Asian Gaelic Games 2009
Bangkok, Thailand
16th to 18th October
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SGL Travelled to this years games pumped, well prepared and with a huge touring party of 140 Lions, Lionesses, Cubs and supporters. Thai GAA and the ACB had all the bases covered save for mother nature and it rained for much of the weekend. However, with numerious reschedules and adjustments they managed to play off most of the competitions, save for Hurling and SGL duly had our most successful trip to the AGG in many years, coming back with the Ladies Cup, Ladies Plate, Ladies MVP and nine All-stars across the teams. Another great year!!!
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Congratulations to Ladies A & B, MVP Tessa McGovern and All-Stars Ronan Lenihan, Declan Lynch, Darragh Lenihan, Dave O'Brien, Becs Gaughan, Jen Allen, Tessa McGovern, Kym Tonkin & Marti Crosbie
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The All-Stars, the MVP for crissakes, the phenomenal scorelines and defensive result. Ruairi even briefly stopped scowling with his joy overflowing. For the rest of us, it was a weekend of the Nearly Was with close calls, dodgy decisions and final whistle heartbreak.
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Dry your eyes my friend.
To view the official photographs please visit the following link -
The teams of Singapore Gaelic Lions will be regrouping for 2010 but in the meantime your Captains and Teammates have something to say..
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Cubs
The cubs had a fantastic weekend at the Asia Gaelic Games. My boys were hard pressed to pick the best part - the football was nearly matched by some pretty wild tuk tuk racing on Bangkok's back streets and mudslides in the torrential rain!
Whatever about the exploits off the field, the football was nothing less than amazing. After a pretty rough work-over at the hands of the home team, the kids made a fantastic recovery in their last game against a formidable KL side.
Jake, Liam, Tyrell and Olivia set up a defense that stopped everything. The game was played on a full sized field and Aisha, Phoebe, Declan and Luke did some great running, feeding balls into the front line. Eli, Josh, Caitlin, Shannon and Callum took turns up front and after an amazing goal from Josh, the points started to accumulate.
Final score was 1 goal 3 points to 1 point.
They really did themselves proud in terms of skill, determination and composure under a bit of pressure.
Player of the match went to Tyrell O'Sullivan for some tremendous defending and goalie work.
Despite the competition, some good friendships were established with the Bangkok and KL groups and we will look to get together at least once before the South East Asia games in early March.
*Whatever about the exploits off the field, the football was nothing less than amazing. After a pretty rough work-over at the hands of the home team, the kids made a fantastic recovery in their last game against a formidable KL side.
Jake, Liam, Tyrell and Olivia set up a defense that stopped everything. The game was played on a full sized field and Aisha, Phoebe, Declan and Luke did some great running, feeding balls into the front line. Eli, Josh, Caitlin, Shannon and Callum took turns up front and after an amazing goal from Josh, the points started to accumulate.
Final score was 1 goal 3 points to 1 point.
They really did themselves proud in terms of skill, determination and composure under a bit of pressure.
Player of the match went to Tyrell O'Sullivan for some tremendous defending and goalie work.
Despite the competition, some good friendships were established with the Bangkok and KL groups and we will look to get together at least once before the South East Asia games in early March.
Mens A
Squad: Declan Lynch, Micheal Smith (captain), Frank McKenna, Kiernan Walsh, John Mannion, Cormac O’Muircheartaigh, Joe Lyons, Darragh Brady, Ken Savage, Glyn Carroll, Niall Walsh, Ronan Lenihan
Game 1. Hong Kong. Singapore ground out an excellent start to the tournament with a two-point win over eventual champions Hong Kong. The friendliness between the two sides continued from last year’s final and was palpable from the very outset - during this 14 minute encounter there was 5 yellow cards and a player from both teams sent off (no names mentioned …).
Game 2. Qatar. A game of two halves. A changed formation perhaps resulted in a four-point deficit at half time. A turnaround in the second half reduced that to two points. Qatar’s reliance on points in this game and others, while well executed, would later be their undoing.
Game 3. Seoul. Delayed for two hours after the storm. Seoul were full of running and harried hard throughout. Singapore gave as good as they got, and the game ended in a deserved draw.
Game 4. Shanghai. Easiest game of the day, and good pick-me-up, with Singapore running out winners by 9 points. However, the Mannion and Walsh’s handbags had to be confiscated.
Game 5. Japan. Possibly the best showing of the weekend. A very solid 10-point win, Japan’s dangerman and former Singapore Lion Kevin Morgan kept quiet throughout but unfortunately not on Sunday night.
Game 6. Seoul. A game of only 10 minutes and no half time started with two goals in the opening 45 seconds, and only got quicker after that. Level with three minutes to go, Seoul cracked over three good points, and finished with a last-gasp goal as Singapore chased, to win the game by six points.
Overall some very disappointed heads post the semi-final, but as to be expected. Felt even worse to see Hong Kong, whom we beat on the Saturday, go on to lift the Derek Brady cup, but no arguments, and Hong Kong were deserved winners. There are no prizes in coming anywhere but first, but Singapore A aren’t a million miles away, and with the club’s strength in depth shown by the best “B” team at the games, they will be back. Congratulations to Dec L and Ro L for their All-Stars.
