News

Jul 9, 2009, 2:13 pm

Guelph faced the Broadview Hawks for the second time this season in a must win game to stay in touch for the finals.  The Gargoyles having dropped a game the previous round to the Toronto Dingos despite playing some decent football have yet to hit their straps this season and play 4 good quarters of football.

 

Coach Chris “Lingus” Cunning asked that all team members play a solid accountable style of football on the day and elevate the standard somewhat.  Lingus played with the lineup a little moving rookie Andre “Pommie” Pilkington to fullback in Daniel Murray’s absence due to a wedding and Matt Bannon to Centre Half Back playing on the league MVP from 2008 Nick Shuttleworth.  Shuttleworth had been a handful for the team in the last game so some small tweaks were made to address the issue and seemed to work from the get go.

 

Ruckman Travis Doyle who has been having a great year filling in for the absent Matt Newark was dominant all day winning taps at will and feeding the ball down the throat of Ben “Franken” Steinbacher, Adam Millen and Brad Slingo amongst others.

 

The Hawks jumped out to an early lead whilst the Guelph defenders found their feet, the Broadview goal kickers were soon made to earn every goal with some bruising defence.  Matt Bannon suffering a large height differential was relentless in his attack on Shuttleworth minimizing the damage he was causing in the forward line.  Andrew Pilkington made some great runs out of full back dodging opponents and moving the ball forward in spectacular fashion.  The Guelph forward line still missing some of the big guns to injury with Hamstring strains playing havoc on the lineup this year was starting to convert goals.  Zack Macdonald at full forward playing some very unselfish footy and feeding the ball to the pockets/flanks to put them through the sticks.  Jeff Borysiewicz was running off his defender well despite again suffering a massive height differential.

 

Guelph trailed at half time in very physical but fair game.  The boys needed to step the pace up a little to avoid getting overrun by the Hawks and to stay in touch.  The beginning of the 3^rd quarter saw the pace elevated in the match and Guelph begin to make some inroads into the Hawks back line with running play from both teams all over the ground.  Matt Bannon attempting to emulate Jeff Boryciewicz’s mark of the year (to date) in round 1 just missed a huge grab over the top of his Broadview opponent.  Possession was pretty evenly shared but Broadview able to convert a few more of the opportunities than the Gargoyles with accurate kicking.

 

Trailing by 5 goals at the end of the 3^rd quarter Guelph started the final quarter strongly.  Mark Wettlaufer in his rookie year bagged himself 2 very nice crumbing goals and the Gargoyles were looking like running over the top of the Hawks who had slowed down a little.  With spirits flying high the Gargoyles continued to attack into the Broadview back line but in the end the Hawks held the Guelph team off and went home with the win.

 

Coach Cunning was very impressed with the effort of the team never giving up and playing the best 4 quarters of the season in a row.  Final score Broadview Hawks 12.13.85 defeated Guelph Gargoyles 9.6.60.  The team heads to Ottawa next week for the Canada Cup game with the Ottawa Swans.

 

 

Jun 29, 2009, 12:23 am

 

JULY 1^ST2009 in TORONTO

CANADA DAY FOOTBALL CARNIVAL

Two Great Games of Football

Canada V’s Australia

Action Starts at 11.15 am

International Game Commences at 2.11 pm

Humber College South, Toronto

           Free Entry - Family Day

Free Kids Football Clinic – Give Aways Food and Drinks Available

National Anthems and Paul Price

Location:                                            Sponsorship Details:

Humber College South                       Marty Walter:

3199 Lakeshore Blvd W                     Phone: 416 389 5692 marty@aflcanada.com

Toronto, Ontario                                 

www.ontariofooty.com

                         

 

Further Information:

Emile Studham

Phone: 416 660 6738

estudham@aflcanada.com

Jun 15, 2009, 10:25 am

With a late game time of 4:00pm but the warm weather still holding on the game was underway. The Rebels were able to get the first 2 majors on the board before the team settled in and got down to business. Midfield players quickly worked out the Rebels game plan and capitalized by moving the ball quickly out of the ruck and directly into the forward line where Carl O’Brien and Daniel Hodgkin were able to slot some goals. Zack MacDonald suffering a calf injury played in the forward line to try and rest from his usual midfield position. He had an immediate impact also bagging some goals leading well and snapping up marks.

