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With the adoption of the modified McIntyre system by the OAFL for 2010 the finals matchups for 9/11 look like this.

Game 1: Toronto Eagles (1) v Central Blues (2)

Game 2: Etobicoke Kangaroos (3) v BroadviewHawks (6)

Game 3: Guelph Gargoyles (4) v Toronto Dingos (5)

The OAFL website has a good description of how the system works and who plays who in round 2.

Game previews of these matches will follow on the website early next week.

The final round of 2010 regular season football for the Guelph Gargoyles took place in Guelph against the 2-11 High Park Demons. The Gargoyles resting some of their roster due to minor injuries in preparation for the upcoming finals series fielded a team of 22 players for the game with a couple of last minute exclusions on game day.

Guelph was looking to still ensure a win, as it would hopefully provide the opportunity to host a home final in the first round against the Toronto Dingos on September 11th. The game time delayed a little as Roscoe Heilman in his final swansong as an OAFL umpire worked his way through some confusing directions to the ground. An emotional Roscoe was welcomed by both teams to his last game with the whistle and going on the respect showed to him during the game and afterwards his efforts were appreciated.

Travis Doyle returned to the ruck position with Chris Cunning busy fighting fires in Guelph and was supported by a talented midfield structure. The heat of the day requiring numerous rotations through the middle and elsewhere to rest and re-hydrate. With the game underway the Gargoyles flooded forward and were hitting new forward target Andy “Kerm” Mathews on the chest at will with some great leads out of full forward. Kerm recovering from the effects of a chest infection and jetlag on the day looked solid up front taking a few kicks to get his radar lined up but then began to bang on the goals. The Gargoyles adding to their “impressive” behinds tally for the season in the first quarter with 8 and 4 goals to round them out, taking a lead of 32 points into the first break.

Acting coach Ben “Robbo” Roberts requested that the forwards slow things down a little and make the most of the opportunities available in the second quarter. Scott “Blinky” Rowe was looking ever dangerous through the midfield/wing and provided numerous kicks into the forward line where Andy Mathews and Dave Maurer were taking some quality grabs. Dave in particular busting some packs open to come away with the ball and goal. The Demons having a hard time of it keeping up with the speed of the game as Guelph pounced on any loose balls and moved forward with some accurate hand ball/kick combinations.

The second quarter saw the team giving up a single behind to lead by 75 points and go into the long break after adding 6 goals to their tally. Neil “Narna” LaFontaine playing his last game for the club in front of his parents before his return to Australia in September having a great game when the ball managed to find it’s way into the Gargoyles back line.

With the 3^rd quarter underway the team was challenged to continue pushing hard and not rest on any laurels. The Demons were looking to fight back in the 3^rd quarter and came out hard with Adam Fraser getting plenty of ball but unable to find any real solid targets up front in the Demons forward line. High Park having a difficult time overcoming the Gargoyles kick-out set-up, as the ball was kept in the Demons defensive zone time after time. Adam Millen showing his hardness at the ball on numerous occasions during the game as he threw caution to the wind and came out on top.

With the Gargoyles comfortable lead at 3-quarter time the team elected to sit some of it’s key players and modify the player structure slightly. Dave Maurer was obviously up to the task as he led into space time and time again to take a number of quality marks and rack up his goal tally whilst the team shared the goal kicking around. The Demons were able to test the Gargoyles a little in the final quarter as some lapses of judgment led to players failing to man up on their opponent. This allowed the Demons to score a couple of goals during the quarter. Something the team will need to be mindful of in 2 weeks as they take on the Toronto Dingos in a 4^th v 5^th match up for the first round of finals footy for 2010.

In the end the Gargoyles were too strong for the Demons and ran out convincing winners 19.22.136 to 3.6.24

Goals:            Andrew Mathews (5), Dave Maurer (4), Greg Logel (2), Jeff Borysiewicz (2), Loi Van Leeuwen, Aiden McQuoid, Scott Rowe, Zack MacDonald, Ben Roberts & Travis Doyle

Best Players:            Greg Logel, Dave Maurer, Andrew Mathews, Scott Rowe, Daniel Hussey, Nathan Millar, Zack MacDonald & Jeff Borysiewicz.

