Welcome to the Downtown Hitout!

What: 4 quarter scratch match. 12 on field, bench numbers depending on final attendees. 9:30 warm up 10am game start. Central umpire will rotate between the teams. Make sure all players wear 2020 training tops as the alternate strips will be the 2 team uniforms.

Who: 2 squads (see below) led up by Sean and Nathan Milner

Where: Hoa Lu Stadium, District 1, Cnr Dien Tien Hoang and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai

Can You Join?

Absolutely, squads are named but extra players will help us fill out the bench. Men, women, experienced or curious… Come down, watch, have a run, enjoy! We’d love to see as many people out making the most of the chance to play some extended footy!

Setting the Scene

If 2020 has taught us anything it’s to be adaptable.

Plan A we would be contesting Division 1 for the first time in the club’s history in Pattaya at the AFL Asian Championships this weekend (AFL Asia only split the Asian Champs to divisions in recent years).

Plan B we would be playing round 2 of the North vs South series with the Mens bragging rights still being debated from Round 1 and the Northern women owing the Southern women a 10 goal pay back.

Alas Plan C beckons – Hanoi is preparing for the upcoming AFLH to take advantage of the great training numbers throughout 2020 and Saigon is preparing for the first full length domestic hitout in years between the Yellows and Blues. Memories of older Swannies have drifted back to the heated Reds vs Whites matches back in the day whilst newer Swannies are anticipating the firey sibling rivalry between the captains Nathan and Sean Milner to boil over.

The Teams

The Talking Points

The Brothers – The Bagel Brothers will be in the thick of it all day ! There’s the obvious big brother (Sean) trying to keep little brother (Nathan) in his place here but there’s plenty more. Neither brother worries what others think once they cross a white line so expectations for fireworks are high!

The Recruit – Will Sandman has been named on his personal new recruit big Grant Thunissen for his first ever AFL game, the big UFC convert has wowed on the training track since joining the Swans and questions have been asked of whether Will deserves the frightful matchup straight up.

The ‘other’ Brothers – Andy G and Dinh Anh, brothers in law seperated by plenty of years in both footy experience and age. Dinh Anh has the recent form, Andy has decades of finding a way when the heat is on.

The Tag – Club stalwart Billy C has been picked to follow reigning B&F Oscar ‘the Grouch’ Silk in the middle. Billy will give some serious skill, age and fitness points up and the Yellows will be hoping the Grouch can put it on the scoreboard.

The Girls – It’s been an indifferent year for the girls in the South. While the North is developing at breakneck pace border shut downs, field availability and key member movement have slowed the Southern AFLW movement. Katie and Binh have been on the track in the last weeks and will likely go head to head for 4 quarters pitting experience against enthusiasm all day.

The Scores – The Swans have a woeful track record in recent years of scoring controversies, Champs matches, ANZAC Friendship Matches and the recent North vs South game all ending with head scratching while scores are tallied, retallied and debated for eternity. Surely someone will focus and make sure bragging rights are beyond doubt this weekend.

The Weather – A balmy 34 degrees is predicted at the 10am commencement tomorrow. Only someone who’s chased a footy in the Saigon heat knows the toll it can take. You could argue the Blues have an extra player given the weigh ins of some of their line up, those extra pounds don’t typically come in handy in the second half!