The New Willy, Dave “Wotcha” O’Shea, from Binh Duong, reports on the latest Swannies’ function: the Inaugural Combined Aussie Rules and Geaelic Football Match that was held on Saturday – St Patrick’s Day – in Saigon.

Is it just me or do the Swannies functions seem to get bigger and better each week?

To celebrate St Patrick’s day, the Vietnam Swans combined forces with the Irish Gaels to take part in a football match. This was no ordinary Swannies’ Football Match. Well, half of it was; the other half was some strange game played in Ireland called “Gaelic Football”. What a way to celebrate St Patty’s Day.

With a large number of Swannies and Gaels turning up to RMIT in Saigon, the teams were split up evenly before the match.  We had the Australian-Irish Swans against the Irish-Australian Gaels. With a huge crowd of about 200 at RMIT, we were set for a blockbuster.

Before the Bounce

The warm up consisted of a quick stretch with a debrief from one of the Irish boys about the rules of Gaelic (no tackling and you must solo or bounce the ball every four steps); and then a debrief on the rules of Aussie Rules from one of the Swannies and we were ready for the first bounce.

First Quarter – Gaelic

The first quarter was with the round ball and the standard was quite good considering it was a new game to the usual brand of Aussie Rules that the Swannies are used to. From the Aus-Irish Swans team, Damo Judd and Phil Jordan were getting a lot of the pill and were using it effectively. From the Irish-Aus Gaels team, Nick Moger was controlling the goal square and not letting anything through. He has obviously been a “goaly” before in a previous life before the Swans. By the end of the quarter, the teams had worked out the rules and strategy of the game known as Gaelic Football.

Second Quarter – Aussie Rules 

The second quarter was played with the egg shaped ball. The Swans’ team was getting a lot of the pill early but not making the most of their opportunities. The Gaels’ team finished off the quarter a bit stronger with the likes of Dukesy and Nick Shiells finding targets up forward. By the end of the quarter and the first half, the scores were locked at 15-15. The crowd was certainly getting their money’s worth, with an exciting evenly matched contest.

Third quarter – Gaelic

The third quarter was played with a lot less confusion than the first quarter as we all had a better understanding of Gaelic Football. The game was free flowing from one end to the other and the score continued to be close. Again The Gaels finished the quarter a little stronger and nosed ahead by kicking a “super goal” late in the quarter. Nick “Goaly” Moger continued to dominate in the goal square not allowing one goal through all match.

Fourth Quarter – Aussie Rules

The Gaels went into the final quarter with a 1 goal lead. The Swans’ team was getting a lot of possession at the start of the quarter and clawed their way back into the lead with a few behinds and a great goal from “New” Josh, who came to Vietnam to study University, however, has since found the Swans and has been on a constant high from Swannies’ Functions ever since stepping foot in this country.  He has learnt nothing at university but has learnt a lot about the Vietnam Swans. Again, it was the back end of the quarter that saw the Gaels finish better, with late goals from Timmay and Nick (I can do it at both ends) Moger. The gaels edged in front and never looked back.

Well done to the Irish-Australian Gaels who ended up winning the match by a couple of goals.

Post Match

Perhaps due to the hot weather, all the water ran out by half time and therefore we had no water to drink after the match. But that doesn’t matter on St Paddy’s day, because Murph, the president of the Irish Gaels brought an esky full of Guinness. So we drank that instead.

At the presentations, Billy Cranger cleaned up winning two prizes in the raffle. Phil Jordan was awarded Best on Ground for the Swannies. If Phil continues to win BOGs he will need to work on his skulling. He needs to realize that the beer needs to go into your mouth and not all over your face.

Bring on the next Swannies’ Function…

It’s official. We do have a real Rick Trewavas Medal – see photo to the side with Rick Trewavas in front of a picture of Bobby Skilton outside the entrance to the Bobby Skilton Room.

Originally, this medal was to be awarded to the best Swans player, as judged by the Swans, against the Cambodian Eagles.

However, it has been decided that having Cambodia pick our best player and then having the Swans pick our best player, starts to become a bit awkward. They become two competing awards.

So, the decision was made to change the Rick Trewavas Medal to one that reflects courage and an ability to keep giving during the game. And while not everyone can win Best on Ground, anyone can put in all day if they have the commitment.

It also better reflects Rick’s stoic battle against cancer.

We spoke to Rick about the idea and he liked it. So, instead of the “Bloods Breed BOGs” on the Rick Trewavas Medal, we will now have “Butter up Bloods”. Rick says he has always loved that expression which means, “Get up and have another crack!”

The Bobby Skilton Room

So where did the Bobby Skilton Room come from? Rick explains:

“The Bobby Skilton Room was christened just after 9/11 in 2001. To that point there was a smallish group at Mick’s (Swannie, Micky Francis who was managing Pepperonis in Hanoi), including Bubbles (Wayne Tinlin), who gathered informally for a telecast (of the AFL) …if we could get reception and depending on Mick’s satellite driving skills!

