More importantly, a party of sorts was thrown in the Demons honour at Deaf Jam [...]]]> Just a quick acknowledgement of the fact that Port Malmö had their ass handed to them by the Wandsworth Demons in a pre-season hit-out at Limhamn on 20th March. Score escapes me but it was about a 40-point margin.

More importantly, a party of sorts was thrown in the Demons honour at Deaf Jam before the boys kicked on to the discotheque. This was a roaring success on all fronts. Huge thanks to all involved on the day!

The second installment of the back-to-back Skåne derby went much the same way as the first. Port Malmö overpowered Helsingborg who, whilst  more competitive thanks the return of Barté, De Nartris and the addition of IC physio Sweeney in a guest appearance, still struggle to [...]]]> Helsingborg 2.10 (22) defeated by Port Malmö 16.13 (109)

The second installment of the back-to-back Skåne derby went much the same way as the first. Port Malmö overpowered Helsingborg who, whilst  more competitive thanks the return of Barté, De Nartris and the addition of IC physio Sweeney in a guest appearance, still struggle to kick goals and unfortunately give up goals for fun at the back. Defensive talisman Roger Nilsson is sorely missed.The wet ball made playing territorial football key and Port Malmö were quite simply much better at it. The Saints forrays in to the forward 50 were swiftly repelled by the awesome Malmö backline who have given up a miserly 323 points in nine games to date. Port Malmö, on the other hand, were able to rack up the shots at goal at regular intervals.

The focal point of the Malmö attack was once again Matt McMahan who kept up his fine run of form by bagging 6 more majors. Rattigan and O’Reilly (Best on Ground) showed that they’d lost little of their talent in their extended absence from DAFL football whilst McClaer and Higgins were as effective as ever through the middle.

Arguably the most enjoyable moment of the day from a Port perspective was the goal of Tobias Gogu on the back of a much improved performance. The young swede seems to be redicovering some of the form of last season!

Essentially a workmanlike performance from the Maulers who will be pleased to come away with full points before returning to Brohult to face a capable Crocs outfit next week.

Port Malmö best: McClaer, O’Reilly, Higgins, Gogu, McMahan

Reigning premiers North Copenhagen kept themselves in the hunt for a top-two finish and ended Port Malmö’s unbeaten run in a close-run affair at Stefan. On the hottest Saturday of the season, Port’s lack of a full interchange cost them as they fell away in [...]]]> North Copenhagen 8.8 (56) def. Port Malmö 6.11 (47)

Reigning premiers North Copenhagen kept themselves in the hunt for a top-two finish and ended Port Malmö’s unbeaten run in a close-run affair at Stefan. On the hottest Saturday of the season, Port’s lack of a full interchange cost them as they fell away in the second half of the game. Whereas North Copenhagen were close to full strength, Port had to do without a host of key players and the loss of Tony McLoughlin early in the second quarter made things worse. Despite a valiant effort from all involved, a lack of accuracy in front of goal eventually cost Malmö what would have been a hugely important win.Port Malmö weathered early pressure from the Cudas in the 1st quarter and struck the first goal after Gaetan Blondeau was awarded a 25m penalty after some umpiring abuse from a North player. He slotted his kick nicely and helped Malmö on it’s way to a sixth 1st quarter victory this season. Matt McMahan kicked the other goal for the quarter despite being tackled as he kicked. Effective work in the back-line kept the hosts to 3 shots with the quarter ending 2.4 (16) to 1.2(8) in the Maulers favour.

On the scoreboard, the second quarter says it was extremely tight but in truth it was here that Port Malmö lost the game. After two quick goals from Krolmark early on in the quarter, Port Malmö took control of the quarter. The return of 2.3(15) should really have been 5 goals straight with all 3 behinds coming from set-shots no more than 20m out and at no great angle. Port went in to the big break 9 points up but very tired and having lost Tony McLoughlin to a head-cut that required stitches the lack of an interchange would take its’ toll in the 3rd and 4th.

Once again there was little to seperate the teams in the 3rd. North Copenhagen, for whom player-coach Steven Wood was excellent all day, had the slight upperhand and yet looked to be going in to the final break 2 points down until spearhead Krolmark kicked a superb goal from the tightest of angles right on the siren.

The momentum had swung the home teams way and Port Malmö could not raise their game sufficiently in the final term. Woods’ goal early in the final quarter summed up Port Malmös’ day as the Barras man dabbed a hopeful grubber goalward only to watch it elude 4 players and dribble over the line for a maximum. Erik Krolmark hit the nail on the head with the comment: “When a goal like that goes against you, you know it’s just not your day.”

