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JAFL & Osaka
Dingoes News |
Grand Final, Osaka Dingoes vs Eastern Hawks, November 13th, 2011
Wednesday, November 23 2011 @ 00:00 PM EST
Contributed by: J. Cooper & P. Wenske
Grand final report:
Anticipation was in the air outside Yodobashi Camera on the morning of Sunday the 13th of November. The fairytale season of 2011 was about to have a happy ending or finish as the season that promised so much, yet did not deliver on the final stage. By the end of the day, we all knew that as a team we would either be floating on cloud nine in absolute jubilation, or asking ‘What if?’ and wallowing in the pits of despair. Although the boys were confident, everybody knew that it would be no easy task. Our opponents, the Eastern Hawks had been a powerhouse of the JAFL for a number of years, and the Osaka Dingoes had only recently found their footing. The Hawks had faltered on the line several years ago, and we expected them to throw everything they had at us and attack the contest ferociously, as the Hawks always do.
The trip was almost thrown into chaos when Paul Welsh rang Yazid and told him that he’d slept in and would be an hour late, but after sitting on the side of the road for an eternity with two worried drivers, Paul finally arrived, and we set off for Yokohama in a bus which had been provided to us by our new sponsor, Kansai International Academy (http://www.kansai-intlschool.jp/). It was a quiet bus ride up, but it was definitely a team building exercise to head north as one unit. Unity had got us this far and would be the force that would hopefully get us over the line once the game began. When the producers come knocking and ask for a title for their movie about our season, we will reply with the 2011 unofficial club motto, ‘Dingoes hunt in packs’! Clear skies followed us all the way to the ground and a perfect view of Mt Fuji was surely a sign that the football gods were smiling on us.
After an epic warm up, the two teams lined up ready for the national anthems of Australia and Japan. The Japanese anthem went down without a hitch, but the Australian anthem was not a recording that many of the boys were used to. Regardless, skin tingling, everybody stood in readiness, drawing out of themselves one last bit of motivation before the game began.
From the opening bounce, the two bulls locked horns. The Hawks were playing on their home turf and had the support of a small crowd which had gathered, but on grand final day none of that mattered. In a bit of an arm wrestle, both teams fired shots, although the Dingoes seemed to have the run of things early on. Jeremy Freeman was a rock in defense, and up forward Drew Moon was providing a strong target. The midfield were getting first use and were making the most of it. The first quarter saw an inaccurate Osaka team kick two goals five to finish two points clear at the first break.
Quarter time score:
Dingoes ? 2.5:17
Hawks ? 2.3:15
The second quarter opened with a bang. With a backup ruckman starting for the Hawks, the Dingoes ran riot in the middle of the ground, and three very quick goals set up a nice buffer. Paul Wenske set the tone early on with a cameo performance. In a bone crunching tackle, he rattled his opponent and kicked a good goal from the resultant free kick. The Hawks fought back strongly, but the damage had been done, and at the half time break, the Dingoes held a commanding lead. The backline was still holding up strong. Adam Reidy was taking a break from his usual player/umpire duties, and was running the changes and organizing the show from the sidelines. His coaching and the help of the injured Chad Dykehouse, were key factors in setting up our win. It meant that with Brett Snowdon, Paul Welsh, Sam Schwarz, Yuta Tsutsumi, Louis Patterson and others rotating through the middle, our engine room remained strong for the whole game. The Dingoes went into the long break leading by a comfortable 21 points.
Half time score:
Dingoes ? 7.7:49
Hawks ? 4.4:28
The third quarter is always referred to as the premiership quarter, and the message at half time was that we shouldn’t rest on our laurels. We were just over thirty minutes away from realising the dream, and we had to dig deep and keep on fighting. A long shot from the middle of the ground which bounced through for a goal by Jonathan Cooper was the highlight of the quarter, but after a game ending knee injury to the big man, the Hawks went up a gear and kicked the last few goals of the quarter to go into the final break with a sniff of victory. The Dingoes lead had been whittled away to just seven points, and it seemed as if the Hawks might run over the top of a tired looking Dingoes outfit in the last quarter.
Three quarter time score:
Dingoes ? 9.8:62
Hawks ? 8.7:55
Steady heads were needed in the last quarter. With several injuries, it was going to take a concerted effort to get over the line. After some final words from the coach, the Dingoes set about playing their last quarter for season 2011. With Brett Snowdown flying high and dominating the ruck and midfielders firing from all cylinders, the final quarter was played almost entirely on the Dingoes terms. The ball was bottled up in the Dingoes’ forward line and despite some nervous moments early on the Dingoes never looked like giving up their lead. The Hawks never gave up, but didn’t bother the scorers in the last, as the Dingoes kicked two goals and three behinds. Osaka did everything they had to and more to win the grand final of the Fosters 2011 JAFL football season by 22 points.
Final score:
Dingoes: 11.11:77
Hawks: 8.7:55
Goals: D.Moon 6, J.Cooper 2, G.Tanaka 1, B.Snowdon 1, P.Wenske 1
BOG: B.Snowdon
Prior to 2011, the Dingoes had never won a JAFL premiership of any sorts. Through the efforts of everybody involved, both on field and off, we managed to clean sweep the competition this year, taking out the Japan Cup as well as an inaugural premiership. From the efforts of the girls on the sidelines, all the way up to the president (Yazid Dardah) and coach (Adam Reidy), everybody contributed. All year we hunted in packs and worked together to make this club what it has become, and to realise the dreams of some men who have lived, breathed and sweated Dingoes football for many years. On November 13th, 2011, a new chapter in the twenty year history of a proud football club was written in blood sweat and tears. Emotions ran hot as Drew moon received an award for kicking the most goals in the game, Brett Snowdon won the medal for best on ground and Jun Oikawa lifted the trophy to the heavens.
