John Redmond is a natural at Gaelic football, footy and now as the self appointed tour leader for the 2013 Indochina Cup in Phnom Penh.

Here, JR talks up the ICC where the Swannies are going for the 4-peat!

The Indochina is right around the corner; Phil Johns has been crossing out the dates in his calender since the Asian Champs, Billy has been slapping people excitedly for months and GUS even went off the drink (before going back on it). Yes that’s right, it’s back and it’s only 11 days away.

The bus will be leaving from the bottom of Hai Ba Trung in district 1 at 4:30pm. Each player/supporter is required to pay for their own seat. This should come to roughly $10 a person each way.

This year we will be joined by the Saigon Shooters netball club on the bus journey as they plan to tour in Cambodia that weekend also. I think the Saigon Shooters will only add to the AWESOMENESS!

I have attached the Indochina Welcome Pack that details everything you need to know about the day of football and the function later that night.

In short though: Football will start at 10am on the Saturday and finish by 3. There will be a winners’ presentation to the Swannies before the band take to the stage. Afterwards we will reconvene at the hotel and get our glad rags on for a bit of a who-ha and shin-dig. Note: there is a Hawaiin theme at the after party so we request all Swannies to go and buy a Hawaiin shirt or you’ll end up just looking silly. If you can’t find a ridiculous Hawaiin shirt, just ask to borrow one of Horns. If Horn can’t lend you one, inform me and I’ll get you one.

On Sunday morning we will have a B&F presentation. The Club will supply the beers and we will have a slideshow and hopefully a charismatic MC to present the awards. We are working on a few at the moment but currently Brendan Fevola and Ben Cousins have declined our offer of a free flight and a twin room in the Eureka in Phnom Penh but don’t worry; we have others lined up.

As I said, this is the last game of the year, it’s important we go out on a high. We need everyone to commit, not only will it give us a better chance of winning/retaining the ICC, it will make for a better tour.

Swannie and AFL Asia Secretary, Mark Stennett yesterday made it to Mera Peak Summit in Nepal. That’s just the lazy 6500m!

The high altitude training is intense – but must be a lot easier when protected by a Swannies’ hat!

Mega awesome work, Stenno!

To see more mega awesome Swannies hats and merchandise in weird and wonderful parts of the world, check out the .

Safe descent, Stenno and congratulations again from all the Swannies!!

The Irishman, Johnny “JR” Redmond was playing for the Swannies on the weekend against the Hong Kong Dragons in Saigon.

Below is JR’s Top Ten highlights/recognitions of the weekend!

1. First things first, in Fabbo’s booming, charismatic voice “How good is footy in Asia?!” What a weekend that was; major thanks to Hong Kong for touring like true champs. They came, partied hard and played hard. They are a great bunch of characters and it seems we owe them two tours in the near future.
2. It’s not always easy to accommodate touring teams with the busy lives and schedules we all lead but the fellas who met up with Hong Kong, showed them the hotspots around town and kept them all relatively safe deserve a big thanks. Key mentions go to Billy, Rowan, Fabbo, Andy and Trent who at some stage or another were guiding, funding or calming Hong Kong down. Stellar job gents.
3. Onto the game, and what a performance that was. Whilst there were some outstanding individual displays; it’s important to recognise the team effort. The manner in which the Swans approached the game was commendable. We were professional, hard-working and, most importantly, smart. Our decision making on the day was great and there was a lot of dangerous situations that were dealt with quickly and effectively by our back men and a lot of smart scores taken by our forward players.
4. Talking of smart scores, how AWESOME was Pottsy’s flying bicycle kick for his goal in the second quarter? With the ball dropping into the pack, Pottsy decided it would be far more efficient, smart and AWESOME to out jump his man and punt it first time than risk one of the Hong Kong players spoiling his mark. It was a piece of ingenuity which gave the team a lift going in at half time.
5. Of course, if we are talking about special goals then praise must go to the best player on the ground, Mitch, who scored two real humdingers from a combined distance of 90 metres. His first was a beautiful goal from the right hand boundary line that curled between the sticks. The second, which came four seconds after the resulting centre bounce, saw Mitch break through the Hong Kong centre to stroke the ball home again. It was a passage of play that set the tone for the Swans and proved invaluable by the end of the game.
6. Another player who was a candidate for BoG was Josh Leary who dominated the ruck. Whilst you will see plenty of tall ruckmen plying their trade in Asia, there are only a few who are as effective and smart as Leary. He has a sixth sense for knowing where his players are; as he picked out teammates with the majority of his taps. His kicking for a ruckman is exceptional and he has strength and speed to drive through the middle when others around him are fading. If the Swans are to retain the ICC, then Leary will inevitably play a big role.
7. Whilst Mitch, Big Josh and Pottsy rightly drew plaudits from players and fans, a number of performances may have gone unnoticed but are worthy of recognition. Josh Lee (Big Dog) was fantastic at centre, keeping Hong Kong dangerman Babbs quiet whilst instructing players around him what to do. It was the type of performance that flies under the radar but is incredibly important. Similarly, Mark Bremond had a tremendous game at half back flank, weighing in with a number of spoils and keeping his man quiet all game. Whisper it softly, but the native French man is quietly carving out a position for himself in the half back line ahead of a few more experienced AFL players.
8. Speaking of experienced players, with Damo Judd sidelined for a number of weeks, the big, not-so-gentle giant, was head coach for the day and what a great job he did. His experience on the pitch transitioned nicely to off-field tactics, keeping a close eye on proceedings and spotting danger before it was allowed to develop. If he is not careful, he may end up “benched” in the future so we can pick that footballing brain of his.
9. Travy continues to prove critics wrong with another top notch performance in the forward line. He’s been spouting rubbish for months that he should be playing centre forward but after his latest performance it is hard to argue otherwise. He is getting among the goals and proving to be a very useful outlet. Long may it continue.
10. Finally, with the IndoChina Cup a mere two weeks away, the Swannies will be keen to build upon last weekends result. With key men coming down from Hanoi and Hoi An, this Swannies squad is looking in great shape for what is sure to be a great tournament. Let’s end the year on a high Swannies.

