before the game, Fred was there writing on the whiteboard, while trainer Mick was doing his thing, preparing first aid, water bottles and the like. Fred seemed reasonably relaxed, and when asked about the WA team’s preparation, spilled the first of his team’s secrets. “The girls’ll have plenty of whisky and gin and tonics before the game,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye.

Walk on by...the cherished cup awaits a victor.

However, the whiteboard showed a more serious side: outlined were positions, a list of key game play points, and a few words of wisdom: “Have a no-doubt, clearly defined goal for yourself and this team today”; “It’s the cracks that make us stronger” and “They are ready – ARE YOU?”

As the team filed into the room, I put on my most innocent face and tried to remain inconspicuous, but my efforts to be invisible felt a little in vain as I sat in the corner in my stripy blue jumper, in a sea of black and gold.

But after the initial few surprised looks, the team continued with their pre-match routine: changing, strapping up, applying sunscreen and so on.

While there must have been a few nerves, the mood in the room was generally jovial and relaxed, but when Fred started talking, there was a focused silence.

He spent around fifteen minutes briefing his team, going through the points on the board (can’t expand on them as Fred said he has them copyrighted!!!) so – while still maintaining his sense of humour, coming out with the occasional quip: “’It’s the cracks that make us stronger’….that sounds a bit queer doesn’t it?”

As the team began its warm up with a kicking drill in the main changeroom, I took to chatting with injured player Jane Padgett who had damaged her knee in a netball accident just a few weeks prior to the Games and now spent her time on the sideline with her knee in a brace and a clipboard in her hand, as the team’s official statistician.

It was through Jane that I gained a few first-hand insights into the team.

I found out, for example, that the team had spent the week staying together at a hotel in the city.

In keeping the team together, the aim was to minimize the outside influences of family, friends and partners, while also simulating the environment the team experienced in other years of traveling away to play.

Fred remains poker-faced behind his dark glasses

It all made sense, as I had spoken to Fred before the championships began, and gained this insight for a preview story (found on sportsaustralia.com): The WA women have retained most of the successful 2005 squad, but coach Fred McCormack is cautious about being too optimistic, saying playing at home is not necessarily advantageous. Each participating state hosts the Games on a rotational basis, so this is the first time in seven years WA has hosted the event, and Fred is unsure whether his team’s success away over the last six years will translate into success at home.

“I don’t think playing at home has the advantage people think it has,’’ he said.

“When we go away, there is the buzz of going away, we gel as a team, we focus on the job and don’t have as many outside influences.

“(Playing at home) is good for the girls, it’s exciting, but it also adds pressure.”

However, despite his doubts, McCormack said he believes his team can defend its title.

“We’ve got a team good enough to win it,” he said.

“I think we are the equal of that team (which won in 2005) - what will determine the outcome is whether the other teams have improved.”

“Being at home (after six years of playing away) will be the X-factor.”

Was keeping the team together and away from outside influences the stroke of genius that would lead to victory for the WA women?

Or was it Wily Fred’s coaching pearls of wisdom, or the all-round skills the team already had? Or maybe it was the whisky and gin and tonics that did the trick… Whatever it was, there was an air of quiet confidence as Fred ushered his team out to the field. “Be ready, girls, be ready,” he said. “Let’s get out there.” Sixty-five minutes and much nervous pacing by the seasoned coach later, the final whistle blew, and Fred broke out in his wily, knowing smile.

Fred talks with players Gemma DeKnock and captain Renae Campbell after the win

Jenny Munro

The WA team celebrates its win

2006 AUSTRALASIAN GAELIC FOOTBALL & HURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
View Photo's from the Championships on the Gallery page

FINALS DAY

Western Australia took home the spoils on finals day, with the locals coming away with wins in the seniors’, women’s and minors’ grand finals, and only missing out on a clean sweep after New South Wales won a close tussle in the hurling.

Minors: WA Gold v WA Black Swans

With talent and enthusiasm in abundance this year, the minors competition was very close, and after each WA side had beaten each other once, this was the game that counted.

It was the Black Swans who got off to a good start with first touch of the ball and an early goal to Scott Lewis.

However WA Gold soon hit back with a goal from Keiran Hodge, to bring the scores level at 1-2 (5) 1-2 (5).

But the Black Swans kept up their edge to hold a slender 1-5 (8) to 1-3 (6) lead at halftime.