Several men were playing their last game for the Dingoes. As a club wish them well in their future prospects, and want to let everybody who was involved know that they were part of something special. Bonds were created this year that will last a lifetime. To those who suffered injuries, we wish you a speedy recovery. To everybody who played a part in season 2011 at the Dingoes - congratulations, and we hope to see you all back next year to defend our title!
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Japan Cup October 9th 2011
Friday, October 14 2011 @ 00:00 PM EST
Contributed by: J. Cooper
The guys from Osaka arrived at Yodobashi Camera in Osaka in dribs and drabs. Genki had hired the biggest van that he could get, and all the boys piled in ready for what would ultimately be one of the most painful nights of many of our lives. The van had no suspension, and Jun ? a late inclusion, didn’t seem to think it was necessary to slow down for corners. That said though, a special thanks must be reserved for Jun, Genki and Hosomi who shared the driving for the journey.
We arrived up north very early on Saturday morning and after breakfast at Jonathan’s and Sukiya in some backwater part of Chiba, a few guys had a sleep and a few others went walking looking for food. After arriving at the ground we all waited with baited breath to see if all the others would turn up in time. Our contingent was ready to go, but word was that Snowy was lost and the Nagoya boys were still on their way. Eventually though, much to everybody’s relief, almost everyone on our list turned up. And with that, the Dingbacks were one and ready to attack the cup with full force.
We had to wait until three games had been completed before we played our first game of the tournament. We faced a weakened Goannas team, but with some gun players still in their squad, we made sure nobody underestimated them. They put up a strong showing, but had already played one game and the Dingbacks quickly pulled away to a five goal lead. The Goannas fought back strongly in the second half though, and the final margin was a respectable three goals. Pretty soon after this game, a few Goanna boys were seen kicking back in the sun drinking beer. At this stage a few beers would have hit the spot, but we had a tournament to win. This game was the first time that many of us had played together and will go down in the history books as the emergence of the Dingbacks. We showed in patches what we were capable of, and team chemistry was evident from the get go. Chad (The American) Dykehouse even managed to kick his first goal in football.
The final score was:
Dingbacks ? 10.4:64
Goannas ? 7.4:46
Our next game was a battle for top spot in our division against the Komazawa Magpies. The Magpies led by Ken Sato are always a formidable opponent and sensing that Ken was ready to tear the game apart, we gave Snowy (or the Blizzard as he is now referred to) the job of shutting him down. He ran hard all game and and followed Ken up forward and down back. Ken kicked four goals on Brett, but Snowy kicked four goals on Ken including the match winner moments before the siren. Down by three with one minute to play, Snowy marked about 40 metres out and pounded it home. The siren went whilst the ball was in flight and the ball sailed through the big sticks. The rest is history. Paul and Louis fought hard in the middle, big Sam G was too tall down back and Jun showed the young kids what he was capable of. The rotating run off the bench was very important to our success.
The final score was
Dingbacks ? 5.5:35
Magpies ? 5.1:31
Surprisingly, the Power had disposed of the much heralded Hawks to finish top of their group after some shocking kicking for goal from the Hawks, so we had a horror semi-final clash against a fired up Hawks team who were fighting for survival and pride. In the other games, there was a tomorrow no matter what the results, and this was the first game that we really had to win. Being the third game, everyone was starting to get a bit sore and tired too, so it became a bit of a slog. The game ended up being a very even affair. Each team traded blows throughout the game and big hits were dished out each way in the middle. The Hawks had a longer break than us going into this game and seemed to have more legs when it counted. Fortunately though, whatever gods exist or don’t exist were on our side again. In the last minute of the game, trailing by five points the ball somehow found its way down to our forward line and into the arms of Jun who slotted it through to put us 1 point up with only seconds to play. The emotional roller coaster involved with this win can best be summed up through the words of the captain.
“I cramped up in both calves with about two minutes to go in the last quarter with my team down by five points. I managed to drag myself off the ground realizing that I would take no further part in the game. Just like that, after all we’d been through together, I thought it was over and there was nothing I could do to change things. A few Japanese guys would have learnt a few new English words as I cursed and threw my mouth guard around on the boundary. But, against all odds, we kicked a goal in the dying stages and won by a point, and just like that, we were in the grand final. I had gone in the blink of an eye from the pits of despair to absolute jubilation. It was game on.”
Nobody could believe how close our last two wins had been, and lady luck must have been smiling on us, but nobody was complaining. A few people suggested that the Irishman on our team might have had something to do with it. That said, people began prepping for what would for many of us be the first grand final of our careers. Guys lined up for massages, got into the deep heat, and Louis even found time for a bit of a sleep on the sideline. Nobody has seen a photo as yet, but sleeping Louis was a hit with the Japanese cameramen.
We expected the Senshu boys to come out hard and that they did. Everyone was sore, but battled on. Both teams were desperate to take the cup and threw everything they had at every contest. The Power went into the quarter time break leading two goals to one goal, three behinds.
In the second quarter, Paul (James Kelly) Welsh and Jun (I don’t need sleep) Oikawa carved up the middle and our tactic of bash it forward to the twin towers of Jonno (No longer able to run or jump) Cooper and Juri (Point to Prove) Nozaki was paying dividends. Brett (The Blizzard) Snowdon was making minced meat out of the Senshu ruckmen. What was amazing was that with our large bench, we had no shortage of fresh players and the run of guys like Chad, Takeya and Darrell was very important. Ashley was doing a good job of running the bench and pinch hitting in the forward line to great effect. Hosomi was getting to contests and Aoyama was showing everybody just how much he had improved as a result of his involvement in the International Cup.
