With the second half of the split round one in the JAFL season taking place this evening at the Yokohama Country and Athletics Club the Goannas will be taking the opportunity to hit the track this afternoon by Futakotamagawa for a fitness led by TokyoFit followed by new(ish) coach Tom Bowes' first chance to address his chargers.

On the walk down from Futakotamagawa Station to the riverside oval last week's tour to Osaka is sure to be the main topic of conversation. For those of you who won't be able to make it out to training to hear the stories first hand here are the things  the Goannas learned while having a kick in Kansai.

1. SatTrav goes anywhere
Further depleted following the round one win in Yokohama, the Goannas found direction in 150+ JAFL game veteran and team Senpai, Travis Wilson. SatTrav navigated the team out of a midfield low on rotations, through the more obscure parts of Kansai and most importantly, around the dance floor of the Osaka Namba discothèque.
 
2. Nintendo Switch in the Mushroom Kingdom
Buoyed by his blockbuster Easter Saturday performance and proximity to Nintendo Co. headquarters in Kansai, coach Sam Ghirardello handed the captaincy to Pete ‘Super Nintendo’ Chalmers  for the tournament. Borrowing inspiration from Super Mario, captain Chalmers asked his Goannas combatants to reclaim the kingdom (Anzac Cup) from the throws of Japan Samurais' captain, Michito Sakaki, and his Koopa Troop.
 
3. (Boots) got hauls in different area codes
Seemingly this rousing pre-match address had quite the impact on Owen Kearney, with the People’s Boot casting aside his recent kicking woes for four tournament goals and a super-sausage from outside 50 in the Osaka clerb (her age, not metres).
 
4. The new religion taking Japan by storm – the Church of Yuuj!
The prior Easter Saturday fixture had ignited a religious streak in Goannas’ swingman, Ijuy Otomamay, albeit by enacting the role of Judas in electing to play for the Japan Samurais against the Super Mario inspired (and Luigi Ghirardello coached) Goannas. Fortunately, Yuuj returned to neutralise Osaka Dingoes forward, Matt Gale in the Goannas second fixture. Otomamay declared to Goannas Media post-game that he was, ‘pretty chuffed’ with his performance on Gale. Enter the Church of Yuuj.
 
5. Sausage Saloon franchises now limited. Get in quick!
Not to be outdone by Boots, ‘Big Dog’ Bonham opened his Sausage Saloon franchise in 2017. Seemingly doing anything to protect his new business interests, The Dog placed himself in the heart of the Goannas defense (and even into the Hiroshima Cranes attack) to nullify any competition to his burgeoning sausage franchise. Goannas Media also has it on good authority that the much loved cult figure is also at looking at expanding his empire with Tokyo’s first 'Pizza Izakaya' franchise.
 
6. Wyatt to sweat on MRP
With ‘Big Al’ Wyatt proving his value across the field over the course of the Anzac Day Cup, the Goannas’ faithful would have been delighted in the return of the transposable key forward. Such sentiment will surely soon be dashed with the JAFL likely to review two incidents taking place in the early hours of Sunday morning. Video footage captured of a soiled t-shirt cannoning out of a fifth floor hotel room is unlikely to assist the Goannas forward’s chances, but rather just reinforce his ‘Pest from the West’ moniker.
 
7. Back to school, back to school
Even after completing his AFL Japan umpiring accreditation over the course of the pre-season, Sam Onigiridello could be forgiven for any confusion surrounding the recent 2017 rule changes. Embarrassingly however, Goannas Media microphones have picked up the veteran ruckman asking the officiating umpire in the Goannas v Cranes tie whether he is able to play on following a marking contest. When informed that this was within the rules, Onigiridello is understood to say, “oh, sweet”. Onigiridello refused to comment when approached by Goannas Media.
 
8. Check-in for the Goannas defense closes at 11:59
With some football media circles questioning the exclusion of Blair Armstrong from the round one fixture against the Tokyo Bay Suns, the hierarchy down at Futakotamagawa decided to send Blairman Mao by Shinkansen to Osaka to avoid any tantrums from the rebounding defender over the required commute to Tokyo Narita Airport. The Shinkansen however, notorious for their unreliability in Japan, saw the blairy-eyed star only just arriving in time to check-in at the team hotel – hours behind his Jetstar Japan travelling teammates. Fortunately, the nightblair commute did not seem to faze the dependable defender in a performance deserving of a Magners Blairy.
 
9. How to make an Long Island Iced Tea
Main alcohol: Triple sec, Tequila, Gin, Vodka, Rum
Served: on the rocks; poured over ice
Standard drinkware: Highball glass
Other ingredients: lemon juice, Gomme syrup, cola
Preparation: Add all ingredients into a highball glass filled with ice. Stir gently. Garnish with lemon spiral. Serve with straw.

