Riverview remain unbeaten in Harbour Swans Cup Gala Day
The Sydney Harbour Under 16’s Swans Cup saw teams representing the Inner West, North Shore, Northern Beaches, Eastern Suburbs and North West come to ELS Hall Park, North Ryde.
For some players it was their first taste of AFL football and for others it was another excellent opportunity to display their footballing abilities.
After weeks of rain, the prevailing conditions were perfect for football. Each team played four games through which spectators saw screaming marks, roosting kicks, tough, fair bumps and a lot of talent.
After the round-robin of games had been played, it became apparent that Riverview and Holy Spirit were the teams to beat. However, St Paul’s, Manly and Castle Hill H.S. weren’t going to go down without a shout.
The semi-finals were played between Holy Spirit and St. Paul’s, which was won 6.5.41 to 4. 1.25 in a hot contest by Holy Spirit who did not have any experienced AFL campaigners among them. The other semi-final saw Riverview get over the top of Castle Hill H.S., with both teams displaying a great level of skill and sportsmanship.
A highlight of the day was the game played between Reddam House, Woolahra and Redlands College. Both teams were unable to garner a win throughout the day, but in high spirits and reminiscent of both teams’ good sportsmanship they decided to play a scratch match, to give the boys yet another opportunity to play AFL.
The grand final of the Sydney Harbour Under 16’s Swans Cup, saw AFL powerhouse St. Ignatius, Riverview, come up against relative newcomer, Holy Spirit, Lakemba. In a tough contest, which saw silky skills and commitment to the football, scores were level at half-time. While, Riverview went on to win the game fairly comfortably 7.6.43 to Holy Spirit’s 1.4.10, special note must be made of Holy Spirit’s valiant effort.
Both teams will now go on to represent Sydney Harbour in the Under 16’s Northern NSW Swans Cup Semi-Final Gala Day on the 17th of August.
Next Wednesday, 16th of June sees the Sydney Harbour Under 14’s Swans Cup Gala Day at Timberall Park, Five Dock, which is sure to be another great advertisement for the game of Australian football.