We went into the half time break three goals clear, but knew that there was work still to be done. The Power wanted this as much as we did, and they weren’t going to give up without a fight. The third quarter as we kept reminding ourselves is the premiership quarter and we needed to assert our authority on the game once again. Another tight battle ensued, but once again we seemed to be able to control the pace of the game and bash the ball forward through the middle of the ground. Our backline worked superbly to stem the tide as the Power launched a desperate assault on the game. At three quarter time we were four and a half goals clear and the game looked all but done. The Power had fought back from a long way behind to almost steal a game from us earlier in the year though, so we knew that we couldn’t drop our guard.
The final quarter was a bit of a stalemate, neither side really dominated, but both showed amazing courage to throw themselves into every contest until the last second of play. Several players from both teams came off injured, including the sleeping man Louis Patterson, who received a cut to his head which would later require stitches. As a symbol of the way the guys played all day, with the game well and truly over and only one minute remaining, Louis slid into a contest at full speed and copped a knee to the head. Louis was sent off with the blood rule, but complained bitterly that he was not allowed to take his kick. Nozaki and the Captain Cooper each finished with three and the rest of the goals were shared amongst Snowdon, Oikawa and Aoyama.
The final score was:
Dingbacks ? 10.6:66
Powers ? 6.3:39
From the moment the siren went, every player was ecstatic. Some people struggled to let go of the cup, but eventually everyone got a chance to drink beer from it and get their photo taken with the spoils of victory. Big Ashley oozed passion and labeled the day as the greatest football experience he had ever had. “Finally,” he said, “the West has taken some silverware!” The presentation saw the Captain fail at Japanese, but provided a bit of light hearted entertainment for the crowd. Close to a million photos were taken of different groups of players over the next thirty minutes, but eventually the mob dispersed and we were left standing on our tarpaulin, alone in the dark and still in shock as to how the day had eventuated. The Dingbacks had come together from all corners of the country to fight as one. Together we stood, together we fought, and together we conquered. 14 guys with one purpose came together on the 9th October and showed Japan what it meant to stand by your mates. Well done Dingbacks. Be proud of yourselves, and never forget the glory that was 8/10/11.
A special mention must go to Takeya from the Redbacks who had to leave to return to Nagoya part way through the grand final. Hopefully Ashley got round you after his return to the White City.
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Round 4, Osaka Dingoes vs Eastern Hawks, September 10th, 2011
Wednesday, September 28 2011 @ 00:00 PM EST
Contributed by: P. Wenske
Osaka Dingoes (11.12) 78 - Eastern Hawks (5.12) 42
Goals: D. Moon 5, Y. Tsutsumi, J. Oikawa 2, J. Cooper, B. Sutherland 1
Dingoes BOG: D. Moon
Dingoes Hawks
78 4.3 1st 0.3 42
8.4 2nd 3.7
9.10 3rd 4.8
11.12 4th 5.12
On one of the last hot and humid days this summer the Hawks travelled down to Osaka to see if they could repeat last years win against the Dingoes, but this was not to be.
From the outset the Dingoes took control of the game with strong play out of the center and winning a majority of the loose balls with Jonathan and Sam using their height and strength and our midfield applying constant pressure on the ball the speed and fluid play of the Hawks was all but nullified allowing the Dingoes to kick 4 unanswered majors in the opening quarter.
The Dingoes look to continue this in the second but the Hawks began taking the ascendancy at the middle of the quarter to score three goals and could easily had two more. Sensing this the Dingoes applied more pressure and ended the half with a flurry of its own with Tsusumi and Drew kicking truly.
Controlling things on the sidelines Wenske tried to give all players a run with Brendan and Paul Welsh making welcome returns to the Dingoes. The continual efforts by all members running boundaries and encouraging each other was a notable element on the sidelines as well.
After the rest both teams looked determined to keep at it with the Dingoes kicking 1.6 and the Hawks 1.1, notably the pressure from the Hawks not letting the game blowout. Chad, Jeremy, Yuki and Yazid playing some nice defensive play and working well together was integral to the eventual victory in a hard fought third quarter.
In the fourth with the Hawks tiring and the game there to be won and with Drew putting a stellar performance for the three quarters kicking five goals a few other players stepped up to try and sink a few, with a notable snap that must of brought back memories for Brendan, snapping truly from 25 out. The Hawks began to tire but still managed several scoring opportunities with Hiroyuki putting three majors on the board by the end of the game. Wenske came on to test the shoulder and is said to be feeling pretty chipper and read to swat a few Hawks. Solid efforts from all players on and off the field ensured another victory for the Dingoes and also ensuring a grand finals birth and maintaining top position in the league with only the Magpies game followed by the finals come November.
Thanks goes out to all players and supporters on both teams. The Dingoes and fans enjoyed a few beers and watched the Saints v Swans game at the Avery’s after the game. A great day in September for the Dingoes.
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Round 2: Osaka Dingoes vs Senshu Powers June 4th, 2011
Wednesday, June 15 2011 @ 00:00 PM EST
Contributed by: P. Wenske & J. Cooper
Dramatic Win for the Dingoes
Osaka Dingoes 64(9.10) - Senshu Powers 61(8.13)
Goals: A.Reidy 3, J.Cooper 2, L. Patterson 2, P.Wenske 1, G.Tanaka 1
BOG: A.Reidy
On June 4th, the team set out for our first road trip since the testing trip to
Nagoya in 2010. An 8am departure time from Umeda would see us arrive around 4pm in Yokohama. Everybody foresaw a grueling challenge, but nobody really knew quite how hard it would be. Playing on artificial turf makes for quite a fast paced game, which we knew would suit the Powers. With only ten players and no subs the pressure was on for everyone to play the whole game out. The country club was an impressive venue, and we were greeted to the ground by hoards of Irish, who were at the ground for the North Asian Gaelic Games. After a pretty relaxed warm up, the boys set their minds to the task.