Some of the best performances of the weekend were left until the Sunday night with Cormac reliving his stage diving years, Walsh tackling ice statues and O’Brien attempting showing his credentials for a Page 3 contract.
A big shout out to a few guys who may have played their last game for the Lions at the AGG: John Mannion and Joe Lyons.
*Ladies A
What can we say... for the first time EVER the Ladies cup was brought home to Singvegas!!
And our Tessa was deservedly MVP of the tournament.
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There had been a lot of controversy in the hours leading up to the first game v Korea because of the late decision that full ladies rules from Ireland would be implemented.
This meant little or no contact, particularly around the tackle. Most team's training, including our own had been around full contact so it was always going to be a case of who adapted better over the weekend.
Apparently some of the more physical teams were going a bit mad at the referees meeting on Friday night, but all was confirmed on Saturday morning - them's the rules......
Until the volunteer ref rocked up for the first game v Korea... Coach to ref "were you at the referees meeting last night" "no", "so do you know about this strict interpretation of the ladies rules" "No, tell me what are the rules?" 2 minutes in Tessa picks up the ball, sets off on a solo, is dragged to the ground, no free. Coach to linesman (nicely of course) "Can you please tell the ref at half time that no physical contact means you're not allowed drag a girl onto the ground"......
With the girls season long habit of starting slower than it takes GOB to put his hand in his pocket to pay for something playing against a team who had knocked us out of the semi final the previous 3 years was a tough ask, but once the game started the worries evaporated. We dominated the first half, without putting them away, several missed chances kept them within a couple of points at half time.
Second half we stepped up a gear and early goals put the game to bed, despite a late goal conceded we saw out the game 3-2 to 1-3
Next up was Dubai, champions for the last 3 years. Minutes before the game the heavens opened and all the Saturday morning monsoon practice we had started to kick in. We just about shaded a tight first half by a couple of points. Have changed formation slightly from the first half to contain their runners from midfield, we reverted to our regular formation, and took complete control. Dubai couldnt handle the long ball in and with Jen, Tessa and Cassie on fire and running at them constantly, drawing numerous fouls the goals started flowing. Becs, Mel and Bla were containing them in the middle and the defence was rock solid. In the end the 5-4 to 1-4 scoreline was a fair reflection.
Game 3 was to be the most challenging of the day. The downpour had resulted in the closing of the main fields until 4pm so all ladies games were switched over to the road and back fields.
The road pitch proved to be a leveler, being only approx 60m long and about 45m wide. With the ladies goalkeepers allowed to kick everything from the 21 yard line still, it resulted in several high balls from ex Lioness Christine in her adopted club raining down 10m from our goal. Perhaps it was a bit of complacency, perhaps taking time to get used to the new surroundings but Shanghai gave us a fright in the first half and we were lucky to go in 2 points up. Second half saw a couple of tactical switches, with Katia dropping back in front of the defence and hoovering up their kickouts. The class of our forward players started to kick in and the goals flowed. 5-3 to 1-3 the final score.
With the claustrophobic nature of the tiny pitch, moving to the regular sized back pitch was like walking from an indoor soccer pitch to an outdoor pitch. Our final game of the day was against Hong Kong.
Tired legs played a part on both sides as the quality of the game dropped off quite a bit from the earlier games. The lionesses were always in control though, and despite some sloppy passes gifting them scores we ran out deserved winners 4-2 to 2-3.
4 games 17 goals scored for the day had put down a marker but had also drawn our opponents attention, we knew Sunday would be hard, but were confident in our own ability.
With the downpour on Saturday affecting the schedule and meaning a backlog of games to be completed on Sunday morning our final group game v Beijing was moved from 10am to 9.20 and at 8.45 was moved to 9am. Unfortunately, with girls still arriving at the pitch it meant a full warmup wasnt done, which accounted for the slow start. Despite being cannon fodder for the other teams on Saturday, Beijing came out fighting, and picked off some good scores. Our watching rivals possibly saw a chink in the armour in the first half, but it didnt last long. The defence tightened up, shutting down the space, midfield took over and the workrate of Becs & Tess started to create space. Once in full flow the girls are difficult to stop and the second half was a long one for the Beijing defence. From a 2-1 to 1-1 half time score, we moved to a 7-4 to 1-1 victory which sealed top place in the group and a semi final v Hong Kong who finished 4th.
The semi final proved to be a different game to the group game. Whilst on Saturday Hong Kong came out and attacked us, this time they dropped 4 defenders within 20m of their goal. This cut down the long ball option and the goal threat, but the midfield came into its own, and the extra space for Bla, Becs, Mel & Sheila allowed us to tap over points to keep control of the game. A late goal put a seal on the victory, and the defence having done a superb job keeping them scoreless, a final score of 2-6 to 0-0 meant a place in the final for Singapore for the first time since 2004.
The second semi final was a much closer affair, Korea had improved all day on Saturday and gave Dubai a tough game, however an extra time score took the game for Dubai by 1 point.
