World Footy News

Back in the 1980’s the Australian cricket team announced a new face with “Taylor” appearing on the list and the world assuming it was the debut of future test captain, Mark Taylor. But everyone was shocked when it was in fact rank outsider, off-spinner Peter Taylor, named for his debut instead. A case of mistaken cricketers.

In Denmark over the weekend the predicted victory of a Copenhagen team into the 2015 Grand Final occurred. In the upset of the season to date, however, it was the Copenhagen Giants that held on for a pulsating one point victory over raging hot favourites, the Copenhagen Barracudas. Like the analogy of the Taylors, the unexpected Copenhagen team is through to the big dance.

The Barracudas started the game steadily, though aware of a big challenge being mounted by the Giants. Quarter time saw the favourites on track with a six point lead (15 to 9) and by half-time that lead has edged out to ten points (31-21). Many expected that from here the Barracudas would flex the muscle shown all year and pull away in the second half.


But third quarters are not called the “premiership quarter” for nothing. Rather than go away, the Giants just kept on coming and caused just a ripple or two of anxiety in the Barracuda’s camp as they tied the game up by three-quarter time (Giants 6 5 41 to Barracudas 5 11 41). Maybe it was the errant kicking of the Barracudas that was the difference, but the Giants gained enormous belief that maybe, just maybe, they could win.

The last quarter was a shootout in the classic style. In a game where a combined 11 goals had been kicked in three quarters, the last quarter saw each team kick six goals. As the final siren closed in the Giants knew they were now in a position to pull off an amazing upset…and they did.

The final scores saw the Copenhagen Giants 12 8 80 outlast the Copenhagen Barracudas 11 13 79.

The Giants now get to contest the 2015 Grand Final and will face the Aalborg Kangaroos which downed the Farum Cats in another tight finish. The Kangaroos skipped away to a match-winning four goal lead by three-quarter time but held off a determined fightback from the Cats to win 14 7 91 to 11 13 79.

For the Giants the season has taken on fairy tale dimensions. After winning four of their first seven matches during the home and away season, they trailed off with three consecutive losses heading into the finals. They still managed to hold on to fourth place, and a finals berth, through a superior percentage to the Port Malmo Maulers. Yet, seemingly from nowhere they have toppled the top team and are in the Grand Final.

The Aalborg Kangaroos will start clear favourites to take the DAFL flag, but need to be aware that the Giants are capable of big things and cannot be taken lightly. As the Copenhagen Barracudas learned, nothing can be taken for granted come finals time.

The DAFL Grand Final will be played at Chang Boldklub, Aalborg on Saturday, September 26.

As a footnote, Mark Taylor went on to a magnificent career as an Australian opening batsman and national captain after being the “other” Taylor in 1986. This might just be an omen for the “other” Copenhagen. Maybe this result is the catalyst to an even bigger future for the Copenhagen Giants.