World Footy News

The European Islands dominated from the start against the European Continent team in the JLT All-Stars game played as a curtain raiser to the AFL European Challenge at Kia Oval.

 

Whilst it was clear both teams had never played together before- they’d only had time for one training session after meeting in London on Friday- the Islands team, dominated by Irish and English players, came together faster, with #6 Liam Corbett getting the opening goal. After that, the Islands team started to press through to the forward 50 towards the last half of the first quarter.

 

The Continent team defended well and forced mistakes from the Islands forward line managing to hold them off enough to finish the first quarter Islands 2.3(15) to Continent 0.1(1)

 

The Continent team got a couple of good chances at the start of the second quarter but were unable to convert them and the momentum soon switched back to the Islands team. They too had a lot of missed chances before #5 Matt Kilheeney put the first goal of the quarter on the scoreboard.

 

However as the Continent players started to get used to each other they began to use the field more and come together. This was evident when they got onto a poor clearance from the Islanders back line and sent it straight back into the 50. Continent player #55 Tomislav Cvetko converted the mark for goal number one, just before the siren, finishing the first half Islands 4.8(32) to Continent 1.2(8)

 

Both teams had a surprisingly slow start after the half time break, eventually broken when the Islands team kicked two behinds.

 

The Continent team rallied and came back for their second goal, by #23 Gregoire Patacq, but this was immediately answered by the Islands team. #1 Luke Booth added another for the Islands and the score at the end of the third quarter was Islands 6.10(46) to Continent 2.3(15)

 

Despite the Continent fitness levels holding up, the fourth quarter lapsed into one sidedness and the Islands team piled on the pressure with three goals in succession. Then just before the siren, Luke Booth did a sliding soccer in the goal square to score the Islands’ 11th goal and finish the game Islands 11.11(77) to Continent 2.3(15)

 

Post match interviews with the captains of both teams can be found here: http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20121104070035360