Day 8 of the AFL 2024 Transatlantic Cup has played out and we are getting towards the pointy end. After the women’s semifinals lined up Ireland and the USA in the grand final yesterday, it looked like it could be a repeat in the men’s side of the competition.
First though, rain and plenty of it. The ground was covered in water across the surface as the rain continued to fall and the fifth-place playoff match between the Colombia Jaguares and the French Coqs got underway and continued to fall for the duration of the match. The lake side of the ground fortunately drained better and the majority of the play was on that side of the field.
Despite the wet conditions both teams were determined to play the ball as normal and there was little soccering of the ball. The French did seem to handle the wet conditions better, likely due to their much lengthier experience over the Colombians. The French did kick long and hit targets early while the ball was dry and the legs were fresh and their kicks were indeed accurate, Decaux, Mondin and Lang leading the way
As the game wore on thought the Colombians adjusted to the conditions and the game was much more even, and though still outdone by the French, particularly the longer kicking, they were able to contest much better and put the Coqs under pressure and made scoring more difficult. Rosales, Brian and Jeffrey Vidal the best for Colombia.
Multiple goalkickers for the French were Laschasles, Decaux, Boche and Pinto in the 80-point win, while Sasu from Colombia also kicked two goals.
The rain continued as the first semi-final got underway between the Irish Warriors and the Great Britain Bulldogs. It was a very even game for all but the third quarter. Seven behinds between the two teams in the first quarter before being level at half-time, the wet conditions making scoring difficult.
But the third quarter would be the breakout, with the Warriors getting the upper hand kicking three goals to one and holding the two-goal margin to the finish despite the Bulldogs' desperate attempts to find a goal, including a huge torpedo punt by Jake Turner. So, despite losing to the US earlier in the week the Warriors will now play them again in the Grand Final on Sunday.
The USA made sure of their path to the Grand Final as they accounted for the Canada Northwind team with a comprehensive 52-point demolition job. While the Canadians have done a great job hosting the tournament, their team has not been able to win a game, disappointing the players and no doubt their fans.
The US outmarked and outnumbered the Canadians, who could only muster one goal in the second quarter. For the US it was big man Mark "Stork" McLure who kicked four goals for the match to go to the head of the goalkicking table with 10 for the tournament. Best for the US were Martin Del Campo, Anderson and McLure.
Sunday will see the USA and Ireland fighting for the title in both the men’s and women’s divisions, with the Irish favourites for both titles given their experience in tournament Grand Finals in European Championships and International Cups.
