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Welcome back, Footy Fans, for yet another addition of Friday Night Footy at the Wavo. The storms that rolled through in the afternoon left the pitch a bit soggy, but that didn’t frighten the Lincoln Park Piranhas and Lincoln Square Tigers from lining up against one another in a fight for the top of the ladder. 1556 spectators looked on as the teams took their positions and got ready for the opening bounce.

The Piranhas got the scoring under way with Wade “Gun” Porter who slotted one through almost immediately, but also pulled his hammy as he kicked, leaving the Piranhas with one less on the bench for the entire game. After Porter went down, the Piranhas seemed out of sorts. Though there was solid opposition from Dan “Ginger” Khastilan the Tigers were relentless, and pumped the pill into the forward line. Al “Snaps” MacGlashan was on fire, with two goals. Little Nolan Schmelzer was up and about as well with one goal. A bright spot for the Piranhas was Doug “Boots” Malcolm who continues to have a strong season across half forward. Frank “Ponch” Bradley was his usual active self in the backline for Lincoln Park. His great work at ground level continues to defy logic for a tall backman. By the end of the first quarter, the Tigers were up 4.4.28 to the Piranhas 1.0.6

In the second quarter, Tiger Pedro “Corrigan” Jimenez had a beautiful center clearance… for the oppostion. A chorus of “GOOSE” followed. Ryan “Skullet” Daudelin was a force to be reckoned with in the forward line. He roved a beautiful tap by Jason “Ink” Wilhelm and put a goal on the board, and 2 for the quarter. Fellow Fish, Tim “Munster” Hermann was once again active in the middle of the ground, and had another great game kicking one goal on the evening. The Tigers answered through Alex “Wazza” Wallach who continued his good form, kicking one goal for the quarter. Brian “Package” Hoyt had another good game in defense for Lincoln Park, while Matt “Not Quite Webster” Webb seemed to have a nose for the footy. Tyler “Goose” Dorsett was his usual self, making great leads and putting on strong shepherds, some against the opposition and one in particular against an unexpecting teammate. At one point, the players realized that umpire Anthony “Razor” Hendrie had forgotten to check his watch for at least fifteen minutes resulting in the longest quarter in AFL history. At the end of it, the Tigers led the Piranhas 8.5.53 to 3.3.21.

After the long break, the players from both teams decided to pump up the volume. It was a battle of defenses as there was little scoring. Jason “Pippy” Schmelzer, Andrew “Sainty” St James, and Dan “Tiger Balm” Sarbacker really started to connect beautifully in the Piranha’s midfield. Russ “Rusty” Adams wasn’t his usual dominant self, but still provided plenty of ball to his teammates. Coming out of defense, Joe “Chuck Norris” Swierupski decided it was a great idea to clear the ball but instead kicked Piranha forward Joel “Nugget” Bennett’s shin causing him to leave the game. Quinton “Barbie-Q” McMillen consistenly found space on the wing. The goals didn’t see much action, but Umpire Biggsy felt the brunt of everyone’s aggression. Particularly Tiger Eric “Not So EZ” Zukowski who kicked straight from a set shot late in the quarter. Xavier “Big” Burton continued his excellent form collecting 32 posessions and most of those were contested. At the end of the third quarter it was the Tigers still leading the Piranhas: 8.6.54 to 4.6.30.

In the fourth quarter, the Piranhas really needed to come up with some magic while the Tigers simply needed to keep the Fish underwater. Tiger backman, Mike “Disco” Panek found himself lost in the forward line while Tiger Forward Paul “Gloves” Enzinger found himself lost in the back line. No one quite understood what happened, but it worked out for the better. Oscar “I finally got a vote” Meyer kicked a beautiful banana from the boundary for a goal. Keith “Charger” Campion was a monster at ground level, constantly winning the contested ball along with Mark Appel “IIe” who continues to impress in his first season. Andrew “No, I don’t look like Brian Lake” Woodman is starting to find his feet as the season progresses. All in all, it was a hotly contested game, but in the end it was the Tigers who ran away the victors. At the final siren it was Lincoln Square 9.7.61 to Lincoln Park 5.8.38.

