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Vikings Victorious Again
The recent authority which Denmark and Sweden has held over Great Britain was further stamped earlier this month when the Vikings handed out a record 95-point thumping to the visiting Lions.
Unfortunately, both sides saw fit to take a few liberties with the make-up of their team. The home side's reluctance to leave anyone out saw their interchange bench extend to nine as they fielded 27 players in all, while the British were compelled to include no less than five Australians in their 19 (two of whom are actually playing in DAFL this year).
Whatever chance the underdog Lions may have had disappearred with the toss. The Vikings kicked with a fairly strong wind (which actually grew weaker as the day wore on) and went on a rampage which saw the game over by quarter time. Winning the ball well out of the centre, and with Hans Hervén kicking goals at will, the Vikings went to a 56 point lead at the first break, at which point Hervén had five of his side's nine goals.
The wind excuse went out the door within two minutes of the start of the second quarter as the Vikings added two more goals. At that point, they must have thought they had done enough as the British played their best football of the match to dominate the rest of the quarter. Having reduced the gap to 34 points, they mathematically at least, still had a chance.
But that was it. The heat and lack of interchange took their toll as the home side won the second half to the tune of 23 scoring shots to two.
The 1996 Powerhouse scholarship winner, Martin Holberg, was selected by the umpires as best afield. He was ably assisted by kiwi Steve Macrae and dual Sitch Medallist, Jesper Gjørup, who delighted the crowd with an acrobatic one-handed mark in the second quarter, reminiscent of Rudolph Nureyev, the great Russian half-forward. Best for the Brits were Midas Maynard, James Sullivan, and many observers' choice for B.O.G., Michael Adams.
A few records were set for the Denmark-Sweden representative side. Their score and margin of 144 and 95 points respectively were the Vikings' best ever in internationals, as was Hans "Lillus" Hervén's seven goals. Added to his three in last year's game, he becomes the first DAFL player into double figures in these matches.
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