The first quarter had us kicking with the advantage of a reasonably strong, yet swirling breeze. After a few close attempts, Wenske snapped truly to score the first goal of the game. Unfortunately though, the Dingoes could only manage 2.5 for the quarter. Strong marking by Adam was a notable addition to our regular team and gave us a good tall option to kick to. At the first break we knew we had a battle on our hands and that they definitely weren’t going to roll over and give us an easy victory.
The second quarter was much like the first with both teams fighting hard to take control of the game. The Powers made good use of the wind and kicked 2.3 which was also what the Dingoes managed to put on the board. First gamer Louis was a shining light, and Jonno was controlling the ruck. With a few of the Dingoes looking a bit lethargic during the second quarter, a stern talking to by playing-coach Adam was on the cards.
The third, or premiership quarter, saw the Dingoes kick 4 majors and create a bit of a lead going into the last change, with Adam, Louis, Genki and Jono all managing goals. Against the wind though, to their credit, the Powers managed to kick two of their own with solid work out of defense and their constant numbers around the ball. Then, approximately 15 seconds before the end of the quarter, disaster struck – the legend of the forward line, DJ Paul Wenske went down with what looked like a season ending shoulder injury. After the DJ was taken away in an ambulance, the troops rallied, and although in a lot of pain, Paul vividly remembers the cries of, ‘Do it for Paul.
The last quarter saw a tired and undermanned, yet determined Dingoes team take to the field. Nobody gave up, but exhaustion took hold, and to their credit, the Power sniffed victory and threw everything including the kitchen sink at us. The extra fitness of the Power was evident, but we didn’t go all that way to lose. Towards the end of the quarter, the Power hit the front, but inaccurate kicking from the Senshu boys meant that the game was still in the balance and the gate was open! In the closing stages of the match, with every player drained of energy, Adam, playing his first and last game, wrapped his hands around the ball and kicked it through the big sticks to put the Dingoes back in the lead. The game ended soon after, and although not all players were sure who had won, and not everybody knew all the words, the first rendition of the Dingoes’ club song in recent memory oozed passion.
After the Magpies and Goannas game we met up with the Magpies and Powers for some much-needed dinner and drinks at a local izakaya. A fun time was had by all.
From Paul
Thanks for all the support and well wishes from everyone, my shoulder is getting better slowly and hopefully I will be ready for the September game. Look forward to seeing you all throughout summer.
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Top League Round 1: Osaka Dingoes vs Tokyo Goannas April 23rd, 2011
Tuesday, May 3 2011 @ 00:00 PM EST
Contributed by: P. Wenske
Osaka Dingoes 80(11.14) - Tokyo Goannas 47(7.5)
Goals: G.Tanaka 3, P.Wenske 3, T.Yuta 2, R.Aoyama 2, J.Cooper 1
BOG: S.Schwarz
On Saturday the Dingoes kicked off their season under lights with a resounding 33 point win against the Tokyo Goannas. Played in winter like conditions luckily the rain held off and a fast flowing game prevailed. The game was played with an excellent intensity and our boys kept our heads up all throughout the game.
The first quarter saw the Dingoes kick three goals to the Goannas one. At this point we could see some of the run that we had lacked in our preseason game in which we had size and in this game the opposite was going to aid us on the artificial turf, so it seemed. One of the goals in the quarter saw the ball come to Wenske from the center and using a volleyball like set, the ball fell into the path of the running Aoyama who finished truly from 20 meters out.
Solid work out of the center and from the back line limited the chances for the Goannas, as well as having the wind aided our cause.
The second quarter saw the Goannas make use of their experience and size to score 3 goals to our one. If it wasn’t for some of their misses we would have been behind at the half instead we held a 3-point margin at half time. At this point we were still looking fresh and confident though we knew we had a game on our hands.
At the half time huddle some spirited words from various members rekindled the first quarter attitude and our on the ball dominance started to show.
Tsusumi brilliant out of the square on several occasions tackling and chasing all loose balls gave us a lot of drive out of the square. With a best on ground performance Sam was in everything taking mark upon mark and blocking up the midfield so as to ease the threats coming from the Goannas. With increasing amounts of balls coming into the forward lines the Dingoes were able to pile on several goals and could of easily had many more. Heavy tackling from Yuki, Jonathan and Tsusumi saw a few of the Goannas worse for wear but that didn’t stop them from scoring against the wind to keep it close going into the final quarter.
At the final huddle we knew the game was there to be won and a great attitude and plenty of talk saw the boys continue where they left off. Great speed on the wings and solid marking and contesting of all balls in defence made it hard for the Goannas to make any dent into the 4 goal lead at the start of the quarter. The lead stretched out to 33 points in the end giving the Dingoes a solid start to season 2011.
Genki, being the major goal scorer kicking 4, Wenske kicking 3 as well as Aoyama and Tsusumi with 2 and the big man Johno with 1. Sam 0.5
Overall the whole team really showed the progress that has been made over the past year with the newer players really adding more run and agility to our side. Plenty of talk and encouragement also seemed present, lets hope this is the theme for the rest of the season.
After the game a great attitude was present as with Easter weekend and Anzac day going on back in Australia it was great to share a beer with everyone. The Goanna boys are never far from a beer and up for a yarn. Hats off to them for coming down to Kansai to kick off the season as we all know the eastern part of Japan has had it tough, no doubt they enjoyed the break as with the festivities later at Balabushka saw ample beers consumed as well as some meat pies to boot. I managed to get the Osaka Dingoes song into the heads of a few key players so with our next victory I’m sure it will be sung louder than ever before.
Thanks must got to Adam, David, Shaune and Yusuke who umpired for us, see you boys down at training or at the next game.
