Hamburg Dockers (7-12-54) versus Stuttgart Emus (3-3-21)

5 May 2012, Stadtpark/Hamburg: It was a footy match in which no side dominated from start to finish. In the final quarter, Hamburg put away three unanswered goals to make for a respectable result in their favour. But anyone who watched Saturday’s second-round AFLG game between Hamburg and Stuttgart saw two pretty evenly matched teams for most of the game. Hamburg’s home ground advantage paid off in the end.

The Stuttgart Emus were confident they could put on a good show in Hamburg after their first-round win against Berlin. A good Emus side of 18 players showed up in Hamburg – most of them rising at 5:00am in the south of the republic for the long trip north. It was an excellent effort to get such a good turnout for a big away game but by the fourth quarter travel weariness and a smaller interchange bench in a 16-a-side game were probably crucial factors in the loss.

The Emus came out firing. They dominated the first quarter, managing to keep the ball forward of the centre square for much of the first term. The back line held firm and the forwards contested well to edge out the Dockers on their home territory. Hamburg had a better second quarter, and applied more pressure in the third term on the Emus midfield and defensive lines. In the final quarter the Dockers virtually camped in the Emus defensive half as they became more confident, pushed forward in numbers and eventually kicked themselves into an unassailable lead.

Special mention can be made here of Lex’s effort at centre-half back. His agility, skillful marking and kicking and, above all, his 100 percent determination to get to the ball before an opponent, helped the Emus to remain in the contest. Likewise, Dizzy’s effort up and down the park – marking, kicking, organising play – lifted the team. Andi, competing against tall timber in the ruck, was his usual tenacious self and was the Emus leading scorer with two goals. Congratulations to young Roman in his first AFLG game – he got hit hard more than once but got straight back up and into it again. He did the Emus proud.

The team felt deflated after the loss but have nothing to be ashamed of in terms of their approach to the game. The match was a physical, hard fought contest. No individual Emu let their opponent run all over them. The Emus, as a team, were gradually subdued by a Dockers lineup that had fresher legs and less weary bodies and were determined in the end not to be embarrassed on their home turf.

Match Report: Geoff Rodoreda

Stuttgart Emus (5-12-42) versus Berlin Crocodiles (3-3-21)

28 April 2012, Esslingen/Weil:  The Stuttgart Emus have ground out a hard fought victory over last year’s Grand Finalists, the Berlin Crocs, in a low scoring game, to launch their 2012 season in the best possible fashion.

After losing first-round games – away games – by around a hundred points in their first two AFLG seasons, the Emus lined up on their home ground with a full squad of fit and raring-to-go players. And it was this factor – fit players, plenty of good reserves – that proved to be the dominating factor in a close contest. For on a hot day in Esslingen, in a 16-a-side game, the Emus midfield was able to control the game through continual rotation and replenishment from the bench. Ruck Micha won most of his contests and his tenacious helpers in the centre of the park, among them Nico, Matze, Phil and Jakob, scurried hard for the ball all day.

The Emus made their mark on the game in the first quarter. The ball remained in the Crocs defensive half for most of the first period, allowing the Emus to scratch out two unanswered goals before the first break. The Crocs made some position changes at quarter time and stabilised to dominate the second quarter. But after half-time the Emus refocused, scored another goal in the third quarter, and closed ranks on a tiring Crocs team in the final term.

The tenaciousness of the Emus man-on-man marking – not just in defence but up front as well – was a highlight of the game. The constant pressure applied to the Crocs when they did have possession caused even their better players to start dropping holdable marks as the match wore on. New Aussie recruits Alex and Dizzy were a welcome addition to the Emus backline. They worked the back pockets and flanks, along with stalwarts Andreas, Bookie and Martin, to keep the ball down the other end of the park for most of the game.

