We’re playing at Wimbledon’s home ground, in Motspur Park. It’s an easy train ride from Waterloo / Clapham Junction / Wimbledon. The ground is (impressively) called the Sir Joseph Hood Memorial Recereation Ground. Jump off the train at Motspur Park station, cross over the main road which is West Barnes Lane, and walk down Marina Avenue which ends at the grounds. It’s a 5 minute walk at most.

Teams:

1st grade: Kick off at 3pm, be there to watch the Thirsty 3rds and ALL players to be there for a team meeting at 1:30pm (half time in the earlier game)
- Steveo, Juddy, Doyley, Lello, Dom, Jakey, Gilly, Brodie, Hammer, Levi, Freo, Joely, Irish, Bear, Canada, Whitey, JT, Marty Plews, Taity-180, Yank Tank, Ian McN, Champ, Tom Carpenter, Timmy Smith

Thirsty 3rd Grade: Kick off at 1:30pm, be there at 12:30 please.
- B-Rad, G-Mac, Snowy, Jack, Fabulous, Billy, Booty, Richy M, Jason Kelly, Jonny Drennan, Justin, Paul Nicol, Chrissy Rea, Stobes, Skewsey, Koops, Occa, Bumper, Aiden, Dom C, Mike O’Donnell, Juan, Evan, Des, Damo, Mad Franky, Lout, any others?

1st grade: 8.7 were defeated by the Cats 12.8

It was a very different 1st grade Lions team that took the field this week, and while the Wildcats have swept all before them so far this year, our coaches were confident that we had the side to cause them some probs.

It took the Lions a bit of settling, what with the large Doyle and Bunny sized gaps in the backline. The Cats got 2 quick goals on the board before Coach Irish and Lello at FB and CHB respectively sorted things out. From that point on the opening quarter was a struggle, with neither side breaking clear. With a breeze at our backs for the 2nd, big Dom and Gilligan the Pig started to get their hungry mitts on the ball. 2 quick goals to the Lions evened things up, before another close quarter saw the Wildcats 1 goal in front at half time.

The 3rd quarter was a cracker, with both sides kicking goals. the Lions were getting plenty of inside 50′s, yet goals just seemed a touch harder to come by. Jimmy Talbot slotted a cracker from the boundary line, however at the final change the Cats had snuck out to a handy 5 goal lead. While the Lions came home hard in the final, and the ball spent most of the quarter in our attacking half, we just couldn’t get the goals on teh board. The final margin could have been a lot closer, if a few things had tipped in our favour.

Best players: Shtevo Shtevenson, Brodes, Lello, Jimmy T

2nd Grade: Lions 7.7 lost to Raiders 14.7

Having gone down to the Raiders by 2 miserable points in the Grand Final back in 2012, the Lions were keen to have a crack at the team that was won about 1000 grand finals and is the clear benchmark of this competition. Like 1st grade, it was a very different Lions team this week versus last , however that didn’t show on the field as we quickly took it up to the Raiders in a fast paced game of footy that saw the Lions with their nose slightly in front at quarter time.

Unfortunately we dropped the bag slightly in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. While continuing to compete well and control the ball when we had possession, the Raiders proved again that they can score goals quickly and their mid field got on top. We found ourselves about 8 goals down at the start of the final quarter and with all the work to do. We had a breeze at our backs the Lions came home strong, scoring several goals in the final quarter and more than matching the Raiders.

Best players were Matty Halacas, Jimmy Boot, Bryce Koop and Justin Gauci.

3rd grade: were given a bit of a touch up by the Emu’s

We started the day undermanned, but with a few last minute arrivals and ring ins, the Lions gave the Emu’s a decent challenge. Unfortuantely they kicked a bag of goals in the 1st and 4th quarters, but in the middle of the game the Lions more than took it up to them. It’s been a tough season to date for the Thirsty 3rd’s, however we now face a string of winnable games and so the lads are planning a mid-season run at the top half of the table.

The Wilcats play their home games at a place called Barn Elms. It’s actually along the river just west of Putney, and so the easiest way to get there is to aim for the South side of the river, and the foot of Putney Bridge. Then just turn west and walk along the Embankment road until it turns into a running track. The ground is behind the tree’s on your left.