The Gargoyles piled on goals to end up with a 5 goal first term and held the Rebels at 2 goals for the quarter. Assistant coach Brad Slingo requested a similar performance for the second quarter and moved some of the Rookie players into the half forward line. He also rotated some rookies through the half/full back line with stalwarts Jason Fox and Daniel Murray out of the lineup for the week. Possessions were racked up by Mike Touhey, Don Heseltine and Mark Wettlaufer whilst Rugby convert and the teams favourite Pommie Andrew Pilkington couldn’t get enough of the ball. Pilks bagged himself a couple of very nice goals taking one great grab right in front of the goals and snapping another to rack his tally up.

Coach Slingo resting ruckman Travis Doyle moved Pommie Pilkington to the ruck where he had a fantastic game moving the ball forward and hand passing to open players all day. Greg Logel was beginning o get back into form and also generated some great play out of the middle directing kicks straight into the forward line which were immediately converted to goals. Ben Steinbacher was also moving well through the middle helping Jeff Borysiewicz and Adam Millen keep momentum. Nathan Millar moved back to wing for the game had a great day racking up possessions and avoiding tackles all over the ground.

The Gargoyles were all over the Rebels well into the third quarter holding a substantial lead of 7 goals. With the end of the third quarter coach Slingo asked that the team maintain the momentum and kick another 5 goals minimum for the final term. The team seemed to lose a little focus in the 4^th and let the Rebels score a couple of goals whilst only bothering the scorer 3 times in the final quarter. Something to work on for next week is maintaining the intensity for the full 4 terms. The skill level was certainly elevated for this game from previous matches with the central corridor on the ground being utilized properly. Hand passing was also minimized to ensure that the ball made it’s way to the forward line as quickly as possible where it was converted all day. Promising stuff for next week when the Gargoyles face the 3-1 Toronto Dingos.

Final Score: Guelph Gargoyles 15.8. 98 defeated Toronto Rebels 8.3.51

Goal kickers:

Jun 2, 2009, 11:51 am

The Guelph Gargoyles dropped their second game of the season to the Broadview Hawks on Saturday May 30 in round 2 of the OAFL 2009 competition. Guelph coming off a loss in round 1 against the Central Blues were looking to get a win on the board against the Hawks who finished the 2008 season just ahead of the Gargoyles in 3^rd place.

Coach Cunning again had a full squad of 24 but was still missing some key players due to injuries and social commitments. Both ruckmen for Guelph were unavailable for the game so the torch was handed over to some of the rookies to feel their way on the ground.

Guelph started strongly with a very even contest in the first quarter. Both teams linking plays together and hard at the ball especially in the midfield. Broadview led on the scoreboard by a small margin at the end of the 1^st quarter with their tall forward line giving the Guelph defenders trouble in marking contests. Daniel Murray playing at fullback was tested all day by the 20087 league MVP Nick Shuttleworth but did a fantastic job to keep his goal tally down.

Guelph midfielder and young gun Zack Macdonald played a stellar game giving the Hawks midfield trouble all day and taking possessions at will. The Gargoyles were having trouble converting inside 50 possessions to points on the board missing some opportunities and turning the ball over in the experienced Hawks back line. The scoreboard kept ticking over for the Hawks as they were capitalizing on their point scoring opportunities although the teams were sharing the possession equally.

The game got away from Guelph in the 3^rd quarter as Broadview gained the upper hand and slotted some goals to gain a lead and Guelph missed some shots on goal. The game got out of reach for the Gargoyles with coach Cunning requesting a big effort in the 4^th to gain some respect on the scoreboard.

Despite some great play and numerous opportunities the Gargoyles just could not covert the possessions to points and ended up dropping the game 11.11.77 to 2.8.20

Next week the team takes on perennial top placed team the Toronto Eagles in a Sunday match. The Gargoyles will hopefully see the return of new Aussie recruit Daniel Hodgkin who will be sure to fire up the forward line and have their ruck men back in play. It appears likely that Neil La Fontaine might have a few weeks out, again aggravating his rib injury in the Hawks game. The Gargoyles will be keen to show that they have improved from last year and hopes to be fielding a full strength squad. Game time is 2:00pm at Margaret Greene Park on Sunday June 7^th.

May 27, 2009, 3:07 pm

The Guelph Gargoyles went down to the Central Blues in the opening round of OAFL action at Margaret Greene on Saturday May 23^rd. Guelph had lost to the Central Blues in the first round of the finals in 2008 and were keen to redeem themselves and begin their 2009 campaign with a win.

Both clubs had been hard at during the off season recruiting new players and ensuring that player fitness and conditioning were up to scratch for the start of the season. The Gargoyles started the game with a full squad of 24 players but were missing 2 key Australian recruits due to injury. Daniel “Hodgy” Hodgkin & Neil “Narna” La Fontaine were out due to injuries with a pulled hamstring and rib injury respectively.