Blue Jacket (BOG): Ryan Daudelin
Oxford Landing Wine: Xavier Burton / Jason Wilhelm
Golden Goose: Tyler Dorsett

G’Day, Ladies and Gentlemen, and welcome back to another addition of Friday Night Footy at the Wavo! The weather is smiling as are the faces of the crowd here on the Lake Front. The fight for the second/third on the ladder is shaping up to be an interesting one. Tonight, the Wrigleyville Rhinos take on the Lincoln Square Tigers in what should be one heck of a match.

With the final sides decided, Umpire Anthony “Razor” Hendrie said, “Let’s get this underway, boys,” and sent a beautiful bounce skyward. As with every ball up on the day, it was immediatly followed by an intense Ruck competition. It was the Battle of Jasons, pitting Jason “Pony-atta-Boy” Wilhelm against first year giant, Jason “Sandilands” Holmes (3 Goals). These two lads were at each other all night and it was a beauty to watch. Holmes is sailing away to train with the Sydney Swans for a month so, “Good onya, mate” and learn everything you can. The opening bounce led directly to a goal through some beautiful work by Tiger’s Vet, Paul “Oscar” Meyer who was active all day on the wing. Garrath “Sneaky” Carragher was lively in the forward line for Lincoln Square, kicking one goal for the night. The Tigers controlled the footy for much of the first quarter seeing them kick 3 goals 2 against a Rhino defense that seemed out of sorts. Will “Well” Hyung went down early with an ankle while Josh “Goose” Stenger tried to lead by example with some extraordinary efforts in the back pocket but unfortunately only aquired the Golden Goose as his prize. After a massive effort by Jayson “Long-Stocking” Schmelzer, the Rhino Defense found its feet. The second half of the first quarter saw Wrigleyville come alive and they ended the quarter with 2 goals 2 making the score at the end of one, the Lincoln Square Tigers leading the Wrigleyville Rhinos 3.2.20 to 2.2.14.

The Rhinos decided to make things very interesting when they opened the 2nd Quarter with a goal. Xavier “Rated X” Burton was like a war torn battleship out there, tossing blokes aside and kicking a beautiful goal off of Half Back, showing that you can never keep a big man down. Tyler “not Hattery” Dorsett was providing some great forward pressure while Aussie recruit Wade “Stewy” Porter was simply exhilarating in the mid field and across half back. His beautiful delivery was inspiring his teammates left and right. There’s only so much one man can do, however, as the defense of the Tigers were like plumbers out there: patching up all the leaks. Tiger Captain, Brian “Red Shorts” Hoyt made life tough for Rhino forwards, Joel “Dammit” Bennett and Mark “Macintosh” Appel who were the victims of bad bounces and a lack of support all evening long. Tiger Eric “Tricky” Conway was stingy in defense, but took a hard knock that hopefully proves to be nothing more than a corked thigh. Finally, Doug “Flash” Malcolm, was able to find space for the Rhinos and kicked a nice goal, 30 out on the run. At the long break, it was the Tigers 7.5.47 to the Rhinos 3.6.24.

The third quarter simply belonged to the reigning Premiers, Lincoln Square. Alex “Yep, I’ve only been playing for a few months” Wallach was on fire, taking a snapshot at goal on the left and starting an onslaught that would last nearly the entire quarter. The Tigers piled on 7.7 in a third period that left the Rhinos a bit punch-drunk. Russ “Not so Rusty after all” Adams had a great game coming off injury and kicked 2 goals for good measure. Al “Tatonka” McGlashan seemed likely to mark anything that came his way and proved too elusive for the Rhino defense, kicking 3 goals for the night. Joining in the fun was Paul “They Really Work” Enzinger who came from nowhere, putting up a bag of 3 as well. Henry “Thank God I don’t have to Ruck” Knoop was outstanding at Center Half Back where he was able to rebound the few oppurtunities that Wrigleyville had. At the end of three, the Tigers had a comfortable lead over the Rhinos who only managed one behind: LIncoln Square 14.14.98 to Wrigleyville 3.7.25.

The Rhinos had little but pride to fight for in the fourth quarter. And this came in droves as Nolan “Torpy” Mckeegan hoisted a magnificent Torpedo through the uprights from 60 out. He, David “Dewy” Fitzgerald and Woody “Brian Lake” did all they could to get on the board by kicking 3 goals between them, but alas it was not to be. The Tigers again, surged as Joe “Parking Ticket” Swierupski roved a pack and found Nolan “Blinded by Puppies” Schmelzer in space which led to the 2nd of 6 fourth quarter goals for Lincoln Square. the final score: the Lincoln Square Tigers 20.19.139 to the Wrigleyville Rhinos 6.6.45.