Despite the first loss of the season, Port Malmö can still take some positives in to the summer break. Hans Andersson was fantastic on his return to the team. Aaran Higgins was again excellent all day and typified the Malmö fighting spirit with umpteen hard-ball gets. Ward and Scotford again proved a good foil for Higgins in the centre, the former kicking a beauty in the final quarter and the latter able to find space to mark consistently. Iulius Borcea did a magnificent job taking over from McLoughlin and playing on the dangerous Eliud Schmidt in just his second game and the whole team can be proud of the effort in trying circumstances.

Port Malmö Best: Andersson, Higgins, Parker, Ward, Borcea

Full match details here

Premiership football rolled in to Randers in Northern Denmark for the first time this past Saturday. The ground, which aptly filled one of the key DAFL ground criteria of a six-goal breeze, bore witness to a hard tussle between the thus far unbeaten Maulers and a [...]]]> Port Malmö 14.8 (92) def. Jutland 5.12 (42)

Premiership football rolled in to Randers in Northern Denmark for the first time this past Saturday. The ground, which aptly filled one of the key DAFL ground criteria of a six-goal breeze, bore witness to a hard tussle between the thus far unbeaten Maulers and a Jutland team searching for one more win to put them within touching distance of the finals.Captain Ward lost the toss but lost little else all day in an all-action B.o.G display. So, kicking with the wind in the opening quarter, Port Malmö established a healthy lead. Jutland made regular trips inside the Malmö defensive 50 early on but were unable to convert any opportunities in to goals. Port, on the other hand, were clinical. McClaer, excellent all day, got the ball rolling from a free 25m out. Two goals from Malmö’s Irish contingent swiftly followed. First Boyd, then the returning Rattigan slotted beautifully on the run after a slick counter-attack from half-back. Further goals from Johncock, who led the line impressively, and the effervescent McMahan meant the scores read 5.1 (31) to 0.3 (3) at the first break.

Ultimately, it was the 2nd quarter that selaed the Shinboners’ fate and sent Port on to a 5th straight DAFL victory. Having used the wind effectively, Malmö now needed to keep Jutland to a low score whilst trying to sneak a goal or two. Thanks to some sterling work all over the field not only did Malmö restrict Jutland but actually managed to outscore their opponents 3.2(20) to 2.3(15). McClaer, Johncock and McMahan with a goal apiece added to their efforts in the first quarter.

Having maintained their 30-point cushion during the 2nd, Port Malmö were able to put the game beyond any doubt in a 3rd term that followed the pattern of the first; a brief period of scoreboard inactivity followed by some accurate goal-kicking resulted in 5.3 (33) for the quarter while the back-line held Jutland to a single behind. Quarter highlights included a well-deserved goal for 17 yr-old ruckman Alfred Bengtsson who performed admirably against Rasmus Jacobsen (Jutlands best on the day) and Jens Djernes (arguably the best ruckman in DAFL), a bomb from O’Riordan which in this writers opinion may well have been his best goal of the season (top two at least, Denis!) and a great pick-up off the toes and finish from Ward after a well-placed knock-down from McClaer.

In an interesting sidenote, at one stage during the third Port Malmö’s forward line consisted of Johncock, McMahan and Adam Brown with an extraordinary combined age of 129. DAFL’s oldest forward three combination?

The tiring Maulers found themselves pinned in their own half for much of the final quarter. The hosts booted 3.5 (23) to 1.2 (8) to close the gap somewhat and give the scoreboard the more even, respectable look that Jutlands’ battling performance deserved.

With one game remaining before the summer break, the DAFL ladder is starting to take shape as three teams (PM, NC and Farum) battle it out for the top two spots and a double chance whilst the remaining three fight it out for the one remaining final spot. An away win for Malmö at reigning premiers North Copenhagen in two weeks would virtually guaruntee a top two position whilst Jutland will in all likelihood need to beat the Crocs in Copenhagen to see September action unless they pull off a huge shock and turn over Farum in one of the two contests against the Cats.

Port Malmö best: Ward, Scotford, Johncock, Bengtsson, McClaer

Full match info here

After another comprehensive victory, Port Malmö sit happily at the top of the DAFL ladder, the 100% record still firmly intact. On a scorching Saturday when Ross Levesque played his 100th game and Ricky Nolan kicked his 100th goal* a defeat could have really spoilt [...]]]> Port Malmö 10.14 (74) def. Farum Cats 5.9 (39)

After another comprehensive victory, Port Malmö sit happily at the top of the DAFL ladder, the 100% record still firmly intact. On a scorching Saturday when Ross Levesque played his 100th game and Ricky Nolan kicked his 100th goal* a defeat could have really spoilt the Port Malmö party. However, an excellent team performance from the men in black and blue meant that Farum returned to Denmark soundly beaten.

