Gaelic Football in South Australia

[Cash 123]

WI v Port - Port 1-5,
Na F v Irish, Na F 1-5
Onkas V St.B, Saints 1-5

[wristwatcher]

WI v Port - Port 1-5,
Na F v Irish, Na F 1-5
Onkas V St.B, Saints 1-5

Goats 1-5
Finns 1-5
Saints 1-5

[valleys07]

WI v Port - Port 1-5,
Na F v Irish, Na F 1-5
Onkas V St.B, Saints 1-5

Goats 1-5
Finns 1-5
Saints 1-5

Same as you Wristy.

[wristwatcher]

Today's State League games are cancelled.

Great result for Flinders getting another point Sorry boys but you have been a little too quiet on here.

Minor final has been moved to 10.30am as of last night. I assume this is still going ahead.

[wristwatcher]

SA 2.6-12 def Vic 2.5-11 in the Minor Final. Well done to all involved. Great effort by the lads in very challenging conditions.

[wristwatcher]

Round 8

Onkas v Port. Port 1-5. Big game to shape the finals. If Onkas drop this one they could find themselves outside the four by the end of the round. Both The Warriors and The Paddy Skips will be keen on a Port win in this contest. Certainly could go either way.

Na Fianna v Flinders. 16 Years and 3 days since these two teams met in the Farnham Cup Final. Their only GF clash which saw the Finns win by over 20 points. This one will be a lot closer but should see the same result and the Warriors claim the Javor/Bienke trophy for this season. Warriors by 1-5.

Irish v St.Brendans. A new born, work, footy, AFL 9s "The game for everyone", footy coaching and house renovations means I haven't even seen either of these two play yet this year. Ladder position and consistency has me leaning towards the Taints by 6-10.

[the milky bar kid]

Onkas v Port - Port 6-10
Na Fianna v Flinders - Na Fi 6-10
Irish v St Brendan's - Saints 1-5

[valleys07]

Port 6-10
Finns 11-15
Taints 6-10

[Cash 123]

Onkas 6-10
Na Fi 1-5
Taints 1-5

[wristwatcher]

Business/forfeits end of the season

Port 1-5 over Finns
Goats 1-5 over Taints
IA 6-10 over Reds

[the milky bar kid]

Na Fianna 1-5
Goats 6-10
IA 1-5

[Cash 123]

Port 1-5 over Finns
Goats 6-10 over Taints
IA 6-10 over Reds

[Wilbur]

[wristwatcher]

Congrats to Na Fianna GFC who are through to the Haanigan Cup GF. This came courtesy of a thrilling 1 point win over The Western Ireland Mountain Goats. A huge effort by the Warriors who have come from 6th last year. The lads went off like a lepper in a blender post game and are obviously looking forward to the challenge on March 12th

It's the first game I have seen this year but it was a very good one with Finns controlling the first half through Read, Quirke and Triple M only to have the Purple and Green loving machine fight back hard in the second. Ironic that they call themselves this but now play in a white Fremantle looking outfit. I can only assume this is a homage to close friend the Pav and their two ex players who are employed by the Dockers. None the less the Goats worked real hard fighting back with run, carry and handball and looked like they might snatch it. It was Captain Conor O'Sullivan who steadied the ship with a handy late point and great team defence that helped the Finns advance. Na Fiannas GK also deserves a mention for his clean sheet and sublime kick outs.

In the late game and knockout final it was the more experienced Taints who ended the season of the ever improving Port in a somewhat spiteful game. Ports team was filled with stars such as JJ, Robbie Young, The Whopdog, Toasty and Williams...yes Williams. They also had premiership experience in Tattoli and Mylonas.