This weekend sees the final regular season round of OAFL competition take place and the Gargoyles are set to face the Demons for the second time this year. What can we expect from the game?

Guelph Gargoyles:

The team has been improving every week over the course of this month, narrowly losing to the Eagles and convincingly beating out the Hawks last weekend. The last 2 games have seen the entire squad lift the performance level and work ethic all across the ground. Some players are carrying some niggling injuries and will be rested this week but the team also welcomes back some players this weekend and adds a new team member up front into the full forward position. Andrew “Kerm” Matthews joins the Gargoyles from the Tasmanian State League competition and will be looking to make an impact on Saturday.

The coaching staff has selected a strong, mobile squad for Saturday with a solid back line made up of Canadian players and a single Australian in Dan Murray. The midfield receives some small tweaks seeing Travis Doyle return to the rucking position with Chris Cunning having work commitments. Scott Rowe, Ben Roberts & Jeff Borysiewicz will be feeding off Travis Doyle to move the ball forward towards the targets up front. The forward line this week is minus Matt Newark but still looks particularly strong with some potent team members lurking across both the half and full forward lines.

A full bench of 6 interchange players will see numerous rotations on Saturday as the Gargoyles execute the game plan for Saturday. The team has 7 Australians rostered this week so will have to watch that there is one on the bench at all times to abide by the Canadian content rule. The Gargoyles with a win this weekend could secure 4^th place on the OAFL ladder pending that the Toronto Dingos are not able to upset the Central Blues who would then move to 5^th.

High Park Demons:

The Demons have experienced a mix of emotions this year. The upset of the year where they destroyed the Broadview Hawks a distant memory as they dropped their last game to wooden spooners the Ottawa Swans and received hidings from the Dingos, Hawks and Blues in recent weeks.

With OAFL president Marty Walter putting his weight behind the team this year they have a lot of rookie talent that is still learning the game interspersed with some quality Canadian and Australian players. The Demons are not a team that can be taken lightly as they still have the ability to upset anyone on a given day as the Hawks experienced earlier this year.

Dale “Floppy” Simnet and Adam Fraser are 2 guys the Gargoyles will need to watch on Saturday. Numerous other Demons players are also capable of creating havoc for the opposition so it will be critical that the Gargoyles go into the game focused on a win and leave the “ got it in the bag” mindset at home.

Game time is 12:00pm at Margaret Greene Park in Guelph. The Gargoyles will be hosting the Demons for some liquid refreshments after the game as a thank you for a favour paid to the Gargoyles earlier in the year when Guelph was found to be sans jerseys for a game. The Demons allowed the Gargoyles to play the game regardless in a very sporting gesture.

Guelph watched on as the Etobicoke Kangaroos demolished the Hamilton Wildcats in the first game of the double header in the Royal City. The Gargoyles set for a 12:00pm start against the Broadview Hawks were busy setting up the BBQ, tents and so on for the first ever-double header at Margaret Greene Park.

As we get towards the business end of the OAFL 2011 season teams are looking to solidify their lineups and press forward into the finals series. The Guelph Gargoyles showed some promise last week against the Toronto Eagles with pretty much every player on the team stepping up to the plate and putting in an improved performance. With many Gargoyles players out last week the club saw the return of some key members but the absence of some others so were not at full strength but a handy lineup nonetheless.

With Broadview having a very up and down season to date the once powerful Hawks have struggled a little of late with injuries, player availability and the effects of a long season. They have however handed out some hidings to lesser clubs during the season and can never be underestimated. Guelph dropped a game to them earlier in the season and was very keen to reverse the result.

Margaret Greene has been a plush pasture for most of 2010 but the recent lack of rain in this part of the country and no irrigation system to provide any water saw the ground hardening up and looking to take skin away from any limbs that came into contact with it.

