15 June 2019 – Pruntrutermatte Park, Basel (24°C)

By Jason Ransome (BDAFC)

As players and spectators began to arrive at Pruntrutermatte Park in Basel and the excitement started to build, people started to wonder, had Basel settled in enough after Round 2 to have a home ground advantage? Were powerhouses Geneva going to use this round to cement a spot in the grand final? Were Winterthur, the league underdogs, going to use this round to draw a line in the sand and snatch a victory?

Another big question on some people’s lips was, will the appointment of Darren Waldron, a Basel player and coach in Zürich, as the full-time coach of the Northern Bears be the catalyst in stopping Geneva’s dominance in the Reserves competition? With many new players for Waldron to work with, it was always going to be an uphill battle. But the guys and the girls from the Bears worked really hard for all four quarters and there were some great plays that would have definitely provided them with some confidence for the next round. Playing in the Bears team from Basel were first time player Justin Roberts, John McBride and Basel’s long-time member Patrick Keller. Despite the Bears’ best efforts, Geneva were once again too strong, posting a 50-point win.

The first Senior match for the day was between Geneva and Basel. It was always going to be an interesting match as Geneva had not brought many players up from Geneva this round and Basel were missing their coach Hadleigh Fischer and most of their backline players through injury. Geneva got on the front foot early and danced around Basel’s defence effortlessly with Kim Keedle from Geneva slotting a couple of early goals from full forward. Basel’s captain, Jack Flynn, made a quick change putting first-time player Florian Häfner from Zürich in the backline to stem the flow of Geneva goals. Häfner was just the tonic Basel needed and proved quite handy in opposing Keedle’s dominance down forward. But this did nothing to stop the onslaught from the rest of the Geneva team cruising to a comfortable 112-point victory.

There was no time for Basel to lick their wounds as they had their second and final match for the day straight after against an energised Winterthur hungry for their first win of the season. After previous close battles, this was always going to be an exciting game to watch. Right from the beginning it was an arm wrestle. Swiss national player Wim Zimmerman dominated in the ruck for Winterthur and was well supported by Matt Burgener and ex-WAFL player Dave Secomb. Basel’s Häfner was once again great in defence and was supported by Swiss representative Svenja Müller and Patrick Doyle. Basel’s skipper Flynn singled out Müller for her solid efforts in the first half. The scores remained close for the second half but a couple of late goals from Winterthur got them over the line in a well-deserved victory, winning by 18 points.

The last game of the day between Winterthur and Geneva was another blood bath with Geneva comfortably beating Winterthur by 88 points to round out a perfect day for the Jets. Geneva coach Tommy Ross showed once again why he is a contender for this years Best and Fairest award with his foot skills and dominance on the field.

After the games had finished it was time to thank the umpires and commence the boat race. In the absence of AFL Switzerland umpires Jason Ransome and James Olle, Geneva’s Tommy Ross and Joel Aitken and Basel’s Darren Waldron stepped up and umpired the round.

Basel got some redemption in the boat race comprehensively beating Winterthur and Geneva.

All clubs were extremely lucky that the rain held off until after all the matches before the heavens opened up and bucketed down.

See you all at Round 4 in Geneva.

Jason

By Emma Francis & Matthew Serventy (GJAFC)

Reserves – Northern Bears vs Geneva Jets

The weather was not ideal for the opening of the new league but the poor conditions were not enough to deter the Northern Bears and Geneva Jets from contesting the very first of the AFL Switzerland matches hosted in Winterthur at Stadion Deutweg on Saturday.

Throughout this season, the Geneva Jets reserve side will play the combined Northern Bears side (Basel, Winterthur, Zurich) in games of 4 x 15 minute quarters. The reserves competition is increasing the opportunities to play football in Switzerland and particularly aims to help beginning and developing players learn more about the game.

The Bears won the toss, electing to kick with the wind in their favour. Undaunted, the Jets dominated the first half, scoring 8 goals to the Bears’ 4 behinds, with Campbell Macknight and Adam Thomas the standouts for Geneva before the main break.

The Bears fought back in the third quarter with a three goal revival but the Jets shifted up a gear to storm home in the fourth quarter and pile on 6 more goals to take the first match of the day by 78 points.

Northern Bears	5	9	39
Geneva Jets	18	9	117

Seniors – Winterthur Lions vs Basel Dragons

The opening match of the senior’s round proved an even contest with each team having a very competitive hit-out. Basel controlled the the early stages and held the lead going into the main break 4.6.30 to Winterthur 1.1.7.

In the second half, the Dragon’s wasted opportunities in front of goal, giving Winterthur an opening and they pulled the game back within reach. The Lions battled hard but were beaten by the siren with the game resulting in a sensational draw.

The Dragons’ Darren Waldron and skipper Hadleigh Fischer were two of Basel’s best each scoring a goal apiece, while Wim Zimmerman was unshakeable in the ruck for Winterthur.

Winterthur Lions	6	4	40
Basel Dragons	5	10	40

Seniors – Winterthur Lions vs Geneva Jets

Geneva entered the field full of confidence for their first senior match of the 2019 season and they did not disappoint. With ruckman Kim Keedle winning the bulk of the hit-outs ably supported by Ryan Hoult and Tommy Ross, the Jets ran rampant in the first half, going to the break with a 41-point lead. Winterthur could only manage a solitary behind for the half.

Winterthur fought bravely but with Josh Drake kicking five goals and Benoit Vittori solid in defence, the Lions were kept to just 2 behinds for the match and and the high-flying Jets ran out comfortable 98-point victors.

Winterthur Lions	0	2	2
Geneva Jets	14	16	100

Seniors – Basel Dragons vs Geneva Jets

With soft rain falling at the beginning of the final match, the Jets had the early ascendency but as the weather deteriorated rapidly and heavy rain and cold winds took effect, the Dragons were soon within reach as the game became bogged down. The stronger body work of Basel allowed them to capitalise on some messy ball handling and they created numerous chances to peg back the score.

The margin then hung in the balance with neither team able to convincingly break away. Jets’ captain Joel Aitken moved to the back half to try and steady the ship and ensure the Dragons didn’t take the lead. With some confusion about the score, the Jets last ditch efforts were to have been in vain. As the siren sounded, the Dragons had finished ahead by two points in a hard-fought match.

Basel Dragons	7	6	48
Geneva Jets	7	4	46

All in all, a successful first outing despite the weather with very even results. It was good to see that the skill level has improved significantly even since the first tournament in November. A big thanks to Winterthur for providing a great venue with excellent amenities.