It wasn't enough though as Brendan's were more clinical in front of goal and their transition from defence to attack was at times untouchable. Dooley still controls the back half and forward thrusts and is second only in "Irish Echoing" (pardon the pun) to the Finns Liam Glass. Spud still has that sublime carry to attract defenders and opens up angles and other players. The Pegerraro boys have now also reached a level if not surpassed their Dad at his best and can win games off their own boot. The rest of the team seemed to play a role and when the game was on the line they put Port Districts to bed and ended the Troyvelution.
Note : I did leave half way through the 2nd half but at that point the Taints were up by 8 and in control so I am assuming nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Prelim next week or as it used to be called the Soundwave Cup
The Goats were minor premiers and will be doing everything under coach "Big Red" Steve Francis to turn their form around. They have a huge squad and plenty of options. They have Premiership experience and stars a plenty. Having said all that I'm tipping the Taints to upset the Goats. Of the 4 teams I saw on Friday the Finns played the most pure Gaelic in their strong first half but it's Brendan's who play the fastest and most electric. I can see them putting 6-8 points if you include a goal in a 5 minute period.
Taints to put a smile on Seanny Dunnes face and book a place in the Hannigan Cup Final this Weekend.

[wristwatcher]

Congrats to Seanny Dunnes St. Brendan's who won the Hannigan Cup today beating The Finns by 9 points I am told. I am not in Adelaide so can't revue the game.

Not sure there will ever be a more successful manager in SA as the great mans resume is now at legendary status.
5 Hannigan Cups
3 Australasian Championship Hannigan Cups

Well done to Na Fianna on a great year in particular Coach Gav on an amazing job rebuilding the club.

[Cheese Twisties]

St Brendan's have won their 5th Hannigan Cup, knocking off Na Fianna 1.16 to 1.5.

Na Fianna kicked with a strong wind in the opening half, but the Taints probably had more of the ball and more of the chances, but were restricted to kicking from distance and missed plenty of chances into the breeze. A mix-up at the back allowed Na Fianna to score a goal which put them in the lead, but in the dying minutes of the half a bit of a howler from the Finn’s goalkeeper gifted a goal to the Taints, meaning we went into half time with the lead, and coming home with a gale force wind.

From then on it was all St Brendan’s, with the Taint’s forwards of Dan O’Hara and Jordan Pegoraro proving a handful for the Finn’s defenders. At the other end Craig Bevan did an excellent job on Finn’s play maker Paddy Quirke, whilst Shane Hill and Ryan Dolan also provided plenty of run. Taints ran out comfortable winners to the tune of 11 points, the best players medal dubiously awarded to Mike Zaluski from St Brendan’s, and the Taints flicked the switch into party mode ! Great work by the Taints who struggled for numbers all season (nearly folded about a month ago after forfeiting a catch-up match) but came good at the right time of the year. Also congrats to Gav and Na Fianna on a solid season, coming from a long way back last year to finish 2nd and win straight thru to the GF is an amazing effort.

In the Women’s final, the Blues tonked Western Ireland by 20+ points! To win their hundredth flag in a row.

Well done to the Gaelic committee and helpers for organising the day (unlucky with the weather) and season.

[wristwatcher]

Had my first trip to Gaelic Park in over a year last night and happy to say i was incredibly impressed by what i saw. A huge well done to Toasty, Daices, Seanny Dunne and all the other contributors that have turned Gaelic Park/St. Marys/Kenilworth into an attractive looking establishment. The venue itself is still an arctic hell hole weather wise as i lost a testicle when it froze off last night but the amenities, facilities and presentation are now first class. I am aware that John Schultz, Kenilworth, the SANFL, Adelaide Footy League, Government Grants and others have contributed but it is a good place to watch Gaelic again.