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A New Experience
Tuesday, April 26 2011 @ 00:00 PM EST
Contributed by: Y. Nakata
現在大学3年の仲田友樹です
Dingoesを見つけた経緯とやろうと思った理由について
Dingoesとゆうチームを知ったのは偶然でした
母がバンドをやっておりそのバンドに助っ人として来ていた宮田あきなさんとゆう方にAFLとゆうスポーツをやってみないかと言われたのがきっかけでした
その人にDingoesのホームページを紹介してもらい動画を観てどういったスポーツなのかについて詳しく知りました
僕は高校時代にラグビーをやっていたので、僕からしてみたらラグビー程激しいスポーツではないなとゆう印象を受けました
おもしろそうだったのでとりあえず体験に行ってみることにしました
その日は谷町4丁目の難波宮公園でありました(普段よく練習する場所は中津の河川敷です)
公園に着きメンバーに会ってみるとそこに居たのはみんな外国の方たちでした
正直焦りました
なんせ僕は英語が全く喋れなかったからです...
挨拶をして会話をしていくと安心しました
みな日本語が結構流暢だったからです
「オーストラリア人の中に日本人1人だけ混じってやっているなんておもしろいな」と思いながら練習をしていました
この競技はラグビーやサッカーをやっていればより早くに馴染めると思いますし、もちろん球技など未経験でもチームメイトがきちんと丁寧に指導してくれます
練習を通じて感じたことはこのチームはほんとみんな仲が良いです
日本人や外国人など関係なしにみんな和気あいあいと接しています
きっと体験をしにいくといった一歩を踏み出すのには勇気が必要だと思います(僕もそうでした)
体験に来てみて下さい
きっと後悔はしないと思います
今僕は１つの大きな目標を立てて日々練習に励んでいます
その目標というのは今年の夏に行われるinternational cupに出場しBEST4に入賞する事です
このinternational cupというのはオーストラリア以外の各国から大体20チームぐらいが集まり優勝を競うというものです(オーストラリアだけにプロのチームが存在しますのでオーストラリアは参加できません)
3年に1回行われています
大学生ということもあって時間に融通が効くので参加してみることにしました
この大会で日本代表として全力で試合に臨みたいと思います
日本代表とか出てくると話の規模が大きく感じるかもしれませんが、全くそんなことはありません
スポーツ経験有無を問わず随時募集してますので、みなさん是非一緒にプレーしましょう
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Visitors from Downunder
Thursday, April 14 2011 @ 00:00 PM EST
Contributed by: K. Danji
In the middle of February, the club received an email from a Brisbane couple enquiring about JAFL games and club merchandise.
They were planning their trip to Japan for late March to April and were keen AFL fans. Over the coming months,
we kept in touch, passing on information, then quite abruptly the communications stopped. Our last email was
just after the terrible earthquake.
Life continued as normal, then on a cold Sunday morning training session, Adam spotted a few tourists walking towards
the group. It was such a pleasant surprise! Bob, Diane, John and Meredith had made it to Japan, albeit with a few
changes to their itinery. We had a chat and took photos and they even brought us a couple of Brisbane Lions caps and scarves
which we passed onto some of our Japanese players. They also braved the cold and stayed to watch a bit of training
It was a nice Sunday training and we really appreciated the their warm gesture. We would like to thank you, especially Bob and Diane,
for making the effort, and we wish both your Brisbance and Cairns City Lions all the best in 2011. |
A Blast from the Past
Tuesday, January 3 2011 @ 00:00 PM EST
Contributed by: K. Danji
This article was written in 2002 and shows one of the
founders of the club as well as our coach. The following is a recollection from our coach.
This article appeared in a women's lifestyle magazine. As a result, there were nine women who applied
to be an assistant staff member, doing such things as brewing tea and mixing sports drinks. From those
nine, there were two women who did come and help us for quite a good while.
From the photo, you can see it was at Osaka Castle and the date was October 2001. Playing in the shadow
of the castle was kind of cool. However, hitting the deck usually meant Dettol and Elastoplast. In the
photo, I think that was my Sherrin, a top shelf version that then had a VW logo on it. That dirt ground
was quick to split the double seamed stitch you will find at the points of a Sherrin. Our sport is unique
in usuing leather for the balls and even though it was certain that dirt would wreck them, nothing beats
kicking a quality Sherrin.
One more comment about those times was that it was hard to find space at the castle. People would be playing
baseball, soccer, american football, dancing, flying kites, you name it. You sometimes would need to argue
with other about having a fair go regarding space usage. In contrast, nowadays there seems to be fewer
sports played there on a Saturday afternoon. |
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Japan Goannas Shanghai Tour
2010
Saturday, November 6 2010 @ 00:00
PM EST Contributed by: P. Wenske
This years Asian Football Championship in Shanghai was
a great spectacle. Juri Nozaki (Nozza), Ryosuke Aoyama,
Jun Oikawa, Tsutsumi Yuta and myself, Paul Wenske represented
the Osaka Dingoes as part of the combined Tokyo Goannas
team including Ashley James and Dan Jenkins from the Nagoya
Redbacks. Our squad consisted of roughly 33 players so
quite large. Arriving on the Friday, a group of us
ventured out for dinner. We stumbled across a nice place
where we had our own private room with the biggest lazy
susan I have ever seen. We ate to our hearts content including
trying some toad, there were many other off the menu items,
but we just stuck to some juicy toad... All dishes were
really great and ended up costing only about 1500yen I
imagine. Shanghai itself is a bustling city which seems
better appreciated at night as less cars and smog in the
air and some amazing night views. After little sleep that
night, the wake up time was 5:45am for a 6ish breakfast
and then the 6:45am bus to the grounds. Upon arriving
at the ground the driver took a wrong turn where we saw
a ground that rivals some of the eyesores here in Japan,
luckily we weren't playing there. Anyway around the corner
were two lush football fields where the days action was
to take place. At that time the toilet was a popular
stop though the toilet seemed to have just been built,
with the ongoing upkeep it needed throughout the day.
You get the picture... Our first game was about 10am
so we ended up warming up for about an hour it seemed
which was good but maybe got us a little buggered before
the game. A combined Indonesian team, was our first opponent.