The game began in a furious fashion with both teams hard at the ball trying to gain some momentum and take the lead. Some excellent defence from both teams saw the ball mostly contained between the two 50 metre lines but changing possession numerous times.

Jeff “Bory” Borysiewicz had been given the job of matching up on the “Potential Gargoyle” but now Blues new recruit Daniel Anderson in the midfield. Bory shone all day taking possessions off the highly skilled Australian and busting packs up time and time again to come away clean with the ball and move it into the Guelph forward line.

Guelph led at half time 22-19 and were starting to gain the upper hand in the game with some great linked plays utilizing the corridors on the field. Stellar defence from Daniel Murray, Jason Fox and Matt Bannon along with other members of the back line repelled the Blues attack on goal.

The Gargoyles got well and truly fired up in the 3^rd quarter and blitzed the Blues midfield. Zack Macdonald, Bory and assistant coach Brad Slingo were tearing the Blues game plan apart. Travis Doyle taking on rucking duties for Matt Newark was also having a great game taking some solid marks and bagging himself a few goals. The Gargoyles missed some opportunities in the 3^rd quarter, which should have seen them well ahead at the final break but still carried a 7-point advantage into the final quarter.

The 4^th was underway and the Blues were the first to capitalize with a major to draw within 1 point of the lead. The Gargoyles defence had some unlucky bounces that led to another goal from the Blues who drew in front and they continued to apply pressure. Jeff Borysiewicz then took what could likely be this year’s best mark with a massive specky over the top of Central Blues midfielder Daniel Anderson. Bory had both knees up on his opponents shoulder inside the Gargoyles defensive zone and stopped what would have likely been another goal.

Unfortunately that wasn’t enough and the Blues managed to squeak out a win in a fairly tough encounter. Final score Guelph 6.6.42 to Central 7.13.55

The Gargoyles take on OAFL powerhouse the Broadview Hawks next weekend in Guelph and will be looking to take a win away from the day.

May 21, 2009, 8:38 pm
Congratulations to club president Azza and Katherine on the birth of their daughter "Kiah Mareve" Born last Friday May 16th.  The boys are looking forward to meeting our latest member at the game and for celebratory drink shortly after. 

May 20, 2009, 2:31 pm
After the Central Blues had some issues in securing their own home ground for 2009 the schedule has been slightly revised.  The opening game for the 2009 season will be played in Guelph on May 23rd at 2:00pm.  Games take place at Margaret Greene Park (maps to the fields can be found under the locations tab on this website.)  Supporters are always welcome to come and watch the games free of charge.  Round 1 of the 2009 OAFL season sees the Guelph Gargoyles taking on the Central Blues from Toronto.  Guelph currently has a 4-2 record against the Blues but lost in the first round of the finals to them last season.  The Gargoyles will be keen to hit the ground running and start the season with a win that may avenge some of last years frustration.

May 10, 2009, 7:02 pm

On May 16th and 17th, 2009, the first ever annual Australia.com Canadian National Championships of Australian Rules Football, sponsored by Tourism Australia, will be held in Toronto, Ontario.

The tournament will see eight Australian Rules football teams from across Canada competing over the weekend at Humber North College from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th. It will be a weekend for all to enjoy — we encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the festivities and see our athletes in action. It will be an opportunity for both Canadians and Australians living in Ontario to have fun supporting the mix of Canadian and Australian players, have something to eat and even get involved with the junior football clinics available for kids of all ages.

We are excited to be able to showcase the development of Australian Rules football here in Ontario. It is Australia's national sport and has something that appeals to everyone as it brings the physical contact of hockey, the ball skills of soccer, Gaelic football and rugby all together for one fantastic sport" says Brendan Bell, coordinating member of the OAFL.

Tourism Australia is the major sponsor of this year's national titles as it's coinciding with G'day Toronto — an exciting week of events in Toronto that will showcase Australian sport, culture, food, wine, top Aussie vacation ideas and celebrate the close business links between the two great countries. Australia week will be running in Toronto from May 12-16th.

Mr. Bell said "it is a privilege to host the first ever National Championships here in Toronto and it gives us great pride to celebrate a sport that has been played in Canada since 1989. The OAFL has been growing rapidly over recent years and we are getting stronger with each year. It is an additional bonus to have Tourism Australia support this event; we are very honoured to have them on board with us for the first year that this event is running and are proud to have the Championship named after their website". Australia.com is Australia's official tourism website.

We are encouraging everyone to come walkabout during Australia week and partake in all the events. For more information on Australia week, please visit www.australia.com.

For additional information please contact: Brendan Bell, 416-368-4310, bb@minepros.com