Reflections

Well my first season in an overseas league is over. As I sit here at home I can look back on what has been a wonderful experience. To fininsh with a championship medal is a great way to leave the country. However It was not always smooth sailing! We had a coaching change early on, a few injuries to starting players Jordan being the biggest injury.(But having Paw play as a middle was also memorable) Theres was a bad loss in the cup semi final and some interesting matches down in Wuppertal where I think we learnt a lot as a team. However the last month and a half of the season folowing the SK Aarhus loss was great solid volleyball. Peaking at the right time and winning 8 in a row was great. I would like to say thanks to all the team, coaches and whoever else contributed in some way to the win. Hopefully Marienlyst can grab a hatrick of titles next year.
Off the court I also had an awesome time. What I was most worried about was that I would not get along with too many people, but it was quite the opposite, everyone in the team were great blokes and really made me feel like home. So thanks for that as well. They will be sorely missed. In regards to where I will be playing next year, I'm still not sure. There a few options in up to 3-4 countries at the moment, but I'm gonna have to wait to see who is more interested and whether I see these clubs as a positive for my development. However there are probably a couple of clubs that I personally am more interested in. Hopefully things start to develop in a few more weeks and I'll be letting everybody know what happens at a later date.

DANISH CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!

BM 3 Middelfart 0, 29-27, 25-14, 29-27(not sure about the last set couldn't remember the score)
Well Im Danish Champion and it's an awesome feeling. Even though the match was 3-0 it was by no means easy, so getting over the line was a relief.
The first set started pretty evenly, Middelfart took a two point lead and we pegged them back and took a little lead ourselves. We struggled to close out the last part of the set, and to their credit Middelfart just kept fighting back. We ended up taking the set with a nice transition quick from Toke.
The second set was again even to start of with, but soon with a few aces, blocks and good transitions we were in control. It was great to see we finished off the set strong and didn't give away any cheap points at the end as we so often do!
The third set started of slow for us, our attack wasn't being as consistent as the previous 2 sets and we started to miss some digs that we were making earlier. Jeremy was causing havoc from the right side. It was dissapointing we werent able to makes some more digs or blocks on him, but he just seemed to find the right area of the court every time. Suddenly in the middle of the set we got our act together and suddenly with a good service run we were 20-16 up. Then we began to tighten up. Some good transitions from Middelfart and suddenly it was 20-19. I side out put us back on track, both teams continued to side out till 23-22, then Jesper was blocked making it 23-23. Middelfart had a couple of set points but we sided out with some nice swings. Eventually a wayward pass resulted in Jesper putting the ball down for the match.
It was a great win, we played pretty decent and again I felt like we controlled much of the game until maybe the end of the 3rd. It was great celebrating a win with the guys at the end of an up and down season. Having an open bar at the club certainly helped us with our celebrating! If i work out how to put more than one photo on this thing i will but till then just one will have to do.

Also what is the deal with the announcement of the årets hold? I mean i thought they would announce the mens awards at the men's game. But now i hear that it is during the second women's final! theres some problems there, I think it would make more sense to do It at the Men's game. And also i assume a few of the foreigners will probably get some awards, now I know that all of the foreigners at least from Middelfart and Marienlyst will be gone by this time. That just seems a bit stupid to me!

Report Final # 1

Marienlyst 3 Middelfart 0. 25-20, 25-21, 25-17

Well I have to say I was more nervous entering this game than any other in my life. I'm not sure why, I mean qualifying for a world championships is probably on par or above this match, but it was different because you only had the one day to think about the next game. It's the same with my youth world championships quarter final of 2003, it just happened, you did not have time to comprehend it, just time to play. However this match we had etched in our mind since monday (if not for most of the year) and I'm just happy we got over the line.
The first set started off pretty well we made a few transition plays early and then Middelfart did the same and took a slender lead. Slowly but surely we pulled them back and ran away with the set at the end. Nothing special just good solid volleyball.
The second set was almost the exact same. Both teams probably made some more service errors, but it was us who got the edge after 15 and finished the set. Toke and Daniel really started to get going in this set by making some good blocks and great swings.
The start of the third was again even. Then at about 10 we grabbed a couple of point lead which we slowly extended to 4 by 20-16. Finishing strong with a few more blocks and we were able to take that set comfortably to 17.
Our game was certainly not as exciting as I expected. There was nothing really special, we just managed to control the game and keep our composure. It's a good sign because we can improve a lot going into the next match. I think playing at Marienlyst will be an advantage, but Middelfart have shown that they can win on our home court. I expect a tough game where they throw everything at us. I'm looking forward to seeing a packed house at Marienlyst on Monday!

The Battle For Denmark

Well this is it! In a week's time we will know who DM champion for 2006 will be. And to make it even more interesting it's between the 2 teams from Fyn. Not sure if this has ever happened before, but I'm sure it hasn't happened for many years.
I think it's fitting that the two teams that have been at the top of the ladder consistently for most of the season are to be there on the final day.

