All three Australian teams are off to a cracking start in Manila. Although none of them had a streamed game today, we had our sources on the ground plus a cheeky Instagram livestream or two to fill us in. But the results really speak for themselves, and we can’t wait to watch them continue on the streak on day two.
MIXED
Game 1: Australia 15 - Brunei 2
The team was keen to get acclimated to the conditions and put into practice what they've been working on. Coach Bree Edgar was full of positivity and confidence pre-game and the whole team was feeding off it. Punched in the first O point with some lovely flow and then scored two breaks in a row, which meant all three of our lines had got the job done on their first step onto the field.
Brunei scored two holds, and the Barramundis scored five breaks in total to take half.
The second half was a steam-train. Seven breaks in a row to win the game. Kaede Yoshida and Ben Powlay were awarded MVP's. Rightly so, as Ben was reported to be ‘very intimidating’ on D.
Game 2: Australia 15 - Zero Discplacement (Singapore) 8
For the second game, the Mundis faced much stronger opposition from Singapore, driven by squirrelly handlers with solid inside looks. They placed a strong offensive hold to start, and showed a willingness with the disc that required us to reach another level.
The coaches experimented with a few different D looks to try to shut down the Singaporean handlers, which took a few tweaks before it clicked. Once the handlers were contained, the downfield defenders got to work, and blocks started to develop.
However, our defensive conversion was a little lacking, and they dropped a break to bring it back to 4's. They traded to 7-7 then Andrew Jackson got a nice poach block and threw a goal for a break to take half.
In the second half, the D lines got their shit together and the Mundis really went to work. Kaede had three huge layout D's, Taylor Carty just missed a massive layout grab (winded herself a bit but got back up and kept grinding), Maddie Owens threw one of the sickest crossfield inside flicks you've ever seen, and Josh Lipari got fairly heavily fouled, and responded by going beastmode and skying people everywhere.
The O line only had to play one point in the second half, with Holly Reeve doing her usual good work as the quarterback, Chris Stoddard using his pace, height, and fitness to stretch the defence to the point that he couldn't be contained.
Four breaks in a row to finish the game strong. Kaede and AJ were awarded MVPs (because everyone loves a block), but it was a really nice team performance that got them over the line.
The Barramundis play Philippines Mixed on Day 2 - will they continue to dominate?
Thanks Col Phink for the on-field correspondence.
WOMENS
Game 1: Australia 15 - Hong Kong 4
A great start to Day 1 for the Firetails. The air was thick and the skin was slick. The Cyclones gloves were holding on for dear life keeping in all the sweat, but producing some dimes on the field. Two high scoring games meant the D line got a good workout with lots of successive points. The O line will come into Day 2 nice and well rested.
Highlights from Game 1 included:
Multiple run-through D's including two zone grabs from Alex Paterson, amongst some fast-paced "not in my house" D's from Dot and Sally Yu.
'Stone cold G' threw a backhand huck goal was taken back due to a travel call, then proceeded to throw an even BETTER backhand huck. Thus she was dubbed the stone cold thrower.
Multiple hammers on repeat from our U24 star Lucy Deller and crowd favourite Caroline Ma. Eva Weatherall grabbed an absolute stunner of a trailing edge catch - thank goodness we stole her from New Zealand!
Speaking of U24 stars, Pania Preston had a fear-inspiring endzone grab, and as always Angela Pidgeon continued to dominate the skies alongside the ever-prowling Dani Alexander deep in the zone.
Game 2: Australia 15 - China 5
Highlights from game 2:
A high stall layout D from Angela Pidgeon
A high-pressure zone held by the D line on their end zone line
Some impressive flick hucks from team China
A few friendly faces spotted from Nottingham!
China’s roster was lacking depth and the Firetails took the win. Overall a good day - the girls will be in the ice baths for the foreseeable future if anyone needs them.
Thanks Kat Smith for the facts and feelings.
The Firetails play Singapore (Pangolins) and Malaysia on Day 2. Look out for another action packed day!
Sally Yu gets up (credit: Philippine Ultiverse)
Cyclones win games (credit: Philippine Ultiverse)
MEN
Game 1: Australia 15 - India 1
The first game for the Dingoes was everything they could have hoped for. The boys held a clean offence and then had to work hard for the first D point, but eventually scored as Ryan Davey got horizontal for a layout goal - what a way to set the tone. From then on, we are told the D points were much more clinical. After finding their feet, the Dingoes built into the game with relentless D and efficient O, with fat blocks from Kyal Oh(my goodness, how does he do it?) and Alex Ladomatos. They got up to 14-0 before they were unable to convert a D and then took the game 15-1. A result that really does reflect the attitudes of the players going into this tournament: the Dingoes are there for business.
Game 2: Australia 15 - Singapore 1
In their second game, the Dingoes went up against Singapore with the aim to be just as clinical as the first. Highlight plays came from Tony Castrignano, who got a big layout block, as well as some standard operating procedure from Bill Foreman who we can only imagine smiled at the poor soul he roofed. Throw in the rapidity of Mark Mcleay, who was chasing down hucks for fun, and you have another winning recipe for Australia's Opens team. And on the topic of winning recipes, Olly Loughnan in gloves - yes please!
Having gone up 7-0 before Singapore scored, it is certainly looking like the Dingoes will be hard to stop in this tournament. The Pack has just one game tomorrow against Malaysia, this will be a welcome opportunity to spend some time out of the heat!
A fantastic start for Team Australia! Onwards and upwards we say. Look out for Australia’s first streamed game tomorrow at 11:45 am AEST, with the Barramundis taking on Philippines Mixed! Get around them.
https://ultiworld.com/2023/09/05/2023-wfdf-asia-oceanic-ultimate-guts-championships-streaming-schedule-how-to-watch/