With the 2017 Anzac Day Cup in Osaka only one sleep away, there are a number of burning questions facing the travelling Goannas squad:
 
1. Can Chalmerakis do it again?
After a runaway best on ground performance a week ago, all eyes will be on Peter Chalmers and whether or not he can be the Anzac Day hero that the Goannas will no doubt need. With a depleted squad of 7 players, the boys will need the elite run and pressure of the Magners Marvel if they are to be any chance of taking out the Anzac Day Cup.
 
2. Could this away trip fix Boots’ yips?
After famously lighting up the Sendai Super Dome with an inflated 5 sausages last season, could this weekend’s change of postcode be what Owen Bootsma needs to get over his goal kicking woes? After a 0.4 effort against the Suns last week, the People’s Boot will need to be on target in Osaka if he hopes to retain his spot in a team boasting a host of Dead-eye Dauds.  
 
3. Will the Goannas be exposed as flat track bullies?
With the exception of the aforementioned Tour de Sendai, it’s been two years since the Goannas left the comfort of Kanto to contest a game of footy. Although they will be well-rested after flying down in comfort with Jetstar, there are some serious question marks around whether the Goannas’ “kick it to Trav” game plan will hold up on the traditionally larger fields of Kansai. While the Goannas have a strong fan base all over the country on the back of their “Don the Bash” campaign, they will be in hostile territory among the footy-starved Dingoes faithful.
 
4. Who will get the match up on Matty Gale?
With close to 100 goals to his name in a 6-game JAFL season, Matt “Gary” Gale will no doubt prove a handful for whichever unlucky Goanna gets the job. Often referred to as the Brendan Fevola of Japan footy due his love for kicking bags of sausages on suburban football grounds and his ability to sniff out the best spot for a craft beer no matter how remote the location, the fans will be out in droves to see the Dingoes President displaying his wares. Much improved defender Yuji Prestigiamoto is the current front-runner for the position.
 
5. Do the boys have the depth to get the win off the field?
While there are some obvious gaps in the on-field lineup, the biggest concern for the coaches this week has been the team structure for the boat race at the Fiji Bar after party. In an unexpected turn of luck, Oceans has been a late scratching for the trip, significantly increasing the Goannas’ chances of defending their crown from the Anzac Day Cup two years ago. While fitting 7 players into a 9-man boat race will no doubt be a challenge, a number of game plans based around letting Big Al drink all nine beers are being discussed.

Go get em 'Annas!!

AFL Japan Top League – Round 1
Saturday, April 15, 2017 – Minatomirai Sports Park, Yokohama

Tokyo Goannas (17.14 116) – Tokyo Bay Suns (8.3 51)

Footy is back! After a long winter the cherry blossoms have popped open around Japan and that means offseason training gives way to matches. With a 116-51 win, the Tokyo Goannas got off to a strong start on the path to a third-straight AFL Japan Premiership.

Ball up under the lights in Yokohama…it’s almost like there was no break between the Finals in November 2016 and Round 1 of 2017 on Saturday night. But despite being at a different ground, the same intensity and skills were on display as the Goannas stormed to victory.

The match started in the nervy fashion typical of matches between the Goannas and the Suns. It took a cheeky run from the wing for captain Daniel Last to scoop and slot home the first goal of the JAFL season. But after a slow start, the Goannas picked up play and wound up kicking five goals in each of the first three quarters, kicking matching 5.3 in Q2 and Q3 of the match.

However, it’s the defensive efforts that impressed the captain the most. “The tackling pressure throughout the game, the boys played with the same intensity as they finished 2016 with,” Last said. It was that pressure and defensive clamp-down that provided the foundation for the win. “The skill and poise in the back line from Chris ‘Muzz’ Murray and Yuji Yamamoto was excellent.”

But praise wasn’t limited to just a few. As the Goannas headed back into the capital to celebrate former coach and president Tom Bowes’ nuptials, spirits were high and there were kudos all around. Murray, Yamamoto, Andy Last and Sam Ghirardello were key with intercept marks and tackles; Oceans Huynh, Pete Chalmers and Owen Kearney crucial in the midfield; Travis Wilson the usual silk up front; and hard fight from forwards Alex Wyatt and Doug Bonham. On the wings, debutante Takayuki Enomoto and returning veteran Daud Haugherty had massive contributions, goals for each paired with hard running and tackling.

For the first time ever, players voted post-game on the Magners Man of the Match, with Peter Chalmers being the lucky recipient of a carton of Magners Cider compliments of the Goannas' newest sponsor.

The Goannas will take a week to recover before traveling to Kobe for the ANZAC Day Cup Tournament hosted by the Osaka Dingoes on April 22. AFL Japan Top League action is scheduled to return on Sunday, May 21 against the Poseidons.

Written by Doug Bonham