Yesterday’s Bangkok Post ran an article on the Asian Champs written by Alan Parkhouse. We seem to have misplaced the scanner in the Swans Control Room, so, it’s been retyped below:
“The Hong Kong Dragons hung on to win their first (sic) Asian Australian Football Championships in a thrilling Grand Final at the Patana grounds in Bangkok yesterday.
“The Dragons won a nail biting Grand Final which went into extra time against the Bali Geckos in a match that had the noisy crowd of more than 1000 on the edge of their seats.
“It was a fitting finale to the biggest Australian Rules football tournament ever held outside Australia which saw 10 teams from Asia and the Middle East in action on the plush grounds of the Patana school grounds in suburban Bangkok, trying to kick goals and behinds through the bamboo goal posts.
“The one day tournament featured non stop action from 8.30am yesterday morning and finished with the nail biting Grand Final late in the afternoon.
“Australian Rules players are known to give their all once the action starts and yesterday’s tournament was no different with 3 players being sent off during the afternoon for fighting.
“In the lead up to the Grand Final, both the Hong Kong and Bali sides clocked up 4 wins each from 4 games to go through to the final, while pre tournament favourites and tournament hosts the Thailand Tigers fell short with only one win from from their four pool games.
“The experienced Hong Kong side who had won this tournament in the past were tipped to take the honours again but the boys from Bali, who had finished as runners up in the past, really gave them a run for their money.
“The Grand Final was played in two 20 minute halves and was a tight game right from the tap-off (Swans Blog Editor: unheard of jargon) and after 17 minutes of the first half, Hong Kong had a narrow 3 point lead. At half time the score was 21-19 in Hong Kong’s favour.
“As the full time siren approached, Bali kicked a behind to level the score and take the match into extra time. Two 5 minute halves of extra time were then played.
“After the extra 10 minutes, with the crowd cheering loudly, for the popular Bali side, the Hong Kong boys scored a scrappy goal with two minutes to go, followed by another behind on the siren to take a well deserved 43-34 victory.
“Australian Ambassador William Bill Paterson (Swans Blog Editor: that’s an unheard of “double up” of a name) presented the trophies to the winning players and team and popular Melbourne band, the Fauves entertained the crowd well into the evening.”
Photos of the thrilling Grand Final and of the Vietnam Swans (courtesy of Swans photographers Colin and Kay Mitchell) will be added tomorrow. Right now, the Swans Blog is drinking beer at Gullivers with a contingent of Vietnam Swans – and we’re heading off to Thailand’s National Stadium to watch the other code, soccer.
Tonight’s match in the Asian Cup… Thailand Vs Australia.
Really, if you love footy in Asia, honk yer horn.
It’s all very, very good.
