Vietnam Swans

When it comes to Asian tours it’s hard to think of a tougher trip than to Jakarta, however in a testament to the dedication and culture of the Swans the club toured with a total of 22 players, which included a great mix of both old and new.

In what is becoming a worrying trend in international games the Swans got off to a slow start and found themselves 5 goals behind before the 7 minute mark of the 1^st quarter, however in a sign of how much potential the Swans have they abruptly turned the tide with some gut busting running, tough tackling and fast ball movement to head into the first change with a narrow lead.

Unfortunately the second term started in much the same way as the first with the Bintangs taking control of the centre and showing their class with some good team running from behind. That’s not to say the Swans made it easy for last years ANZAC Friendship opponents with backline making sure no mark was taken easy, and the some ferocious attack on the ball around the ground. However in what proved to be demoralising for the touring team straight kicking was the order of the day for the hosts as the Bintangs racked up only 5 behinds all day which included 2 or 3 rushed behinds. The Swans headed into the main break more than 40 points adrift. 

The 3^rd term saw the Swans start to win more of the ball and often controlled the play but just weren’t able to make enough of an impact on the scoreboard, which Jakarta extending their lead. The Swans were able to gain some respectability on the scoreboard in the last quarter and despite what for most of the game felt like a closely contested battle the Bintangs were able to strengthen their hold on the Kainey Cup & take another valuable 4 points for AFL Asia.    

In what was truly a team effort, congratulations to big bustling Vaughan who received best player award from the Bintangs in his first international game for the Swans, super effort.

Also a HUGE congratulations to the female Gales who were able to bring in a win from their very first tour game to Hanoi. Great way to start and I’m sure this is the fist of many wins.

Go Swannies.