With the Irish weather having kicked back in resulting in no play again on Sunday for a couple of hours, all games were reduced to 10 minutes straight no half time. The girls were fired up, Cassie had come through a late fitness test on her knee with the help of our Physio as well as Cormac & Maybelle. With everyone ready to go there was one further delay as the mens semi final between Hong Kong and Dubai went to extra time but the focus remained. Dubai picked off their first and only score with a well taken point after 2 minutes but from there on in the defence was awesome, preventing Dubai from getting into scoring positions repeatedly. The midfields work rate was also fantastic, with more often than not a lioness driving through to pick up the breaking ball. Again the forwards were working off restricted space, but still caused plenty of problems. Scores were picked off to keep us in control, and the game was sealed with a couple of minutes to go, with a shot at a point dropped into the top corner for the game clincher. A further point put us 5 clear 1-3 to 0-1 and despite Dubai laying siege in the 2 minutes of injury time there was no way through and the Lionesses were champions for the first time.
This meant little or no contact, particularly around the tackle. Most team's training, including our own had been around full contact so it was always going to be a case of who adapted better over the weekend.
Apparently some of the more physical teams were going a bit mad at the referees meeting on Friday night, but all was confirmed on Saturday morning - them's the rules......
Until the volunteer ref rocked up for the first game v Korea... Coach to ref "were you at the referees meeting last night" "no", "so do you know about this strict interpretation of the ladies rules" "No, tell me what are the rules?" 2 minutes in Tessa picks up the ball, sets off on a solo, is dragged to the ground, no free. Coach to linesman (nicely of course) "Can you please tell the ref at half time that no physical contact means you're not allowed drag a girl onto the ground"......
With the girls season long habit of starting slower than it takes GOB to put his hand in his pocket to pay for something playing against a team who had knocked us out of the semi final the previous 3 years was a tough ask, but once the game started the worries evaporated. We dominated the first half, without putting them away, several missed chances kept them within a couple of points at half time.
Second half we stepped up a gear and early goals put the game to bed, despite a late goal conceded we saw out the game 3-2 to 1-3
Next up was Dubai, champions for the last 3 years. Minutes before the game the heavens opened and all the Saturday morning monsoon practice we had started to kick in. We just about shaded a tight first half by a couple of points. Have changed formation slightly from the first half to contain their runners from midfield, we reverted to our regular formation, and took complete control. Dubai couldnt handle the long ball in and with Jen, Tessa and Cassie on fire and running at them constantly, drawing numerous fouls the goals started flowing. Becs, Mel and Bla were containing them in the middle and the defence was rock solid. In the end the 5-4 to 1-4 scoreline was a fair reflection.
Game 3 was to be the most challenging of the day. The downpour had resulted in the closing of the main fields until 4pm so all ladies games were switched over to the road and back fields.
The road pitch proved to be a leveler, being only approx 60m long and about 45m wide. With the ladies goalkeepers allowed to kick everything from the 21 yard line still, it resulted in several high balls from ex Lioness Christine in her adopted club raining down 10m from our goal. Perhaps it was a bit of complacency, perhaps taking time to get used to the new surroundings but Shanghai gave us a fright in the first half and we were lucky to go in 2 points up. Second half saw a couple of tactical switches, with Katia dropping back in front of the defence and hoovering up their kickouts. The class of our forward players started to kick in and the goals flowed. 5-3 to 1-3 the final score.
With the claustrophobic nature of the tiny pitch, moving to the regular sized back pitch was like walking from an indoor soccer pitch to an outdoor pitch. Our final game of the day was against Hong Kong.
Tired legs played a part on both sides as the quality of the game dropped off quite a bit from the earlier games. The lionesses were always in control though, and despite some sloppy passes gifting them scores we ran out deserved winners 4-2 to 2-3.
4 games 17 goals scored for the day had put down a marker but had also drawn our opponents attention, we knew Sunday would be hard, but were confident in our own ability.
With the downpour on Saturday affecting the schedule and meaning a backlog of games to be completed on Sunday morning our final group game v Beijing was moved from 10am to 9.20 and at 8.45 was moved to 9am. Unfortunately, with girls still arriving at the pitch it meant a full warmup wasnt done, which accounted for the slow start. Despite being cannon fodder for the other teams on Saturday, Beijing came out fighting, and picked off some good scores. Our watching rivals possibly saw a chink in the armour in the first half, but it didnt last long. The defence tightened up, shutting down the space, midfield took over and the workrate of Becs & Tess started to create space. Once in full flow the girls are difficult to stop and the second half was a long one for the Beijing defence. From a 2-1 to 1-1 half time score, we moved to a 7-4 to 1-1 victory which sealed top place in the group and a semi final v Hong Kong who finished 4th.
The semi final proved to be a different game to the group game. Whilst on Saturday Hong Kong came out and attacked us, this time they dropped 4 defenders within 20m of their goal. This cut down the long ball option and the goal threat, but the midfield came into its own, and the extra space for Bla, Becs, Mel & Sheila allowed us to tap over points to keep control of the game. A late goal put a seal on the victory, and the defence having done a superb job keeping them scoreless, a final score of 2-6 to 0-0 meant a place in the final for Singapore for the first time since 2004.
The second semi final was a much closer affair, Korea had improved all day on Saturday and gave Dubai a tough game, however an extra time score took the game for Dubai by 1 point.
