ON DAY three of the AFL 2024 Transatlantic Cup we saw a truly marquee women's match. The matchup of the Irish Banshees and the Canada Northern Lights team has a history going back to the first women's international cup in 2011 where Ireland defeated Canada in the grand final. In 2014 Canada had their revenge at Punt Road Oval and then 2017 Ireland took the title back again a Marvel Stadium. Today’s match would be their first meeting outside of Australia.

While the Transatlantic cup does not hold the same weight as the international cup, this is the best we have for now, and these two sides produced the match of the tournament so far.  For the first time during the tournament, the breeze picked up cooling things a little although it seemed quite flukey and did not necessarily favour either end for any significant period of time. 

The match up was very even all over the ground.  Margins at the end of the four quarters were 2,3,4 and 3 points all in favour of Canada.   As in game one it was Keating and Troy that looked most dangerous for the Irish at various times in the match and they both kicked two goals, with Scully kicking the third.  The Canadians though had a wider spread of goal kickers. 

The match was full of great contests and it was the Canadian who won the aerial battle and the Irish at the contested ball. Loughnane gave the Canadians a ten-point lead five minutes into the last quarter, but the Irish came back quickly when Troy ran in confidently to chip it over the Canadian defender to bring it back to a four point lead.   Ireland could only add one more behind but might have stolen it when  with about 90 seconds to play, Dunn ran onto the ball in the pocket and shaped to snap at goal, only to be run down by Canada’s Anna Brancati who likely saved the game for her nation and locked in the 3 point win as they cleared the ball to the other end of the ground.

In the other two games of the day things went largely as expected with the long-established teams dominating the newcomers to 18 a side international footy.

In hot humid conditions in the morning game, the Great Britain Swans dominated the Colombian Jaguares, who could not break through the well organised defence of the Swans to score.  They did however get plenty of players behind the ball and this allowed them to apply extra pressure to the Swan’s forwards who had plenty of it but were a little wasteful kicking 7.13 with Franklin the only multiple goal scorer. 

The Swan’s win puts them on top of the table as the only unbeaten team, with all the other women’s teams with one win except for France who are yet to register a victory.

The afternoon game was even more of a blowout as the France Gauloises had no answer to the USA Freedom’s relentless attack with the Americans kicking 18.17 125 to no score.  For the US multiple goal scorers were Boe with four, Lewis with three, Munn, Hoha, Sygulla and Blecher with two each.

Tomorrow, we move on to Day 4, Round 2 men’s matches with USA vs GB, Ireland vs Canada and Colombia vs France.