AFL Team Triumphant In The UK
5 August 2009 By LEUT Jemma Power
During a port visit dominated by sporting challenges, the Northern Trident 2009 (NT09) Australian Rules Football team, the “Blue Dogs” flew the banner for ADF sport and Australian sporting prowess generally by coming away with the only win of the numerous sporting challenges conducted during the Northern Trident 2009 visit to the United Kingdom.
In their first game of the deployment the Blue Dogs comprising personnel from HMAS Ballarat and HMAS Sydney, took on a representative team “The Pirates” from the English Southern Australian Rules Football League at the Farlington Playing Fields in suburban Portsmouth.
"As the UK AFL League is relatively small, our game represented a rare opportunity for the Southern League representative players to have a game against strong opposition. For the Navy players it represented a chance to get out on the park and also to get to know the Portsmouth locals better, both on the field and afterward at the post game presentation function hosted by the Pirates" said the NT09 Blue Dogs player coach, Ballarat’s CPO, Communications Information Systems, Rohan Jennings.
Though usually a game characterised in Australia by scarves, beanies and the grey skies of winter, the game was bathed in sunlight as the United Kingdom experienced its hottest weather in years. The NT09 boys were not to be put off by this unusually hot spell and took to the field with determination to avenge the losses inflicted by the UK the previous day in the Navy Ashes Cricket challenge.
The NT09 team took a little time to find their land legs after the first bounce, however the Pirates who kicked the first two quick goals also found themselves with some adjustments to make - in the UK most matches are played on converted rugby pitches with only nine players to a side. The home team had to adjust quickly to fielding 18 players and running around an oval. As both sides acclimatised to the conditions the first half ebbed and flowed but strong performances in the ruck by Ballarat’s LS, Boatswain Mate Aaron Smits and on the ball by Sydney’s LS, Marine Technicians Matthew Joy and Jason Fabian paid off on the scoreboard.
"The limited training we’ve had over the past few months and the fact we were still getting used to each other as a team meant that the skill level of the two teams was fairly even. After being on the ship for almost three months the opposition’s fitness was better than ours but we stayed committed and got our heads over the ball. Plus our ability to play-on more quickly was the difference that let us get ahead by five goals by half time" said LS Smits.
Despite the five goal lead, the game on the field was closer than the scoreboard reflected. Solid defensive work by backmen Ballarat’s SBLT Liam Walters and AB Communications Information Systems Joshua Hindle and Sydney’s AB Marine Technician Michael Dawe consistently shut down the Pirate’s push into their forward line. At the other end of the ground consistent delivery into the forward line by Ballarat’s AB Cook Dustin Hombsch and SMN Boatswain Mate Daniel Horsfall allowed Sydney’s tall forwards led by LS Marine Technician Craig Jensen-Schmidt to control the game.
Backed by their superior fitness, the Pirates made a renewed push in the final quarter but the NT09 Blue Dogs backline held their ground to come away winners with a final score line reading, Blue Dogs 11.11-77 to Pirates 7.12-58. Sydney’s Craig Jensen-Schmidt top scored for the Blue Dogs with a five goal haul.
At the post match function NT09 Blue Dogs presented their opposition with caps and Northern Trident 2009 commemorative coins. LS Smits was voted best on ground for the Blue Dogs. At the function CPO Jennings took the time to note the Navy’s appreciation of the local effort to arrange the match.
"This game came about through the enthusiasm and tireless efforts of Michael Krischunas, the president of the South Hampton Titans AFL club and the support of the recently formed Portsmouth Pirates Australian Rules Football Club. The efforts of these people made the organisation of this game possible and it was a opportunity that the AFL players onboard both ships were keenly looking forward to as we approached the UK," he said.
The next game on the NT09 calendar will to take place during the port visit to Baltimore in the United States against the Balitmore Washington Eagles AFL team.
