Sweat and tears
Air Force fights to the end in national rugby league defeat

By CPL Simone Liebelt
Volume 48, No. 3, March 9, 2006

LAC Grant Reibel charges his way through a tackle during the final game against Army in Townsville.

Photo by CPL Shane Gidall

WITH seven players selected for the national ADF rugby league squad, Air Force can hold their heads high after losing to Army at the ADF league championships.

In the hard-fought final game – played in hot and humid conditions in Townsville on February 25 – Air Force went down 38-12 after leading by three tries to two at half-time.

CPL Aaron Power was selected as captain for the national Combined Australian Services Rugby League (CASRL) side, with other stand-out players LAC Grant Reibel – named Air Force’s players’ player, CPL Chris Kluft, LAC Drew McEniery, LAC Matthew Culph, LAC Anthony Hopkin and LAC Matthew Proberts also joining the squad.

Coming into the competition short on players, Air Force was further disadvantaged when two players were forced to retire after injury in their first game.

Air Force Coach FSGT Aaron Smith referred to the 26-20 victory over Navy as an “ugly win”, but was still confident they had a good chance against Army, who went on to thrash Navy 56-0 in the second game.

“We always knew Army was the team to beat, and they didn’t disappoint,” Smith said.

“We were doing great at half-time; we really gave it to them, but with only two players on the reserve bench in the second half, we ran out of steam in the heat pretty quickly.”

He said due to the time of year, it was difficult to get all the players up to Townsville, leaving him without a full squad. Two players were flown from RAAF Base Williamtown on the day of the final and four local Air Force players were recruited to make up numbers.

“It was frustrating because we could have put on a better side, but we just had no fresh players,” Smith said. “Our forward pack was strong but we had fatigue in the backs, and when fatigue kicks in, you turn over the ball and we paid for it.”

He said despite the disappointment of not defending the title for Air Force, he was more than happy with the team’s performance.

“I was really proud of the guys achieving as much as they did with the preparation they had; they did really well,” he said.

“The scoreboard didn’t reflect how hard fought the game was. It’s a bit of a cliché, but it was a game of two halves. We were in control and on top in the first half, but the second half was our biggest enemy.

“But overall, I thought the carnival was a real success. We got good crowds and got great support from the local media and the Army, who had a cast of thousands and were happy to share their resources with us.

“The great thing about this rugby league carnival is that it’s never predictable. Every year you turn up and it’s a completely different competition. Army lost the last two titles but they turned it around, which was a great for them.”

CASRL will play their first game against reigning Townsville champion team Brothers this weekend in Townsville, before taking on a touring English side later this year.

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