It was an absolute thrashing by the Tigers, but the Rhinos can hold their heads high. Anything, it seems, can happen this season. One thing is for sure, the Chicago Australian Football Association has a lot to look forward to in the coming years. The youngsters are making a difference and the future looks bright heading into a big away game in the coming weeks against the Division II Premiers, the Minnesota Freeze. This is a great rivalry and should prove to be an exciting contest.

BOG (Blue Jacket): Alex Wallach
Oxford Landing Wine: Jason “PonyBoy” Wilhelm / Pedro Jiminez
Golden Goose: Josh Stenger (for taking the kick out from outside the goal square)

Blue Jacket (BOG): Tim Hermann
Oxford Landing Wine: Not Awarded
Golden Goose: Anthony Hendrie

Welcome to another round of Friday Night Footy at the Wavo! The storms that were expected never came, but the Piranhas had a storm of their own brewing and looked to continue their win streak against the Tigers. Could the Tigers weather it, or would they end up soaked?

The scoring started almost immediately as shifty Piranha forward, Nolan “Faster Than He Looks” McKeegan (3 goals)wheeled around on his trusty right boot to slot the first of the night. He and mid-fielder Keith “Head First” Campion looked up and about as Campion put up another major from an impossible angle. Matching their ferocity, however, was Tiger mid-fielder Pedro “My Eye is Finally Healed” Jimenez who collected a tough ball at ground level and kicked a great goal on the run. Joe “I before E” Swierupski had good hands, taking a few contested marks across half back. Contesting those marks was Piranha Matt “Greedy” Reid who was a tough nut in defense. After one last goal for the Tigers by Danny “Snap-Shot” Yunes (2 goals), the scores were nearly even, favoring the Tigers by 1 point.

The second quarter again opened with 2 quick goals to the Piranhas’ stalwarts Frank “Bouncy” Bradley and Doug “Flashy” Malcolm, both of whom are showing lots of veteran leadership. Quinton “Mighty” McMillen and Garret Carragher (who kicked one goal on the night) provided plenty of run on the wings for the Fish. Getting a run in the midfield, much to the chagrin of his quads, Paul “Vienna” Meyer seemed to slot in nicely next to Eric “I Think I Can” Zukowski for the Tigers. Their clean hands led to two goals in the second quarter, one to forward Graham “Teddy” Brennan, and one to first year player, Alex “Wazza” Wallach. The two sides were evenly matched until the final four minutes of the quarter when two more goals went to the Piranhas (one to McKeegan and one to Woody) as they began to pull away.

The third quarter was a story of defenses… mostly that of the Piranhas. “Betty” Palmer crashed countless packs and one ankle while Dan “Ginger” Kastilahn simply denied any entry into the Tiger’s forward 50. Matt “Spidey” Webb looked the part as he spoiled Tiger Eric “Conny” Conway’s kick in the centre square. Nick “Gleaming” Glennon ran well and supported his comrades. David “Deutzy” Deutz and Joel “Benny” Bennett, provided lead after lead for the Piranhas. Had their kicking been straighter, it could have been blood bath, but the Piranhas only managed 1 goal 4 for the quarter, to the Tigers 1 Behind.

In an effort to stop the bleeding, Al “Forever 21″ MacGlashan moved into defense and looked really strong running through the center square. Piranhas Ruckman, Jason “Taps” Holmes was excellent and showed a deft touch at center bounces against Henry “Snoop” Knoop who was all over the ground. Paul “Gloves” Enzinger provided a good target for the Tigers, as well as Steven “Chappy” Chapman but it was to no avail. The real deal, though was Tim “Munster” Hermann for the Fish. All day long he seemed to find more space than anyone. The Piranhas ran out the victors 8.7.55 to the Tiger’s 5.4.34.

Blue Jacket (BOG): Tim Hermann
Oxford Landing Wine: Keith Campion
Golden Goose: Danny Yunes

Welcome back to Friday Night Footy at the Wavo! Tonight’s match saw the Wrigleyville Rhinos’ first match of the new season. Their targets were the Lincoln Park Piranhas who are coming off of a solid victory against the Tigers. 1600 people braved the conditions, ate their Meat Pies and enjoyed a great night of Football.