Preview: Well certainly for the first half of the season Middelfart had the better of us. However we did have a great win against them in our most recent game. However Middelfart were in a bit of a slump at that time, it seems from looking at their game yesterday they are playing much better volleyball than when they visited Marienlyst last time. Playing first in Middelfart will be difficult to say ther least. No doubt it will be a packed house with some dedicated and loud supporters, which makes for a great atmosphere. The keys for us are to stay aggressive and composed through out the match. Our service pressure to stop the numerous attacking options Middelfart have will be a key. On our side our passing will also help a great deal. We have a great deal of variety and make Jordan's job much easier when we pass well.
I expect a tight and tough game with both teams giving it there all. A win in first match for us would set us up very well with the next 2 at home. However a loss, and it's always tough to win 2 in a row against a good quality opposition!!
Either way it's an exciting time for the volleyball community right now!

Semi Final Report # 2

BM 3, Gentofte 2. 25-18, 21-25, 20-25, 30-28, 20-18.

Well last week in Gentofte I had reported about a not so thrilling 5 set match. Well this match was quite the opposite. It is probably the most amazing and eventful game in my entire life, both teams had many match points and probably felt like they had the match won several times.
The first set was pretty good for us. Our passing was a little off, but we managed to make more plays than Gentofte. Toke's blocking was a highlight. We took the set comfortable to 18.
Gentofte came out firing in the 2nd set. Grabbing an early lead and holding on to it for the entire set. It may have been far worse if we werent able to score some more points at the end of the set to make it look respectable.
The third set was very similar to the 2nd, Gentofte looked like they wanted it more. Our passing was struggling and Santos was finding kills from all areas of the court. Paw came on late in the set to give us some 'zing' from the backrow, but again it wasn't enough as Gentofte took the set.
The 4th set started of pretty even. Then Gentofte took advantage of some poor passing to take a couple of point lead mid way through the set. Then a Per Eggers service run got us some much needed blocks to give us a 2 point buffer at 21-19. However this was not to last, 3 overpasses and some poor hitting later and we were down 24-21, the game was pretty much over. We attempted to take our libero off and sub in Anders, trouble was the middle who BT was on for had been subbed on. So we ended up getting done for time wasting, and this left Jacob the middle blocker on the court having to pass a jump serve at match point down. Luckily the serve drifted Paw's way and we sided out. (Jacob maintains he would of nailed the pass anyway) So then after a Santos tip out of court and another tip pickup and transition from Captain Hansen we were at 24-24. There were numerous side outs in a row til a Toke block broke the deadlock. The Stewart finished the amazing escape by grabbing another block. Our set 30-28!
The 5th set was another epic. Gentofte started the better and skipped out to a 9-4 lead. They were looking good, and it loked like all our effort in the 4th would go to waste. Blocks to Jacob and Stu coupled with a transition line shot from Jesper got us back to within range. At 12-9 down we sided out and i went back to serve.
My first serve hit the left side of the Gentofte Libero and was shanked into the wall, 11-12. The second serve clipped the net and landed in the back corner of the court for another ace. The 3rd serve was passed high in the middle and we were able to make another kill block 13-12 to us! The 4th serve was another ace as i put a ball in between Santos and Michael 14-12. Now we had a match point ball.
I hit possibly one of the best serves of my life, a good pass from one of the Gentofte players and a set outside was blocked bt Toke!!! WE had won the match. Everyone came running onto the court and hugs all around. BUT!!!!!! Only then did we realise we had been called for a net touch. Which as we found out later according to Toke and Stewart, was the ball hitting the net on the way down from the block. So we had to continue playing, 14-13. Hansen hit into the net to make it 14-14, now it was getting interesting. Continual sideouts took the score to 18-18, both teams had numerous oppurtunities to transition. I actually had a swing for the match that I hit Santos in the chest about 5 metres of the net in position 6, they somehow managed to scramble it back and win the point. A good sideout and then there was yet another match point. A good touch from the middle sent Jesper chasing the ball with BT, BT hit the chairs hard and dislocated his shoulder, not knowing this Asger our physio pretty much threw him back into court. Meanwhile Jordan had made a set out to me, off a couple of steps I was able to hit at the libero who put it into the stands. We had won again!!!!!
But the drama was not over. As we were celebrating Michael made a remark about Hansen (not sure what it was) and this caught the attention of Per Eggers. Well lets just say I had never seen Eggers so angry in his life and he had to be dragged away from beating the shit outta him by myself and Lasse.
I would like to comment on this, I mean Everybody knows Michael is a bit of a talker. There are players like that. I don't neccessarilly like it or agree with it, but it is legal and obviously it works for him. However making hurtful comments for no apparent reason after the game is just stupid. You just lost the game, you have to cop it on the chin. I think he lost a lot of respect points from many people after his efforts tonight. It really was very unsportsman like.
On a lighter note hopefully we can play a good couple more matches and take the DM final back to Marienlyst for the 2nd successive year!!
In other news Middelfart had a much needed win (understatement of the century) against Aalborg. Taking it to a 3rd match on Tuesday. ITS HEART IN MOUTH STUFF HERE! Should be an interesting game!