Having won the toss, Port elected to go with the wind (which in all fairness was blowing more across the field for the fist two quarters). In the past, Port have been slow out of the blocks but the 2009 troop seem to have eradicated that flaw having won every first quarter this season, kicking an impressive 14 goals to 4 in the opening terms of the first four games. After getting the first goal through Matt McMahan, Port Malmö found themselves  behind after two quickfire Cats maximums from Norlander and Rose, the latter one of Farums’ best throughout the game. The Maulers regrouped and two excellent goals from Aaran Higgins, one off either boot, saw them re-take the lead. Another from a captain Ward set-shot after some intelligent play from Ricky Nolan, who showed calm and poise to deliver back to centre half-forward from the forward pocket when under pressure from two Cats. The big man goaled himself before quarter time to consolidate the lead. 

The second quarter, despite the wind slightly in Farums favour, was controlled by the most part by the home team. Farum struggled to get their normal game going in the blustery conditions and the outstanding Maulers back-line kept the dangerous Cats to two shots at goal for the quarter, both long-range goals, on the break. However, a combination of the tough kicking conditions and a lack of composure from the Swedish outfit meant Farum still edged the quarter 2.0(12) to 1.4(10).  

At half-time the wind changed direction and started to blow hard towards the beach end, if still slightly across the field. Farum, three goals back at the big break, needed a strong defensive quarter to keep Port from getting out of sight before the final quarter. Their defence held firm holding the hosts to 3.3 in the strong breeze but superb defence at the other end, from Tony McLoughlin  in particular, meant despite a few forays into Malmö territory, Farum ended the quarter scoreless. Indeed, some Farum players, disregarding the advice of the coaches, seemed determined to prove a point against Ports’ reigning B+F by repeatedly trying to run around him. It proved a fruitless endeavour and the Irishman thwarted numerous attacks and won countless free-kicks along the half-back line. Port Malmö’s goals came from Page-Brown and two more for Nolan which meant he passed the 100 mark.

Farum found themselves 40 points back, a considerable mountain to climb considering they had manged just 6 shots at goal in 3 quarters of football. However, with the wind at the backs the Cats where still in with a shout. A 40+ point final term remained a distinct possibility as Helsingborg would later discover against Jutland when they shipped 44 points to go down after leading by 6 goals going in to the fourth. However, despite more joy in the attacking 50, Farum were inaccurate with their attempts at goal early in the quarter and three fantastic blocks on the goal-line (Two from Paul Persson and a great diving effort from younger brother, Tony) made sure that no comeback would materialise. A shocking miss from Nolan half-way through the quarter meant the result remained somewhat in doubt longer than necessary from a Malmö point of view but he goaled again on the final siren to give him four for the afternoon.

Port now face the long trip to northern Denmark in a fortnight where a buoyant Jutland await after their monumental 4th quarter comeback whereas Farum will be looking to get back on track against the struggling Crocs. Do not be surprised if both games are very close!

Port Malmö best: Higgins, Ward, McLoughlin, Hancock, Blondeau

Full match info available here

*Both SAFL/DAFL combinations

Full match to report to follow… possibly.

Port Malmö saw off the Jutland Shinboners in a one-sided affair at Limhamnsfältet. Jutland travelled down to Southern Sweden with a very respectable 16 players considering a number of key men were absent (most notably their chief goal-kicker, Harrop) but lost a centre towards the [...]]]> Port Malmö 21.17 (143) defeated Jutland 1.6 (12)

Port Malmö saw off the Jutland Shinboners in a one-sided affair at Limhamnsfältet. Jutland travelled down to Southern Sweden with a very respectable 16 players considering a number of key men were absent (most notably their chief goal-kicker, Harrop) but lost a centre towards the end of the first quarter meaning it was a 15-a-side contest from then on. This meant that Port Malmö, who decided to rest key Aussies McClaer, Parker and Page-Brown had the benefit of a four-man interchange and this clearly benefited the home team as after some tight opening exchanges the Maulers were able to essentially seal the game by half-time.

The opening minutes were frantic and far from pleasant on the eye as both teams scrapped doggedly to gain the early advantage. Both teams missed kickable opportunities with the chief culprit being Matt McMahan who missed a set shot from straight in front after taking an impressive diving mark. He would recover to kick 4.3 and leave himself just one goal from his century. It wasn’t until midway through the quarter that Port could open the goal-scoring through Daniel Scotford after a superb shepherd from veteran Danny Johncock cleared the path to goal. The Maulers followed quickly with another maximum after a great lead and mark by Brian Boyd and Tony McLoughlin made sure it would be a Celtic first-quarter treble when he goaled on the turn a few minutes before 1^st quarter time.

