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On a fairly warm day the Swans welcomed the Broadview Hawks to Ottawa hoping to avoid a repeat of the last time they met. A bumper crowd had arrived to watch the game as part of the Forces Appreciation Day heavily promoted by the Ottawa Swans executive. In what is becoming a regular occurrence in our initial season the Ottawa Swans lined up with a limited number of players from the squad in attendance but none lacked the intensity or spirit expected of a Swans player.
The first quarter was a tight affair in which the ball was constantly rebounded by the half backs on both teams. The Hawks kicked the first few goals after which the swans recovered with some fine play by Millsy, Steve and Rookie in defence with the ever dangerous Darren Roffey leading the way up front. With Luke Walsh marshalling the defence the swans finished the quarter a goal behind and full of confidence. The second quarter afforded the Hawks the opportunity of kicking with a strong breeze. Similar to the first quarter the second was a fierce affair with no one taking a backward step. The swans started to feel the pressure as the Hawks took every opportunity to play on and kick the ball long. Yas, Rock and other members of the Swans midfield managed to win their fair share of the ball whilst minimizing the Hawks midfield ability to move or create space. With Swans rookie of the year nominee Ryan Gregory constantly getting first purchase on the ball the ball moved forward numerous times but the swans failed to capitalize. The second half started promisingly with the Swans only 5 goals behind the Hawks. The coach allowed a number of players the opportunity to try out different assignments on the field. However inexperience and a lack of discipline / concentration saw the Hawks start to pile the pressure on the scoreboard. It was great to see that no one gave up especially the players from the Quebec Saints who came down to experience a game of aussie rules played for premiership points. The third quarter saw some ugly injuries brought about by some very physical contests for the ball in the centre leaving a number of Hawks players seeking medical attention. The game was stopped a number of times just as the Swans were starting to get combine and add some points on the board. Stoppages aside Luke Walsh was solid in defence combining well with Seth and Steve Fisher in repelling the ball which helped stifle Hawks forays into attack. The last quarter started much like the first being physical and quick with players rewarded for being first to the ball. The swan’s forwards showed great discipline by sticking to the instruction i.e. playing in front of their man and moving the pill forward wherever possible. Special mention to Jake, Seth, Yas and Steve who ran into space and never stopped trying. |