“From memory, my beloved bedside photo of Bobby Skilton was then affixed to the wall of Pepperonis in 2002.”

Rick adds that “History is important. And you blokes (at the Vietnam Swans) do a hell of a job in keeping bods like me involved.”

Speaking of history, Rick concludes by saying, “I have a 1.5 x 1 metre photo of Skilts which was removed from the Lakeside Oval’s rooms in 1984 (the Lakeside Oval being the home ground of the then South Melbourne Bloods). Bob signed it for me up here in Queensland a couple of years ago and it dominates my office.”

Go you Bloods!

Congratulations to the Cambodian Eagles had too many answers for the Swans this afternoon.

The Swannies were looking good in the first three quarters – when it was discovered that the Swans had 18 players and the Eagles had just 16. In a miscommunication on the Swannies’ side, the coaching panel believed we were playing 18 in this match as originally discussed. But, a critical email from the Swannies President to the coaching panel that the numbers had been reduced to 16 on the field wasn’t received.

So, the result up to 3/4 time was declared null and void and a new match of two 15 minute halves was then started. And Cambodia turned it on.

Swannies’ BOG was Skipper Dukes.

Winner of the Rick Trewavas Medal was Michael Johnston.

Congratulations again to the Cambodian Eagles.

Final Score: Cambodian Eagles 4. 6. 30 def. Vietnam Swans 1. 6. 12

More to follow.

Dave O’Shea has been known to sleep with the footy. Last weekend, he played for the Swannies in the Indochina Cup held in Vientiane, Lao. This was his first ever tour with the Swannies. When told that he would be playing four games in one day, he replied, “That’s great!! (Pause…) Five would be better…” Below, the first timer tells us what the weekend was like.

The butterflies kicked in Friday lunch time. It was time to leave for the airport. The thoughts rushing through my virgin brain were, “Do I have my passport?” “Do I have enough time to make the flight?” “What did I forget?” “Is it best to take US dollars or withdraw money when I get to Laos?” By the time I got past check in, I grabbed a beer and started to relax. From then on, everything was a complete hoot…

The Friday night was a warm up of what was to come. We checked out the venue that we knew we would return to on Saturday night after all the footy was finished. First impressions were quite good. Food was nice, the beers were flowing and the atmosphere was electric. The hardest thing about the night was staying in control. This could be a mistake a virgin could easily make. With four games of footy coming up, it was important not to get too carried away. I was in bed by 10:00pm.

I didn’t have the best nights of sleep, Friday night. I couldn’t stop thinking about footy. Even when I got to sleep, I was dreaming about footy. But eventually Saturday morning came and I was ready to go. Phil Ghasseb (another first timer) and I woke up early and went for a romantic walk and a stretch along the lovely Vientiane boardwalk. Right across the river was Thailand.

Eventually, it was time to get on the bus and travel to the ground. The bus ride was full of excitement and anticipation. Four games of footy; this is going to be great.

The ground was behind a tobacco factory. My first thoughts were that the surface was very hard looking and the oval was quite small. I then noticed that the goal posts on one side of the field were wider than the other side. But this was ok because the end that had the narrow goal posts was closer to the centre square. Anyway, the good thing was that we were about to play some footy.

It was finally time to open the day. Hearing the Laos anthem for the first time was enjoyable and hearing the Aussie anthem bought back memories from home. It was like playing in “Country Australia” as the ground was surrounded by beautiful gum trees which provided some shade that we could use for our warm ups.

Game No. 1 – Lao Elephants Vs Thailand Tigers

The first game was between Thailand and Laos. This gave our team the opportunity to watch the game and scope the talent that we would be up against later in the day. Thailand looked good in this match and won convincingly in the end. It seemed as if they would be the team that would provide us with our greatest challenge.

Game No. 2 – Vietnam Swans Vs Cambodian Eagles

Our first game was against Cambodia. They were a tough team and were ahead at half time. We had to dig deep in the second half and eventually got on top. We were a bit rusty in this game which is understandable considering it was our first game of the tournament. It was ok as it’s no good playing your grand final in the first day of the game. However, we knew we would have to get better if we wanted to walk away with the trophy at the end of the day.

Game No. 3 – Lao Elephants Vs Vietnam Swans

There was a quick break and then we were back at it again. This time against Laos. Although they had the home ground advantage, we were able to get on top and run out winners. We were now 2 from 2 and looking good for a final spot.

Thailand beat Cambodia in the last game of the day and this meant that they were also 2 from 2.

We were supposed to play Thailand in the last game of the day; however the organizers used some common sense and realized that there was no point having a dead rubber so they decided to play one final of 4 ten minute quarters.  Everyone was happy with this decision.