I played the first half with little effect while as a
whole we lacked sharpness on the ball at times. With a
close contest in the first five minutes the Indonesian
team, the Bintangs with a game already under their belt
had the fluidity that we were lacking. They ended up kicking
ahead and won by approximately 20 points, sorry don't
remember exact scores. Jun, Aoyama, Yuta and myself all
got minutes in this game. After a short break we were
put up against the Asian Barbarians. After a disappointing
start some encouraging words were needed for us to get
into the winners bracket. From the beginning our big men
presence allowed us to build a three goal lead at the
half. After the half and more changes as well as a few
injuries starting to pop up, our lead was cut down to
9 points. In the end we just scraped away with the win
by a goal margin or thereabouts. With this win we moved
into the next round which we needed to win if we were
to have a chance of progressing any further. We would
be playing the Singapore Wombats, the eventual runners-up.
After some lunch and a decent break we began with some
warm-ups in the 24C temperature, feeling a lot hotter
at times. The game began well for us with our big men
and ball winners making a competition from the get go.
Allowing us to get two early goals on the board. After
our early domination they began to find their legs and
their movement of the ball was superior to ours despite
our best efforts from the likes of Josh and Yuta. Losing
Dan McGrath with a shoulder injury was a big loss for
us and made the second half more of a challenge for us.
After missing several chances to take the lead the gates
finally cracked open with them kicking four unanswered
goals. A final few changes were made though even with
the help of Nozza, only 1 other goal was scored with Singapore
winning by approximately 20 points in the end. PHOTOS
Check out the above link and also the Tokyo Goannas website
for some photos. Also on my facebook account there are
a mixed selection of photos add me Paul Wenske if we aren't
friends already. Our last game was against the Laos
Elephants, this game started simular to the second with
our big men putting a few goals on the board. This game
was a hard fought game in the centre and half forwards
with both team missing easy chances to score 6 pointers,
I played the whole game with Nozza, Jun and Yuta also
putting in good performances. With a couple of late goals
from Laos the game ended up a close one with only a two
point margin that got us over the line. Ending our day
with 2 wins and 2 losses. Having not played with the Japan
Goannas before and not being accustomed to such large
grounds I feel that the cohesiveness was lacking at times.
Though in all our games we brought a positive attitude
and a high work rate. A few boys were sidelined but we
kept running to the end. The Japan Goannas put on
a good show and represented Japan in a positive manner
which was no more evident when we all rocked up to the
charity dinner wearing our hapi uniforms which turned
a few heads for sure. Also a few mentions by the celebrity
guests. To the dinner, after shotgunning several beers
on the bus back to the hotel, we all quickly assembled
and made our way to the charity dinner. After several
courses of delicious dishes we enjoyed hearing some witty
stories from the likes of Silvany and Paul Salmon. There
was an Auction of several footy memorabilia with the Magpies
signed 2010 premiers top fetching 3000 grand. Dan from
the goannas picked up a signed Mick Malthouse football
from this years winning team. After this we all headed
to the local sports bar the Camel where a lot of time
was spent by several teams. Meeting some of the Thailand
boys on the bus to the bar was also nice. Im sure that
most players would agree that it was great to be able
to meet some people in a foreign land and chat about footy
and about home for most of us. A lot of fun was had by
all that night, except for a minor altercation with some
of the Thai guys ...but I wont go into that. The next
day was a huge task after nightclubs and huge amounts
of grog sunk. Nozza (Juri) and I made the game into the
2nd quarter, a perfect day for footy approximately 26...
The trip there was something else as Chinese taxis drivers
are nuts, weaving in and out with reckless abandonment,
it was better not to watch. The game between the Brisbane
Lions and the Melbourne Demons was topsy turvy game with
both teams having spirts though the Lions for 75% of the
game held a 3 to 4 goal margin. But in the final quarter
the Demons still had a lot of run and started to find
the fluidity that was missing in the first half. With
Liam Jurrah assisting goals and scoring about three in
the final quarter including the winner, the specky he
took was one of the best I have ever seen. And to be honest
was a highlight of the the trip as it represented all
that is glorious about the game we love. The looks on
our faces was gold. I wish I had of taken more pictures.
I will post some more here on the Dingoes site or on my
facebook shortly... Thanks to the Tokyo boys for organizing
the trip and giving us, the Osaka Dingoes and Nagoya Redbacks
boys a run. Hopefully this is just the beginning for us
as with some pre-tournament training and more players
eager to participate we should be able to get up into
that top four in Asia. Ooops I forgot to mention the Dubai
Heat were the winners for the third consecutive year by
approximately 24 points. So congratulations go out to
them and to all the teams involved. Hope us Dingoes boys
can be part of another tour. Paul Wenske #15
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| No
surprises as Dubai again crowned Asian Champions
Tuesday, October 19 2010 @ 08:30 PM EST Contributed
by: Ash
The Dubai Heat continue to build on their reputation
as a powerhouse football club, winning their third consecutive
Asian Championships.
Read more at : www.worldfootynews.com |
| Shanghai
to host Asian Championships Thursday, October
07 2010 @ 08:15 PM EST Contributed by: Ash Views: 324
The annual Asian Championships of Australian Football
will be held in Shanghai on Saturday week, with an encouraging
twelve teams to take part, a two-team increase on the
previous year's event. All of last year's teams will
be present, although Bali and Jakarta are consolidated
as Indonesia. Joining them are the Japan Goannas, Macau
Lightning and the Asian Barbarians.