Up front, Aaron and Flo fought for every ball, held crucial marks, and were the dominant scorers. Frank and Sorro, Bernd and Achim worked hard to keep the ball in the Crocs danger zone and kept the scoreboard ticking over. A special mention to three first-timers who also had great games: Kevin, who only picked up an Aussie Rules footy a couple of months ago, took some solid marks and continually pushed the ball forward. Likewise, Martin proved a determined and skilful scrambler for the ball in the forward pocket region. The size and strength and the natural skills of these two players will prove to be of great advantage to future Emus line-ups. And the third rookie, Robert, deserves extra praise – and thanks. At home games, the Emus, in keeping with the spirit of the league, offer their opposing teams a player or two if they need them. Robbie played gallantly for the Crocs and proved to be one of their best players. Next game, he’s in the Emus starting line-up.

This game proved to be a lesson in the value of tight marking, plenty of loud talking, going for the ball on the ground, and backing up teammates – essentially, in doing the little things right. These seemingly little things, done well in the first game, have given the Emus the victory they deserved as a team.

For official scores and scorers, check out the Footy Record website: http://www.thefootyrecord.net/index.php?content1=match&m=3247

Match Report: Geoff Rodoreda

Frankfurt Redbacks (14-22-106) versus Stuttgart Emus (12-11-77)

24 March 2012, Ostpark Frankfurt: Frankfurt put on sunshine and a good-sized field for an 11 per side game – it was a very open contest with many scoring opportunities.

The Emus looked a little ‘underdone’ in the first quarter, having had only three previous trainings runs, in comparison with Frankfurt who were coming off a full trial game against Straßburg from the previous week.

Once the new Emus found their confidence and the more experienced Emus rediscovered their game intensity, the Emus looked good and won the second quarter. Stuttgart had cut the half-time margin back to around two goals.

The Emus continued to fight hard as the game became a little tighter and more physical. The Redbacks won the third and the Emus really challenged early in the final quarter. We looked good, we tightened in defence and noticably increased our tackling pressure. We played long and direct footy. In the end the Emus tired a lttle and the game went to the Redbacks.

From the Emus perspective, this was a very positive training event. We had many inexperienced players that gained valuable game time. We tried players out in various positions, and saw some great performances. Flo looked confident up front and is more than ready for a great season: he kicked nine goals! Micha took on the majority of the ruckwork and played with great passion. He dominated the mid-field. Frank played in several positions with his usual intensity, but looked most at home in the last quarter when he moved to full forward and slotted in two quick goals. Jan scored another Emus goal.

Martin and Carsten worked hard in defence, and did a good job in applying pressure, on many occasions forcing Frankfurt to score points instead of goals, as the scoreboard shows. In the last quarter we were more accountable in defence and saw the benefit in staying with our opponents. Timo, Jan and Totti in the midfield started to work together well as the game went on and we saw some good passages of run and carry and shepherding. Totti, in particular, seemed to gain a lot from this game.

Congratulations to the guys who played their first game for the Emus. JC settled into the team and added some structure and good penetrating kicks into our forwardline; he played most of the game in Centre or wing. Kev won his first contest in the opening minutes of the game and did a great job in the one-on-one situations, but of significance was his positioning as the game went on and he gave the backline options to help clear the ball. Roman, at 16, may be our youngest Emu to play an AFLG game, and he was competitive. Once he took his first mark his confidence grew quickly. Manuel played for us in Kossen last year and this was only the second time he’d played footy, but he has a raw talent, and took several competitive marks deep in defence, he has a long kick and we’d love to see him get to training to work on his skills.

Some training points to work on from this game include: attacking the footy on the ground, defensive work and spoiling, leading into space and finishing tackles. As mentioned at the start of the year, if we want to win away games, we need a bigger squad: 12 or 13 players is simply not enough. In the end, not having fresh players on the bench cost us on the scoreboard. It’s a significant challenge we’ll have to overcome to reach the 2012 Grand Final.

In summary, it was a good training run, many positive signs and highlits to work on. Most importantly, we all had great fun and the spirit in which the boys played did our club proud.

Emu’s Team list: Flo (Capt), Frank, Michael R., Carsten, Timo, Jan, Totti, Martin, Grant, Kevin, Roman, Jaymes, Manuel.

