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There is only one place to be on Canada Day and that is in Ottawa. Nobody celebrates Canada Day like the nation’s capital and with the Canada Day Cup tradition now into its 4th year the Swans and Gargoyles will once again do battle in what has become a highlight of the OAFL season.
 The Swans held the first Canada Day Cup back in 2007 against the Central Blues, while the 2007 meeting was an exhibition game on a much smaller arena, it provided the Swans with the opportunity to get on the field before joining the OAFL in 2008. Helped by a 9 goal haul from retired Swans big man Joel Dawes in front of his visiting parents, the team notched up their first ever win and a tradition was born “It was more than just a game of footy.” Explained Dawes earlier this week “it was…the result of a lot of hard work by a group of outstanding guys. The fact that we came out with the win was just the cherry on top.” The day was pivotal in the Swans development and belief they could compete after only a few months since the club had formed “the beer flowed freely and it never tasted as good as it did that night in Ottawa” remembers Dawes.
Keen to keep the tradition alive the Swans applied to have the Canada Day Cup become a regular fixture in the OAFL season, the league supporting the idea and in 2008 the Swans would welcome the Guelph Gargoyles to Ottawa to not only play for the cup, premiership points would be on the line. Torrential rain all day made for a soggy affair, the Swans pushing the Gargoyles and with 2 late goals looked like they may snatch an unlikely victory, unfortunately for the Swans, the Gargoyles steadied and won the game, taking the cup down the 401 for the first time in its short history.
The Gargoyles would return to Ottawa in 2009 in search of back to back cup wins. The Swans after a winless 2008, and 6 straight loses to begin the 2009 season were desperately looking to turn things around. Enter Darren Roffey and the Keane brothers, three of the Swans most experienced players, the Keane's would dominate through the mid-field and across half back supplying Roffey with plenty of football that helped him to a 5 goal return as the Swans were never challenged notching up the clubs first ever win in the OAFL and ensuring the cup would return to Ottawa. Gargoyles veteran Aaron Fanning remembers the game well and concedes there has been a lot of talk around the Gargoyles camp this week of winning the cup back “Ottawa won fair and square last year and were undoubtedly the better team on the day….the boys are keen to bring it home with them and look forward to the game on Saturday”
2010 signals a new chapter in the Canada Day Cup tradition, the Swans, in almost an identical start to their 2009 season, sit without a win after their first 6 games including a round 1 loss to the Gargoyles, who, on the other side of the coin are dominating the OAFL sitting 3rd in the standings and confident 2010 could be their year. The Gargoyles, along with the Ottawa Swans pride themselves on fielding a side made up of mostly Canadian born players, without the Toronto market to lure big name Australians, the clubs have had to fast track the development of most of their rookie list to be competitive against their more experienced opponents. And while the Swans have yet to turn this development into wins, they only need to look as far as the Gargoyles to see what dedication and commitment to the game can achieve.
The cup, now in its 4th year sits proudly at the Georgetown Pub in Ottawa after the Swans 2009 success, however, the Gargoyles are looking to change that “It (the cup) has been absent for 2009 and we look forward to its return. An empty shelf awaits down at the Fat Duck Gastro Pub.” Quipped Fanning. The Swans on the other hand will be looking to not only make it back to back Cup wins, but also open their winning account for the 2010 OAFL season.
The Gargoyles, rightly so, will be red hot favorites to defeat a Swans outfit struggling to kick a winning score in 2010. There will be no Keane brothers to dominate the middle or Dawes to kick 9 goals this weekend, but the Swans long list of Canadian players, some playing in their first cup, are ready to show the rest of the league the success of Australian Football in Ontario rests with them, in the red and white on Canada Day.
2010 Canada Day Cup - Ottawa Swans Vs Guelph Gargoyles, Rideau Carleton Raceway, 2pm Saturday 3rd July
Relive the the Swans first ever OAFL win and 2009 Cup success - 2009 Canada Day Cup |