Read more at : www.worldfootynews.com |
| Japan
AFL Award Party 2009
Monday, November 30 2009 @ 00:00 PM EST Contributed
by: K. Danji
Peter Wilson Award
Winner: D. Dowey - 18 votes (Nagoya Redbacks)
R. Mitchell - 14 votes (Tokyo Goannas)
T. Shirai - 12 votes (Eastern Hawks)
Best Goal Scorer
Winner: R. Mitchell - 26 goals (Tokyo Goannas)
P. Sullivan - 24 goals (Tokyo Goannas)
S. Tanaka - 21 goals (Eastern Hawks)
Osaka Dingoes
M. Fenwick - 10 votes
J. Freijah - 10 votes
Y. Akita - 6 votes
Y. Dardah - 6 votes
J. Oikawa - 2 votes |
| 2009
Japan AFL: Season Wrap
Friday, November
6 2009 @ 00:00 PM EST Contributed by: R. Obal
The minor rounds of the 2009 JAFL season have finished
in exhilarating fashion with the makeup of the Top Four
not settled until the final seconds of the final match.
Heading into the final round, the top two teams, the
Eastern Hawks and the Tokyo Goannas, would play off
to decide the minor premiers. The Tokyo Goannas earned
that honour by running out 14.9 (93) to 7.13 (55) victors.
Read more at : www.worldfootynews.com |
|
Japan
Cup Report
Tuesday, October 6 2009
@ 10:24 PM EST Contributed by: Y. Akita
１０月３日 千葉県 生命の森リゾートにて 国内最大の大会であるオーストラリアンフットボール Japan Cupが開催された。
このトーナメントには、海外招待 Box Hill North, 在日東京ゴアナーズ、 東京社会人イースタンホークス、関東学生サンダース、関東学生シャークス、
そして、ディンゴーズ＆レッドバックスの関西連合の６チームが参加した。 The Japan Cup is
the single biggest event for Australian Rules Football
in Japan, held at Seimei’s Mori Resort in the Chiba Prefecture
on October the 3rd. Six football clubs take part in competition;
All Australian Tokyo Goannas, Adults Tokyo Eastern Hawks,
Kanto University Thunders, Kanto University Sharks, a
merged team of Nagoya Redbacks and Osaka Dingoes (Team
Kansai), as well as Australian local team Box Hill North.
まずは、２ｘ３チームのリーグ戦を行い、各リーグ１位２位が最終トーナメント進出になった。 試合時間は１５分ｘ２という本試合より短く、短時間でどれだけ正確なゴールキックができるかがカギとなった。
午前９時の開始時には天気も良かったが試合が進むにつれて天気は大荒れ×、 雨でボールが滑りなかなか思うようなプレーができなかった選手も多く、
大雨 雷も伴い一時試合中断という形になったが、イベントにはおよそ３００人が集まり大変盛りあがった。
This year, the six teams were divided into two pools,
and matches consisted of 15min half matches. The two top
2 teams from each of the pools made it to the Grand final
match. As game time was considerably shortened, accurate
goal kicking became the key factor in teams winning through
to the final. While the weather appeared to be holding
up for the day, teams did experience varying conditions;
heavy storms and even lightning threatened to end the
competition for while. Thankfully though, the 300 people
who came were able to see the completion of the event,
and thoroughly enjoyed the excitement and high quality
of the game. 大阪ディンゴーズからは残念ながら秋田、元気、堤、細見、ポールの５名のみが出場した。
試合直前、関西連合は秋田、ダンを中心にチームを一つにまとめた。 このチームは一緒に練習したこともなく名前も知らない、戦略も違うはずだし、
トップリーグではライバルどうしだが、今回の試合はお互いが協力し合い１つのチームとして勝とう！ 練習時から大きな声を出し合いコミュニケーションをとろう！という事を再確認しウォームアップを開始した。
Even before the weather, the day looked to end all too
soon for the Dingoes, as only Akita, Genki, Tsutsumi,
Hosomi and Paul came to the event. Before the game started
however, Captains of Team Kansai and the competing Dingos
players were able to come to an understanding. Despite
the fact they had never trained together and thus would
naturally have different game plans and strategies –
not to mention the fact the two teams are rivals in the
top league – the two teams decided to merge in their
bid to win the competition. 関西連合チームの初戦は、ゴアナーズ。関西連合チームは、
選手同士があってまだ２時間という非常に短い時間後の試合開始となった。 まだチームが一つになりきれて無かったのか前半互角に戦えていたはずが後半に入り簡単に２−３本ゴールを決められ惜しくも敗れた。
The First Game for the Kansai team was against the Goannas.
The members of Team Kansai had only met 2 hours before
the ball up which was evident throughout the game. Although
the Kansai team were able to match the Goannas for the
1st half, quick easy goals kicked by Goannas in the 2nd
half was crucial in their ultimate defeat of Team Kansai.
Tokyo Goannas 45 (7.3) - Kansai Dingoes 26 (4.2) 第２試合は関東学生チーム シャークス。
フットボールを初めてまだ１、２年という経験の浅い学生チームということもあってか関西連合は前半から得点を重ねていった。
後半は大雨のため気が緩んだのか学生チームにボールをキープされる場面が多くみられたが後半を耐えきった関西連合が勝利。
The Second Game was against Kanto University Sharks, who
had barely been playing football 2 years and had much
room for improvement. Team Kansai played a great style
of footy after learning from their loss against the Goannas,
and kept possession for the majority of the first half,
kicking 3 goals 7. However the stormy weather in the 2nd
half saw the Kansai boys lose their concentration, although
they still defeated the Sharks, the Sharks should be commended
on their efforts – they are a team of great potential!
Kansai Dingoes 38 (5.8) - Sharks 10 (1.4) ここで大雨、雷のため試合が一時中断（３０分後再開）となりプレーオフは予定変更して３位決定戦、
決勝戦のみが行われることになった。リーグ戦２位の関西連合は他リーグ２位のイースタンホークスとの対戦が決まった。
ホークスは現在トップリーグ１位ということもあり関西連合にとっては決勝トーナメント前の良い調整試合となった。
Unfortunately the event had to be postponed for about
30 minutes due to increasing stormy weather and lightning.