While play remained fairly even in the second half, WA Gold began to make a comeback, with a Daniel Donnelly goal boosting his side into the lead.

The Gold team continued to pressure the Black Swans goal which was well defended, with the goalie making some impressive saves.

Gold continued to build on its lead while the Black Swans couldn’t get the points they needed, with Gold taking away the 2-10 (16) to 1-8 (11) win at fulltime.

Hurling: WA v NSW

The end result didn’t indicate the closeness of the game with New South Wales coming from behind to take a 3-17 (26) to 3-8 (17) over WA in the hurling final.

In a high quality game, matchplay was mostly even, with WA captain Tom Femmon scoring an early goal, but New South Wales taking a two-point lead into halftime after a higher success rate with overs.

WA came back strongly in the first ten minutes of the second half, with Kieran Lyons and John Whelahan scoring a goal each for the home side to put their side three points ahead.

However New South Wales slowly came back to the fore, only closing the gap and taking over the lead in the last seven minutes, with goals from Donagh Duane and Seamus Collins giving New South Wales a strong finish for the win.

Women: WA v Qld

The Western Australian women became back-to-back champions when they took a solid 3-7 (16) to 0-4 (4) win over Queensland, whom the home side also met in the 2005 grand final.

However, although the Queenslanders took a beating from the WA side earlier in the week, the visitors kept up with the title favourites for most of the first half, only trailing 0-4 (4) to 1-4 (7) at the break.

In the second half, Queensland had trouble getting past the WA defence, who gained several turnovers, and went for the rest of the game without scoring a single point.

But the WA side only went from strength to strength, building up its lead with two more goals to become the 2006 champions by the final whistle.

Seniors: WA v Vic

A two-point win to the Western Australian senior side in extra time against Victoria was the icing on the cake in a fairytale ending to the Games for the host state.

In an extremely close tussle, the two sides remained neck-and-neck for much of the match, with Victoria taking the slight 0-6 to 0-5 lead into halftime.

A WA goal early in the second half gave the home side a boost, but the scores remained very close throughout the half, with the scores locked at 0-12 (12) and 1-9 (12) at the fulltime whistle, calling for extra time.

The Victorians pressured the goal area early on in extra time, but WA defended well to keep its championship hopes alive.

At the extra time halftime break the scores were still deadlocked, 0-13 (13) to 1-10 (13).

The game was close right to the end, with Olan Murphy providing critical points for the home side and Shane Kelly for the visitors.

However it was WA who was on the receiving end of several turnovers, and made the most of them to be ahead at the end of extra time with a score of 1-13 (16) to 0-14 (14), much to the jubilation of the home crowd.

DAY 5

Semi-finals day saw all the local teams perform well, with Western Australian sides going through to grand finals in all divisions.

The senior WA side, after beating Queensland in the first semi final, will now face Victoria in the grand final, after the southerners ended New South Wales’ campaign for a fourth consecutive title in the second semi.

The Western Australian women are looking strong for their title defence against Queensland, in what will be a rematch of the 2005 grand final.

The WA minors’ grand final will be an all-WA affair, after Queensland was knocked out in the semis by the WA Black Swans, who will now face WA Gold.

The hurling final will take place between Western Australia and New South Wales, as they are the only two teams in the competition.

Seniors: Qld v WA

The locals made their mark early on semi-final day, with the WA seniors taking a strong win over Queensland to go through to the grand final.

The WA side showed dominance from the start, with Michael O’Callaghan on fire scoring three goals and four points to help his side along to a strong 4-8 (21) 0-1 (1) lead at half time, with Martin Kennedy contributing the other goal.

The home side continued to control the game in the second half, keeping Queensland from scoring at all.

The Queenslanders worked hard to get the ball into their own territory, but the WA defence was too tight, forcing a number of turnovers.

While WA only managed one goal for the second half, from Kris McEntee, the over count was high, leading to a fulltime score of 5-18 (33) to 0-1 (1).

Women: WA v WA Black Swans

The defending champions didn’t give their WA counterparts the Black Swans as much grief as they did the Queenslanders, but took away a comfortable 1-15 (18) to 0-1 (1) win nonetheless.

Play was fairly even to begin with, but WA emerged to take control of the game, with the ball remaining mostly in its own half for the end of the first half and much of the second.

The titleholders only held a 0-6 (6) to 0-1 (1) lead at half time, but held their opponents scoreless for the second half to increase the winning margin to 17.