With the Irish weather having kicked back in resulting in no play again on Sunday for a couple of hours, all games were reduced to 10 minutes straight no half time. The girls were fired up, Cassie had come through a late fitness test on her knee with the help of our Physio as well as Cormac & Maybelle. With everyone ready to go there was one further delay as the mens semi final between Hong Kong and Dubai went to extra time but the focus remained. Dubai picked off their first and only score with a well taken point after 2 minutes but from there on in the defence was awesome, preventing Dubai from getting into scoring positions repeatedly. The midfields work rate was also fantastic, with more often than not a lioness driving through to pick up the breaking ball. Again the forwards were working off restricted space, but still caused plenty of problems. Scores were picked off to keep us in control, and the game was sealed with a couple of minutes to go, with a shot at a point dropped into the top corner for the game clincher. A further point put us 5 clear 1-3 to 0-1 and despite Dubai laying siege in the 2 minutes of injury time there was no way through and the Lionesses were champions for the first time.
A phenomenal return of 27-24 from 7 games meant plaudits and allstars for Becs, Tessa and Jen, plus the well deserved MVP for Tessa, but as great an achievement was the defence & All Star Kym conceding just 1-2 in 40 minutes of football on Sunday and 1 point between the semi final and final.
What shone through was the team work and work rate. There were individual awards, but it was a team of 12 stars who's dedication and work rate all year meant a deserved victory.
Congratulations to Kym, Gillian, Captain Claire, Mad Mel, Katia, Mel, Bla, Becs, Sheila, Cassie, Tessa, Jen. The girls were head and shoulders above the opposition, with 5 points being the lowest winning margin.
Mens B
Injuries would overshadow the B team prior and during the competition. Coach Croker, who was the clear winner of the 2009 Anderton/Hargreaves ‘Sick Note’ award, was unable to travel since his knee op. Word broke that Fergus’ motorbike was involved in a collision on the Thursday in Samui leaving him requiring six stitches in his shin and ruling him out of the weekend. It was a major early blow to the team, losing a player who had won the MVP award during the recent KL visit to Singapore. In came Guy who was poached from the C team (sorry Steffo!) Thinking about managing a team with the vociferous qualities of Gerry, Laurence, Paul, Darragh, Dave and Ally had me worrying if I’d get any sleep at all on the Fri night. Roomie GOB was up and down playing tactics in his head all night on that 1st ball versus HK, so sleep was at a premium anyway.
The group stages were a resounding success, with the Bs dishing out a harsh lesson to Shanghai B and Orang Eire B. Arabian Legends provided trickier opposition helped by the poor decision to award 2 points when they were well wide (Stevie!!). The lads had to regroup and eventually pulled through winning out by 6 points with Dan controlling midfield, scoring 2 points and setting up the goals. Highlights from the opening 3 games were a hatful of scores totaling 12-21 with Dave, Darragh and Killian finding the net on more than one occasion. The defence stood firm and conceded a miserly 7 points as the B team came in ranked number 1 in the B-Cup standings.
Other moments of note from the opening 3 games were Dave’s penalty miss as it blazed wide, miles some commented – the ball was never found apparently. After shooting 1-6 in the opening game Dave, decided a change of footwear for game 2. What followed was 2 missed frees inside 20 yards; Gerry known for his ‘compassion’, reassured Dave at half time.He did go on to score 2-0 in the second half to redeem himself. Kevin Morgan’s charity in Calcutta would be the beneficiary of these “bad new boots”. Ally had some kind of allergic reaction on the field against Orang Eire, twice resorting to the foreign game in a 30 second period (one a ludicrous backheel) resembling Bambi on Ice as he had some kind of frenzied fit but soon got himself together to hit 1-1. Orang Eire’s ‘Manwhore’ was particularly thankful to Darragh for kicking a point at one stage rather than having to chase after him yet again as he ran the defence ragged as himself and Dave bagged a brace of goals each.
Beijing offered little resistance in the Q/F; with Gerry’s inside knowledge and Guy hitting his first “under” of the weekend. The defence again shone and started bombing forward to get in on the scoring as Paul added his 2nd point of the tournament.
Next up in the semis we faced a very good Thailand A side who had early inflicted a heavy defeat on the Singapore D team and who overcame a determined Orang Eire A in the Q/F after extra time. In the early stages of the game Singapore shone with another under from Guy and points from the 3 D’s. Ally in his attempt to fist the ball to the net, fell heavily landing on his back midway through the game which would prove to be his last action of the weekend. Mark’s tenacious (sometimes sexually offensive) style of marking resulted in some handbags with the Thai forward and the black headband went flying but was unfortunately recovered. Thailand upped the pressure and clawed back the deficit to one point but the experience of the 7-a-side ‘veterans’ of this competition such as Laurence, Paul, Mark, Lee and Killian dug deep and ably assisted by the tireless Guy and Ken pulled us through with the minimum to spare.
