SD Lions took on the Dallas Magpies in their final game of their regular season.  It was the return match from their season opener, and it promised to be a good solid clash.  As this was the last game of the season, prior to the National Championships, the Lions wanted to ensure that they hit their straps and played the brand of footy that they have become accustomed to.

The weather was fine, the ground prepared, and the crowd was ready for some exciting footy.  Umpires Cannane and Hanton were officiating, the ball held aloft and we were under way.  The first bounce was won by Pills but 10 seconds later the Magpies had flown away with the first goal of the match.  Shell shocked, the Lions regrouped and tore into the game and started to take control.  Except for a 5 minute lapse at the end of the quarter, the Lions dominated around the ground, and went into the break with a 7 point lead.  A few areas were addressed at the quarter time break and a goal was set of keeping the Magpies goalless and kicking a minimum of 5 goals.  The Lions stuck to the plan and executed the quarter perfectly kicking 7 goals 2 behinds to zero, which had the Lions in a commanding position at the half time break.  Score was Lions 11 goals 4 behinds 70 points to Magpies 3 goals 1 behind 19 points.  The half was dominated by some great marking and kicking from Justin “JV” Valley, some goal sneaking by Julian and some excellent work in defense by Brandon Blankenship and Brett “Viking” Ullman.

The half time break saw some positional changes, and the Lions took to the field wanting to continually improve on the first 2 quarters. The backline was again dominant holding the Magpies to 1 goal, while the forwards were again able to take control kicking another 4 goals.  Once again the strength of Justin Valley proving to be nothing but trouble for the opposition.  At the 3 quarter time break, the scores were Lions 15.7.97 to Magpies 4.4.28.

The weather started getting colder, the ball a bit slippery from the dew, and the players were getting weary but the Lions again had a challenge to fight off the Magpies.  The last quarter saw the Magpies throw everything they had at the Lions, and they never once gave up the battle.  The quarter saw the battle of the defenses, with both teams scoreless at the 10 minute mark.  The Lions kicked a goal to break the ice, quickly followed by a Magpie goal.  The Lions were able to hold off a further Magpie attack by some great defensive work, and kicked the last goal of the evening.  A great hard fought match saw the Lions finishing with another victory, and ending their season with the perfect 12-0 record.  With the National Championships just around the corner, the Lions should be positioned to have a stand up showing in Vegas.

Final scores

SD 17.7.109

Dallas 5.4.34

Goal Kickers

Justin Valley 6, Julian Heppekausen 3, Andy Scott 2, Aaron Nelson 2, Todd Conway 2, Daniel Robertson and Chris Richmond 1.

Best Players

JV, Viking, Pills, Richo and Brando

Injuries

Simon Shank – thigh, Andy Scott – beak (face mark) and Todd Conway – bruised ribs (attempting a chest mark)

Players Player

Justin Valley

Board Award

Lee Webb

Special thanks to the following players:

Josh Frazer, Lee Webb, Ash Hollick and Aaron Conway

Last weekend saw the SD Lions host and win the Western Regional II title by finishing with a perfect 4-0 record.

A well run weekend saw the SD Lions host the WRII tournament in La Jolla, CA.  Perfect weather, Aussie food and beer, and some great footy was enjoyed by a crowd of 300+ over the 2 days.  The tournament featured some of the best teams in the west compete on both Saturday and Sunday with the results effecting their 2006 National rankings.  The Denver Bulldogs, Arizona Hawks, OC Bombers and a combined team from the Seattle Grizzlies and the Vegas Gamblers all played in some tough and well fought games of footy.  Each team playing 2 games on Saturday and 2 games on the Sunday, in USFooty tournament style, was the perfect prelude to the National Championships in October.  The SD Lions won the tournament finishing with a perfect 4-0 record, which was not easy to say the least.  The record for the weekend was as follows:

SD Lions 4-0

Denver Bulldogs 3-1

Arizona Hawks 1-3

OC Bombers 1-3

Vegas/Seattle 1-3

MVP of the tournament went to Rossy from the OC Bombers, who played fantastic in every game and was well deserved of the title.  Most Consistent went to Freddy from the SD Lions, who time and time again dominates the center.  Well done both players.

Congratulations to all clubs for their participation and efforts over the weekend, it was one of the best weekends of footy in a long time.  And a HUGE thanks to the SD Lions ladies for all their efforts in setting up the concession stands and ensuring that everyone was well fed and hydrated……

SD Lions match reports will follow….

Welcome to the new guys to the club...Jack, Troy, Tristen and Justin.  Also, it was great to see Rick back.  2006 will be a great year for us, no doubt.

Training will continue this weekend, on SUNDAY at Del Mar.  We will be leaving the meeting point at 10am sharp!!!

Training the following week will be on Saturday, as the Superbowl is on Sunday.  10am at Del Mar.

We will be constantly updating the website with training times and locations, as well as all the social events, so please go ahead and register on the site.

2006 will be the year of the LION.