Kelsey Jones scored the only goal for the match in the second half, also contributing two points, while Renae Campbell again scored well with five points.

Other scorers were Shelley Matcham and Lydia Padgett for the winning side, while Anna Haynes scored the only point for the Black Swans.

Minors: WA Black Swans v Qld

The Western Australian Black Swans got off to a good start and seemed to have the edge in the opening stages of the game against Queensland, scoring the first points and holding the visiting side scoreless until around 15 minutes into the game.

However the Queenslanders soon caught up and brought the score level at two all, before WA’s Daniel Alsop scored a goal to put the Black Swans ahead.

Then a Nick Black goal for Queensland right on halftime had the scores deadlocked at 1-3 (6) to 1-3 (6) at the break.

The Black Swans came out strongly again in the second half, putting the first points on the board and managing to maintain the upper hand of the game for most of the half, only allowing Queensland two more points for the match.

Goals to Scott Lewis and Sean Doyle in final stages of the match put the result beyond doubt as the locals posted a final score of 3-8 (11) to 1-5 (8).

Hurling: NSW v WA

The first hurling match of the Championships was a competitive one with Western Australia bringing home a win after New South Wales led for most of the game.

New South Wales opened the scoring and soon had a goal on the board thanks to David Walsh, putting the visitors ahead 1-7 (10) to 0-3 (3) midway through the first half.

Play continued evenly and New South Wales kept up its lead to go into the break 1-9 (12) to 0-6 (6).

New South Wales continued to have the upper hand in the opening stages of the second half, scoring the first points again.

However, as the visiting side tired the WA side picked up, with a goal from Dermot McDermott turning the tables midway through the second half to threaten the New South Wales lead.

A second WA goal, this time to Diarmaid Grace, put the home side ahead in the dying stages of the game, and stayed ahead to record a 2-11 (17) to 1-12 (15) win at the final whistle.

Women: Qld v Vic

The Queensland women set themselves up for a rematch of the 2005 grand final against Western Australia after taking away a 3-10 (19) to 0-5 (5) win over Victoria in the semi final.

Queensland appeared to have the upper hand in the first half, although the scores remained close.

However, goals to Grainne Heduan and Michelle Cubis and three overs by Mel Cowie gave the Queensland side a good lead heading into the break, with a halftime score of 2-6 (12) to 0-3 (3) giving the girls in red some breathing space.

The second half saw the Victorians gain more possession and pressure the goal area, but the hard work didn’t convert into points as the Queenslanders forced the turnovers, with Megan Oliver performing well at fullback, backed up by Karen Edgerton.

Cowie scored Queensland’s third goal to consolidate her side’s lead, while Cubis and Jen Smith added two overs each to the scoreboard, increasing the Queenslanders’ winning margin to 14 points at fulltime.

Seniors: NSW v Vic

The last match of the day saw Victoria end New South Wales’ campaign to be the first senior team in Australasian history to win four consecutive championships, with the Victorians coming away with a 0-15 (15) to 1-6 (9) win to put themselves in the grand final.

It was New South Wales who got off to a good start, with Paddy Matthews opening the scoring with a goal in the first few minutes of play.

Both teams played evenly for much of the first half, but Victoria began to hold more territory towards the end of the half, chipping away with one-pointers as New South Wales gave away some turnovers.

The Victorians held a narrow 1-1 (4) to 0-6 (6) lead at halftime, and managed to hold onto the lead for most of the second half.

Danny Bourne contributed well for the Victorian side with five points, while Eoin Quinn kicked four and Ciaran Rabbit and Kael Downes helped out with two each.

Connor Evans worked hard at fullback for New South Wales, while the Victorian backs played well to keep the ball up the other end of the field, with Paddy O’Farrell effective at centre halfback and Joe Kelly a stand-out in the midfield.

Paddy Matthews added two overs to his points tally while Mal Cunningham was the other main contributor for New South Wales with four points.

DAY FOUR

While day four was a rest day for the women’s and senior men’s teams, the Queensland minors faced two games against the two local sides, in what is turning out to be an extremely close competition.

The visitors first took on the Black Swans in a low-scoring game which saw the two sides neck-and-neck for most of the way.

With a score of only 0-3 to 0-2 in Queensland’s favour at halftime, it was still anyone’s game right up until the final whistle.

Both sides had ample opportunities to score, but with both showing only an average success rate, it came down to who could be more accurate in the time remaining.