Just three goals back after going up the “hill” in the first quarter,  Jutland may well have fought their way back in to the game but a change of strategy from the Malmö centre, playing off Jutland’s ruckman Jens Djernes and the movement of their opponents, paid quick dividends with Malmö scoring three quick goals.  Jutland registered their first major through Niels Pedersen but it would be their only scoring shot for the quarter.  Backman Denis O’Riordan was superb in only his second DAFL game(and was awarded Best on Ground*) and Tony McLoughlin was able to keep target forward Rasmus Jacobsen quiet meaning  It was again Malmö that took over and relentless pressure resulted in a return of 6.6 for the second term.

With a 10-goal advantage at half-time all that remained to be seen was how much the home team could bolster their percentage. Further scores from O’Riordan, Verngren and the rejuvenated Blondeau saw Malmö pick up where they left off in the previous quarter. More accurate kicking in the quarter saw Malmö kick more goals than points for the first time in 5 quarters of football and the feat was repeated in the final term as Port ran away with the game against the flagging opposition who were clearly struggling after a long journey and no interchange to call on. Port Malmö booted a much-improved 12.7 for the second half of the game with Scotford and McMahan the main contributors with four goals apiece whilst Blondeau added three more.

Jutland, whilst competitive in the centre with Engsbye, Djernes and Damborg who are all highly capable footballers, struggled badly without their go-to forward but will doubtless improve as the season continues as their newer players gain priceless experience. They are a better team than the scoreline suggests and Port Malmö will face a much sterner test in the return fixture.

Port Malmö Best: O’Riordan, McLoughlin, Ward, Blondeau, Scotford

*Port Malmö’s own B.O.G 

Port Malmö started the 2009 campaign with a home victory over a determined North Copenhagen outfit. In a tough game, played in sunny but extremely blustery conditions at Limhamnsfältet, the home team ran out deserved 26 point victors.

On the back of a premiership last [...]]]> Port Malmö 7.16 (58) defeated North Copenhagen 3.14 (32)

Port Malmö started the 2009 campaign with a home victory over a determined North Copenhagen outfit. In a tough game, played in sunny but extremely blustery conditions at Limhamnsfältet, the home team ran out deserved 26 point victors.

On the back of a premiership last season and having thumped Jutland the previous week the Barracudas would have felt at least a little confident of winning at Limhamn for the first time since a 6-point victory in 2005.

They arrived, however, without a number of key players from last years team including double stitch-medallist Tim Feldtmann who has returned to Australia and goal-kicking machine Erik Krolmark. Feldtmann however has been replaced with Steven Wood who, whilst not quite at Feldtmanns’ level, will no doubt be a big success in DAFL.

Port Malmö it seemed had more fire-power up forward than their Danish counterparts but the uneven Limhamn surface would soon even the stakes in this department as Port lost Daniel McClaer and Fredrik Arnstrup to ankle injuries inside 10 minutes.

North had opted to kick with the strong breeze first up and, after a scrappy Maulers goal early on from Gaetan Blondeau, landed their first maximum through Eliud Schmidt who was impressive throughout. Stubborn Malmö defence coupled with some seemingly wasteful kicking meant the pressure did not result in goals and with little time left in the quarter Port sneaked another 6-pointer through Daniel Scotford. This meant a slender and unexpected lead at the first break for the home team.

Port would soon discover that the swirling wind was one of the reasons for the Barras inability to score heavily. Despite dominating for practically the whole quarter they could only muster 2.5 with goals from David Page-Brown and Best-on-Ground contender Aaran Higgins ( a great snap after a ruck tap-down from the pocket).

North Copenhagen needed to buck the low-scoring trend in the 3rd quarter (their last with the wind) if they were to be in with a shout. Despite long-range speculative goals from Wood, whose elusive running caused problems all day, and Nikic, they were unable to put themselves in good scoring positions regularly and had to be content with 2.4 whilst Port struck two behinds to keep their noses in front.

Only a monumental effort would keep from the Barras would deny Port Malmö victory and despite a few surges in to the forward 50 no real pressure materialised and Malmö, after kicking 5 or 6 straight behinds, were able to run-out comfortable winners with goals from Higgins, Paul Persson and David Verngren, who did a fantastic job starting in the ruck in just his third DAFL game.

Port Malmö will no doubt be satisfied to have opened with full points but both teams no doubt have a lot more to offer. It will be an interesting return encounter and the whole DAFL season promises to be tighter than in previous seasons. Helsingborgs’ shock round 1 win over the Crocs’ was proof of that…

Port Malmö Best: Aaran Higgins, Chris Parker, Paul Persson, Tony Persson, David Verngren, Denis O’Riordan