Getting into the ground can be tricky, as not all gates are always open. Normally if you keep walking along the river you will come to a boat club, and there is a gate next door that is sometimes open (or they might let you through the Club). IF not, keep following the river until you come to an entrance. Worst case scenario you have to walk all the way around the park to the main entrance on the Barnes side. It’s a pain if you need to do this – might be worth climbing the fence. As an alternative, get the bus from Hammersmith station going via Barnes, and hop off at the Red Lion stop. That’s just near the main entrance on the Barnes side.

1st Grade: Playing Wildcats at Putney at 3pm – Steveo, Lello, Billy Z, Joely, Gilly, Geoff Edwards, Dom Dunne, Brodie, Hammer, Matty Freo, Levi, Stobes, Irish, Bear, Canada, Conor O’Malley, Morgan C, Marty Plews, Welsh Doug, Yank Tank, Champ, Taity 180, Luka, Timmy Smith (Emerg. Jimmy Hampson)

2nd Grade: Playing Raiders at 1pm – Don Maynard, Evo, Juddy, Doug, Booty, Pres, J-Lo, St. Kilda, Adam Berry, Koops, Occa the Pigeon, Justin, Struggers, Paul Nicol, Johnny Drennan, Rupert, Big Ed, Tim, Franky V, Skewesey

Thirsty 3rds: Playing Emu’s at 11:30am sharp – Dogg, Ryan F, Lout, Dotty, Cormac, Depp, Damo, Biscuits (+1), Friendy, Aiden, Bumper, Matty Bogle, B-Rad, Tom Curtain, Damien Kanak, Billy Ling, anyone else we’ve missed?

1st and 2nd grades are at home at Bounds Green. Thirsty 3rds are away in Reading (but have the infamous David Boon ‘how many beers can I drink between Reading and London’ Challenge to look forward to on the return journey).

We’ll all be catching up in the evening at The Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, hopefully to celebrate some big wins.

1sts: Versus Putney, playing at Bounds Green, all players to be there for the 2nds game:

Stevo, Brodie, Bunny, Lello, Jake, hammer, Joel, Geoff Edwards, nick Whitmore, freo, skewesy, Dom, Bear, Morgs C, Canada, plewsy, JT, JD, Ian McNic, Tim Smith, Champ, Chissy, Whitey,

2nd Grand: Versus Putney, playing at Bounds Green and all players to be there for Midday:

Fabs, Chris r, Judd r, snowy, boot, St kilda, koops, Tim, Justin, Franky V, Big Ed, Gilly, Keebs, Justin, Fatty, Doug, Levi, Aiden, Ev, Luka, Mad Franky, Toby,

3rd Grade: Versus Reading and Putney (triple header!), playing at Reading. All players to meet Coach Dogg at Paddington Station at 11:30am

Dog, Friendly Friendy, Brad little, biscuits, Lout, Jimmy Logan, Matty Alexander, Rich Oakes, Rich May, Adam Lawrence, Paddy Browne, Mark McDowell, Ryan Fortuna, Paul Nicol, The Hoff, Bumper, Mick G, Barak, Mick G’s mates, Nick W, Niels,

For those at Bounds Green – as always, the café and BBQ will be running. It’s free Pimms for the ladies (until it runs out) and the weather is supposed to be OK so drag some spectators along also.

Following the big triple header away to West London in Putney, we’ll be hitting the boat for a big night out. The DJ is booked, as well as some live music. The bar will be serving ridiculously cheap drinks all night, and we’ll keep on keeping on until sometime around Midnight (a little later if we can convince the Captain). If the stories that came out of the previous 2 boat cruises aren’t enough to get you on board this one, then nothing will be.

Please note, tickets are strictly capped at 65 total. Therefore it’s going to be better and easier for everyone if you buy your tickets in advance. If you wait until the evening there is every chance you won’t get on the boat – as we expect this one to sell out. You can buy tickets NOW via the Lions Store. Just click the link on the menu above.