Guelph utilizing their playing list to ensure that all 35 listed players qualify for the upcoming finals series had a full squad matched up on a less than full Hawks bench for the game. With the whistle blown and the game underway both teams were throwing their bodies into the contests to try and gain the advantage early. Guelph doing pretty much all the attacking in the early minutes of the game but unable to do any damage on the scoreboard. Some excellent work in the middle with Chris Cunning, Scott Rowe, Ben Roberts and Jeff Borysiewicz moving the ball forward. After a couple of failed attempts on goal the momentum shifted and the Hawks were able to convert a goal. The balance of the quarter was fairly even but not really pretty football as neither team could gain any major advantage. Then Hawks led into the first break by a small margin.

With the 2^nd period underway the Gargoyles banged on a quick goal followed by another soon after to take the lead before the Hawks were able to steady the ship and claim one of their own. Some hard running and good passage play from both teams in the quarter saw the game still wide open for the taking. Matt Newark was taking some great grabs in the forward line for Guelph but was not having an easy time of converting the opportunities. Frustrating himself over the course of the day (we all have off days Matty!) as he sprayed quite a few shots well wide of the target.

At the half time break the Gargoyles coaching group requested that the team continue to run hard and utilize the bench rotations for maximum effect. The boys from Guelph started the quarter hard and banged on a couple of quick goals to move further in front as the rain started to come down. Hawks star forward Nick Shuttleworth who was blanketed by Adam Millen up until the 3^rd quarter suffered an unfortunate injury breaking his arm or wrist after contacting the ground. No one likes to see players get hurt from either team in our league but Hawks/Gargoyles games seem to take their toll on players. Gargoyles center halfback Matt Bannon suffering a season ending injury in the last match up against the Hawks as well and full back Daniel Murray suffering a concussion in the same game.

Guelph would lead into the final break by 2 goals but was dominating play in the game. The scoreboard wasn’t reflecting the possession percentages as the Gargoyles forward line continued to suffer from some wayward kicking.

With the final quarter underway the team pushed hard for 20 minutes and piled on the goals to finish up with a 5 goal lead as the whistle was blown to signal the end of the game. A solid effort from the team with multiple contributors all around the ground and numerous goal kickers to round out the day.

Guelph Gargoyles 8.14.62 defeated Broadview Hawks 4.8.32

Standout performances from Scott Rowe (surprise, surprise), Chris Cunning, Adam Millen, Ben Roberts, Carl O’Brien and Jeff Borysiewicz.

Goals: Jeff Borysiewicz (2), Travis Doyle (2), Greg Logel, Dave Maurer, Loi Van Leeuwen & Matt Newark

The final round of regular season football takes place in Guelph August 28^th against the High Park Demons at 12:00pm.

With only two rounds remaining in the OAFL regular competition for 2010 things are hotting up on the ladder as teams jostle for positions leading into the finals that start on September 11^th. The top 2 teams seem pretty much set with the Toronto Eagles and Central Blues wrapping up the spots. Places 3-6 are taking shape as well with Etobicoke Kangaroos, Toronto Dingos, Guelph Gargoyles and the Broadview Hawks pretty much tying up the final finals places unless we see some huge upsets this weekend.

Saturday August 21^st sees the Guelph Gargoyles facing the Broadview Hawks for the second time in 2010. The first outing saw the Hawks take the points in a close game that saw the Gargoyles fail to play their standard hard style of football. Last weekend’s display against the dominant Toronto Eagles must surely be pleasing for the coaching staff as every member of the team did the 1%’s all day. The boys from Guelph hard at the football, first to the contest, hard running and never gave up almost taking the win off the class outfit for 2010 to date.

What can we expect from the game this Saturday?

Guelph Gargoyles:

The team sees the return of Travis Doyle, Scott Rowe, Daniel Murray, Greg Logel, Daniel Hussey and Dave Maurer but loses Zack MacDonald, Nathan Millar & Alex Filipowicz for the match. The lineup from last week that worked well through the center is maintained for the most part but with added firepower off the bench and through rotations.

Guelph will again need to control the Hawks forward line who have some big bodies and are capable of inflicting damage quickly on the scoreboard. The Hawks like Guelph play a physical style of football so the Gargoyles will need to commit to doing the things we did well last weekend and continue to pressure all day. An absolute must is getting to the ball first regardless of the situation, the shorter kicking game employed recently has also been something that is working for the team.