And so to the final to face the Arabian Celts, who made amends for their defeat in last year’s showpiece with a convincing victory in the semis against holders Dubai B. We knew we would be up against it and this was further compounded with the news that Ally was in no condition to play (physical and not drunken that is). Play was reverted back to 9-a-side but again with 10 mins straight through allowing for no half time interval. Exchanges were close in the opening minutes and the Celts struck early with a goal. Dave pointed with a free only for the Celts to raise the white flag. We had to work hard to find openings against a strong Celts side. A probing move from midfield sent Lee clear in the corner; just before he was about to take on the point, Lee fisted the ball to Dave who had found space and he blasted to the net.
We began to get a little ragged due to the availability of only 2 rotating subs and the Celts took advantage scoring their second goal of the game. Ken was putting in a mountain of work to keep their full forward at bay, himself and Dan not once coming off the pitch for the entire final. Mark, this time donning his prized golden headband, was again involved in some up-close-and-personal tackling and at one stage was seen chasing the forward across the pitch (off the ball!)
As the seconds ticked down the Celts held a one goal lead, and it looked like the game was up. However the Lions fighting spirit was illustrated when Dan played a sublime ball of the outside of his boot (he keeps going on about this) into Dave who turned, beat his man and unleashed an unstoppable shot to the back of the net for his 2nd goal of the final (Dave later admitted that he looked his defender directly in the eyes just before receiving the ball in a way to let him know he was going to beat him...his All Star should be rescinded after a comment like that!) We had one final half chance to win it in normal time when a kick from distance, sailed wide under pressure. The 10 minutes were up and we were instructed to face sudden death extra time allowing us less than a minute to regroup.
As darkness descended on Bangkok and the bats came out, the Arabs got a crucial break of the ball after 2 hectic minutes of ET and came forward. Singapore tried to close down the space but the Celt got his shot in, and in what seemed like slow motion, the ball sailed thar an trasnan agus sin é. The Celts celebrated wildly while the only word that could describe the B squads mood was devastation. While conditions at the end were farcical for both teams, for Singapore to come back from the dead with a man short to tie the game and then to loose in sudden death was particularly heartbreaking. An all round outstanding team performance with some eye-catching individual performances over the weekend, the lads should hold their heads high. Congrats must go to the Arabian Celts who will go on to play in the A competition next year and also to both Darragh and Dave for picking up deserved All Star awards. If there was a defence of the tournament award I believe our back 5 would have been right up there.
The lunatic ladies helped lift the spirits of the deflated B’s on the coach home and a member of the team, who gloated all weekend that he was ahead in the assists table “by a country mile”, would finally take centre stage and score himself in wee hours of the morning in Bangkok.
It’s been real, until next year.
Full Results:
Singapore B 3-9 Shanghai B 0-1
Singapore B 3-2 Arabian Legends 0-5
Singapore B 6-10 Orang Eire B 0-1
Singapore B 3-4 Beijing 0-2 [Q/F]
Singapore B 1-3 Thailand A 1-2 [S/F]
Singapore B 2-1 Arabian Celts 2-2 [F – AET]
Ladies B
Game 1 vs Schenzen Score :- SG 1 3 , Schenzen NIL!
The Singapore defence of Kami (Vetran of previous Asian Games and solid as a rock in defense), Terri (fresh as a daisy arriving into Bangers earlier than most to scout the talent and eye candy), Christine (newbie and solid in defence all tournament) and Sonia (the most versatile play in the team for the tournament) were like the Great Wall of China not letting any ball pass the centre line. Ads started the game midfield (although now a corner back playing in Sydney, that’s where you play when you get old!) and scored a couple of points before signalling to Coach Rauiri to sub so she could do a tactical spew not on the pitch this year but, running off the pitch on the sidelines, struggling to acclimatize to the heat and wolfed down eight Gatorades over the course of the day to try to rehydrate. Good first game up with Marti, Greta, Kai, Dee, Orla and Nats all making solid contributions.
Game 2 vs Orang Eire Score SG ?, Orang Eire NIL!
The reffing conditions of non contact what so ever proved to be an advantage for Singapore. The girls went in hard for the ball and were rewarded by the ref for the slightest contact by Orang Eire. Ads, Marti and Sonia were enjoying the no contact reffing and went on their merry way racking up penalty kicks, Ads scoring two soccer penalty goals, another field goal and two points for the match. Once again the Singapore Great Wall of China defense held the opposition scoreless. Terri grabbing the ball as if it were a bloke and refused to let the opposition have a piece of it! Marti and Sonia were wrecking havoc in midfield and added to the score line. Vetran forward Nats kicked some points on the run and Kai, Dee and Orla in their first Asian Games displaying also displayed plays of brilliance in forward and midfield.
Game 3 vs Chenga Score SG 4 11, Chenga NIL!
This was Singapore’s highest scoring game of the tournament with the Singapore midfield and forwards playing kick to kick with the Chenga Goalie, you had to feel sorry for her. It was raining goals with the versatile Sonia moved to forward kicking 2 goals, Marti and Ads both also scoring 1 goal each and the 11 pts was shared around the team, Orla, Kai, Sonia, Marti, Ads, Nats all taking their points. Christine in defense was unlucky not to be part of the scoring frenzy running up from defense twice only to hit the bar twice. Again the Great Wall of China defense of Kami, Christine, Greta, and Terri kept the opposition scoreless. Beth in goals may as well have been sitting on a deck chair drinking beers in from of goal as the ball never got that far.