Each team displayed tight defensive work, with Thomas Bamford and Andrew Henning holding the Queensland attack off while Jack Dixon and Martin Morgan were strong for the visiting side, especially in the second half.

However it was Queensland who was ahead at the end to take the win, in the lowest score seen at these championships, 0-7 to 0-4.

The Queensland side then had a three-hour break before regrouping for the second match of the day, against Western Australia Gold.

The game remained fairly even throughout the first half, with each side matching each other for points, with the score locked at four-all towards the end of the half.

Queensland’s Josh Meninga then gave his side a boost with a goal shortly before halftime, to go into the break with a 1-4 (7) to 0-4 (4) lead.

However, the Queensland side tired in the second half, and WA got to the ball first on many occasions, turning them into points more often than Queensland.

WA’s Joel Fiegert came good in the second half with some good work in the backline, while Adrian Cagnana played a key role in the forwards after switching from the backs, scoring a goal for the home side to put Queensland under pressure.

Daniel Donnelly also continued to play a valuable role for WA, setting up and finishing off a number of plays as well as scoring two overs.

Jack Dixon continued to play well for Queensland, as did Kent Delbridge, who scored a number of points for the visiting side.

However the Queenslanders took their chances and tried for goals rather than overs, while the WA side chipped away by going for the single points, which saw them come out winners in the end, 1-10 (13) to 1-5 (8).

DAY THREE

Seniors: Qld v Victoria

It was all about the points in the opening game for day three, as Victoria handed Queensland a sound beating to get ahead on the seniors’ ladder.

With the seniors’ championship currently a three-way tussle between the Victorians, title-holders New South Wales and home side Western Australia, Victoria’s 8-17 (41) to 0-5 (5) win against the Queenslanders provided a boost for the southerners’ for-and-against tally to position them well for the finals.

However, the Victorians got away to a slow start as the Queensland side began strongly, with little scoring from either side in the early stages of the game.

Victoria posted a solid 2-7 (13) to 0-3 (3) lead at the half-time break but did most of its scoring in the second half, putting the Queensland defence under intense pressure as it struggled to get the ball out from the back line.

Every mistake hurt for the fatiguing Queensland team, with the Victorians seizing the majority of loose balls and turning them into points.

Prolific scorers for Victoria were Eion Quinn with three goals and four overs and Ciaran Rabbit and Darren Bourne who both scored two goals and three overs.

Scoring the precious few points for Queensland were Cameron Carney with three overs and Andrew Peers with two.

Minors: WA Gold v Qld

The extreme closeness of the minors’ competition was demonstrated again in the match between Western Australia Gold and Queensland, with the Queensland side scraping through with a 1-12 (15) to 2-8 (14) win.

There was much action in the middle with few points scored in the early stages of the game, before a number of goals came in quick succession.

WA was the first to net a three-pointer courtesy of Daniel Donnelly, while Queensland soon followed suit with Troy Randall doing the honours.

Mark Kelly then followed up with WA’s second goal of the day to give the home side a 2-4 (10) to 1-5 (8) lead by halftime.

However Queensland went on the attack early in the second half, bringing the scores even and then edging ahead.

Half-forward Nick Black played a key role for Queensland, kicking five overs, with Matthew Saunders also helping out with three overs of his own. Kieran Hodge kept WA up with the visitors with three overs.

However the Western Australian defence couldn’t stop Black and Saunders from breaking through the centre and consistently following through with points as the Queenslanders held on for the one-point win.

Women: WA Black Swans v Victoria

If the Victorian women were expecting an easy game against the WA Black Swans, it wasn’t to be, as the home side put up a good fight to come within four points of a win against the more experienced side.

Victoria did however appear to be the dominant team in the opening half, with the ball staying mostly in Victorian territory.

After posting a 0-8 (8) to 0-3 (3) lead at half time, the Victorians continued strongly into the second half with Julia Boyle scoring a goal in the opening minutes.

The Black Swans however soon hit back and a goal and over from Aislinn Burke kept the visiting side from getting too comfortable.

But the Victorians stayed strong and made the most of any WA mistakes as the home side tired.

Victorian forwards Michelle Collier and Kirsten Burke were effective in attack, while the Black Swans’ Louise Knitter also impressed.

However the WA backs and goalie Emma Duffield kept the pressure up on the Victorian attack, not letting much through before Victoria held on for the 1-10 (13) to 1-7 (10) win.