With the back line functioning well last weekend the team will once again be calling upon the key back line players to contain their opposition and provide forward flowing play out of the half back positions. The teams fitness has been improving every week and the 4^th quarters have just been getting better and better so there will hopefully be no issues on Saturday with player fatigue.

Broadview Hawks:

Are often accused of relying too heavily upon their Australian contingent. The Gargoyles know that Broadview has some quality Canadians in their lineup and they can’t be taken lightly. Their key forwards Nick Shuttleworth and Ben Carter kick a ton of goals every year and make life difficult for opposition back line players each game. The player/coach of the Hawks Cody Royle is in form right now and sets up a lot of plays out of the Hawks half back line.

Broadview gave up a game to the Toronto Dingos last weekend so will be very keen to get back on the winners list and take this one from the Gargoyles.

Game time is 1:00pm at Margaret Greene Park. The game is preceded by match between the Hamilton Wildcats and the Etobicoke Kangaroos so come out and see a couple of quality games of footy this weekend in Guelph.

Saturday August 21st sees the Guelph Gargoyles hosting 2 OAFL games in Guelph. 10:00am sees the 7th placed Hamilton Wildcats take on the 3rd placed Etobicoke Kangaroos at Margaret Greene Park.  This game is followed by the 5th placed Guelph Gargoyles taking on 6th placed Browdview Hawks in what are sure to be two very entertaining games.

The club has a BBQ happening from 10am with burgers & drinks available by donataion.

Head on out and watch some great footy on Saturday, all welcome.  Location details available under the locations tab to your left.

August 14^th saw the Guelph Gargoyles taking on the undefeated Toronto Eagles in round 12 of the OAFL 2010 competition. Guelph coming off 2 losses to the Central Blues and Etobicoke Kangaroos and the Eagles off a demolition of the Ottawa Swans to the tune of 202 points the previous week.

The Eagles have been the benchmark of the competition in recent years. The team has a great mix of talented Canadian players and some excellent Australians that provide firepower in some of the key positions. The Gargoyles had been back to the drawing board after actually not playing that badly against the Etobicoke Kangaroos the previous week. The Roos center half forward doing the majority of the damage in the first 3 quarters until the Gargoyles sent Scott Rowe in to stem the tide.

This game saw many players out for both clubs but both the Gargoyles and Eagles still fielding quality sides. UTSC in Scarborough provided the venue for the match and was the second timee that Guelph had traveled to the rarely visited east side of Toronto for game day. The short ground at UTSC makes for some modified game plans for teams as players can easily kick goals with a clearance out of the middle to the forward line and then through the goals.

The Gargoyles coaching staff electing to modify the line-up marginally for this match. Benjamin Roberts was moved into the center to add some additional height. Coach Chris Cunning after having a fantastic game against the Roos last week also laced on the boots again as ruck with Travis Doyle absent. Scott Rowe with work commitments was an out as were fullback Dan Murray, center Greg Logel, forward Dave Maurer and utility Dan Hussey and old boy Aaron Fanning. The Gargoyles asked that players in the game be accountable and up the anti from last week as we were once again facing quality opponents.

At 3:00pm the game was underway and the Gargoyles wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard kicking a goal in the first minute of the game. This set the stage for Guelph to battle hard with the Eagles and match them for the quarter. The Eagles heading into the end of the first break with 1 point lead as both teams were starting to find their feet.

With the second quarter underway Guelph was doing some fantastic work out of the middle. Chris “Lingus” Cunning winning every tap in the ruck and providing opportunities for Adam Millen, Ben Roberts and Jeff Borysiewicz to find the targets in the forward line. Matt Newark was presenting well all day and working in conjunction with Zack MacDonald & Carl O’Brien managed to kick 3 goals for the quarter to the Eagles 2 to lead at the half time break by 6 points. The Gargoyles backline doing an excellent job, Jason Fox working hard to limit Aaron Falcioni’s attack and Nathan Millar rebounding well out of halfback. Neil LaFontaine after spending many months on a road trip through the US was stellar in his return to the Gargoyles as well.