For two weeks in a row, the weather had turned from beautiful in the beginning of the week to a cold and wet weekend making for a slippery game of Footy. By the time Umpire Anthony “Razor” Hendrie got the center bounce all sorted, the rain had stopped. The first quarter was nearly a dead heat and saw some sloppy skills, but solid effort. Newcomer, Mark “Hightower” Appel released Ryan “Dodsy” Daudelin with a beautiful handball resulting in the first goal of the night to the Piranhas. Another first quarter standout was Rhino Alex “Neck Muscle” Wallach who continues to impress in his his rookie season. Right alongside him was fellow Rhino and reigning Metro MVP, Nolan “No-No” Schmelzer looking the task of defending his crown by slotting two goals. Adrian “Rocky” Deehan was quiet on the evening, but always seemed to find space and if the Rhinos can get him involved more, he’ll be a danger through the midfield. Though the teams were even in effort, the Pianhas kicked straighter resulting in a slight lead at the end of one. Wrigleyville: 2.1.13 to Lincoln Park: 3.0.18.

The second quarter saw the Piranhas turn up the heat a bit. Jason “Small Horse” Wilhelm was again dominant in the Ruck and supplied a beautiful kick to Keith “I’m Still Sad About Revis” Campion who kicked a beauty from the boundary for a major score early in the quarter. Unfortunately on the same play, Rhino Backman Russ “Rustoleum” Adams went down with a sore hamstring and left the game. Wrigleyville activated their sub and Drew “Wolfman” Wolfe came into the game and evened the match in the Ruck contests. Mike “Disco at the” Panek moved into the back line and added some much needed grit. Franky “Lanky” Bradley was good down back for the Piranhas and he shared the ball well with Dan “Not the Goose” Kahstilahn and Matt “Reidie” Reid who were both tough around the contest. Joey “Wiley” Kiley was outstanding amassing plenty of possessions and providing good run. He and Quinten “Q” MacMillan lead the field in the possession and really got Lincoln Park moving. At the end of two it was Wrigleyville 3.1.19 to Lincoln Park 5.1.31.

After the long break and a heavy spray from their Captain, the Rhinos put the pedal to metal. Al “Hinges” MacGlashan took a screamer from three deep and played on, allowing Eddie “size 10s” to kick a beautiful goal from 55 out. Pedro Jimenez looked solid and provided inside 50 after inside 50. Paul “Hot Dog Company” Meyer kicked one of the most beautiful behinds you’ll ever see and Nolan “Irish” McKeegan showed off his silky skills kicking three goals for the game. William “Well” Hyung looked up and about providing plenty of run, connecting with Josh “Tank” Stenger who spent last season sidelined with a knee injury. It wasn’t all Rhino’s though. Brandon “Fresh Airy” Harper looked fit while Tim “Goalsneak” Hermann also looked good. The Piranha’s third quarter, however could be summed up by Joel “the Goose” Bennett who took a beautiful mark in the goal square but prematurely played on, resulting in a holding the ball penalty. Going into the final quarter, the Rhinos lead the Fish 5.7.37 to 5.1.31

The fourth quarter was an entertaining one. The goal kicking started off with the Big Fella, Xavier “X” Burton launching one through the sticks from 30 out pushing the Rhinos further ahead. Betty Palmer was a stalwart in defense and provided some intense pressure on the Piranhas forwards. Jayson “Pep” Schmelzer never tired and collected a ton of the footy. Dougie “Eagle Eye” Malcolm took one high early in the quarter which enraged fellow Piranha Tyler “Minutes” Dorsett who took his aggression out on Rhino Eric “EZ” Zukowski. Zukowski was met solidly by Dorsett and took a little while to get back to his feet. At the final siren, it was the Piranha’s woes in front of goal that decided the outcome with the Rhinos coming out on top 7.7.49 to the Piranha’s 6.5.41.

On a side note, this game had some of the most beautiful boundary throw-ins seen in this hemisphere by an unknown Boundary Umpire who left before we could interview him. If anyone has any information, please let your administrator know.

