Indigenous Youth Tour – Game 1 & 2

Game 1 – Jabiru

Australian Indigenous Youth: 7 – 11 – 53
South African U/19: 3 – 5 – 23

The first game of the South African’s tour of Australia was played at Jabiru, a mining town in the middle of Kakadu National Park. It could hardly be further from the first games played between Australia and South Africa in early 2006 in South Africa.
The South African team is vastly different from that which competed in the 2005 International Cup in Melbourne and against the Indigenous Youth Team which toured South Africa in February and March 2006. Only four player’s toured Australia and only six played against the Australian’s. This high turnover of players can be attributed to many factors, including players finding work and attending university in provinces where Australian Football is not yet established.
The South African team touring Australia is a much younger team and includes four players from the Western Cape. The Western Cape has a strong rugby culture, the players have all grown up with the oval ball and have good ball skills. The Western Cape is also one of the newest areas for Australian Football development. The third game of the Indigenous tour was played in Stellenbosch which is approximately 30 minutes from Cape Town. This game and the fact that four players have made the South African team can only be good for the development of the game in South Africa.
The South African team put in a very good performance after the Australian team threatened to blow the game apart with very early goals in the first quarter. After the initial onslaught the South African’s got going and started to become competitive. Their attack on the footy and the player with the ball was impressive. Unfortunately some skill and decision making errors allowed the Australian team to push forward and set up goal scoring opportunities.

The game was of a high standard despite the slippery conditions, both teams impressed and the second game promises to be an exciting affair.
The better players for the South African team were Kabelo Boikanyo with two goals, JB Van Zyl, Steven ‘Maplunka’ Matshane, Sinethemba Boki and Kagiso Gaonose.

Game 2 – TIO Stadium, Darwin
Australia South Africa

2 – 2 – 14 0 – 0 – 0

4 – 6 – 30 3 – 0 – 18

6 – 11 – 47 4 – 0 – 24

9 – 14 – 68 4 – 1 – 25

The second game of the South African tour was played at TIO Stadium in Darwin as the curtain raiser for the Indigenous All Stars v Essendon game.
The Australian team were an improved outfit, although young they looked very accomplished. Both teams performed very well in front of an ever growing crowd.
The South African team looked dangerous going forward although they just couldn’t put the score on the board. As with the first game the South Africans applied very good physical pressure on the player with the ball and their attack on the ball was great. But, again as with the first game some skill and decision making errors let them down. Many of the South African players have not played much competitive football. Match practice will help them improve these skills and make them a better team. It’s vital for the South African team to get as much match practice and international exposure as possible. The next couple of months will be great for footy in South Africa as an Australian team, The Convicts are soon to tour South Africa and an AIS Youth team will be touring soon after that as well.
The second quarter saw the South African team score three goals and outscore the Australians. An opportunistic goal right on the half time siren capped off a great quarter and saw the South Africans go into the long break only two goals down. Both teams were played good footy and the ever increasing crowd were enjoying the game.
The second half of the game saw the Australian’s show their quality, only inaccurate kicking stopped the margin from blowing out. A late third quarter goal to South Africa gave them a glimmer of hope heading into the last quarter. The pace of the game slowed in the last term due largely to the oppressive conditions and both teams hectic schedule. In the end the Australian team ran out 43 point winners and won the series 2 – 0. However, the result is not as important as the development of the players and the game in South Africa, Both of which have taken large steps forward with this tour.
The South Africans impressed and improved in the two games played and no doubt gained some valuable insights from assistant coach Peter Schwab. Having such football knowledge involved with the team can only be good for the development of the players and the game in South Africa.
The two games played so far show the potential of the game in South Africa. The third and final game of their tour is to be played in Perth against a team from the Clontarf academy.
The better players for South Africa were Julian Horn, Steven ‘Maplunka’ Matshane, Samuel ‘The Mask’ Sethibe and Sandile Xhasa.