Play Off for 3rd – Lao Elephants Vs Cambodian Eagles

Cambodia and Laos also had their round match cancelled and played a 3^rd v 4^th final of 4 ten minute quarters. This was a great game and was close the whole time. Lao were down by 6 points and looked to be out the match with a couple of seconds remaining. But in one last effort they sent the ball forward and a grab was taken from one of the Laos natives on the buzzer. He had a kick after the siren to tie the match. He was 30 meters out and on a 45 degree angle. Everyone in the crowd was willing the ball to go through. He slotted the kick straight through the middle and the match ended in a draw. He later said in an interview that he had been dreaming about that moment ever since he was a young boy.

What a great thing for Asian footy.

Grand Final – Vietnam Swans vs Thailand Tigers

Now it was time for the big match. The Swannies were all ready to go after a big break, and it certainly showed on the field. Led by super coach Nat, we played the best game of the tournament. Thailand was shattered and had no answers for our constant onslaught of pressure. We ended up winning convincingly booting 8 goals to 1.

Tournament Silverware

Vietnam also cleaned up at the presentations. I was awarded best on ground in the Grand Final; our Captain, Dukesy won player of the carnival; Sammy got to put his fingers in the Johnny Walker box and pull out a winning ticket held by no other than Danny Armstrong (a former resident Swannie who flew in from Shanghai to be part of the action for one more time). He received a 4 litre bottle of Johnny Walker black.  It was going to be a great night for the Swannies.

A mega night it was. We went back to the same venue from the night before. This time we were able to eat as much as we wanted and have a few celebratory drinks – including Danny’s 4 litre bottle!

What a trip it was. It was a great way to lose my first timer status. BOG in the Final and Swannies cleaning up all the awards.

I can’t wait for the next one.

As well as Ron and Ailsa Vernon being Swannies, they are great supporters of an orphanage in Vung Tau. Below is an excerpt from their July 2011 Newsletter.

We have been back from Vietnam for two months and we are looking forward to being able to go back sooner rather than later. In making plans to go back for an extended stay again next year which includes ANZAC Day, there are a number of people who have indicated they want to join us there. It is very exciting to be able to introduce people to the project first hand…

We were able to take groups of the children on outings which we all loved. There is a lovely new childrens’ playground in a park which they enjoyed immensely and the little vendors enjoyed selling us drinks and snacks for the children. One day a number of children had to travel to Saigon for dental checkups so those who were left behind were very sad so we took them to the local shopping mall where they played in the fun parlour and then had lunch at KFC. We took a couple of different groups to the cable car and park where we all had a great time riding the huge toboggan ride and paddling the lake in the wooden swans (Ed’s note: Go you Wooden Swannies!!)…

To read the full newsletter, click onto

Yesterday, the Swannies managed to pull off a victory against the AFL Masters in a twilight match in Saigon. The final scores were:

Vietnam – 6. 8. 44
AFL Masters – 4.10.34

Afterwards, we headed off for the after match in Dong Khoi Street.

There, a BOG was selected for each team. Repeat offender when it comes to BOGs, Heath “Heater” Ellis, picked up the gong for the Swannies.

Thanks to Neil King and his co-organisers for making the Masters tour a reality.

Thanks as always, to our Saigon Prez, Derrin, and everyone else, particularly Stew, Tristan and Rowan, for making the match and after match function actually happen.

It was a great twilight match and night. The Swannies are definitely keen to host the next match against the AFL Masters.

More to follow.

Saigon Prez, Dez Limbrick speaks about today’s twilight match between the Swannies and the AFL Masters.

Just a reminder about the big match today against the visiting AFL Masters Team. The match will kick off at RMIT at 5pm sharp and so we need the players to arrive by 4 30pm. Everyone will get a good run and the match will be played in very good footy spirit so it will be a great match to be involved in.

We will be playing 15 minute quarters with short breaks to maximise the light and will be looking at lots of rotations throughout the match. We will be looking for a win tomorrow night and we will be using it as preparation for our upcoming tour to Malaysia on 18 June.

We will have Al Fresco’s running a BBQ at the ground and Fosters will be pouring beer on tap, so make sure you encourage your friends and family to pop down as well. After the game we will be presenting the trophy and having a beer with the Masters guys for around an hour at which stage everyone will be heading to dinner at The Bier Garden on Dong Khoi St, District 1 (across from the Sheraton Hotel). Dinner is due to kick off at 8 – 8 30 pm, and will be a full buffet for VND 150,000.00 per person.

We will be selling tickets at the ground tomorrow and would like to see everyone involved in the game back at the Bier Garden afterwards. We will also be presenting our BOG awards and I am sure that the Masters will be interested in some other competitive races during the evening. All in all it is going to be a great night and I know everyone will have a great time.

This is our first match in Saigon after our triumphant win in the Indochina Cup last year at home. Let’s get off to a good start and follow on the from the good form we have been showing this year. Now is the time to switch on.

See you all this afternoon at RMIT!