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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

Well we’re well and truly into Preseason 2013 with only a few weeks to go before we start our Metro Season in May. Numbers so far have been very encouraging with many new faces as well as a few of the older ones coming back to see what’s left in their tanks.

The less than fabulous Chicago Spring weather may have slightly dampened the field at Waveland but it certainly hasn’t done the same to the enthusiasm shown by the Swans on the track.  We’ve been able to take advantage of the open ground to work on full ground ball exercises while adding to our base fitness in this early stage of the season.

A couple of big “Atta boys” to Pony Boy on his recent Revolution selection and also to Super Dave Grzesiak on his most impressive results at the AFL Combine in LA this week.  We congratulate you both on your fantastic achievements.

If you haven’t signed up for Metro please contact Metro Comish’ Brian Hoyt (vp@chicagofooty.com) – hopefully he’ll check his email – and let him know you’re in.  Not long to go with May 3rd as the kick-off round for 2013.  This is when the real fun starts.

Also Saturday, April 27th the Chicago Swans will be hosting an ANZAC Day celebration at Bar Forza.  A replay of the Swans vs St Kilda match played in New Zealand will be televised…and possibly the Pies victory over the Bombers if time permits. For the drinkers.. $38 gets you all the draft beer, Oxford Landing Estates wine and well drinks you can handle from 9pm to midnight. $4 Cooper’s all night is also up for grabs.

If you haven’t already join us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news and updates.  If you think you might want to join us for a kick come on down and see what it’s all about.

We’ve only just started…but already 2013 looks to be a huge year as we begin our journey to Austin in October.

Cheer, cheer the Red and the White.

The USAFL held a training camp in Los Angeles back in March to build the USAFL Revolution squad for the upcoming 49th Parallel Cup between the US and Canada in August and looking forward to the 2014 International Cup in Australia.  Our own Jason “Ponyboy” Wilhelm took part and recently received notice that he has been selected on the USAFL Revolution squad.  This marks a busy year for Jason as he spent last summer in Western Australia honing his skills with the Gingin Eagles and returning in time to help Chicago secure victory in the USAFL National Division III competition.

Club legend Al Macglashan had this to say, “The enthusiasm and effort shown from Jason the past couple of seasons has been second to none. His hard work and personal sacrifice has paid off and has been duly rewarded with his National selection.”

From Pony himself, “This accomplishment is only the start of something great, not only for myself but for footy in Chicago as well. I plan on being a major part of our team not only this year but many more years to come, and I am always going to think of myself as a Swan first, and a Revo next! … I would have never accomplished this feat without all of you that have helped me learn this game over the years, and a big special thanks to Coach Hendrie and Al MacGlashan for aiding in my growth as a player and as a representative to the sport”

The club congratulates our newest USAFL Revolution squad member, Jason “Ponyboy” Wilhelm.

The Chicago Swans will be hosting an ANZAC Day celebration at Bar Forza on Saturday 27th April (9pm start). A replay of the Swans vs St Kilda match played in New Zealand will be televised.

$38 (includes tip) and gets you all the draft beer, Oxford Landing Estates wine and well drinks you can handle from 9pm to midnight. $4 Cooper’s all night is also up for grabs.

Footy on the big screens, beers and good company… what more do you need!

As we awake from another delightful midwest winter, it is time to look forward to the footy season.  We have a lot to build on after last years victory at the USAFL Nationals Tournament and there is a lot going on and off the field this year:

» The season schedule has been released.  You can view the full season schedule via the “events” tab above.
» Pre-season training kicks off the first week of April… I bet everyone’s hamstrings are looking forward to kicking a footy after a long winter.
» This year the CAFA will be throwing an ANZAC Day event.  Details about that are on the website.

To all the players, make sure you are working on your base fitness and spreading the recruitment message to all your mates.  Sure they may be the king of the 16-inch softball diamond but maybe its time to man up and give footy a try!?

Stay tuned for updates on the season and the club… make sure you “like” ChicagoFooty on facebook.  Folllow @ChicagoFooty on twitter and check the website regularly.