Please stick to 2 tix per person to ensure most people have a chance to get on board.

Training goes ahead tonight (Thursday), and also both Tues and Thurs next week as per normal. However you can take the weekend off to do whatever you would like. We’ll be back at Bounds Green the following weekend for a HUGE game againg the Putney Magpies

1st Grade: Lions 12:12 edged by the Demons 12.17 in the last few minutes of the game.

A harsh result, given we led the entire game until the last 2 minutes, and played the entire final quarter with no bench. However it was also a game where we didn’t put the Demons away when the opportunities were there to do so, and so we’ve no one to blame. Overall the coaches were happy with the effort and the improvement over the effort in Round 1.

The Lions started the game brilliantly, dominating the ball in the middle of the ground and delivering it into big Jake at Full Forward. Pooley and Hammer were everywhere, and Lello was proving to be a right nuisance at CHF. 4 goals to 1 on the scoreboard at quarter time perhaps meant we were guilty of thinking the job was half done at quarter time. The second quarter saw the Demons pile on the pressure, and claw their way back to almost level at half time. They’d realised that the big man in the goal square was going to be a hand full, and Jake found himself with 2 or 3 opponents to beat each time we went forward. Our midfield pressure had dropped, and Doyley and Irish in the backline were under siege.

After half time we started to get our mojo back, and thinks were looking quite good until Coach Irish placed his beg melon in front of a contest and wound up in an ambulance with a neck injury. Understandably that caused havoc with the team structure, and combined with a few other minor injuries we found ourselves going into the last quarter with a 10 point lead but no bench.

The job was there to be done, and while Jake snagged the first goal of the quarter to give us a 16 point lead, slowly the Demons started chipping away at us. Lions were going down everywhere with cramp, and while we kept our noses in front a goal to the Demons with only a couple of minutes remaining saw them take the lead.

Best players for the Lions were Doyley, Pooley, Jake the Snake and Plewsy.

The goal kickers were led (again) by Jake with 4 big ones.

2nd Grade: Lions 7.7 defeated by Demons 9.9

A very different Lions side to Round 1 took the field, and welcomed back several key members of last years’ team. While the lads were obviously a bit rusty and still figuring things out, it was a much improved showing against a very strong Demons team.

The standard of play in the first half was high, with the ball moving quickly and skills quite good. Skewesy started the game in the middle and quickly set about stirring up the Demons, while the big Stuggler at full forward took a couple of early marks.
Things were neck and neck until the third quarter, when the Demons knocked through 5 or 6 quick goals to break the game open a little. To their credit the Lions didn’t give up, and the final quarter was a cracker as we tried to claw back the Demons lead.
Unfortunately the final siren came a little too quickly, however the Lions will be looking forward to a rematch in a few weeks’ time.

Best players included: The Boot, Koops, Big Ed, Stobes and Franky V

3rd Grade: The Lions 4.4 went down to the Demons 9.9

It was one of those weeks where the SOS call went out to the Lions to help fill a 3rd grade side hit by people travelling or being called up to 2nd grade. The good news was that plenty of lads answered, and so we got a side of 14 out on the pitch and ready to play.

The first half was an absolute cracker, and whereas the Demons on their 20+ players may have though they were in for an easy day, instead they found themselves in a real fight and things were all tied up at half time. Brad Little was proving a handful up forward, while Richy Oakes, new player Justin and the evergreen Micky Friend were on top in the middle.

As might be expected, weight of numbers and fresh legs took a toll as the game went on, however the Lions were far from disgraced and with a full team back on the field next time around should be confident of taking the win. A great effort by all involved.

Best players: Micky Friends, Matt Alexander, Richy Oakes, Gustin Gauci.