Some of the initiatives or little things that are noticeable after having a home Summer base for 20 years and then a 2 year hiatus...
- Fully stocked bar with good prices. Nice to be able to have a couple of XPA's
- Great to see cars parked around the oval. Admittedly not too many but this adds to any sporting event
- The team banners on the fence making clubs more accessible
- The presence of Committee members at the games
- The scoreboard behind the goals (cant believe that took 20 years to fix )
- Corner flags and Association goal padding. looked good and adds to the feel of making it a Gaelic hub
- The grass cut, lines clearly marked and oval in great condition
- An open kitchen where i bought the biggest bowl of chips i have ever purchased for $5
- Under cover and indoor viewing areas
- The club rooms themselves are outstanding
- Thanks to Toasty for giving me a full tour of the facilities, simply phenomenal
- Fantastic to hear of the Academy that the O'hagans are running to ensure there is a pathway for children

Well done again. Its the kind of place i would be happy to bring the family now and great to see so many familiar faces and a great portion of former SA Minor footballers still represented in all the teams

Onto the games
I was a bit distracted for the first game but it was West Ireland victorious over Flinders in the early game by about 5 points. Flinders went with the breeze in the first half and didn't quite do enough scoreboard damage in a fairly even first half. The Flo boys set up well across half back with Jack Reynolds looking dangerous up forward. Big Jack #6 whom i don't know was the dominant midfielder and controlled the air. It took me some time to get my head around the marks from kick out rule. Flinders battled hard but couldn't hit the scoreboard enough against a well organised Goats defence who didn't give them easy shots.
In the second half WI were able to get the ball into good shooting areas and put 5-6 points on Flinders early enough to give them breathing space. Louis Deganhardt was good in goals and his kick outs regularly found the big man. Adam Klun is still all class and with the ball in front of him he was able to create good forward entries. The running handball game of WI in the end was too strong despite a valiant effort from the Reds. All in all it was a good fast moving game of Gaelic played in good spirits that was fun to watch.

My beloved Na Fianna took on Onkas and i was taken back in the amount of changes to the personnel changes on both sides. Its fair to say not half as much as i was appalled at some of the Onkas haircut choices. A fair bit of business on top and party on the back type operators. The celebrity coin tosser threw the coin in the air to hush of the crowd of somewhere between 20 and 500 (probably closer to 20) and the Warriors captain Conor won the toss and elected to kick with the breeze.
The first half was fast and tough football. 39 year old stalwart Gav O'Rielly seemed to set up the defensive structure pretty well with Paddy Quirke the link man in the middle. The TV star from "The recruit" Toby "Shooter" Schultz showed positive signs in only his second game and Liam "Manage" Glass was vocal as always from his defensive post. Na Fianna had plenty of chances but the set kicking from frees was just a touch off. it was hard not to reflect on the fact a Kenny or Jason fay would have made the opposition pay in those circumstances. Na Fianna number #9 was all class and his Irish heritage was obvious with his brilliant ball control on the solo facilitated a beautiful finish to give the Finns a handy lead. From the ensuing kick out Onkas were able to take it the length of the ground a reply with an under of their own. The sublime skill of Onkas #4 Tommy from Donegal i was told was a pleasure to watch. His ability to kick points from distance into the St. Marys doctor was Gaelic at its best. At the half Onkas held a slender lead.
The second half was a battle and Na Fianna again had their chances but just lacked the polish in front and were delayed with the forward forays across half forward allowing Onkas to set up defensively. Onkas in the end were too strong and had a football flavor about their team with multiple rotations and having Jamie Conlon in the middle, Their Captain in everything and a deadly Tommy up forward they were too good for a valiant Finns outfit. Na Fianna briefly held a flame as they mounted a challenge but a brilliant save from the keeper in goals snuffed that out and Onkas were able to move the ball down the near side with good control making them hard to stop.

Well done to the Refs as well. Kept the games under control and didn't effect the result. Still a ton of on field refs offering their advice throughout the game and a couple of humorous yobbos on the side lines offering some fairly average ref banter. My only constructive criticism of the whole evening is the payment of Refs at $40 a game is comical. it does not align with other sports and i believe it should be significantly more. As an example i pay $40 to the umpires who umpire year 2/3 football that has no contact. A C6 umpire in the Ammos gets >$100 and is not alone out there. Its a tough job so well done to the guys that are still doing it. I dont think anyone woul;d begrudge the Ref's $50 a game as its well over an hours work under scrutiny and pressure. make it $100 and i will even come back

Again well done to all involved. looking forward to bringing the family down on a Sunday in a few weeks.