18 August 2019 – Centre Sportif de Vessy, Geneva (33°C)

By Mick Purtschert

Around 12:00 p.m. on a beautiful sunny afternoon, men and women from all over Switzerland started rocking up to the Centre Sportif de Vessy in Geneva for a lovely day of Aussie Rules Footy. Being the first round after the summer break, all were keen to share their summer experiences and at the same time prepare to give all they had on this scorcher of a day.

Geneva Jets vs Northern Bears

The first game on the cards was the Reserves game with the Northern Bears against the reserves team of the Geneva Jets. The Northern Bears wanted to get their first win on the board after being convincingly beaten by Geneva in the past. As the siren sounded one could tell this was a totally different team to the past. They ran out of the gates and weren’t to be stopped. Umpires Jase Ransome and his father “Razor” Ray spent most of their time running the ball back to the centre as a total of 26 goals were scored in the four 15-minute quarters, with 19 of them going to the newly improved Northern Bears. Since Darren Waldron has taken on the coaching job this team has turned around and began playing very well together. With an enormous 77-point win for the Bears, the Jets will need to definitely bring something more to the field if they wish to beat the Bears in 2 weeks’ time in Winterthur.

Geneva Jets	7	10	52
Northern Bears	19	15	129

Goal Kickers:

Umpires: Jason Ransome & Ray Ransome

Geneva Jets vs Winterthur Lions

The second game of the day was Seniors Match 1 and the Geneva Jets were ready to show the home crowd why they were on top of the league ladder. The siren sounded and the Jets were off. However, due to them constantly hitting the big posts, the minor scores seemed to make the game closer than it was. Finally, they straightened up and thus knocking up the score to defeat the Lions by 74 points.

Geneva Jets	10	24	84
Winterthur Lions	1	4	10

Goal Kickers:

Umpires: Jason Ransome & Karl Robson

Geneva Jets vs Basel Dragons

With Geneva coming off 40 minutes of running, Basel was hoping to get a lucky break in this third match of the day and give the Jets a run for their money – and even pull off a win as they did in Winterthur in May in the first round. However, this was not to be the case and the Jets continued where they left off, applying immense pressure from the middle and kicking eight unanswered goals. Even with a few glimpses of brilliance, Basel were unable to hold back the pressure being generated from the backs and the middle. Basel scored a total of two goals, resulting in the Jets only conceding 3 goals the entire afternoon thanks largely to the amazing efforts of the backs and halfbacks from Geneva.

Geneva Jets	12	9	81
Basel Dragons	2	5	17

Goal Kickers:

Umpires: Karl Robson & Ray Ransome

Winterthur Lions vs Basel Dragons

This match had all the makings of being a ripper, with Basel looking to seal a seat in the grand final and Winterthur hoping to keep their premiership chances alive. The first 5 minutes seemed to meet all expectations but then Basel began to hit the target and breakaway to hold a 42 point lead at halftime. After the break, both sides fought for the ball with no obvious dominance being shown. However, Shayne “Macca” McKenzie got Basel going with a goal from a free kick and two beautiful goals out of the middle. This gave the spark they needed and Basel in the end raced away to win the game by 59 points and secure a spot in the final against Geneva on 14 September.

Winterthur Lions	2	5	17
Basel Dragons	12	4	76

Goal Kickers:

Umpires: Jason Ransome & James Olle

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As the day came to a close and people made their ways to the changing rooms, the injury list could be assessed. Both Basel and Geneva may have players with rib injuries and time shall tell how bad it is. Whether they will be rested in the hope that they are better for their clash in the grand final will remain to be seen.

The final event on the program, the traditional boat race, also went to the hosts the Geneva Jets, allowing some of the fluids to be quickly replenished.

A special thanks to Ryan Davey, General Manager of AFL Europe, who made his way to Geneva for this round and spent time with the club coaches, who now each receive their Foundation Level Coaching Accreditation from the AFL. We appreciate the support to our expanding league, one that is certainly attracting attention from other parts of the continent.

Our thanks also to the four umpires who put on an amazing job in these very hot conditions. Special vote of gratitude to our visiting umpires, Karl Robson from Paris Cocks Footy and “Razor” Ray Ransome visiting from Australia.

Thanks for an enjoyable and well organised event and looking forward to seeing everyone again in two weeks’ time in Winterthur.