Round 1 of AIC First XVIII footy featured a young Irishman
AIC First XVIII footy round 1 report; plus how Australia really was the land of opportunity for an Irish Gaelic player from St Laurence’s now being monitored by the Lions.
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They say Australia is a land of opportunities and so it has been the case for St Laurence’s AIC First XVIII footy star Harri Armstrong.
Armstrong grew up in the small Irish town of Wicklow, a gorgeous harbour settlement famous for its 11th century Black Castle ruins and a lovely rolling countryside which lead up to the Wicklow Mountains that protect the district from savage west coast weather.
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It is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of south east Queensland he now calls home, especially inner city Brisbane where St Laurence’s College sits atop South Brisbane.
“What I miss most about Ireland is the convenience of small-town life, where everything is just a five-minute walk or drive away,’’ Armstrong reflected.
“When I attended secondary school and moved into boarding at Kilkenny College, the knowledge that my surroundings at home were so close made it enjoyable to come back home on weekends.’’
But he loves Brisbane, family life and its climate, along with the academic and sporting opportunities offered by Laurie’s, particularly given he is a natural talent in rugby union, rugby league and Australian football.
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“Coming from Ireland where my main sports were rugby and Gaelic football, the opportunities St Laurence’s College has given me in sports is a huge reason why I love Brisbane so much,’’ Armstrong said.
Indeed he was only at the college one week when principal Chris Leadbetter recommended he immediately join the AFL program despite just one week of the school term remaining.
It was the best thing he could have done.
Tall and athletic, ideal for forward play in both footy and rugby, Armstrong jumped at the invitation.
“During that week, I met some other students, like Xavier and Huw, and joined the AFL program where I was lucky enough to have Mr (Sam) Wiltshire help me understand the transition between Galic and AFL,’’ Armstrong said.
“He has been a mentor to me and has helped me grow my love and development for AFL, in both the AIC and club competitions.’’
“Playing Gaelic football and Aussie rules, I’ve found that fundamental skills like hand passing, shots on goal, and reading the play down field are remarkably similar, making it easy to cross over between the two sports and anticipate movements ahead.
“But set piece kicks for goal are extremely different and I’ve had to work on my follow through as it is different from the round Galic ball and the oval AFL ball.’’
Such is his skill, the Brisbane Lions have peered over the back fence and observed him and they were sure to watch him this school and club season as well.
In round 1 action, Padua College had a win over St Patrick’s 112-14, with
five goals each to Darby Breeden and Hayden Hall.
Breeden played in the forward pocket, taking advantage of the quality clearing kicks by Tom Waters and Jordan Chambers.
Hall played forward and in the midfield and used his experience from the Lions Academy to terrorise the opposition.
Damon Humphrys, who plays three codes of football very well, also kicked two goals, while Nate Rowcliff and Tom Waters snared one each.
One of the goals from Humphrys was a snap off his favoured left foot from 45m out after beating two opposition players.
Waters had over 30 disposals and was matched by captain Jordan Chambers who refused to allow the opposition anywhere near the 50m line. Chambers took five outstanding marks and had more than 30 possessions.
Padua also had some great contributions from Tom Steele who is part of the leadership group.
Newcomer to the sport, midfielder Jacob Grant was outstanding, with his efforts on and off the ball allowing Padua to push the ball forward into 50m all game.
Padua will play Ashgrove in round 2 in the Harris Andrews-Charlie Cameron Cup, a match named after the Lions champions.
Harris is a proud Padua old boy and Charlie a decorated old boy at Marist, and both AFL champions attended a photo shoot ahead of the clash.
St Edmund’s College players gave a good account of themselves, but it was Ambrose Treacy which came away winners, 10-8-68 to 3-3-1.
At a hot and windy Springfield Sports Park elite midfield talent Michael Romelo joined Jacob Edwards, midfielder Jack Harrison and rebounding defender Jarvis Warr on ATC’s best player list.
Edwards was a key tall full forward with clean hands and important goals.
Romelo explosive who Eddies’ tried to tag, but his strength and speed was too good.
For St Edmund’s Robert Brown at centre half back did a great job intercepting many of ATC forward entries while centreman Julian Cruice organised the midfield throughout the game. He was also great at stoppages, allowing Eddies’ to get use of the ball.
Jett Preston at full back was great as a last line of defence. Many times he was outnumbered but battled well to limit scoring opportunities.
Lachlan Perry also battled hard in the middle of the ground for St Edmund’s, giving his side some speed around the contest.
Eddies’ goals came from Aron Howman, Dan Casey and Julian Cruicecopy.
St Laurence’s College enjoyed a 77 to 15 win over Iona 15.
Iona battled hard, with Xavier McFarlane leading the way.
He was Iona’s only goal kicker and was able to capitalise for the small amount of ball in the forward line he received.
He was crafty, accurate with his execution and will be dangerous this season.
Byrn Corten at fullback led from the front for Iona.
One of Iona’s captains, Corten, worked hard all day. The ball was often in the back line and he was able to hold off his opponent, showing steely resolve.
Villanova’s best players in its 8-7-55 to 5-2-32 loss to Ashgrove were Toby Hall, Nick Landers and Jackson Dalrymple.
Hall, playing his first game on ball, worked well with the ruck and offered great ball distribution in traffic. He also covered a lot of ground.
Landers, playing on the half forward flank, read the ball well especially in traffic, ran good lines when leading and scored his first goal for Villa’s 1st XVIII side.
Vice-captain Dalrymple presented as an effective target at centre half forward, proving effective in many contested marking contests,
He kicked a great goal from deep in the forward pocket with no angle to work with.
For reigning premiers Ashgrove, Jack Thompson was untouchable in the midfield, racking up a ton of possessions whilst going down forward and kicking three goals of his own.
Tom Williams also cemented himself as the leader of the backline with more than a handful of intercept marks which with his steady foot, lead the team in the counter attack.
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