Gaelic Games kick off amidst rain

After days of fine Perth weather, anyone could have thought we were in Ireland as wind, rain and cooler temperatures descended on EFTel Oval for day one of the Gaelic Games for 2006.

First to brave the elements were the Queensland women and the Western Australian Black Swans, the second of two WA women’s teams entered in this year’s competition.

Champions in 2004 and runners-up last year, Queensland showed they are still a force to be reckoned with, taking a comfortable 2-9 (15) to 0-3 (3) win against the home side.

Queensland opened the scoring early with a number of overs, with new Irish recruit Grainne Heduan scoring the first goal of the championships to cement her side’s early lead.

While the Queenslanders showed smooth teamwork in attack, the WA side proved competitive and kept the ball coming back into their own territory, converting a number of attempts at goal to put themselves on the board.

However it was Queensland who held a 1-6 (9) to 0-2 (2) lead at halftime, putting the visitors in good stead for the rest of the game.

But as the sides ran on for the second half, the wind and rain kicked in to prove the main opponent for both sides, compounding the difficult and slippery conditions.

Queensland was first off the mark with a goal to midfielder Trish Brown, and the girls in red continued to hold the edge for the remainder of the game, despite both sides making numerous mistakes in the wet.

The Queensland women next face Victoria, while the Black Swans will play the other Western Australian women’s team, the defending champions from 2005.

The young Queensland senior side faced a tough task against the more experienced and defending champions New South Wales, who are aiming to be the first team in the history of the championships to take four consecutive titles.

New South Wales opened strongly, dominating territory and possession to establish themselves well on the scoreboard, with Garreth Walch, Barry Devine and Niall Cunningham each netting goals.

Queensland made some promising breaks, but were unable to follow through on their opportunities, although Cameron Carney managed to kick an over to put his side on the scoreboard just before half-time.

New South Wales held a commanding 5-10 (25) to 0-1 (1) lead at the break, but the Queensland side came out fighting in the second half, scoring the first points and keeping gameplay fairly even.

However, although the second half was a lower scoring one with Queensland making more plays, including some close attempts at goal and a skilful over by Adam Floreani, New South Wales retained its dominance to take the win with a final score of 6-19 (37) to 0-5 (5).

The next women’s match saw the defending champions and host side Western Australia take on Victoria in a low-scoring game.

WA came out hard and fast, going on the attack early and opening the scoring in style with a goal from the boot of Angie Doyle.

Despite WA maintaining most of the territory for the first half, the game remained fairly even, with Victoria fighting back well but failing to put points on the board.

Doyle continued to show her flair with another goal shortly before half-time, making the most of a stylish set-up by teammate Renae Campbell, to give the WA girls a solid lead 2-4 (10) to 0-0 (0) at half-time.

Victoria came back fighting in the second half, claiming back some territory and putting the pressure on WA, with Julia Boyle netting a penalty goal as well as kicking a one-pointer to put her side on the board.

Play continued fairly evenly but Doyle scored her second goal for the day to put WA ahead for the win, 3-4 (13) to 1-1 (4).

The game ended under a cloud as a nasty head-clash between WA’s Shelley Matchem and Victoria’s Shilette Baker saw both players exit the field, with Baker taken to hospital and in doubt to be fit for the rest of the week.

The final match of the day took place between the Western Australian and Victorian Senior sides.

The home side came out on top 3-8 (17) to 1-9 (12) in an exciting and close finish after Victoria held the lead at half-time, 1-4 (7) to 0-3 (3).

There was minimal scoring in the early stages of the game, with Eoin Quinn kicking a penalty goal for Victoria 15 minutes into the game to put his side ahead 1-1 (4) to 0-1 (1).

Victoria went on the attack in the final minutes of the first half to give themselves a reasonable lead, but it was all about Western Australia in the second half, who challenged the visiting side point for point after an Owen Murphy goal brought the scores to 1-4 (7) 1-5 (8).

The score see-sawed in the final quarter of the game in a nail-biting finish, but it was WA who delivered the goods as Owen Murphy kicked his second goal for the day, followed shortly after by another WA goal, knocked in by Daniel Jennings, to give the home side the win at the final whistle.

WA’s Colm McHugh missed out on any three-pointers but sent the ball over the bar four times to make a significant contribution for his team, while Eoin McLintock also played well for the home side.

Paddy O’Farrell was also a stand-out player for the Victorian side, in a key role at centre halfback, keeping the visitors in the game until the very end.

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Western Australia hosts Australasian Gaelic Games (Tues Oct 3)