Hong Kong Tour Report – 1 August 2015
99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer.
Take one down and pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall….
The story of the Vietnam Swans 2015 Hong Kong 10’s tournament went a lot like that. What started out looking like a promising tour of tried and trusted veterans with a smattering of youthful finesse to contest a three game series against some of AFL Asia’s finest – the Hong Kong Dragons, Jakarta Bintangs and the Darkside Dragons (HK seconds) – ended up with just a handful of Swannies flying the flag with distinction for their club.
The United Nations Swans
Injuries, work commitments, family visits, financial hardship, corruption, sabotage and softness all took their toll in the lead up to the tournament, leaving just 4 players to continue the Swans 7-game undefeated march across Asia. While they may not have won a game, while they may not have even come close in two of them, by just being there they did us proud. Let’s just pause to take a moment to thank Tim Pickert, Tim Clements, Shane Macfarlane and Pierre Braun for doing their bit to uphold the Swannies good standing in Asia!
With numbers looking slim in the days preceding, the call went out for Chinese reinforcements. First to respond was former Swan and current Beijing Bomber James Symons, who many will remember for his hard hitting tackles, perhaps less so for his rugby-esque kicking abilities.
Next to respond were the Guangzhou Scorpions with 3 talented local players, SCAFL leading goal kicker Chen, China International Cup Captain Zhang Hao and another ripped young guy “they call him Bruce”.
Traditionally a forward, moving “Jumping Chen” into the ruck and the Timmies to onballers very nearly proved a masterstroke
Topping up numbers to see the Swans put together a formidable multicultural mix of 11 were 4 Macau Lightning players, who may not have been the most talented footballers that ever lived but were infected with a healthy dose of leather poisoning and many would argue had never looked so good in Swannies colours.
So with a team formed, this ragtag bunch of 11 blokes set out on a hot and steamy Summers day at the Hong Kong Rugby Club, located in the middle of the famous Happy Valley race track. The urban backdrop could not have been more inspiring.
The first two ‘warm up’ games against the HK and Darkside Dragons provided Swans President and stand in whiteboard holder Keysy with a great opportunity to experiment with some different line ups and let the boys develop some chemistry. Not much else really needs to be said about these games, let us just skip to the third game against the Jakarta Bintangs…
With the Swannies famous and spectacular 2014 Asian Champs victory against a the Bintangs still fresh in the minds of many, a game some have argued being the finest display of Swans football ever, this was always going to be a cracker of the game.
Timmy P barrelling after the siren under immense pressure being applied by the huge Dragon fanbase
The Swans came out of the blocks on fire, with goals to Scorpions Zhang Hao and Chen giving the Bintangs another scare. It was flashback time for the Bintangs, who needed to beat the swans by a substantial margin to make the grand final. Timmy Pickert getting not one but two opportunities to make a name for himself with after the siren sideline barrels to put the swans in the lead at half time, both unfortunately not going anywhere close, but it was the Swans mercenaries with all the momentum at the main break.
Early in the second half Zhang Hao’s second for the game put the Swans in the lead and a massive upset was brewing. Pickert was everywhere, reveling in his newfound role as midfielder, ably supported by Timmy Clements and Pierre making a formidable Swans midfield. Full back Sha Mac was towling up his more fancied Jakarta forward opponent and the impossible started to look a reality. However, former Swan legend/current Bintang Dave O’Shae had other ideas and showed no love for his former team by putting the ‘tangs back in the lead.
Chinese superstar Chen calmly slots one for the Swans to put them in the lead with 2min to go
With 2 mins left on the clock it was anyone’s game. The Swans never say die attitude once again on display for all to see. The boys continued to dig deep and on the rebound from yet more impressive work from the back men found Chen on the lead, 40m out on a slight angle. The Chinese superstar calmly went back and slotted the goal, putting the Swans back in the lead.
The next centre clearance would be vital but unfortunately the O’Shae led Bintangs midfield managed to snaffle the loose ball first and find some open space to slot the game winner for Jakarta.
Down 2 with a minute to go, former Swannie legend Dave O’Shea spoils the Swans party
While disappointed not to come away with the win, the team came off the ground with heads held high, proud that they exceeded anyone’s expectation by even going close, content in the knowledge that we had yet again upset the Bintangs finals aspirations and grateful for the cold beer now on available to them on the sidelines.
The Darkside Dragons would go on to upset the HK firsts in the grand final and win the bragging rights at the after game function back in wonderful Wan Chai, but all agreed Asian footy was the real winner on this coming together of various teams from across the region.
Swans best: Timmy Pickert, Zhang Hao, Pierre, Chen
Goals: Chen (3), Zhang (2), Timmy Clements