Blue Jacket: Al MacGlashan
OLE Wine: Alex Wallach
Goose: Joel Bennett

Welcome back to another season of CAFA Metro Footy! We’re excited to get the season underway and boy did we ever. It was a blustery, cold and wet night at Waveland Oval where the Piranhas took on the reigning premiers, the Tigers. Could David slay the mighty Goliath on opening day? What a statement that would be. All In all, 28 men braved the conditions in a 14/side Mud Bowl on opening day. And it was a crackah.

Quarter one began in a downpour making for extremely slick and slippery conditions. From the moment Umpire Drakey McBurny tossed the first ball up, the taps were generally dominated by Piranha’s Ruckman, Jason “Pony Boy” Wilhelm, who was very good around the ground amassing the possessions and kicking two goals on the day. His opponent, Henry “Man Mountain” Knoop was able to win his own footy at ground level and was opportunistic kicking one of his own. Both midfields worked extremely hard; however it was The Piranha midfield that seemed to take the game on. Piranha Rover, “Keefer” Campion amassed 12 contested possessions in the opening two minutes, while Tigers Rover “EZ” Zukowski seemed comfortable back on the footy field. Both had solid games. The first quarter was a lot of rebounding off of half back. On Debut, and impressing, was Tiger Alex “Yeah, this Footy stuff is no problem” Wallach who showed good hands and a nose for the footy. Another solid contributor for the Piranhas was another Debutant in Tim “Don’t worry, I got this” Hermann, who kicked a goal. At the end of one, the Piranhas led Tigers 12-8.

By the time the second quarter started the rain had stopped but the slippery conditions continued, and prevailed. Coming out of the gate, the Piranha’s work at ground level was sloppy, yet they continued to pump the ball into their forward line through the tireless work of both Andrew “Sainty” St. James (who looked great, returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined him all last season) and Jason “Pep” Schmelzer. They seemed to be everywhere yet were consistently under pressure by the Tiger defense led by Al “Robo-Knee” MacGlashan who was leading by example from start to finish. Fellow Tiger backmen, Mike “Disco” Panek, and newcomer Rick “what do you mean we should have scored on ourselves?” Pasquesi were courageous defenders and their efforts led to a goalless quarter for the Piranhas who had plenty of opportunities but couldn’t capitalize. In the closing seconds of the first half, The Tigers nearly kicked a goal through an outstanding effort by last Season’s MVP, Russ “Rusty” Adams. Adams appeared to slot one on the run from 55, but instead the goal umpire believed it hit the post. the replays were apparently inconclusive and it went in the books as a minor score. The Piranhas hang on to the lead, 2.5.17 to 2.3.15.

The third quarter was much of the same for both sides. Piranhas utility Doug “Dougie” Malcolm was his usual combative self and word around town was he could be standing in front of the match review panel for his tackle on Tiger debutant Randy “Bells” Andrus. He was cleared, however, as the hit was deemed legal and without malice. Pedro “Pedro” Jimenez did some great work at ground level and looks to have had a great offseason while Tyler “Minutes” Dorsett provided a lot of forward pressure, putting his body on the line for the Fish. Another impressive pair of debutants, Quinten “Q,” and Joey “Joey” K, took a number of contested marks on the wing and provided some inspiration in what was an otherwise uneventful quarter which saw both teams kick 1.1 and they went into the final quarter at the same difference as the third. Goals to both David “Deutzy” Deutz, and Wallach. Piranhas lead by two: 3.6.24 vs 3.4.22.

Knowing the lead could be theirs, the Tigers turned on the burners, and had an outstanding opening to the 4th quarter. Not even the great goose, “DK” could contain Graham “Crackers” Brennan who was the main target up forward. He a great night racking up 4 goals and coming alive when his side needed him. Providing him the opportunities was reigning Metro MVP, Nolan “Wheels” Schmelzer who worked hard across half forward, but their efforts were not enough. David “Fitzy” Fitzgerald and his left foot finally got warmed up too and put the nail into the coffin after Joe “Grizzly Adams” Swierupski apparently forgot how to play football giving away the last of 37 free kicks for the evening. At the final siren, and after much deliberation and flip flopping, the umpires agreed the final score to be: 6.5.41 to 6.8.44 in favor of the Piranhas.

BOG (Blue Jacket) – Pony Boy
Oxford Landing – Alex Wallach
Swans Flag – Sainty
Golden Goose – DK