Seniors: NSW v WA

The second seniors match of the day saw the home side continue its winning streak, taking the prized scalp of three-time champion New South Wales, 1-10 (13) to 1-6 (9).

The Western Australians began well, with Paul Kilbane effective in the midfield to help his side open the scoring and take a lead into halftime 0-6 (6) to 0-2 (2).

The second half saw New South Wales claim back some territory as the visitors went on the attack, with Niall Cunningham and Barry Devine contributing valuable points, while a Tom Burne goal closed his side’s scoreline deficit to just one point.

The two sides then fought for the lead after a New South Wales over brought the scores level.

A Colm McHugh goal for Western Australia gave the host side some breathing space, but New South Wales continued to pressure the WA defence, which held up well with Ryan Daly playing a key role.

The win for WA has put the home side in a strong position in first place on the seniors’ points table, while New South Wales faces a tough road to the finals after placing third.

Minors: WA Gold v WA Black Swans

In their second match-up for the week, the WA Black Swans turned the tables on WA Gold in taking a close 0-12 (12) to 1-7 (10) win to atone for their earlier loss in the minors’ competition.

The first half saw few points scored in an even contest before Kieran Hodge netted a goal shortly before half time to give the Gold team a 1-4 (7) to 0-5 (5) lead.

However, the Black Swans came out firing in the second half, kicking several overs and pressuring the Gold goal to eventually get in front.

Black Swans Darren Cunningham and Colin McNabb were strong in the midfield, as was Tim Dutt, with all scoring points during the game, while Luke Paterson had an outstanding game for WA Gold, with Daniel Padua also playing well in defence.

In an even final quarter, WA Gold began to fight back and the points came in equal shares, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Black Swans who held on for victory.

Women: WA v Qld

The Western Australian women blew everyone away with an unexpectedly easy win over rivals Queensland, romping home with a scoreline of 6-8 (26) 1-6 (9) in a rematch of the 2005 grand final.

While the game began fairly evenly in terms of matchplay, it was WA who was more successful in its attempts at points, showing more accuracy throughout the game as the Queensland side struggled to find the posts.

However it was WA’s ability to find the net that hurt the Queenslanders, putting the home side well ahead with numerous three-pointers.

WA’s Renae Campbell played a dominant game at centre half-forward, scoring one goal and four overs in the process, while Lydia Padgett also played well in attack.

Kelsey Jones contributed an early goal for the Western Australians, while Emma Pender and Kelly Tyrrell both scored two goals each in the second half.

Mel Cowie found the net for Queensland in a penalty kick in the latter stages of the match, while Trish Brown kept up her skilful work in the midfield, contributing two overs for the game, as did Natalie Hughes.

While Queensland came out with some occasional passages of brilliance, it was WA who held the upper hand for the majority of the match, and will be looking to take that advantage to the grand final on Sunday.

Queensland will play Victoria in the semi-final to determine who will get to challenge the home side for the 2006 championship in the final.

DAY TWO

Minors: WA Gold v WA Black Swans

Wet weather may have dampened day one of the Australasian Games, but day two began in fine conditions, with a local derby between the two Western Australian minors’ sides – the Black Swans and Western Australia Gold – kicking off proceedings.

While the Black Swans were made up of more experienced players, many of the Gold side were new to the round ball sport, having crossed over from Aussie Rules.

However, it was Gold who glistened in the end with a 3-8 (17) to 2-7 (13) win, although the Black Swans put their opponents under a great deal of pressure in the final quarter.

The Black Swans got off to a strong start in the second half with two quick goals by Andrew Henning bringing the scores to 2-3 (9) 3-3 (12), but were unable to convert their hard work at the end of the game into match-winning points.

Both teams were competitive all game, with each sharing an equal amount of territory and possession until the final stages of the match when the Black Swans stepped up the pressure.

However, hard work by the Gold backs and several crucial saves by Gold goalie Shaun Hurt kept the defending side ahead for the win.

For Western Australia Gold, Daniel Donnelly scored two goals while Mark Kelly scored the third.

Michael Pizzali also contributed well for the Gold team with several overs, while Joel Fieg was vital in the midfield as was Adrian Cagnana in the backline.

Women: Qld v Victoria

The Queensland women continued their winning streak when they accounted for Victoria in the second match of the day.

Queensland got off to a strong start with two quick goals from Kildare product Grainne Heduan, while Victoria did not score until 15 minutes into the game, with Kathryn Winterton producing the first of only two points scored by the Victorians for the match.

