Men mount comeback in Anzac clash

By SGT Matt Bickerton 3 min read
Two football players leap for the ball during a game.
An ADF Aussie rules All-Stars player leaps in a ruck contest during the curtain-raiser for the Port Adelaide vs Geelong game as part of the AFL Anzac round. Photo: PO Luke Scott
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After trailing for most of the match, the men’s ADF Anzac Aussie rules team drew on a never-say-die attitude, surging to a last-minute victory over the Australian Combined Emergency Services (ACES) team in front of a crowd of 5000.

They were 4 or 5 goals down midway through the second quarter of the game, held at Adelaide Oval on Anzac Day as a curtain-raiser for the AFL Round 7 Port Adelaide v Geelong clash.

'Our game was shortened as the curtain-raiser, so that makes the margin even harder to come back from,' forward FLTLT Blayke Lane said.

The strategy was to control the ball and make the emergency services work hard to defend, ultimately wearing them down.

'Which ended up happening,' FLTLT Lane said.

The momentum swung in the third quarter, sparked by an epic goal from the 50m boundary by PTE Zach Fuller.

'We were down all game, then in the last quarter, it was a flurry of goals to win right at the end,' FLTLT Lane said.

It was his 13th time representing Air Force and the ADF in Aussie rules, but his first win. The final score was ADF 10.5 (65) to ACES 9.3 (57). An honourable mention went to Army’s LT Sam Woods.

'He got absolutely poleaxed by the emergency services’ captain,' FLTLT Lane said. 'It looked like a car crash. He got up 30 seconds later and played the rest of the game, which was pretty inspiring.'

'They carried more physical mass than us ... but at the end of the day, we were quicker on the legs.'

AB Jaxsen Shimmers

Full-forward AB Jaxsen Shimmers said the emergency services was a formidable team. They carried more physical mass than us and used it, he said. 

'But at the end of the day, we were quicker on the legs.'

After the match, the team changed into service dress for the Anzac Day march around the oval, held before the main match in front of a crowd of 40,000.

SGT Roger Morris, playing on the wing in his fifth Anzac match, said the lap of honour never gets old.

'Everyone’s clapping, kids are coming up for high-fives, you’re seeing friends and family. It’s always the best feeling,' SGT Morris said.

Man of the match Army CPL Simon Mackie was awarded the Jack Hammond Medal, and the MAJGEN Matt Hall players’ player award went to TPR Adam Justice.

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