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Round 3 Preview

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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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Historic Moments Define Round 2

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By Mark Cianfagna
AFL Switzerland Reporter

WINTERTHUR

Seniors

Zurich Giants vs. Basel Dragons

24.23.167 – 1.19.25

The day started off with the Dragons and the Giants both looking to redeem losses in Round 1 and put their names in the mix for the top 2 on the ladder. Zurich, with a few key players missing, were relying on some new recruits and less-experienced members to take charge, with support from their always solid midfield. Zurich took advantage of some straight kicks and mismatches in the forward line to jump out to a 5 goal lead in the first quarter. Then in the second quarter they simply could not miss. Kicking 11 goals and 4 behinds for the quarter, they exploded to an unattainable lead as the Dragons could not contain the Zurich forwards, led by Jarrad McVee, who took mark after mark out of full forward. Basel continued to battle the whole day, and are working and growing as a club. Zurich created a piece of history for their club by having an all international side (not a single Aussie!) on the field for the first time during parts of the third quarter, showing the development of the game here in Switzerland. Club Vice-president Nils Schmitt appreciates the support by other clubs in filling out their roster, but looks forward to having everyone available for a round this year and working towards getting a win. In the end, he is “just happy to be playing, happy to be a Dragon again.”

Winterthur Lions vs. Geneva Jets

20.15.135 – 12.10.82

The projected game of the day did not disappoint. Host Winterthur looked prepared from the get-go and had their full roster of players available to them. For Geneva, it was a big chance for some of the Jets ressies players to step up as some key seniors players were out. And they started well with two quick goals before Winterthur found their feet and started to win the ball more. An incredible back and forth first quarter led to the Jets leading by less than a goal at the first break. Early in the second quarter, Geneva lost new ruckman Nick Hart to injury and young Emanuele ‘Welly’ Zanoli saw his opportunity as he took advantage of the Jets lack of size in the middle to hit his midfielders with almost every tap and the Lions bombed balls into the forward half, taking a solid lead into halftime. The Jets regrouped at half, but a hard hitback by the young Winti legs took advantage of the small field by throwing the ball in the air and letting bigs Jacob Brownley and Jonas Pfluger contest 1-on-1 balls, which they won the majority of, leading to a huge bag of goals. The Lions used this strategy to a tee in the third quarter and put the game out of reach going into the final break. The fourth quarter was a hard fought battle for loose balls and more goals were added to the scores on either side, but the Jets could not mount anything resembling a comeback and the Lions cruised to a comfortable 50 point win. An historical win for Winterthur as it is their first ever victory against the Jets, but also solidifies their spot at the top of the ladder with a pivotal match against Zurich coming in Round 3. As predicted, Winti is a team to watch out for this year. Winterthur president and coach Stefan Burgener post-game stated “We knew we had a good shot [to win this week], but we knew we had to earn it.” He added that the club’s goal at the start of the year was to make the final, “but now it feels like we might be able to win one.”

Reserves

Northern Bears vs. Geneva Jets

14.9.93 – 14.5.89

A highly anticipated ressies game followed up the seniors matches and did not disappoint. It was another high scoring game (bit of a trend here in the first couple of Rounds) with a first half dominated by the Jets before tired legs allowed the reinforced Bears back into it. The Jets old boys club of Paul Garwood and Greg Arnold (both over 45 years old!) were a force in the forward line, combining for a bag. As the game wore on, injuries and the hot weather piled up on the Jets doing double duty and the Bears youth shone through, bringing the game back within a few goals heading into the fourth quarter. In the final minutes the teams traded goals and the Jets led by 2 points with little time left on the clock. Noah Weber, playing for the Jets to help fill out numbers, forgot which team he was playing for and ran over fellow Jet Sophie Heading in the goalscore, leaving the goals wide open for a Bears major score to seal the victory.

Boat Race

The boat race was again tight, with more beer missing mouths than going in, but the Jets eeked out a sympathy win to avoid a full sweep on the day, anchored again by the visiting Permain senior. Hats off to Claira Lea, who double dipped for the Bears and downed two beers during the race.

With the next two rounds in Suisse-Romande and some big matches on the docket, we should be in for a great continuation of the AFL Switzerland comp. See you in Lausanne June 11!