HONK!

Steve Morrish is the President of the Cambodian Eagles. The Eagles will host the 7th Annual Indochina Cup in Phnom Penh on 9 November 2013.

Below is the President’s welcome from the .

On behalf of the Cambodian Eagles, welcome to the 7th Annual Indochina Cup.

This guide will provide you with all relevant information concerning the weekend’s events and general information about Phnom Penh.

Expat footy is primarily about building friendships between the teams of our region, staying fit and having fun. The players in this tournament share the fortune of playing a game we love in some fascinating places. Of course, most of us are also pretty competitive and this year, for the first time, we are introducing a perpetual trophy for the winning team to help stoke those competitive instincts.

The format for this year’s event will be similar to last year’s ICC in Hanoi, four teams playing each other once, with the team on top of the ladder at the end of those games being the winner of the Indochina Cup.

As in previous years, we have combined our football tournament with the Indochina Netball Cup organized by the netball teams in the region. We wish the netballers every success, and look forward to seeing them at the ground later in the afternoon, and then at the after party.

Phnom Penh is a surprisingly fun town with a vibrant night life. There are a lot of great bars and restaurants, it’s easy to get around, and the Cambodian people are super friendly.

Following the recent elections, there have been some protests from the losing party, but these have been fairly tame affairs. There is no need for visitors to be concerned about this.

To the players – the Cambodian Eagles hope you have an awesome time in Phnom Penh and we’ll be doing what we can to make sure that happens. If we can help in any way, just grab one of the Eagles players closest to you and ask.

The Draw

Round 1

• Lao Elephants Vs Vietnam Swans
• Thailand Tigers Vs Cambodian Eagles

Round 2

• Lao Elephants Vs Thailand Tigers
• Vietnam Swans Vs Cambodian Eagles

Round 3

• Lao Elephants Vs Cambodian Eagles
• Vietnam Swans Vs Thailand Tigers

To download the full prospectus, click onto .

This afternoon, the Vietnam Swans triumphed against the Hong Kong Dragons in Saigon by 21 points.

After the first quarter, the Swannies were leading the Dragons by a point: 2. 3. 15 to 2. 2. 14.

At the 15 minute mark of the second 20 minute quarter, with a single point still separating the two teams, two Dragons suffered a nasty clash of heads and both went down. Fortunately, Swans’ Club Sponsor, was on standby with personnel and an ambulance at the ground.

Both players were then taken by ambulance to International SOS’ clinic where a fair number of stitches were required. Thankfully, both players a few hours later now appear to be fine.

Back at the ground, after some discussion, the game was resumed with reduced numbers of just 12 per team.

The Swannies went on to win by 21 points.

A number of great efforts were recorded by the Swannies including Josh Lee, Josh, Josh Leary, Mitch and Luke Potts.

There’s a buzz again around the Club as we start to gear up for the Indochina Cup in Phnom Penh on 9 November.

Meanwhile, post match festivities with the Hong Kong Dragons will commence in another hour. With both of the injured Dragons expected to be fine, it should be a particularly good night for all players and friends.

How good is footy in Asia??  Mega awesome!

Thank you again to International SOS.

If you’re thinking the footy season is over in Asia, you’ve got rocks in your head!