Game 4 vs Kopan Score SG ? , Kopan 1pt
With rain delays the game was practically played in darkness. But, this was no problem for the Singapore girls having done a previous tour of Japan and rallied with their Ninja acquired skills. This was just as well as Ads on the other hand struggled to see in the dark and had a shocker missing 2 2 much to her disgust and fell to the pitch yelling “oh for fecks sakes” after each miss. There was a tad bit of panic in the last 5 mins when Kopan scored 1pt, the first score of the day against the Singapore defense to no score yet Singapore. The Singapore kick in was precision though after the point as the ball went from defense to midfield to forward with Sonia scoring a point on the run to even up the game before Dee came to the rescue coming off the bench to solo down from the half forward line to score a goal and seal the match.
Semi Final vs Hong Kong Score SG 5pts, HK 4pts
This proved to be probably the toughest game of the tournament for Singapore as we went pretty much score for score with HK and gave the Singapore defense finally some action for the tournament with Kami and Terri playing solid marking defense. Nats was showing some impressive runs off the forward line but, unfortunately was hampered by leg injuries all tournament. Marti was thumping kicks long from the midfield, Orla was also doing a fine job in mids with the versatile Sonia hassling and winning ball all over the pitch as well as a warning from the ref for her apparently aggressive marking and going for the ball or was that player? Scorers for the match :- Ads 2pts, Nats, Sonia and Marti 1pt each and Singapore into the grandfinal by the skin of their teeth winning by 1pt.
Grand Final vs Japan Score SG 1 3, Japan 1 1
The game started in lashing rain conditions. Opening point was an AFL like roving turn and kick over the bar by Ads. Japan were quick to respond with a pt and by this time the pitch had turned into a water logged swimming pool. 6 minutes in as it continued to lash lash down and visibility and playing conditions got more difficult for the players requiring goggles, snorkel and flippers more like, the Ref stopped the match momentarily with scores 1 all at the break. The Singapore inflatable swan care of Tessa and Gretta came out to play on the pitch during the break, as did a slip and sliding Korean with a mighty fine six pack which had the female photographers out in force. The rain eventually stopped lasing after half an hour or so, the pitch was drained and it was game on again. Singapore came out positively after a Stevie Keene and Coach Rauri rev up, Marti picking up a penalty kick and sending it not over the bar but, into the net for a goal much to the disgust of the Japan Goalie and ex Singapore player Belinda Gaynor. A quick goal reply by Japan but, points each to Sonia and Kai sealed the game and Singapore were back to back plate winners. Da da da da da Singapore, Singapore number 1!
Men C
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As is the tradition with Singapore ‘C’ teams this motley international crew of Aussies, Yanks, Dutch, Southside Dubs and a couple of token Irishmen plotted an insurgency on the AGG in Bangkok.
Under the savant management of Aidan Healy and the wild eyed captaincy of Neil “Squeegee” Steffensen the C’s took to the pitch in Group F against the North Asian luminaries of Hong Kong B’s, Taiwan and Kopan.. Where the hell is Kopan?
Preparations began on Friday night. A number of the B team informed us that it was C tradition to head out on the town and roll up to the pitch next morning 10 secs before the throw in. However, most of us were focused and held our ground sticking to soft drinks and the odd sneaky beer in the lobby leaving this tradition in the hands of our Captain and his lieutenant Liam McCance who were spotted jumping in a taxi with a bottle of wine heading for the night lights of Bangkok.
The morning started early for the lads…too early for some…
But the Lions took to the pitch inspired by the words of Aidan Healy…his motivational skills of course legendary and its known that Rafa Benitez called him at half time from Istanbul for advice…Under the promise of free beer at Obama’s if we won the C’s made short work of Kopan.
The football played was of the highest quality with great distribution from Padraig in goals through the backs. Supporting runs from the Dutch Energizer Bunny and Daragh Whelan in midfield. With Grant “Dainty” Davies inducing the fear of god into Kopan’s defence with intelligent decoy running and sheer intimidation the spaces opened up nicely for Alex, Joe McGrath and Derek Cahill to slot over a few points.
Not to be undone Kopan came back with a goal but the C’s were focused and a goal before halftime from a sideline ball from the deadly inaccurate boot of Derek Cahill kept Lions in front (Yes, I was going for a Maurice Fitz type point)…the fact that Grant had scared the bejaysus out of the keeper also helped.
The second half continued with the same style of football with points from Derek, Steff, Grant, Darragh and John Gerard. The Gaelic Lions ran out comfortable 1-4 to 1-8 winners.
Next up were the Hong Kong B’s and as befits a club of their stature the C’s were taking then very seriously to make sure they took advantage and with wise words from Aidan - “Just shoot from anywhere” ringing in our ears, the lads took to the pitch. This was a closer game than the first but also the lad’s best performance of the day. With John Gerard hunting down every lose ball, exploiting the spaces with rapier runs the C’s soon took control and a goal from the marauding Daragh Whelan and points from Derek and Steff. The defensive performance from the team was inspired. It started from the forwards with Joe “The Baby Faced Assassin” McGrath mugging a few unsuspecting elderly Hong Kong gents of the ball, their gloves and boots before depositing them over the sideline…to roars of “that’s my boy” from the Lions goal.
