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Round 3 Preview

By Mark Cianfagna
AFL Switzerland Reporter

Round 3 is set to be played at the most scenic AFL Switzerland venue: the LUC Rugby ground lakeside in Lausanne. Complete with unobstructed views of the Chablais Alps, it provides a scene like no other for footy. A hot, sunny day is expected, so slip, slop, slap and let’s get to some football australien!

Seniors

Game 1 – Geneva Jets vs. Basel Dragons

Game one will be played between the de facto host Geneva Jets and the Basel Dragons; ball up at noon. With the Jets coming off a loss, and with some key players back in the lineup, they will look the goods and likely dominate this match, trying to jump back into a top two spot with a big percentage change and some help in the other seniors match. The Jets are hoping for a full game from new ruckman Nick Hart, after he had to retire early in their Round 2 match. The Dragons, who have been struggling to keep games close, may again rely on some help from other clubs to fill out numbers, but will nonetheless be as formidable as always. The four week break will likely only mean improvements in team play and skill development for the young squad. Keep an eye out for Andrew Donbeirer in the red, black and white as he loves to play against the Jets and always shines against tough opponents. The opener of the day will likely be far from a barn-burner, but will kick-start the AFL campaign in Suisse-Romande.

Bold prediction: Jets win big while Dragons make improvements.

Game 2 – Zurich Giants vs. Winterthur Lions

Game two has all the pieces to be an absolute scorcher of a match between the top two teams on the ladder, the leading Winterthur Lions and the second-place Zurich Giants. The Lions are looking to continue their strong momentum built up in the first two rounds and create some space at the top of the ladder. According to their president, they should have a full squad coming down on the train and will be looking to get some revenge on geographical rival Zurich, who kept them out of last year’s Grand Final on percentage only. The Giants are hoping that with the return of some of their key players, they’ll have the skills to keep up. A win could push them to the top of the ladder, a place they are looking to grab and hold on to for the rest of the season, hoping to return for another shot at a premiership. A loss will likely drop them to third and will mean some catching up in the second half of the season for a chance at the flag.

A hot mid-afternoon day could play a role in how the match shapes out, but it should be a ripper of a game with both sides battling hard for the full 72 minutes.

Bold prediction: Let’s give the Lions their due, they’ve worked hard for years to get to the top and we don’t see them relinquishing that place easily. They’ll keep rolling and win this one by four goals.

Reserves

Game 3 – Geneva Jets vs. Northern Bears

With the Jets ressies likely to have a full squad and fewer players working double duty this week, they will be fresh and ready to avenge the last-kick loss in Round 2 in Winterthur. The Bears have been improving week over week, recruitment has been up and their confidence will be high after a close win last round. There is no question that they will keep this match tight and lead at times. They have shown that they can close a match, coming from behind in both games so far this season, and finishing the job in Round 2. They will be looking to buck the trend and have a strong start, allowing them to play with a lead and forcing the Jets onto their heels early. The Jets will have to respond with their team play and hope to keep their cool if the Bears attack early.

Bold prediction: The young legs of the north will continue to provide a test for the full four quarters, but the Jets skill advantage is likely to shine through in this one, leading to a comfortable win in the uncomfortable heat.

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Round 3 Match Report & FoF

The Festical of Football was held in Vessy, Geneva and coincidentally happened to fall on the hottest weekend of the year in Switzerland. As always there was a lot of excitement going into the day but the temperature being well above 30°C and the games being played on astro-turf made everyone very aware that it was going to be a tough day out.

Genava Jets vs Zurich Giants

In the first game of the day the Jets took on the Giants. The game took a while to open up with both teams being very well organized early on and not giving the opposition much of a chance. But on a hot day like it was only a matter of time until the teams started to crack. It was the Jets who proved fitter over the full length of the game, with great performances from some of their key men like Tommy Ross and Brad McConnachy really going to work in the second half. In the end it showed on the scoreboard, but the Giants must be applauded for their valiant effort defensively, especially in the first half. It must also be said that the Giants were missing some key players which didn’t allow them much rotation, costly on a day like this.

Score: Geneva Jets (99) def. Zurich Giants (7)

Geneva Jets vs Winterthur Lions

The Jets are the strongest team in the league, and everyone (especially the Jets 😉) knows that. But the fact that they had already played a full game in the blistering sun and were coming up against a fresh Lions team added an interesting twist to the game. And indeed, the Lions had a strong start into the game, kicking the first goal and playing with great physicality in the contests. The game seemed wide open in the first half with the Lions winning pretty much all the hit-outs thanks to their dominant young-gun ruckman Emmanuele Zanoli. However, in the second half the game turned in the Jets favour. The Lions started to feel the heat and couldn’t keep up with the pace and sheer class that the Geneva Jets possess. The Jets once again proved their fitness, winning two games in a row in these conditions was seriously impressive and deserves a lot of respect.

Score: Winterthur Lions (28) def. by Geneva Jets (79)

Winterthur Lions vs Zurich Giants

In the final seniors match of the day the Lions took on the Giants in what proved to be a thriller. Both teams suffered defeats earlier in the day and both teams were willing to leave everything out there for that first win of the day. The Lions were winning the clearance count but the Giants played with great accuracy, with captain Andrew Dormbierer and key forward Tim Pendlebury linking up and causing damage on multiple occasions. With scores level at half time both teams felt like it was theirs to win. The Lions who were still in search of their first win of the year didn’t want to let this opportunity go and come out firing in the second half. Especially captain Stefan Burgener and experienced big man Jacob Brownley attacked relentlessly and tipped the game in the Lions favour in the second half. The Giants however never gave up and made it a great contest for the full length of the game. In the end the Lions finally got their first win of the year, however after a very competitive day of footy everyone should consider themselves a winner.

Score: Winterthur Lions (73) def. Zurich Giants (57)

Geneva Jets Reserves vs Basel Dragons

The final match of the day was the reserves game. It was awesome to see a lot of new faces out there, competing very hard and showing that AFL Switzerland has a bright future ahead. The Jets had a younger side with a lot of their players coming from a soccer background and showing their fitness, running circles around the Dragons at times. The Dragons however stuck to their game plan and had some great passages of play themselves. The game was played over four 15 minute quarters and the Dragons, who had some players who had already played in the seniors just couldn’t keep up over the whole distance of the game. Relative beginner Clemens Bourgeois kicked one of the best goals you’ve ever seen, booting it straight through the middle with the outside of the foot on the run from the boundary.

Festival of Football

After the final game all teams got together and celebrated an awesome day out with the Geneva Jets once again proving to be great hosts with a buffet full of tasty snacks and good vibes all around. It was a massive turnout with not only lots of players but also lots of fans, friends and family showing up and, making it a great Festival of Football.

The traditional Boat Race was won by the Winterthur Lions who celebrated their historic second win of the day.

Team of the Tournament
Geneva Jets

Players of the Tournament
Seniors
: Brad McConnachy (Geneva Jets)
Reserves: Clemens Bourgeois (Geneva Jets)

With thanks to our official sponsor, Backup ONE, for their support of AFL Switzerland.