Both the Edinburgh Bodysnatchers and Middlesborough came away with win against Glasgow opposition this weekend in Scotland’s first Aussie Rules double-header.

The Glasgow Redbacks were up first at Victoria Park against a shotgun Edinburgh Bodysnatchers side.  Edinburgh took an early 2 goal lead, making the most of their extra pace out of the midfield, especially with Irishman Noel Flynn in hot form.  But Redbacks captain Andrew Dubojski was in commanding form for the Glasgow side and his solid distribution of the ball to the forward line brought 2 Redbacks goal.  Edinburgh pulled one back however and took a narrow 3.1 (19) to 2.4 (17) lead at quarter time.  The second quarter was all Edinburgh however, and they exploited each one of Glasgow’s failed efforts in front of goal on the rebound, producing effective, fluid football that Glasgow could not match Jarrod Mizzi’s introduction helping them on their way.  At half time the scores stood at 6.3 (39) to 2.7 (19).  The third quarter started well for the Redbacks, and forward Dougie Hunter got onto the end of a great forward pass from Troy Lorimer to sneak a goal.  However, Edinburgh responded with 3 unanswered goals to further extend their lead.  Disappointingly for the Redbacks, who had completely dominated the previous week against Middlesbrough, they could not establish themselves on the game and the final quarter produced more of the same.  A further 3 Edinburgh goals ended the game as a contest and the match finished 12.8 (80) to 3.9 (27).

The second game of the day saw the much fancied Glasgow Sharks take on the competition’s new boys, Middlesbrough Hawks.  The Hawks were not expected to deliver much of a contest against a Sharks side who had beaten Glasgow rivals the Redbacks 2 weeks previously.  However, the small crowd at Victoria Park were in for a treat as the Hawks learned form their previous week’s thrashing.  The Hawks picked up 2 early goals to stun the Sharks.  The Glasgow side fought back however, with midfielder Andy Butler controlling the game masterfully for them, producing numerous pinpoint passes to his string forward line, featuring “goal machine” Steve Connor.  Connor produced 2 goals in reply for Glasgow, and Butler added an incredible third from the midfield to give Glasgow the lead.  But the Hawks fought bravely and scrambled a third themselves moments later.  At quarter time the scores stood at Glasgow 3.5 (23) to 3.2 (20).  But the Hawks managed a complete reversal in the 2nd quarter and stormed ahead with 5 goals to Glasgow’s 2, giving them a comfortable lead at half time.  In the third quarter  Butler led the Sharks by example and again produced fantastic football, having a role in each of the Sharks 4 goals, scoring 2 of them himself with darting runs from the midfield.  Glasgow forwards Calum MacKichan and Connor also produced fine effort and by the end of the 3rd quarter the Sharks had pegged the Haws back to a 1 goal lead with 15 minutes of football to be played.

However the final quarter saw the Sharks resistance finally broken when the Hawks goaled early on, and key Shark Andy Butler then left the field with a hamstring injury.  The midfield now opened up for the fledgling Middlesbrough side who took their opportunities and ultimately recorded an amazing shock win over the Sharks.  Final scores were 9.10 (64) to 14.10 (94).

Anyone interested in playing Australian Rules Football should contact their nearest SARFL team through www.sarfl.org.uk.

The Glasgow Redbacks recorded a big win on Sunday in only their second game in the SARFL.  The long trip to Middlesborough to take on the Hawks paid dividends, with the Redbacks recording an impressive 20.14 (134) to 4.3 (27) win to climb to second place on the SARFL ladder.

The Redbacks started brightly with early unanswered goals from Colin Alexander, Dougie Hunter and Eddie McAvinchey, while captain Andrew Dubojski weighed in with 2 first quarter goals of his own late on.  The Hawks were stunned by the Redback’s bright start and recorded only 1 goal and 1 behind for the quarter, while the Redbacks recorded a total of eight goals for the quarter.

The second quarter started just as promisingly for the Glasgow side, with Hunter picking another two goals, two more from Dubojski and a further goal from McAvinchey.  Again, the Hawks could only must up a 1.1 (7) score for the quarter, solid defensive play from Charlie Snedden and Matt Denne ensuring there was no way through for the newcomers.

However, the Hawks found their feet in the third quarter and by flooding their defence stifled the Redbacks attack and kept them down to three goals for the quarter, from Alexander, Dubojski and Luke Maguire.  The Hawks grew in confidence and battled on but were still only able to record a single goal for their efforts in the quarter.

Normal service resumed in the fourth quarter however, and the Redbacks dominated from start to finish.  Further goals from Hunter, McAvinchey and Troy Lorimer added to the Redbacks already impressive lead, and by the final siren had recorded an incredible 20 goals.  The win takes the Redbacks above Glasgow rivals the Sharks on the SARFL table and into second place.

This Sunday, 21st May, sees a big Aussie Rules double-header in Glasgow.  The Redbacks take on the Edinburgh Bodysnatchers, followed by the Sharks game against the Middlesborough Hawks.  The venue is Victoria Park, Scotstoun and the first match will kick-off at 1pm.  Entry is free.