AGG Malaysia 2008

Slideshow from Penang 2008

The flights and arrival in Penang on the Friday of the games left little time for preparing to attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 AGG. After the draw and an extended sing-song, plus a few beers in a local bar, players retired to their beds in preparation for the long day ahead.

 Both teams performed well on the grueling first day. Experience from the previous year helped us a lot. Team A won all games bar one and qualified for the B Competition quartre final against a very strong Singapore B. Team B were very unlucky not to have won more games on the first day but done enough to earn a place in the quatre final of the C competition. It was a long hard day with each team playing 4 hard games.

Our gallant performance on the morning of Sunday 13th in both quatre finals will be long remembered by players and officials of the Viet-Celts. There was only a kick of a ball that prevented our teams reaching the semi-finals and the manner in which we played done the club proud. Chances missed were rued but as we exited the 2008 AGG our heads were high and our reputation as an up and coming force in the region was confirmed. Malaysia who beat us by only 2 points went on to win the C Competition. This indicates how close we got to taking a trophy home.

We are by far the most multi-cultured and diverse gaelic football club in the ACB region. As well as having a solid representation of native Irish players we have players from Vietnam, England, Scotland, USA, Australia and France. Our performances against teams who comprised of players who have all played gaelic football from childhood are something we should be proud of and a testament to the dedication and training of the squad. It was a pity that we couldn’t arrange for our women’s team to travel to Penang in 2008 but we will do our best to try and have a team in the women’s competition in Bangkok in 2009.

The Irish Times

"Veterans of the early years tell of players being sick on the sidelines, either from lack of fitness or from overindulging the night before the matches. These days teams are much more serious. They generally attend the draw on Friday night in their jerseys, then head off to bed early, after a short evening of soft drinks. There are some exceptions to this rule: Vietnam got a singsong going after the draw and were clearly enjoying the social aspect of the tournament."...full article at The Irish Times