1st GRADE: Playing at 3pm, be there for 1pm latest

Canada, Irish, Marty Plews, JT, Doyle, Zane, Ian Mcnic, Pooley, Morgs Clem, Midda, Lello, Jase Rand, Jimmy H, Jake the Snake, Whitey, Hawker, Joel, Hammer, Levi, Nick Whitmore, Freo, JD, Mad Franky, Goodey

2nd GRADE: Playing at 1pm, be there for 3rd grade at 11:30am

Boot, Ev, Koops, Juddy, Prez, St Kilda, Stobes, Azza, Geoofry, Struggler, Fabs, Big Ed, Franky V, Skewesy, The Don, Doug, Dave the Rave, Paul Nicol, Luka, Niels S,

3rd GRADE: Playing at 11:30am, get there early (no later than 11am)

Friendly Friendy, B-Rad, Rich Oakes, Fatty, Biscuits, Bumper, Aiden Fernandez, Justin, Lout, Sean M, Jack Peckal, Tim James, Rich Gibson, Paddy Browne, Richy May, any others…

This is the first time the two clubs have faced off since the famous 1 point Lions victory in the 2012 Grand Final, and so there will be plenty on the line. The Lions have a win already this year, while the Demons are hunting their first victory. Expect fireworks and plenty of action in all 3 games!

As always, home games at Bounds Green also mean the biggest BBQ in London, beers and drinks on sale at the Cafe, plus free drinks for all ladies that come along to watch (or at least until the Pimms runns out!)

Spread the word and lets make sure we get a huge crowd of Lions along to support the lads. For those that haven’t been there, we play at Albert Road Rec at Bounds Green. It’s an easy ride on the Picadilly Line, and then a short walk down Albert Road to the ground.

Here’s hoping for plenty of sunshine, but the marquee’s will be up if we do get a little rain.

3rds grade kicks off at 11L30am, 2nds at 1pm, and 1sts at 3pm.

Afterwards everyone is welcomed back to the Bloomsbury Lanes at Russel Square, where we’ll kick on and (hopefully) finish up the huge celebrations.

We had Lions going in all directions last Saturday, with 1st and 2nd grade playing in deepest darkest Shoreditch, while the Thirsty 3rds were playing in even deeper and darker Peckham. With the normal list of unavailable players to deal with, the Lions were quietly happy with the 3 squads we’d managed to get together, and were hopeful of some strong results.

1st Grade: DEFEATED THE SWANS 16.9.105 to 4.6.30

A new look Lions team took the field for the first time since the AFL London Grand Final win in 2012. It didn’t take the lads long to pick up where they left off however, and after a slow-ish start against the breeze on the tiny shoreditch pitch they clicked into gear and dominated possession. Big Jake at full forward benefited from some great work by the midfield, while Doyle oN half back had about 1000 possessions. Special mention to our non-Aussie players, including first gamers Champ and Boobs who showed that we’ll have one of the stronger non-Aussie squads in the comp this year.

Best players: Big Doyle, Jake the Snake, Champ, Pooley, Brodes

Goals: Jake the Snake – 7 sausage rolls

2nd Grade: DEDEFEATED THE SWANS BY 15 POINTS

First game of the year the 2s and after a slow start and the back line tightening up we hit our form and took control of the game.

The second and third quarters saw new comers come out of their shells and show their skills. With Juddy Rea and The Fossil (Kinga) running the balls out of the back line, and up forward young Stobaus turned it on with a few goals. Levi was his usual dominant self in the middle and Matty Freo was stopping the ball with everything he had (hands, feet and head)

Going into the Last quarter we had a commanding lead. A few late injuries meant we slowed up to win by only 15 points. However a great first win by the boys and the team will only get stronger with several players due back for next week.

Best players: Levi, Freo, Big Ed, Juddy

Goals: Fabs – 4, Geeooooffry – 3

3RD GRADE: LOST TO THE GIANTS BY 30 POINTS

The thirsty thirds were sent to deepest, darkest Saaaarrrf London to take on the Giants who in the off-season have decided to throw their weight around in the Social division instead of Conference. At 17 Lions strong, the boys took to the field to carry the great form they took into last years finals. Unfortunately, with a number of players new to the game the Giants jumped the gun and took a strong early lead into the first quarter break.

With a few inspiring words from Captain and Coach, the boys got back out there and matched the Giants in the second quarter and beat them in the third and fourth despite losing all three members of the bench to injury and even a wedding… (special mention to the Foo who played half a game with what turned out to be a broken neck!)

