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With team coach Chris Cunning and captain Greg Logel away on representative duties in Australia at the International Cup a slightly undermanned Gargoyles squad lined up for the final round of regular matches for the 2008 season.   Guelph had played Ottawa earlier in the season for the Canada Day Cup and come away victorious, very wet due to the conditions but winners nonetheless.

Round 13 saw a full Swans squad arrive in Guelph on time and ready for a big game.   As Ottawa had bought down a full squad and wanted their players to get some game time both team elected to play 18 per side leaving the Guelph bench a little thin with only 2 on the sideline.

An injured Matt Newark who has been battling an ankle injury all season started things off in the ruck with the Ottawa ruckman getting the better of him in the first few taps and winning the ball out of the middle.   It has been a difficult season for Ottawa in their rookie year competing in the OAFL but they have showed consistent improvement through the year and are really not that far off their first win.   The Gargoyles knew they would be hungry and had bought down a pretty decent looking squad for the day.

The first quarter saw the play move around the ground with both teams playing some nice clean flowing football.   Guelph managed to retain a small lead at the end of the first quarter but were challenged by the Ottawa players especially Darren Roffey who was taking some nice marks and providing great leads to his midfield giving the Guelph back line a bit of a workout.

With the second underway Guelph full forward Carl O’Brien was looking to rack up his goal count and take the leading Canadian goal kicker award from the clutches of his main rival in Hamilton.   Carl helped the team to a 6-goal haul in the second to secure a nice lead heading into half time.

The third & fourth quarter saw the lead that Guelph had attained in the second stay about the same as Ottawa played some competitive football and showed they have improved considerably.

Jeff Borysiewicz and Zack Macdonald had great games running through the middle and making life very difficult for the Ottawa midfield and half back line.   Ian Hamilton again threw his hand up and had a good game working his way into contests and coming away with the ball.   Matt Bannon marking a considerably taller opponent for most of the day also excelled in defence.   Some nice play in the fourth with a series of linking handpasses led to Adam Millen racking up his fifth goal for the season in his rookie year.

In the end the Gargoyles held the Ottawa Swans off and came away with a win defeating their opponents 13.10.88 to 8.10.58

Goal kickers:

Carl O’Brien (6), Jeff Borysiewicz (2), Matt Newark (1), Gord Munro (1), Brad Slingo (1), Adam Millen (1) & Travis Doyle (1)

The game was followed by a huge night at one of our major sponsors the Wellington Brewery.   Live music, a great atmosphere, free flowing larger and ale, friends, family and a great turnout by the Ottawa team made for a night that had many players calling it the best brewery event ever.

The boys & girls at the Swans came away with victories in the boat races at the event defeating a strong contingent of Guelph drinkers.   Maybe the Swans crew has been doing a component of their practice at the Georgetown Pub?

Guelph wishes to say a big thanks to the Ottawa Swans for their support of the evening and trusts that all present had a great time – see you again next year for an even bigger one.

T he Guelph Gargoyles faced off against the Toronto Dingos in Round 12 of the OAFL competition.   Guelph had been overtaken by the Central Blues in the last round on points percentage and moved down to 5^th on the OAFL ladder.   The team was keen to continue the winning streak on the heals of the weather interrupted game against the Demons in the previous round.

T he Dingos were faced with an undermanned squad to start the game although it was essentially irrelevant for the Dingos as they had already missed the finals.   Guelph coach and former Toronto Dingo Chris Cunning opted to let the Dingos borrow a player from Hamilton to help swell the Dingos ranks a little and the game was underway.

G uelph started a little flat and gave up the first major to the Dingos although quickly put 2 goals back on the board to get in front.   A nice clean and fairly played game took place over the next 80 minutes where Guelph managed to keep in front but never really ran away with the lead as the Dingos battled bravely to stay in contention.

A dam Millen bagged a couple of goals from set shots and just missed one that could have seen him with 3 for the day.   Ian Hamilton kicked a great goal whilst crumbing in the forward line and followed it up with another.   Maybe having your girlfriend on the sidelines makes your play kick up a level or two.

T ravis Doyle put his hand up and slotted a few as well for the day.   Zack was again having a great game and is really showing that his improved fitness this year is paying off.   Loi Van Leeuwen arrived late after attending the Strong Man Games somewhere in Western Ontario, apparently carting boulders around and dragging tractors behind you doesn’t do much for your kicking accuracy!

R odney Ireland got a spray from a fired up Azza in the 4^th as he questioned the umpire inside the fifty only to find out it wasn’t even him the penalty was given against.   Jason Fox who has been having a really solid year in the back line teamed up with the ever-reliable Matt Bannon to halt the scoring opportunities that the Dingos were looking for.

G uelph ended the 4^th quarter with a final score of 10.9 (69) to Dingos 6.8. (44).

Best on Ground performance went to 2008 rookie Ian Hamilton for his 2-goal display.

Guelph goal kickers were: Travis Doyle (3), Ian Hamilton (2), Adam Millen (2), Zack Macdonald (2) and Gord Munro (1)

T raining sessions this week and next will concentrate on some of the things that lacked in this game a little.   Picking the ball up off the ground, accurate kicking and hand passing and the always essential following through with a chase after kicking the ball or shepherding when required.

I ntensity was also somewhat lacking from the usual Gargoyles style so lets rev it up a little boys and get ready for finals footy for the first time in 4 years.