Tomorrow the reigning Asian Champs, the Hong Kong Dragons will take on the Vietnam Swans in Saigon, Vietnam.

The Swans have had a lean season but will be buoyed by the memory of scratching out a win against the tourers on their last trip to Vietnam: the 2011 ANZAC Friendship Match.

It all happens tomorrow: RMIT University, District 7, Saigon.

Former Saigon President, Derrin Limbrick, who always had a reputation for getting stuff done, is at it again. This time, he’s putting together a team of former Swannies back in Melbourne for the AFL 9s. How mega awesome is that??

Dezza explains more below.

I am putting a Swannies AFL 9s team together for the upcoming summer season.  The AFL 9’s is a new sport put together by the AFL which is basically their version of touch footy.  The aim is to give ex Swannies a chance to play footy together and catch up regularly.

I already have interest from the following group of Swannies:

Josh Little (former coach), the Shinboner (Nat Payne), Monkey (former skipper, Danny Monk), Dukesy (former Skipper, Luke Creamer) , Dave Diviney, Angry (David Hadley), Edo (Edoardo Bozzola), Willy (Mark Williams, former Hanoi President), Phil Jordan, Tristan Dwyer and also chasing up Moggy and possibly Monkey’s Josh.

We are also hoping to play in the Sannies’ training singlets. The only catch here is that the competition starts on the 12th Nov so we don’t have heaps of time (Ed’s note: the Swannies are currently doing an urgent check to see if we have enough merch in stock to support this huge initiative…).

Well done to Dezza et al. Mega awesome. And Go you Swannies!!

Micky J wears his Swans Cap at Kuang Xi Waterfalls, Lao.

Michael Johnston reports from Lao where he was last seen wearing a Swannies hat…

“I was leading six Aussie tourists around Lao last week.

“We took a trip out to Kuang Xi Waterfalls, Van Vieng, where you can go swimming in the pools that are coloured blue by calcium carbonate.

“Vang Vieng is four hours bus ride south of Luang Prabang.”

If you would like to see Micky J in his Swannies hat on a Tarzan rope in Lao, click onto this You Tube link.

To see more Classic Swannies Shots, .

Last week, on 9 October, Greg Carter sent the email out. It read:

“Hi everybody! Well, the best laid plans don’t always work sometimes. (We) had planned for the (nude) calendar to be launched to the media on Sunday 13 October but 3AW got wind of it and it seems like all the journos listen to AW so lots of calls for release tonight.

“So, under pressure,  we have released the footage and info. So on Channel 7 for sure; () perhaps Channels 9, 10 and the ABC,”

Back on 5 June 2013, the Canberra Times’ that:

“Vietnam veteran Greg Carter of Bairnsdale is organising the calendar…

Photos from Saturday’s match between the Southern Dragons, Vietnam Swans Whites and Vietnam Swans Reds .

There are also photos of the Auskick training session with Rohan Bail and Garry West Bail.

Just .

Yesterday, the state funeral was held for General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Giap’s flag-draped coffin was carried through Hanoi on a gun carriage before being transported to his home town in central Quang Binh province.

reported that:

The two-day State Funeral for the legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap officially ended amidst widespread national mourning and extraordinary outpouring of emotion.

Hundreds of thousands of mourners on Sunday flocked outside to pay their last respects and tribute to the revered independence hero as the grand funeral procession carrying his flag-drapped coffin went past major streets in Hanoi capital and Quang Binh central province, the General’s native homeland.

The coffin was flown from Hanoi to Quang Binh in a special civil aircraft and was escorted by Vietnam’s State and Party leaders.

The General rests in peace in Vung Chua in accordance with his wishes as his coffin was put into a grave there at about 4pm on Oct. 13.

Although the funeral came to an end, millions of people country-wide, many in tears, still cry, chant, and pray for the 103-year-old war hero who is dubbed “The General of Vietnamese People”. 

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Yesterday, the Southern Dragons took on the Swannies’ Reds and Whites teams in a three-way round robin tournament.

It was an even affair in very wet conditions at the Estella Development in D2 (RMIT is currently closed for annual field maintenance) with the three teams winning one game each.

The Whites, captained by Nathan Milner, were declared the overall winners based upon percentage.

Earlier in the day, Kev Hornblower (who also umpired the three games later) ran an Auskick program. He was joined by a number of trainees from KOTO – as well as Garry West Bail, his wife Annette and son Rohan Bail (who plays with Melbourne Football Club).

At the pre game address, Garry was invited to speak to the players and spectators about his fundraiser. Commencing today, Garry will run and cycle 1,000km between Saigon and Hanoi (the other 1,000kms will be by train) to raise money and awareness for .

As a mark of respect, there were no celebrations at the Estella grounds due to the which was being held this weekend.