After a narrow Round 1 defeat in Toronto, the Ottawa Swans returned to the hallowed grounds of the Rideau Carleton Raceway, where the home side is always a threat to surprise their southern opponents. On a typical blustery day, Ottawa welcomed the seasoned High Park Demons as both teams looked to move up the ladder of the Ontario Australian Football League.
The opening stanza saw ping-ponging action as the Swans, looking to use the favourable wind, battled hard against the much-experienced Demons. However, the visiting side was up to the task to repel the attack and often vaulted forward. Mike Kozlowski followed up a strong Round 1, with an outstanding performance across the halfback line where he collected numerous contested marks. Supported by Nic Ladouceur, the two held the opposition in check while under constant pressure. Running across the halfback line, Ronan Shaughnessy was able to fly forward and delivering a thumping kick to open the scoring for the Swans.
The second quarter saw much of the same as the Demons were in full attack mode; using the wind to their advantage, their read of the ball proved far superior and were able to use their full forward effectively. Darren Roffey, sliding into the fullback position, was again superb on the day. Playing in just his second game, Nic Vautour attacked the ball relentlessly and disposed effectively. By the long break, the Demons pulled further ahead, leaving the home side much ground to make up.
With the game wearing on, the Swans’ stamina was truly tested. Paul McCosh and Warrick Pond battled valiantly in the middle, winning hard fought balls and winning possession out of packs for their teammates. Dave Martin lead well along the wings and inserted himself into many contests, often coming away with possession. Both teams proved willing to sacrifice, unfortunately, too many turnovers for the Swans prevented these efforts from appearing on the scoreboard. Head Coach Chris MacLean echoed these sentiments from Round 2, “We fought hard in the contest but turned the ball over too many times against a quality side. Our skills are improving, but to compete in this league, we still have work to do. The effort by the boys today was great and I look forward to more hard work in the weeks to come.”
The fourth quarter saw the Swans start strong, winning the ball out of the middle and finding their targets downfield. Luke Gillham found a leading Neil Koch who was able to kick truly and get the Swans off to a solid start. The Demons were quick to respond and again found the goals often over the quarter. In the end, their experience and skill proved too much for the Swans, coming away victorious on the day.
The Swans have a bye next weekend but return to action May 26th in Toronto.
Swans 3.2 (20) defeated by High Park Demons 14.14 (98)
Goals: Ronan Shaughnessy, Paul Fairbrother, Neil Koch
Best: Michael Kozlowski, Ronan Shaughnessy, Darren Roffey, Jay Goldhawk, Nic Vautour
Last Modified on 14/05/2012 08:46