The boys come away from the game with a lot of positives to work with, especially first gamers putting their hand up with some outstanding individual efforts from the likes of Toby and Jack. Best – Marty Plews, B-rad Little, Paddy Browne, Biscuits and Paul Nicol.

1st and 2nd grades are playing at Shoreditch, versus the Swans. The ground is at Ply Park, a 10 minute walk from Old Street tube station.

3rd grade is playing the Giants away at Peckham. While it is a tad off the normal tube lines, it’s easy to reach, and probably best if guys try to travel together. Get in touch with Coach Dogg for more details.

Squads are as follows:

1st GRADE: Versus Swans, kick off at 3pm, be there for the 2nds at 1pm latest
Bear, Adsy, Morgs Canada, Taity 180, Doyley, Jimmy Talbot, Pooly, Whitey, Jase Rand, Midda, Chissy, Jake, Champ, Brodie, Stevo, Hammer, Joely, Lello, Billy Zane, Neils, Jimmy Hampson

2nd GRADE: Versus Swans, kick off at 1pm, be there at Midday latest – Evan, Fatty, Luca, Mad Frankie, Juddy , Snowy, Occa, Ralphy, Matty St.K, Freo, Dom, Geoff Edw, Big Easy, Fabs, Levi, Aiden Fernandez, Kinga, Dom Colyer, Mike O’Donnell, Jaryd Stobaus, Doug Strauss

3rd GRADE: Versus Giants, kick off at Midday so be there at 11am – Dogg, Biscuits, Mick Friend, Paddy Browne, Mick Gallagher, B-rad Little, Tim James, Jack Peckal, Toby, Shaun, Ryan McSorely, Billy Ling, Paul Nicol, Richy May, Barak, Tony Foo, Joe, Nic, Ryan, Tom, Jason Kelly,

If you are available and your name isn’t listed above, there’s a very good chance you’ve been left out by accident, either because we didn’t know you were available… or we just forgot. Don’t be offended, but do let us know ASAP that you can play and we’ll get you on the field.

DIRECTIONS:

Ply Park (1st and 2nd grade): take the Northern Line to Old street station. Exit the tube and walk north on City Road. Veer to the right after approx. 100m onto and follow for approx. 500m. Ply Park is on your right, sandwiched neatly between numerous large council flats.

Peckham Common (3rd grade): Take the train from London Bridge (or Victoria), heading for Peckham Rye (or East Dulwich). If you get off at Peckham Rye, turn right out of the station and keep following Rye Lane all the way down to the common. Approx 15 mins walk. If you get off at East Dulwich, turn right out of the station and follow Grove Lane to the Roundabout. Turn left (along Goose Green), and follow until you see Peckham Common on your right. Approx 10 – 15 mins walk. Change rooms and the ground are next to the café and car park in the middle of the park.

After the games, meet back at the Bloomsbury Lanes

1. May 11th: Lions Vs Swans (1sts + 2nds) and South East London Gians (3rds) – ALL AWAY
2. May 18th: Lions Vs Demons (1sts, 2nds + 3rds) – ALL HOME

BYE: May 25th (long weekend)

3. Sat June 1st: Lions VS Putney (1sts + 2nds) AT HOME. 3rds AWAY at Reading (playing Reading and Putney)
4. June 8th: Lions Vs West London (1sts, 2nds and 3rds) – ALL AWAY
5. June 15th: Lions Vs Wimbledon (1sts + 3rds) – AWAY (2nds have a Bye)
6. June 22nd: Lions Vs Swans (1sts + 2nds) and Giants (3rds) – ALL AT HOME
7. June 29th: Lions Vs Demons (1sts, 2nds + 3rds) – ALL AWAY

BYE: July 2 (Brit Cup)

8. July 13th: Lions Vs West London (1sts, 2nds + 3rds) – ALL AT HOME
9. July 20th: Lions Vs Wimbledon (1sts + 3rds) – HOME (2nds have a Bye)
10. July 27th: Lions Vs Putney (1sts, 2nds + 3rds) – ALL AWAY

Finals week 1: Sat Aug 3rd / Sun Aug 4th

Finals weeks 2: Sat Aug 10th

Grand final: Sat Aug 17th

It seems a long time since that Sunday way back in January, when 20 Lions turned out in 3 inches of snow for the first training session of the year. Since then we’ve seen rain, more snow, cold weather, more snow, a tiny bit of sunshine one weekend somewhere in February, more snow and finally (this week) full blown summer and sun tans at training. Through it all numbers have remained steady, and with a bit of warmth of late and the switch to Tues / Thurs training, we’re finally hitting 35 or 40+ each session and things are really picking up.