This caused JAFL to re-schedule the final matches, and
instead of having semi final, JAFL announced to have a
3rd place play-off and Grand Final. Team Kansai finishing
2nd in the pool had a final match against Eastern Hawks,
who were sitting 1st on the top league ladder. This worked
to the Kansai Team’s advantage as it facilitated more
time for the team to practice and consolidate on game
style and strategies. 堤、秋田の激しいタックルとシェパード、元気、Dean,
Jamesなどのフォローもありゴール付近まで上手く ボールをつなげることができた関西連合だったが正確なゴールキックができずビハインド１２本でチャンスを生かすことができなかった。
このキックの正確さは今後の試合までには調整していきたいところだ。ディフェンスゾーンでのピンチを救ったピーター
の活躍も何度もみられ見事３位となった。 In the final game before the finals
against the Hawks, Tsutsumi and Akita played well with
great tackles and hard ball gets. Additionally Genki,
Dean and James’ midfield work was outstanding in moving
the ball well into the forward line, though Team Kansai
had numerous wasted opportunities in goal kicking, resulting
in a disappointing 12 behinds. It would seem that this
needed to be addressed before the finals start in November.
Peter was a key to the outcome of the game and defended
well in the backline allowing Team Kansai to defeat the
Hawks. 3rd Place Play-off Kansai Dingoes 30
(3.12) - Eastern Hawks 18 (3.0) グランドファイナル進出は誰もが予想していた海外招待チーム Box
Hill North そして 東京ゴアナーズ。 両チームともAll Australianだということでいい試合が見られることを期待していたがBox
Hill North が全クウォーターを彼らのペースで運び圧倒的な強さを見せつけた。 このBox Hill
North にはスカラーシップでプレーしていた小野、中村も加わり彼らの大きく成長した姿も見ることも できた。
The Match up for the Grand Final included special guest
teams Box Hill North and Tokyo Goannas, which Spectators
were really looking forward to and wished the match was
high quality and very fast-paced and exciting. In the
end Box Hill North were too good for the Goannas. They
played smart, strong footy and kept possession of the
football, and most importantly scored when it mattered
most. Additionally, Ono and Nakamura who played for Box
Hill North on a Scholarship impressed and showed well
improved skills. Grand Final Box Hill North
101 (15.11) - Tokyo Goannas 15 (2.3) 試合終了後のパーティーでは個人賞の表彰が行われ関西連合からはチームベストプレーヤーとして田中元気が選ばれた。
詳しい試合結果はhttp://www.jafl.org/jc09_result をご覧ください。 JAFL
chose the best players from each of the teams and at the
after party, Genki Tanaka was nominated from Team Kansai
as the most valuable player. Congratulations! For further
information results on the events go to:www.jafl.org |
|
AFL
Grand Final Event
Friday, October 2 2009
@ 09:24 PM EST Contributed by: K. Danji
This year, we held our annual AFL Grand Final event at
our Sponsor's venue, the Blue Billabong. It has been a
year of change for the club, but the crowd was full of
familiar faces and tint of navy blue and white. Around
40 enthuasiastic people attended the event, and witness
an enthralling game.
At the end of the day, there were those that felt relief
and others who felt it was the one that got away. Overall,
it was a good day out. We hope to make it even bigger
next year!
A special thanks goes out to our sponsors the Blue
Billabong and the others that helped to organise it,
R. Hosomi, J. Tanaka, P. Lorenz and D. Moon.
|
|
JAFL
2009: Goannas Appear the Team to Beat
Friday, September 29
2009 @ 00:00 PM EST Contributed by: R. Obal
Round two of the Japan AFL season has been (mostly)
played and won, with another emphatic win to the Tokyo
Goannas, who after only two rounds, are already looking
like favourites for the flag.
The Goannas started the round with a 108 point victory,
their 15th in succession since 2007, over the Komazawa
Magpies in Chiba.
Read more at : www.worldfootynews.com |
| Japan
Australian Football League’s 2009 Season Kicks Off
Thursday, May
28 2009 @ 03:11 PM EST Contributed by: R. Obal
 The
Nagoya Redbacks hosted the reigning premiers, the Tokyo
Goannas, on Australia’s most revered occasion on the
national calendar, ANZAC Day 25th April. The Goannas
showed their class in wet and difficult conditions with
a dominant 10 goals to 2 first half before running out
13.9 (87) to 5.6 (36) victors. The Redbacks, playing
their first game as part of the JAFL, valiantly fought
out the game, matching the Goannas for goals in the
second half. They were brave in defeat, facing a more
experienced and hardened outfit that also had a significant
number advantage on the bench.
Read more at : www.worldfootynews.com |
|
大阪で初めて、奨学金を得てオーストラリアにAFL留学中の田中元気くんのブログ
Osaka
Dingo Receives Scholarship to Play Footy in Australia
Friday, April 28 2006
@ 09:24 PM EST Contributed by: A. Richard
 In
an historic first for an Osaka player, the 2006 Robert
Walters scholarship winner is Genki Tanaka (25). The
selection of Genki of the Osaka Dingoes is an endorsement
of the fantastic strides Australian Football has made
in this densely populated, dynamic Japanese city. Like
a number of Japanese players over the past few years,
Genki will play with Melbourne club side Box Hill North,
the first Japanese player from a non-Tokyo club to receive
the scholarship.
This report courtesy of Gareth Jones.
Robert Walters Plc is one of the world's largest professional
recruitment consultancies and has provided scholarships
since 2003 to Japanese players wanting to spend a year
playing footy in Australia. The scholarship is an important
means to promote footy in Japan and allows Japanese
players to deepen their knowledge and appreciation of
Australian Football.
Read more at :
http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php?story=20060428212408617
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