Hey everyone, I’ve been handed the reins for our Day 4 blog, and what a day it was!
We rolled out of bed for a big pre-game breakfast at 8am. Then we spent the necessary time packing and repacking our sports bags, braiding each others hair (well Emily braiding everyone’s hair – thanks Em!), pacing, and repacking our sports bags again for one final check we had everything. There was a noticeable nervous energy in the air.
We hopped on a bus with our Polish rivals and headed to our match venue. This was our first time seeing the venue and it was certainly different to anywhere we’ve played before, being described as looking like an airplane hanger.
We sussed out our Irish and Taiwanese opponents for a little and said hello to our fans (friends and family) and the Huchesson’s unveiled their brilliant banner that says ‘we’re the proud parents of Emily and Andrew’ with giant pictures of Emily & Andrew’s faces – cute!
We then headed to the change rooms (aka a shipping container) for our team talk. Pumped and ready to go we took the court for a warm up and then it was match time! A few organisational issues, poor Bethan didn’t get her name called out in the lineup so we’ll have to cheer extra loud next time. Then it was time for Jeffrey’s first Aussie test, the anthem. And he only went and nailed it, putting Jazz to shame as, front and centre, he forgot the final lyrics.
Then it was time to put our game faces on 😡
I’m not going to give you a play by play of the match, I’m not a sports commentator and frankly it’s still a bit of a blur. But in summary…
We got off to a rough start finding ourselves down by 6 at quarter time and half time. Just a bit of nerves me thinks. But in true Aussie style we made a cracking comeback pulling it back to even with 5 minutes to go. After a tense final 5 the match ended a devastating 21-19 to Poland.
A massive congratulations to the team for a competitive first match and showing the great potential and fight we have. Special well done to the four players making their Aussie Open debut: Lauren B, Jazz, Jeffrey and…me (all pictured above).
But the excitement was not over yet! After some lunch and showers we headed to the other venue for the opening ceremony. We lined up in our flashy tracksuits (definitely not getting any shit for these beauty’s) and were first into a packed stadium with a crowd going wild! What a rush. All jokes aside it was pretty cool. And we were treated to some great Zulu dancing. Then it was back to the hotel for dinner, a team talk and a good night’s sleep!
Thanks to all who watched the match today and for all the messages of support, it makes all the difference!
Really enjoying your diary reports. Watched the match against Poland and was certainly on the edge of my chair towards the end. It was a good match to watch. Will be keeping tuned in for future matches. Its great to be kept up to the minute. Go Aussies, Go. We’re certainly very proud of you alll.