​“It's a day for cricket” was the statement from referee Michito-san.  A hot and sunny day reminding all involved that the JAFL is still based on an Australian game. 
 
In what can only be described as the closest 100 point victory in footy history, the Magpies were unjustly represented on the scoreboard.  They played a tough, physical, active game and will be a challenging match-up for any team they come up against all season.
 
That said, it was an equally strong performance by the Goannas.  Murmurs before the game were that ‘if Trav shows up, we win this one’.  And in veteran form, big Arms did in fact show up… on his own time.  He did, as he has so many times before, put on a clinic on how a leading forward should play.  Using his size, strength, and experience to full effect, Arms dominated the forward line kicking goals and unselfishly setting up easy marks to on-running midfielders as he has done an astonishing 149 times before – showing the longevity of two Boomer Harveys sat upon each other’s shoulders wearing a trench coat. Well done big fella!
 
This game started well with midfield domination from Oceans, Lasty, Brett-o, KC, Jason Fan and Sam Ghirra, who played most of the game hunched over like an old man looking for a penny; Sam showed what it meant to get your head over the ball, and though he didn’t get the bounces from the footy gods, he put in a presidential effort, preferring to win the ball than protect himself.  Oceans was in good form chasing and harrying, in one instance sprinting for what must have been about 150 meters before winning the ball, but then spraying wide.  It was a great effort deserving of his magnificent dirt beard.
 
Not to be outdone in the midfield new comers Andrew ‘Principal’ Shinners and Matty ‘it’s gotta be the shoes’ Uphill proved brilliant signings.  Matty running the left wing with impunity and Shinners making at least three line breaking runs for goals.   Without the Irish to do our running for us, the new boys came through in fine form.
 
It was also a terrific effort from the full forwards.  The tap pretty much a forgone conclusion after Brett-o went full Jean Claude Van Damme on the Magpies ruckman. A lot of balls went over the heads of the big men, but Yuji was still able to sky for a great mark that unfortunately only led to one point.  Big Alex, and Big Doug were able to pad their goal totals while taking attention away from Trav.
 
Also in line for praise was Jason Fan, who was such a midfield dynamo that the Goannas decided it was better to tackle him, just in case.  The midfield can’t be mentioned without bring up Mitch, whose tattoos drew the referees ire.  The left leg tattoos giving away a fifty (well… 30) in the first half (even though it was really Yuji!) and the right conceding a holding the ball despite an empirically proven, successful handball to Alex.
 
Jarrod Woodward and KC were full of running, combining for a few sausage rolls.  In particular, Jarrod ran forward fearlessly, kicking from goals from medium range like a myopic sniper.  He was partly able to do this because KC provided excellent cover for Owen Kearny and Super Nintendo Chalmers who were both equally adept at wing or half back and was able to turn offence into defence consistently.  Speaking of defence, the excellent midfield didn’t leave much for the back line to deal with. Muzzle, able to bring the Maggies full forward to heal the entire game, didn't give away a thing.  He was spelled by 2-point best-and-fairest award winner Bash, whose desire to support the team is matched only by his complete and utter lack of talent. With that said, despite very undeliberately deliberately kicking the ball out of bounds, the man from America’s Hat beat multiple opponents on more than one occasion to prove invaluable in restricting the Magpie forwards.
 
But the best of the back line was clearly Andrew Last.  As he did in the Poseidon’s game, Firsty turned the momentum of the game effortlessly.  Along with brother Dan, the Lasts were clearly the best on ground for all to see.  Lasty with limitless energy tackled, marshalled, and led like a general, not to mention kicked a bit of a screamer.  Andy, in perhaps a more elegant way was able to read the game like New York Times book reviewer.  Knowing where to be and where to go at a level unmatched in the JAFL.  It was a great display by the brothers, and I mean that the way black people say it… which is more meaningful, I think.
 
It was a good win, but in watching a dominant Suns team play the second match there will be much to work on in the upcoming month.  Let’s all make sure to get around each other for a well won match and prepare ourselves for the wars to come.


​James Dennier

For over twenty-odd years, the Goannas have been fortunate enough to have many dyed-in-the-wool fans supporting the players whether the games are played in Saitama, Chiba, or anywhere across the Tokyo plains. From Lorien Parker bringing out the Allens snakes during quarter-time  breaks to Annmaree Scanlan cutting fresh oranges for the players and hurling colourful language at opposition and umpires alike.

Still, there have been rumours the club is debating whether it needs to move with the times and start figuring out ways to add a bit of innovation and "oomph" to match-day support and entertainment. One of the suggestions that has seen the greatest debate recently is the use of game-day cheerleaders much akin to American sports. 

It is understood the Goannas US export Doug Bonham has been the main driver for this. When approached, Bonham chose not to give too much away. Initially saying he "frankly didn't care" either way. He later opened up to explain further.

"As an American, the more I see 'cheer squads' behind the goals in the AFL the more I wonder why television coverage even has live microphones near them to pick up their mediocre "chants".  American cheerleaders are cute and never heard from, which is a massive upgrade to say the least. It should be something we at least look into".