After the half time break the Eagles came out firing kicking 7 unanswered goals with a renewed enthusiasm. The Gargoyles struggling to maintain control in the backline as the Eagles pounded forward. The Eagles backline also stepped up and contained the Gargoyles forwards for the quarter to take a 37 point lead into the last break.

With some passionate words from the coaching staff the Guelph Gargoyles needed to get back on track in the 4^th.   From the whistle Lingus was on fire in the ruck tapping the ball straight into an oncoming Gargoyles midfielder. The Eagles looking to continue their run from the 3^rd quarter held off the Gargoyles for the first 5 minutes but soon had control wrestled from them. The Gargoyles steamrolled and pounded on 6 goals to get back within 4 points of the lead with Matt Newark snapping a beauty from the sideline inside the 50m zone. Guelph dominating the center clearances for the quarter and looked to overtake the Eagles in what was quicky becoming a great game. The Eagles perhaps somewhat surprised at the quick turnaround in the scoreline were able to steady the ship and get back on the scoreboard scoring the last 3 goals of the game to take the win with a 26 point victory.

An excellent game all round for the Guelph side although giving up the lead in the 3^rd quarter to the Eagles they came back hard in the 4^th and almost took the win. The Eagles remain undefeated for 2010 and are a quality outfit. Guelph taking it to them for the game for their first serious scare in 2010 and managing to rack up the biggest score against them for the year by any OAFL team with 70 points.

Toronto Eagles 14.12.96 defeating Guelph Gargoyles 11.4.70

Goal Kickers:            Matt Newark (4), Carl O’Brien (2), Jeff Borysiewicz, Loi Van Leeuwen, Aiden McQuiod, Zack MacDonald & Gord Munro

Best Players:            Chris Cunning, Ben Roberts, Jeff Borysiewicz, Adam Millen, Matt Newark, Jason Fox & Zack MacDonald

The Guelph Gargoyles faced the Etobicoke Kangaroos in round 11 of OAFL competition. The Gargoyles came out winners in round 2 when they faced the Kangaroos but this round was to be played in Etobicoke against an improving Kangaroos lineup. The defense lineup on the Gargoyles squad has been missing some key players for most of 2010 with a season ending injury to star center half back Matt Bannon who had been playing the best football of his career in the first 3 rounds of 2010 and the absence of Daniel Murray for this game due to a back injury.

The Gargoyles still fielding a full squad of 24 players for the game arrived at the Etobicoke ground in plenty of time for the 9:45am start. With the warm up out of the way, the team focused on what needed to be done for the day and the game was underway. The Etobicoke Kangaroos off to a quick start as they sent 3 goals through the middle posts whilst the Gargoyles back line players figured out what system the Roos were using for the game. Guelph was winning the taps out of the middle with coach Chris “Lingus” Cunning pulling on the boots again for this game due to the absent Travis Doyle who was busy getting married in the Caribbean. Although winning the taps in the ruck the Kangaroos were efficient in retaining possession out of the middle and moving the ball forward.

The Roos forward lineup with an in form Travis MacKenzie and newly planted forward line member Justin Rigney were giving the Gargoyles back line plenty of trouble as they marked contested balls and kicked truly to move the Roos well in front leading into half time. The Gargoyles utilizing the ball well when in possession but lacking disposal in the half forward and full forward lines.

The third quarter saw an improvement in the Gargoyles play and the score line narrow somewhat as did the 4^th quarter where the Gargoyles played their best football. Midfielder Scott Rowe was moved to try and combat MacKenzie who was having a field day and did a great job of shutting down his bigger opponent. But in the end the Kangaroos were too strong on the day and ran out winners 18.8.116 to 6.8.44

Goals: Ben Roberts (2), Adam Millen, Zack Macdonald, Aiden McQuoid, and Greg Logel

Best Players: Scott Rowe, Aiden McQuiod, Chris Cunning, and Adam Millen