At the same time Grant was making the acquaintance of Hong Kong defenders, attempting to decapitate one of them…he was going for the ball mind you.
In the second half the Lions shut down the game with Liam, Simon, Patrick and Steff ensuring Hong Kong had no space and the with a few more points from Grant, Steff and Derek the Lions ran out easy winners 1-6 - 0-3
The subs were playing their part with Andy, Joe, and Patrick coming in for their hard blowing teammates…I should have gone to the Tuesday sessions.
On a high of 2 wins from 2 games the Lions entered their final group game with Taiwan on a high but Taiwan were up for it and after conceding a couple sloppy goals The Lions were always on the back foot. However, we fought back in spite of some questionable referee decisions with points from Derek, John Gerard, Steff and a goal from the hard working Grant whose presence at the edge of the square led to a well-taken goal. This made for a frenetic finish with Liam taken down in box for a clear penalty for only the referee to award a 13m free. With Taiwan lining the goal with entire team and a few extras, Derek could only blast the ball over the bar for a point finishing the game 2 points down 2-3 - 1-4.
As it turned out The Lions topped their group and headed for the quarterfinals of the B competition. As a result of the monsoon like conditions on the Sat afternoon and the subsequent delays we had to wait until late Sunday to discover our opposition. We drew Arabian Celts an old foe from the previous year’s competition.
The lads were all in good condition and ready and raring to go. Psyched up by Aidan’s magical utterances the Lions took to the pitch to do battle.
With the conditions on the pitch affected by the Saturday’s and overnight torrential the Lions changed their tactics and went with a more direct approach trying to find Grant with some accurate long balls.
The opening exchanges were fast and physical with some hard tackling coming from all the Lions … the referee decided that we were playing Lady’s Bowls and refereed it accordingly.
Lions scored the opening point from Daragh Whelan but the Arabian Celts followed up with a couple points of the their own. John Gerard and Neil were doing incredible work around the middle of the park but the Lions were unable to get scores on the board with some wayward kicks. The Celts were pulling away and scored a goal just before halftime.
The second half started same as the first with the tackles still flying in and Grant fighting for every ball leaving bodies strewn around the pitch in his wake. The lads came fighting back with a couple of points from John Gerard and Neil closing the gap to 2 points but again the bounce of the ball didn’t go our way and the Celts wrapped up the game with a goal at the death.
It was a great performance by the team. Everyone left everything had out on the pitch but it was not to be. Again the C’s surpassed their status by winning their group and making the quarterfinals of the B’ competition. This is a great performance from a team made up of a lot of guys new to Gaelic football and the effort put should the great ethos of playing for each other that is embedded in the club
Everyone made a telling contribution to weekend but some deserve a special mention:
Padraig McGrath in goal who also doubled as a referee, tournament organiser and general arse kicker….”Get you arses of the pitches” still ringing in my ears.
Liam McCance - sweeper extraordinaire…lead the defensive effort between naps.
Simon Daly - made some storming runs up the pitch but probably still gutted that the hurling was cancelled
Daragh Whelan - took a lovely goal and always willing to learn. He asked me how to kick points…I tell ya when I know!!
Patrick Norton…Straight from the boxing ring…again another newcomer to adapt well.
Joe McGrath…has left school and joined Neil Steffensen in a new business venture… Topless Squeegee Boys…check out www.squeezeme.com coming to a flooded pitch near you!
Neil Steffensen …Fearless leader, performance of the weekend by getting Pitch 5 playable while we watched and drank his beer.
Grant Davies. …He’s one scary dude!!!
And of course we can’t forget…John Gerard Prince…our MVP…this lad can run and run and run and…I am tired writing about it. Was at the heart of everything on the pitch and deserving of the award…John Gerard as they say in West Cork…You’re a Ligend!! Come back soon!!!
Finally Special Thanks to Aidan, the deserving winner of Manager of the tournament and the winner of the Alex Ferguson Hairdryer Cup for Inspirational Speaking…he is available at Obama’s for after dinner speaking engagements. It was great to have his calming effect on the sideline to focus the team on the task at hand. Thanks Aidan and great job.
The party? …. I woke up Monday…and found out the girls had won everything!!! Including the Boat Race!!
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Ladies C (Bua ABU)
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This year saw the strongest Ladies Singapore C Team entered in to the competition yet. Comprising the defense line: Aileen, Carolyn, Megan and Aoife, mid’s Lena, Pam and Anne-Marie (Fenton), forwards Saoirse, Ashling, Larissa, Anne-Marie, goalie Soy Capitan Bowlah and coach Hedges on the side line.
With 5 pool games to get through, playing against two seeded teams for the plate competition (Japan and Hong Kong), our goal was to get to the bowl finals.
First game Hong Kong. This was going to be a toughie, and the team was tested immediately. Our excellent defense line meant Hong Kong barely scored, with a couple of fouls against Singapore due to the ref on a power trip and taking an instant dislike to Aileen, blew the whistle every time she was in 10 meters of the ball. Despite Hong Kong finally winning, it was a great start for the team.