Although having the presence of cheerleaders with red and white pom-poms is without doubt a dramatic departure from the norm and what some may call 'un-Australian', it has been done before. The Nagoya Redbacks have only ever beaten the Goannas once. That was in 2013 when they recruited a cheerleading team to perform on the day with baseball-style music blairing through the speakers after every home-team goal.

The current Goanna captain Daniel Last can still recall that fateful day:  "It was a very dark day for me playing out of the back pocket. I had 5 goals kicked on me, and every time another went through the Redback Ra Ra Girls came on to give a cheer. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that I ended up winning the three votes for best on, simply due to the number times my involvement in the play resulted in another show for the Goannas. It was possibly the worst day ever - or the best. I'm still not sure".

Whether this would have the same effect on the much more disciplined Japanese players would be another matter. Definitely in Bonham's corner though, Peter Apps was candid about his views when asked whether cheerleading is the way of the future this week.

"I love it. I thought about it so many times. I had some fun ideas if we had a couple of girls we could possibly mix it up with a few boys for a laugh before a game".

In fact, so eager for the idea was Apps he had began drawing plans for what it may look like by photo-shopping players into photos of professional cheer-leaders - as seen by the accompanying photos to this article.

Club President Sam Ghirardello was non-commital about it all however.

"I would say that we already have an awesome cheer squad - unfortunately they don't actually do any cheering or pay any attention to the game, but they're a cheer squad nonetheless!"

When asked whether Bonham had approached him about this officially, Ghirardello laughed off the suggestion.

"I think the Big Dog would love some cheerleaders on the sidelines - Portland style! Might inspire a few Warwick Capper moments in the big fella".

The concern I have though is that I do fear the cheerleaders would distract the spectators from the sublime skills on the field".

It would seem without the President's thumbs up (not taking into account he actually broke his thumb in the Round 1 encounter), Bonham's idea increasingly looks like one to be scuppered. Notwithstanding, it wouldn't be the first time senior leaders did an about-face if Bonham and Apps can gain enough support and momentum for the idea. What they need first would be willing cheerleaders.

When #Goannasmedia tried asking one of the player WAG's whether she would be open to being a cheerleader armed with pom-poms for the team, her texted reply was simply "lol".

Surprisingly, even fellow North American James Bash Dennier was not so eager for the idea to happen.

"Cheerleaders usually do their stuff during breaks and timeouts. Like soccer, footy is a continuous sport so you have have a set time for them to dance. Still, having some pretty girls would keep guys from getting their pants pulled down so you never know. The Big Dog can be quite persuasive".

So although there may seem some support for the pro-cheerleading group, the mountain to climb seems quite substantial for the time being. It may yet be a while before we see the word 'Goannas' spelt out in body and limbs.

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Have your say: What do you think about the team having an official game-day cheer leading squad? Post your thoughts in the Comments section below - we'd love to hear them.

One of the newest and youngest members of the Goannas team, hailing from the grand ol' city of Melbourne, Jason 'Fanny' Fan came to Tokyo looking to further develop his football career after narrowly missing out on impressing the Hawthorn scouts while playing kick-to-kick with a mate down at Waverley Park.


Having dreamt of one day following in the footsteps of his idol Paul Puopulo, Fan scoured the internet for a team that could give him one last chance to get into the big league.

Enter the Tokyo Goannas Football Club.

"I saw this superb looking website and decided to send an email. I wasn't expecting an answer since I was a bit flat Hawthorn didn't pick me up. Fortunately Sam Ghirardello got back to me and asked me to come in for training".

It didn't all go to plan though and Fan soon found out he would need to start making some adjustments to his expectations. "Pre-season was a good run out. It was good to blow off the cobwebs, however I was expecting training to be on an actual ground and not on some random patch of grass by some old folks playing bocce".

Despite this, Fan put his head down and trained as hard as he could turning coach Ghirra into a fan himself. Round 1 was coming and he knew with the JAFL now streaming games live, there was a chance the scouts at Hawthorn could be watching again.

Asked how he felt before the game, Fan was surprisingly nonplussed. "I didn't really feel any nerves before the game. I had confidence in my preparation and I was just excited to be named in the team and get a run".

He ended up with 7 disposals and 2 tackles in an encouraging debut that showcased his will to harass the opposition. The highlight being a game-saving mark at half back that turned the momentum back the Goannas way. Pragmatic as ever though, Fan saw some room for improvement. "I felt that I have to improve my skills and position further. I want to make more of an impact Puopulo-style and I'm hoping that will come over the course of the season. To be honest I felt like a bit of a passenger".

His parents who made the trek down for his debut didn't mind his game though throwing massive gang signs when Fan almost scored a goal, and at the end had quite a bit to say.

"The folks were here and the weather turned out for them too. They felt a bit sorry for the other team getting smashed though. They also thought big Alex Wyatt and Douggie, our twin towers, were big bullies up in the forward line".

With that, Fan the player also had some choice words for captain Daniel Last. "He's a bit of a clown".

Asked to elaborate, "I better not. He is the captain after all".

It seems for the time being the Goannas number 21 is content staying out of trouble and quietly working up to the kind of form that could have him lining up alongside his hero Puopulo one day. "For now I'm just here to learn how to play the game properly and get along with everyone. Including Dan Last".

So it seems with the changing of the guard this year, a new Fan has us sensing there may also be a change in the wind. Stay tuned.