Match Report: Grant Walsh

Munich Kangaroos 8-13-61 versus Stuttgart Emus 9-11-65

Not many games of footy are won in the first quarter. But looking back on the most sensational victory in the short history of the Stuttgart Emus football team, you’d have to rate the first 20 minutes of the Grand Final day playoff game for third place in the 2011 AFLG season between the more favoured Munich Roos and the Stuttgart Emus as the best team performance Stuttgart has ever produced.

It was not finesse footy – Stuttgart converted only three of its nine scoring shots in the first quarter into goals – rather, it was robust, tough, determined footy that got the Emus to the first break 17 points ahead of their rivals.

The Roos were stunned, and came out more determined in the second quarter. By half time they’d shaved the Emus lead back to six points. Coach Chris Robertson demanded concentration, continued hard tackling and running, and more talk from his players. In the end, it could have gone either way. Munich had opportunities to put themselves into the lead in the final quarter but buckled under pressure.

Crucial to the Emus win was good ball distribution from the centre square, determined contestation for the ball up and down the park, and quick release into the forward line to create scoring opportunities. Aaron Wedge and Flo Walz did well to hold their nerves in front of goal when it counted. Solid work in defence by Jake Quintel and Matt Book was matched by excellent displays of running, kicking and marking in the midfield by Jakob Jung and Glen Smith (Man of the Match). But other wonderful moments – such as the sight of Michael Räumschüssel breaking free from the pack, ball in hand, charging for goal, in the first quarter or the grit and skill shown by small-statured Jan Plank, standing firm to take a crucial mark in the midfield with just a minute to go in the game – will remain in the minds of Emus players well into the new season in 2012.

The magnitude of this victory deserves to be savoured: Munich had thrashed the Emus by around a hundred points in each of the two league games in the 2011 season. But in the game that counted most, the Emus found a way to capitalise on a fired-up start and maintain a lead to the end of the game. Congratulations to all who contributed to a great game and a wonderfully hosted Grand Final day. Bring on 2012!

Match Report: Geoff Rodoreda

It’s difficult for a club to award individual performaces in such a team environment, this year was particularly tough as there were so many consistant contributions.
Both Robbo and Hanno put their heads together, important factors in the selection included the performance, commitment, reliability teamwork. The one percenters, shepparding, tackeling talk & support and effort both in the games and at training are noticed by the coaches.
Chris Robbo then presented the players awards for 2011
Congratualtions 2011 Best & Fairest (joint award) Jakob Jung and Jake Quintel
Congratualtions 2011 Best Midfield player Nico Schwan
Congratualtions 2011 Best Defender Matt Book
Congratualtions 2011 Best Forward Flo Walz
Congratualtions 2011 Coach’s award Michael Raeumschuessel

Encouragement awards for best up and coming players;
Timo, Sören, Phil, Jan and Matze

For a full report, look at this weeks update.

Thanks to all Players, supporters and sponsors for a solid team building year.. 2012 ….. can’t wait !

After a boisterous Friday night tasting the local dark beers (11% alcohol for those brave enough to try), we headed out to the Rugby Club by local transport. The Prague players met us excitedly and were very gracious hosts organising the field, umpires, water and change rooms for us.

Five players on the bench in the beginning

We began the game with 5 on the bench, which initially seemed plenty for a nine-a-side game. However, when Martin came off injured early in the game and with the inclusion of first game players, we realised that we were in for a tough afternoon of footy.
Prague began very strongly, kicking the first two goals of the game. However, the Emus steadied and managed to fight out the first quarter well. We were approximately two goals down at ¼ time. Once again Prague came out hard in the second quarter but we were able to hold our own, with strong performances from Manu, Jake, Matt Book, his Aussie mate Paul, Flo and the borrowed player from Prague, Sam.

Turnaround after halftime

After half time, we managed to organise our team structure a bit better and we attacked strongly throughout the quarter. In fact, in this the premiership quarter we piled the pressure on the younger Prague team and with many good, clean passages of play managed to turnaround our half time deficit to a 16 point lead at the ¾ time break.

