It was a great buildup to the ANZAC Cup with good numbers at training on Wednesday and a great turnout to the jumper presentation night at Bistro 33 on Thursday. How fitting it was that the last ever event at Bistro 33 was for the Thailand Tigers and what amazing memories we have of that great supporter of the club. There was hardly a dry eye in the house after Sammo gave a brief history of the ANZAC Cup before Coach Gunny reminded us all about the four F’s. Then everyone but Chicago was presented with their new playing strips. Don’t worry, Chicago, I’m sure it will show up..
As always it was great fun in the vans on the way to Kanch. Even more so for the 5pm van which somehow managed to overtake the 4pm one. Strict discipline was obviously enforced on the 4pm-er. Bus captain Sammo runs a tight ship which paid dividends for all involved. I wasn’t there, but can imagine unscheduled piss-stops were frowned upon and talking back to the bus captain was dealt with strictly. Just like the fine session the following evening.
The delayed arrival of the 5pm-er allowed our new social member Wally more time to drink. He didn’t need it. Wally was well-cooked by the time the 4pm-er flew past us on the outskirts of Kanchanaburi and was overdone when we arrived. Wally oozed out of the van, his glasses long gone, and proceeded to have a lie down among the motorcycles in front of the lobby. There he lay, snoring and unseen until Skinny and G-Mac walked past him after checking in. They scooped Wally up, got him to his room and hoped for the best. Rumour has it he kicked on into town later that night. It was a fine performance that put Wally well in the running for the Mr Jelly Award for best off-ground performance on tour.
There was a great buzz around the hotel on game day as the Tigers fueled up at breakfast. The players all had a good chuckle at Rutty’s expense when he came down for breakfast. Only Rut could be so relaxed about travel that he would board a plane without his bag. Former Tigers Benny Giles and Eric “Easy E” joined us as everyone piled into the buses for the trip to the War Cemetery. It was a moving scene as always, with the players and supporters moving silently around the manicured lawns to contemplate the sacrifice made by so many soldiers. We all gathered together as President Wazza spoke on behalf of the Tigers and the Mate’s Poem was read by Benny, Jazza and others. The scene now set, we piled back into the buses for the final trip to the ground.
There were smiles all round as the players arrived and saw the lush green playing surface. Could this really be our ground? Where are the potholes? Where are all the hard bits? Not since Asian Champs had the Tigers played on such a well-maintained ground. Add to that the fan-cooled changing rooms, the national flags fluttering in the breeze, the scoreboard and the sponsors banner and you can start to appreciate the mountain of work done during the week, mostly by the Saunders family. It was a proud day to be a Tiger, that’s for sure.
The three teams gathered one final time for the Last Post, played live by a Thai Military Bugler, followed by a minute’s silence and the Reprieve. Then came the anthems. God Defend New Zealand was banged out patriotically by Skinny and Holly and then it was time for the main event. Bring on the ANZAC Cup.
In the first men’s game Cambodia fought hard against tournament favourites, Indonesia but they were simply outgunned. Indonesia ran over top of them in a dominant display, winning 55-1.
Then the Tigers womens’ team took the field for the first time in ANZAC Cup history, taking on the experienced Cambodian side. The Tigers were fielding a new-look team for the tournament. Big guns Dee and Tarlz were unavailable but Tigers Cubs Kiew, Joy, Paeng, Benz, Bie, Babe and Fah were making the step up to the senior team, and newbie Teresa made her first appearance for the Tigers. Ring-in Jen, here on holiday with partner Miles, completed the list of newbies. The Tigers fought hard but like the Cambodian mens’ team before them they were outclassed by a stronger and more experienced side. Cambodia kicked two goals in the first half and one in the second and kept the Tigers scoreless.
The Tigers men’s side were also missing some big names. Coach Gunny, Joey Kheng, Big Boy Mark Saunders and Big Nate were just a few key players unavailable. And not to mention young Kai, in the form of his life, cruelly injured just a few short weeks ago. Could the Tigers cope?
The first match was against Cambodia and the Tigers had a lot to prove. Just six months ago Cambodia thrashed them in the ICC semi final in Ho Chi Minh City. On home soil the Tigers wanted revenge but they started poorly. Cambodia, playing their second match of the day started stronger and put the Tigers under a lot of pressure. Both teams kicked two goals and the Tigers went into the break with a slender two point lead. Captain J-Mac gave the boys a bit of a spray at halftime; he knew what this match meant in the wider context of the Tigers season. The players responded. Mani showed his pace and accuracy by kicking a great goal as the Tigers kicked four goals to one in the second half, streaking away from the Cambodians who had no response. The Tiger’s new strip was christened with a great win on home soil.
G-Mac, playing his 50th in a comeback tour, had a strong match down back before the strapping tape holding his knees in place came apart. Later MRI scans were to reveal a severe hamstring tear, a serious knee injury to his “good” knee and overall, a career ending injury. Thanks for your contribution to the Tigers, G-Mac.