Along the way We have also managed pre season trips to Birmingham for Boot Camp, and also Zagreb for a game of footy against the Croatian National Team, which turned out to be the largest and most physical aussie rules team on earth.

And so here we are, only 2 weeks out from the first games of the Season. If you haven’t managed to get to many training sessions, make sure you hit a couple between now and Round 1, as the coaches are pulling together game squads already and with numbers looking strong there is more chance you’ll end up starting at full back rather than full forward…

As always, new Lions are always welcome, so drag along those guys who told you during a night out on tbe booze a while back that they were awesome and would definitely play footy this year.

Round 1 the Lions are playing AWAY, at Shoreditch in 1sts and 2nds versus the Swans, whie 3rd grade is down in deepest darkest South East London playing the Giants at Peckham. Afterwards we’ll all reconvene at the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes to share exaggerated stories about how great we were.

Our friends down at Clapham Common (the Demons) have managed to get a ground to play on, and so we are heading down there on Saturday to play a friendly scratch match. It’s the last chance you’ll have to get a bit of proper match fitness in before Round 1, and the impress the Coaches with how sharp and silky your skills are. So make sure you get along and get a quarter or two of game time under your belt.

Everyone is welcome, and we’ll play with mixed squads of 1st / 2nd / 3rd grade players. Everyone that shows up will definitely get a run, and we’ll just rotate players as necessary. New players (and beginners) particularly should try to get there.

It’s all happening tomorrow (Saturday 27th April), and kick off will be on Clapham Common at 1pm sharp. Try to get there for Midday to allow time to wander around the Common trying to find the game. For those who played there last year it will be in the same spot (aim for the Bandstand in the centre of the common, then turn right). For those that haven’t been there, just get the tube to Clapham Common on the Northern Line and head directly out onto the Common as per the map below.

IF ANYONE HAS A SPARE LIONS JUMPER (BLACK AND RED) PLEASE BRING ALONG WITH YOU TO THE GAME

It’s only 6 weeks until Round 1, meaning you have only 12 training sessions to get yourself match fit and ready to go.

Duck out of work on time and get to Regents Park. You’ll find the Lions near the Hub each Tuesday and Thursday evening. Training will begin with warm ups at 6pm sharp, so do make an effort to get there on time. Particularly early in the year when we have a limited amount of daylight to play with.

For those attending training for the first time, aim for the Hub (a round cafe on a small hill in the middle of the sporting fields). It’s in the Northern part of the park, amongst the cricket ovals. It’s marked on all the maps at the entrances to the station, and the closest tube stations are Baker St, or Great Portland St.

As well as a grand final winning design (arguably looking much better than the opposition was what got us over the line by 1 point last year), this little number is sure to make you stand out at training wherever you may be.

The kit is in Australia for the next couple of weeks, so if you are in Aus and would like one let us know ASAP and we’ll sort payment and post you one from there.

If you are in the UK just hold your horses a little bit longer and we’ll sort you out the moment it gets here.

Email us now at info@aussierules.co.uk if you’d like one.

As always, those Lions that front up their cash early will get awway with a blinding deal in Season 2013. However the cut off is the Easter long weekend – only a couple of days away. If you pay your membership before the end of the long weekend, it will cost you only £40 (and including a free Lions training singlet)

That’s £10 less than your more tardy team mates will have to pay from next week onwards, so make sure your wallet is one just a fraction heavier than theirs later on, and PAY UP NOW!

Paypal, credit or debit card will do the trick, just follow the directions in the Lion Store using the link above.