“One of the best wins the club has had”

Coach Hansen asked the boys for a big effort at the ¾ time huddle. Even though we had many old legs we managed to fight the game right out to the end and hold onto an 8 point win (thanks to a great goal from the boundary line on the siren by Jake).
It was one of the best wins the club has had. We were strongly challenged throughout the game and came from behind to score a great win. It was a great occasion for the Stuttgart Emus. What was also great is that every player contributed in some way to the victory.

For Stuttgart, we need to use this win as a stepping stone for the rest of the season. We have three very important games ahead. Two against teams below us, which we need to win to show that we belong as the main challengers to Munich for third place. In order for this to happen we need commitment from players to training and to play the away games. The great win and weekend in Prague showed that it is well worth the effort.

Thanks to…

I must mention again the hospitality of Prague. They organised medals for all players, and gave us all free beers at the bar afterwards. They also played the game in great-spirit.

On finishing, I would like to give a special mention to Guy Canino for organising the trip. He spent many hours organising trains, buses and people. He needs to be commended for this as these trips are not possible without someone willing to do the work to organise them. Thanks Guy! Also to Simon for organising the great accommodation, which was right in the heart of the city and he organised a great deal for us.

It was a great weekend for all those who attended, and also provided a great chance for further team bonding.
Now, let’s get ready for Frankfurt!

by Chris Hansen

Größere Kartenansicht

Eberhard-Bauer-Stadion
Weilstraße 201
73733 Esslingen

It was a big ask for the first game of the year. Here was a new-look Emus team playing last year’s premiers in the first game of the season on their home turf. Still, the embarrassing score line – from an Emus perspective – does not reflect the intensity, commitment and emerging self-confidence with which the Emus played the Kangaroos on Saturday.

Round 1 – AFLG 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011

It was a big ask for the first game of the year. Here was a new-look Emus team playing last year’s premiers in the first game of the season on their home turf. Still, the embarrassing score line – from an Emus perspective – does not reflect the intensity, commitment and emerging self-confidence with which the Emus played the Kangaroos on Saturday. “It was a great learning curve for us,” said Emus new coach Chris Hansen after the game. “We’ll definitely do better when we face the Roos in a few months in Stuttgart.”

While the Roos victory was never in danger they didn’t dominate from start to finish. Most of the first quarter belonged to the Emus. They came out firing, surprising the champions with good ball disposal and teamwork in the mid-field and tenacious defending at the back. They were rewarded up front with an excellent tackle by newcomer Jan on a Roos defender, and a quick snap at goal by Flo for his first six-pointer of the season. The second quarter dealt the Emus a devastating blow: one of our midfield stars, ruckman Andy Miller (last season’s Most Valuable Player), had to leave the field after breaking his collar bone. The Roos made some tactical changes and turned it up a notch, racking up a good handful of unanswered goals as their attacking players fell into routine. The Emus had their chances to put more points on the board but in the end their fitness – or lack thereof – was no match for the forever running Roos. In the third and fourth quarters coach Hanno moved some of the more experienced players into new positions in order to thwart the Roos forward line and mid-field but the home side continued to dominate.

Why such optimism then? Because the Roos had to fight for all of their goals. At no point in the match did the Emus hang their heads in resignation. From fullback to full- forward they contested marks, fought hard for the ball on the ground and, under the insistence of Hanno, used their voices much better than any previous game to call for the ball and warn or urge on teammates. A team comprised mainly of new bloods or players with only one or two match games performed with great heart and, at times, great skill. Congratulations to hard running, big-booted centre-back Martin, who earned one point in the official AFLG umpires award for the best Emu on ground.

The season’s first game started with the announcement of the team Captain and Vice-Captain for the year: Fabs (who was unfortunately at home sick in Stuttgart for this first game) will lead the Emus on the field this year; Flo will be his deputy. The next round will see the Emus clash at home against last year’s runner-up, the Rheinland Lions on May 7.

by Geoff Rodoreda

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