The Tigers women then took on the Cambodians again and showed incredible determination and courage. Little Bie, by far the smallest and youngest player on the park, threw herself into contests with reckless abandon, in one instance putting a crunching hip and shoulder into a huge Cambodian opponent and knocking her out of the contest. Jules, too, was in everything. The sight of her running off the pitch, blood streaming from her face was an inspiration. It matters not that she got smacked in the face by the ball, the intent was there. The intent was there from everyone, especially Jess who had to be carried off the field with sore ribs later in the match.
Cambodia kicked two goals and a behind in the first half so the Tigers were still in the contest. In the second half they kept fighting hard but their small bench began to take its toll. Cambodia kicked three more goals and ran away with the match but the Tigers never stopped fighting. Moving the ball forward with such a small and inexperienced team was a huge task, especially against such strong opposition, so they had yet to score a goal on that huge oval. But in the end they did get their goal, and the footy Gods made sure it was scored by the player who most deserved it.
The Tigers wore black armbands in honour of Tud’s mother, Khun Manee Chailert who passed away earlier that week. As we all know, Tud had put hours of work into the ANZAC Cup preparations. It was because of her that we had such an impressive ground in the first place. So when the ball was brought down from a contest in the goal square the Footy Gods made sure it bounced towards Pi Tud. She did the rest, slotting it straight through the middle. What a great moment it was, and what a way to score her first international goal. No doubt Khun Manee was looking down with pride as both her daughter and Grandson scored goals for her on ANZAC Day.
The scene was well and truly set for the final match of the day. The Tigers, despite having the home ground advantage, were massive underdogs. Indonesia were Asian Champs Division One runners up less than a year ago and had brought a strong touring side. But the Tigers still believed. Unfortunately belief was not enough. Indonesia scored five goals to the Tigers one in the first half. The second half brought more pain to the Tigers as Mani was helped from the field with a cramp and Indonesia stretched their lead even further with four more goals. The Tigers kicked two overall.
So the fairytale didn’t happen, Indonesia were just too good a side, but what a weekend it was. Jayden had a breakout tournament, playing in the ruck for the first time for the Tigers and proving himself to be a great option there. Pez also stood out, taking a great hanger in the first few minutes against Cambodia and crunching his opponent on the way down. He also shushed the crowd with a great pass in the final against Indonesia. All this from a player coming back from a serious knee injury. Welby was immense, taking grab after grab up front and converting most of his chances. The guns fired as always. J-Mac, Hasto, and Mani were huge in the midfield and kept the forwards well-supplied with ball. Ring-in Miles made a massive contribution with his enormous punts and high skill level and Jame and Deng represented the Cubs Programme by both having strong games. It was great to have Key Dagg back in town. He played for Cambodia and the Tigers in between modelling the tour singlet in crop top form. So many others contributed. The Saunders family have been mentioned already. Mark, Tud and Mani made the weekend happen with their tireless efforts. J-Mac led the tour administration for the Tigers and did a great job. Don’t forget Lleyton and Jazza who umpired all day in the heat with great support from the Tigers Cubs in goal and on the sidelines. Hendo, Blade and Vaughy managed the scoreboard and President Wazza led the formalities with aplomb. Jonno sorted the socials and added some extra entertainment by accidently dropping his phone out of the back window of the team bus on the way back to the hotel.
The after match function was a huge success. Bus Captain Sammo, buoyed by his success in overtaking the 4pm bus brought the same strict discipline to the fine session. Never before have twenty drunk footy players been so well managed. All dissent was immediately quashed and smart arse comments kept to a bare minimum. It was an outstanding display. It must be noted that several Tigers, mostly female, drifted towards the shirtless, handsome gathering that was the Indonesia fine session later that evening. No hard feelings, ladies.
Wally continued to drink hard in pursuit of the coveted Mr. Jelly Award but sadly, mistimed his run. At around 9pm he drifted towards the Tiger’s end of the pool, was helped to the side and then settled down for a nap. There he remained, safely in the recovery position, perhaps until morning. Thus, his chance of producing a best off ground performance was lost.
It was a proud weekend to be a Tiger. Congratulations to the Indonesia Volcanoes for winning the ANZAC Cup mens’ tournament and the Cambodian Eagles for winning the Womens’ tournament. The tournament was a huge success and we look forward to the IndoChina Cup in a few weeks time.
How good is footy in Asia!
Tournament Summary
| Mens’ competition | Womens’ competition |
| Indonesia defeated Cambodia 55-1 Thailand defeated Cambodia 42-20 Indonesia defeated Thailand 57-14 Winners: Indonesia | Cambodia defeated Thailand 20-0 Cambodia defeated Thailand 33-6 Winners: Cambodia |