Second game KL. Singapore went out on fire and dominated the game. Midfield Lena, Pam and Fenton taking the ball from mid field and scoring. Anne-Marie in centre forward linking up, and the almighty Larissa in full forward finding the back of the net. Saoirse and Ashling on the wing picking up any loose balls from Bowlah. A great win for the team. Defense could take more of a breather on this game, ready for game no three – the dreaded Japan.
Third Game – Japan A, this would be the toughest game in our pool, with Japan seeded top to enter the plate competition. One to one marking from Lena on Helen Friddels helped keep the team at bay, and at half time we were even. Second half saw Japan take the lead, as our defense battled tooth and nail - Aileen, Carolyn, Megan and Aoife playing their toughest forward line yet. Although Japan won, the score was minimal. Great team play from the team forcing Japan to up their game.
Fourth game against Vietnam was tight and saw a well deserved win for Singapore. Vietnam was like a rash from the get go, with Ashling on the wing forward ending up in defense - it was a fast game, everyone giving 100%. Larissa up forward once again finding the ball from Anne-Marie, and well placed kicks outs from Bowler to Saoirse and Ashling on the wing saw great link up to the forwards. Again our three mid’s were on fire.
Sunday saw our fifth pool game against Thailand. One to one marking from Lena and Pam on number 17, who was scoring from midfield, and seemed to be playing in every position on the pitch. Some great points from Fenton from midfield saw us even at half time. Defense was tested to the limit and Thailand just got the better in the second half.
Following a 3-hour break, major down pour and chasing the lady with the clipboard we finally found our where and whom we were playing. Shenzhen in the semi finals. First half saw both teams scoring, mostly from frees, Larissa popping much-needed ball in the net. The team was tested to the limit, and the second half saw Shenzhen win by one point. A tough call, as the game could have gone either way. Shenzhen went on to win the bowl competition again Vietnam in the final. It was very disappointing to loose by a point, the game was so close and a great game to watch. Everyone played their heart out, and in the end in the end, the whistle was blown just as we were on attack. Next time ladies…
Men D
Drawn in a group with Malaysia A, Thailand A and Vietnam B we knew we were in for a tough day Sat. Unfortunately Vietnam B were up first at 9.20 and half of us hadn’t met each other till 9am. So we were still getting to know each other at the time the game started and what each others names were. There were rumors that the Capt. never got to grips with the names throughout the tournament and the hardest part for the team was know who he was talking about during the warm ups, but these are scandalous untruths. We were a little wasteful in front of goal in our first game and left Fergus in goal exposed and went down by a couple of points. There was however promise shown. Next up Malaysia A. We held our own for the first half, limiting them to long range points and the defense were now showing real promise and cohesiveness as a unit. Fergus pulled out as his pre tournament injury was too bad and was replaced by the Hankenator. Cahir up front realized he could run off his broken ribs and Aonghus realized could give his brother a run for the O’Muircheataigh football crown and those years with sticks were hiding his true calling. We were still missing depth and were playing without subs as G’OC had a late pass and Mick was concentrating on his B team Management. 2nd half Malaysia took advantage and beat us by a couple of goals. We were however coming together and had our heads high. Thailand later in the day. The mud was slowing down our aging legs, aside from John G who doest tire on principle. Thailand had us by a few goals but that flattered them as we were by now showing the resolve that would come to the fore the next day.
Sun Morning after sleep and pints, not in that order, we were galvanized by Gary coming in and bolstered by Mick now with a schedule that he could combine his dual playing and managing roles. First up were Vietnam B. A revenge game from previous day and it clicked. Sean was as immense in performance as he was in frame. He was totally protected by Darryl and Dave, who were like a brick wall. Brendan showing his class not only in defense but in setting up attack, reminiscent of Corks backs against Donegal in the All Ireland this year, I was getting déjà vu watching it. Adding to Brendan was Aonghus, playing a defensive midfield role these boys set up the foraging runs of Gary and John G. Poetry in motion it was. Eoin and Brian cleaned up at half forward and provided Cahir with pure ball. He dually took advantage with an exhibition of finishing. Now that we had subs we used them and Mick would come off the bench with devastating effect to carve through their defense like a knife through butter, sprained ankle or not. It was a joy to play in and at last the promise we had shown was bearing fruit. We beat them by about 3 goals. We hadn’t much of a rest before meeting Malaysia B in the semi. Given that 4 guys had played for Jakarta before this was their 3rd game directly in a row. Whilst fatigue affected our performance we still played well. Summed up by one of our Malaysian friends “you don’t look like a D team”. I can’t really say it better than that. We didn’t.
In the final we came up against Seoul B. We are not sure what they were doing in the Bowl final, but they were too strong for us. They beat us well. So near but so far. It was a wonderful tournament from a wonderful group of guys and I can speak from everyone to say it was a privilege and a pleasure to play together. The quality and performance were testament to the quality of the guys that made it up and if only we could have found the extra tiny bit to get over the end. This team deserved a trophy. Thanks to all the guys and Paul for his sterling work on the sidelines.
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Se ye in Bangkok!!!!!!
from the very outset - during this 14 minute encounter there was 5 yellow cards and a player from both teams sent off (no names mentioned
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