Trish Brown, a recent Australian representative in the women’s rugby world cup, showed flair in the midfield to trouble the Victorian defence, as did her offsider Ronni Browning.

The speed and ability of the Queenslanders to pick up loose balls kept the girls in red in safe territory for much of the game, although Victoria was able to break out on occasions.

However, when the Victorians made their breaks they weren’t able to deliver the goods in terms of points, although they began to show more promise towards the end of the first half as they put pressure on the goals.

Queensland led at the break 2-3 (9) to 0-2 (2), and were able to keep their opponents scoreless for the entire second half for a final score of 2-10 (16) to 0-2 (2).

Seniors: WA v Qld

Western Australia went on the attack early against Queensland, never looking back as the home side led all the way to a 1-21 (24) to 0-3 (3) win at the final whistle.

Colm McHugh opened the scoring for the home side with an over, his first of several points scored throughout the match, backed up by fellow forward Olan Murphy.

WA led by 0-10 (10) to nil at halftime, holding Queensland to only three overs for the rest of the match.

Queensland midfielder Cameron Carney again proved to be a key player for his side, scoring one of his side’s overs after an impressive break through the centres.

Pat Breen and Paul Kilrane were high scorers for the host side, producing three and four points respectively.

Michael O’Callaghan scored the only goal for the match, to give WA a winning margin of 23 points.

Women: WA v WA Black Swans

The second local derby of the day saw the defending champions show why they are on the money for a second consecutive title when they gave their hosting counterparts the Black Swans a sound beating.

The title-holders dominated for much of the match, although the Black Swans made some breaks and were able to convert some opportunities into points, with Josephine O’Callaghan and Anna Haynes both kicking overs.

Lydia Pagett and Emma Pender both scored two goals each for the other WA side, with Renae Campbell chipping in with a goal of her own as her side cruised to a 5-10 (25) to 0-3 (3) lead at half time.

Pagett also kicked six overs, while Angie Doyle and Shelley Matchem were also strong in attack with four overs apiece.

The second half saw greater defence in goals with only one scored for the half, from the boot of Kez Jones.

However, the title-holders were relentless in attack, coming home with a final score of 6-22 (40) to 0-5 (5).

Seniors: NSW v Victoria

In one of the closer and more unpredictable games of the championships so far, Victoria pulled off a win against the defending champions New South Wales in the final seniors match for the day.

In an even and low-scoring first half, New South Wales gained a slight edge to post a narrow 0-4 (4) to 0-2 (2) lead by half time.

No points were scored in the second half until 10 minutes in, when Victoria’s Joe Kelly punched in a goal to give his side a one-point lead.

New South Wales soon responded with an over to bring the scores level.

However, when the Victorians had a player sent off midway through the half, New South Wales were unable to capitalise on the advantage as the Victorians continued to pressure the goal area.

Mick Finn of Victoria was impressive with his dominance in the midfield, while Conor Evans and Martin McGearty performed well for New South Wales, with McGearty kicking three overs for the match and Barry Devine two.

Eoin Quinn also continued his good form, contributing a penalty goal to give his side a 2-2 (8) to 0-5 (5) lead.

The Victorians only conceded one more point in the match to take the win with a final score of 2-2 (8) 0-6 (6).

DAY ONE

After days of fine Perth weather, anyone could have thought we were in Ireland as wind, rain and cooler temperatures descended on EFTel Oval for day one of the Gaelic Games for 2006.

First to brave the elements were the Queensland women and the Western Australian Black Swans, the second of two WA women’s teams entered in this year’s competition.

Champions in 2004 and runners-up last year, Queensland showed they are still a force to be reckoned with, taking a comfortable 2-9 (15) to 0-3 (3) win against the home side.

Queensland opened the scoring early with a number of overs, with new Irish recruit Grainne Heduan scoring the first goal of the championships to cement her side’s early lead.

While the Queenslanders showed smooth teamwork in attack, the WA side proved competitive and kept the ball coming back into their own territory, converting a number of attempts at goal to put themselves on the board.

However it was Queensland who held a 1-6 (9) to 0-2 (2) lead at halftime, putting the visitors in good stead for the rest of the game.

But as the sides ran on for the second half, the wind and rain kicked in to prove the main opponent for both sides, compounding the difficult and slippery conditions.

Queensland was first off the mark with a goal to midfielder Trish Brown, and the girls in red continued to hold the edge for the remainder of the game, despite both sides m