T he team faces the Ottawa Swans in the final round of regular games in the OAFL season on September 6^th in Guelph at 2:00pm.   The team will be without head coach Chris Cunning and team captain Greg Logel who are away in Australia representing the Canadian National team, the Northwind.   There will however be a return of some key players that have been missing due to family commitments.   Carl O’Brien who is currently holding down the team leading goal kicker position and the teams redhead wonder boy Daniel Murray both return for the Ottawa match.

T he Ottawa game will be followed by what promises to be a big night at the Wellington Brewery who proudly sponsors the Guelph Gargoyles.   The Ottawa team will be attendance so invite your friends and family along for the evening.   Tickets are available at the door for $25.00 or in advance by contacting the club.

The Guelph Gargoyles have 2 of their top Canadian players named to the Canadian Nation Australian Football team the Northwind.   Head coach Chris Cunning who stands 6’6” and the teams captain Greg Logel at 6’1” will be leaving Canadian shores on Wednesday August 20^th for Australia.

The Northwind team is competing in the International Cup that is held every 3 years in Australia.   The tournament consists of 16 countries that play Australian Football however no Australian team participates, as it is purely an International Tournament centered on growing the great game outside of Australia.

Canada’s Northwind finished 9^th in 2002, 7^th in 2005 and is looking to improve it’s world ranking this year aiming for a top 4 finish.   The first challenge for the Northwind team will be August 27^th against the team from Finland.

The International Cup is helD over two weeks in Melbourne and Warrnambool in Victoria, Australia.   The final game will be held September 6^th in Melbourne where the best team in the world outside of Australia will be decided.

You can follow the details of the competition on the International Cup website here: www.ic08.com.au

The Guelph Gargoyles faced up against the #2 placed Etobicoke Kangaroos on Saturday July 26^th.   Guelph again had some key players missing with Brad Slingo, Dan Murray, Nathan Millar, Adam Millen and Mike Laidley out of the team for the weekend with other commitments the side was a little short staffed.   It appeared that the Roos however were in the same boat with some of their key players out as well.

A violent thunderstorm complete with hail and pouring rain made it presence felt about 45 minutes before game time but the weather cleared up before the 2:00pm start.   The Roos managed to get the first major on the board with Guelph following shortly after to even things up.   An unfortunate injury to the teams captain Greg Logel halfway through the first quarter further depleted the teams’ ranks as he sat out the remainder of the game.   The Roos led 3.1. (19) to Guelph 2.4 (16) at the first break with things looking pretty even for both teams.

With the second quarter underway the Roos were off to a quick start putting on a couple of goals before Guelph was able to bother the scorer.   Some excellent play by Zack Macdonald playing in Centre Half Forward against a quality Australian opponent revved the team up going into the half time break with the Etobicoke team leading 7.6. (48) to Guelph 3.4. (22).

A few minor shuffles by coach Lingus for the Third quarter saw the team come out firing and piling on the goals to get back in the game.   Cameron Grant was having a great game and again Zack was outplaying his man taking some quality grabs in contested possessions.   Carl O’Brien bagged a goal and the team had suddenly drawn to within 10 points of the Roos before Jeff Borysiewicz streaked through the field from beyond halfway into the 50 metre zone and kicked a fantastic goal as the whistle was blown for traveling with the ball.   The umpire missed the fact the ball had just been bounced and was totally legal but in his defense was umpiring by himself and had his view obstructed by another player.   The goal that wasn’t a goal would have had the teams virtually level at 3 quarter time but it wasn’t to be so the scoreboard read. Etobicoke 8.9. (57) to Guelph 7. 5. (47).

The fourth quarter the team would probably rather forget as the Roos overran the Gargoyles who looked to have run out of steam.   The final score read 16.13. (109) to Guelph 7.5. (47).

The team has a week off this week for the long weekend and will be up against the High Park Demons on Sunday August 10^th @ 2:00pm in Guelph.

The mighty Gargoyles found themselves at Humber North last Saturday to face the High Park   Demons in a Round 8 showdown. This should have been labeled a “slowdown” as  a full Guelph team sat and stared at 12 Demons a half hour before game time. Eventually though, High Parks numbers began to show up until they had a compliment of 18 players.  With the sponsors from PIC looking on (thanks fellas for coming out!), the first quarter started and both teams battled hard for the ball.   Despite the enthusiasm, nothing seemed to get rolling for either team as hands and feet failed to find the footy.   As usual, Guelph got bogged down to another teams level and could not bring themselves to excel   around the goals.

With some changes and fresh legs on in the second quarter,  the Gargoyles came out a bit harder   and racked some points up on the scoreboard   but High Park answered with some of their own, not letting the gap get too big. There were some great passages of play by both teams  and it went back and forth with Guelph   bagging more points than goals. Inaccurate kicking by pretty much everyone left the team a little frustrated at half time and they had to regroup to start the second half.

This time, it appeared as if Guelph showed up to play as they got some great tackling   from the backline to the front. The sheppards and smothers seemed to become part of the game as they created turnovers all over the ground.   OB hit the mark a few times  and put the Gargoyles in the lead for good.  Other than Ian’s slight misdirection (great run however!:)) the Gargoyles finished the game strong and succeeded in their goal to improve as the game went on.   Good work fellas.

Goal scorers for the game were OB with 4, Zack, Gord, Shane and Logel with 1 apiece.

Gregs hard running and great marks all day earned him the Boston Pizza Player of the Game.

Next up, the undefeated Toronto Eagles at home.