After a closely-contest, heated battle in Round 1 against the Toronto Rebels, the Ottawa Swans Australian Football Club held high-hopes for their Round 10 rematch of the Ontario Australian Football League. Unfortunately for the Swans, it was simply not meant to be, as a much-improved visiting side took down the team from Ottawa, 124-26.
Under Saturday's blazing-hot sun, the Swans took to the scorched grounds of the Rideau Carleton Raceway in hopes of securing their second win of the season. At the same time, the Rebels were looking to secure their hold on a final's birth, in what has been a tumultuous turnaround from last season.
The first quarter saw the Rebels come out at a blistering pace, largely catching the Swans off-guard. In attack, the Toronto side used the bulk of their central presence in the full-forward and centre half-forward possitions effectively and notched several markers to rise above early. The home side were able to bounce back and control the final moments of the quarter, finding Sean Smallwood and Andrew Wilson in the forward lines, who brought the scores back by the close of the stanza.
The second quarter saw a resurgent Rebels' side come out firing. For the Swans, Jake Plunkett-Latimer again repeated his strong performance over the last rounds in the backline, along with Alec Campbell and Ronan Shaughnessy. The defense dug in hard, repelling the onslaught but were simply overcome by the visiting side's invasion. "Our heads dropped in the second quarter. We cuaght a few unlucky bounces to not get our hands on a few more clearances, but largely, we were outplayed in the 2nd quarter and really put us out of reach," said Assistant Coach Marc Magierowicz. "The play of the Rebels really showed what a bit of hard work and extra polish can do for a club and we simply haven't gotten to that level yet."
At the halftime break, the Swans resolved to lift their effort and return to the intensity seen in week's past. With two bye weeks on the horizon, the Swans were determined to lay it all on the line for the final 40 minutes. Darren Roffey epitomized the effort with a bone-crunching hit in the 3rd quarter, resulting in running goals from Shaughnessy and Pete Fisher, both from distance. Morgan Whyte was again valiant in the ruck and dominated the hit-outs.
By the fourth, the Swans remained determined to run out the game strong. Smallwood again added to his totals, fed by the strong play of Matt Payne, Josue Gavidia and Dave Martin. In the end though, the Rebels would prove to be too great a challenge for the Swans on the day and came across the line victors and a 4th place tie on the OAFL ladder.
Meanwhile, across town, the Ottawa Sans were simultaneously participating in Ottawa's City Chase, manning an Australian Football station, complete with handball, contested marks and goal-kicking. The urban adventure race proved a resounding success and opened the eyes of many Ottawans to this intriguing and challenging sport.
Swans 4.2 (26) defeated by Toronto Rebels 19.10 (124)
Goals: S. Smallwood (2), R. Shaughnessy, P. Fisher
Best:
Last Modified on 24/07/2012 06:10