Match report BM V Gentofte

BM 3 - Gentofte 0 25-21, 25-23, 32-30

Well it's great to get the semi finals started with a good three nil win over Gentofte. However we certainly did not have it all our own way.
We began strong in the first set making the most of our transition opportunities to take a lead of 7-1. Gentofte then woke up, and coupled with some sloppy play from us were able to claw back to within 3-4 points. However we were able to keep that 3-4 point buffer the whole set and take it to 21.
The second set started with Gentofte taking a couple of point lead early. Both teams side-out became much more steady. It just came down to a few good serves and transition swings at the end of the set to give us a win in a close set.
The 3rd set was a very different stories. We started to commit more service errors and therefore became more timid with our serve. Gentofte's middles, especially Kristian Bech were able to capatilize making their side out play very efficent. THe set was close till about 18-18 then Gentofte quickly skipped out to a 2 point lead. An ace to us at 22-21 doen brang us back level. The 2 teams then continued to side out every ball until 30-30. During this time we were lucky not to lose the set at 30-29 down after giving Gentofte a freeball over Santos's serve. However a Jesper Hansen ace and a block on Toubro by your's truly on match point sealed the deal and we were able to get over the line.
I expect a tough game in Gentofte on Sunday. However a little more pressure is lifted of our backs.
In other news Aalborgh continued their winning record over Middelfart with a 3-1 win in Aalborg. However witht the next 2 matches at home for Middelfart I'm predicting an epic semi final encounter that with go into a 3rd and deciding match. We will just have to wait and see!

Semi Final Preview #1

First match: Aalborg V Middelfart

Well this is certainly going to be an interesting one. Aalborg was the only team to finish with a winning record against Middelfart over the course of the season. However Middelfart have been the most consistent team in the competition so far. Last week Aalborg were able to get over the line in a close one at home. Playing in exactely the same situation as the previous week will surely be an advantage for Aalborg. I was suprised Middelfart chose to play the first game away, given the situation of it beiong a weeknight, and that they lost there only the previous week.
Aalborg's middle attack will be a key to their victory, if they fire (meaning the passing wil have to be good too) It will go a long way to helping them getting a victory. Middelfart will have to serve well to serve well to keep Aalborg honest.
I think that Middelfart will take this one in a close one. Even though they have had a tough couple of matches there too good a team to lose 3 from 4 i think. However i'm sure Aalborg are gonna be a tough ask no matter what.

BM V Gentofte
Well Gentofte certainly took care of us in our last semi final encounter with them last December. However much has changed since then. Our boys have had a much more impressive second half of the season then before the christmas break. However although there poor slutspil record Gentofte have the team to cause any team trouble in the competition. They bring there top game and its always gonna be tough! We havn't lost to them atr home this year, so I'm hoping this record stays intact. Again I believe our service pressure is a key. Our middles are making some good blockes when giving some good oppurtunities. So hopefully we take to the road on Sunday a game up! Otherwise it'll be really tough.

Well done Stewart!!

Im sorry to do this to Stewart, but It's too good to leave out of this blog. Now in Denmark listening to what somebody has said and trying to repeat it is not as easy as one might think. So in the first few weeks of being here Stewart took a trip to the local supermarket. As he was paying for his goods the girl at the teller said something translating to "thankyou very much." Stewart of course looking to blend in with the locals remembered what she had said and decided to use it whenever saying thankyou. HOWEVER........ Stewart's hearing had failed him, so when he was saying thankyou from then on he was actually saying something that in english translates to "Thankyou shoes."
Now you would think somebody would eventually correct him off this fault.......well no! For 6 long months Stewart has been saying 'thankyou shoes' to some very bemused danish people. I'm not sure exactley how this has not been corrected. I guess the Scottish accent just makes people think he is saying the right thing, yet can't understand him either way so give him the benefit of the doubt. Either way it's still rather funny.

Better luck next time Stewart!

OK so it was pretty pointless

Match Report BM V gentofte
BM 3 Gentofte 2

I'd love to report about a thrilling 5 set match with great play from both sides of the net.....but that clearly isn't the case. No team looked like they wanted this game at all. Dissapointing, but not entirely unpredictable. The first set started with Gentofte getting a 5 point run to take it to 5-2, then we had a 6 point run to take it ti 5-8. We managed to chalk out a 5-6 point lead only to be reeled back in by Gentofte, we somehow managed to make a few plays at the end of the set to take it.
Second set was one to forget Gentofte dominated proceedings to take the set rather easily.
Third set was the same as the second, just change the teams names around.
The 4th set was just like the 2nd, no real difference at all.
As it came to the decideing set we decided to shift up a gear (from neutral to first) and somehow get over the line. I don't think anybody from either team was even sweating after the match.
However the middles were solid for most of the match today, they werent helped an awful lot by the bad passing, but they were generally pretty consistent. Paw came on and did a pretty decent job as an outside, his ability to come of the bench to play both positions I'm sure is gonna be real valuable in the finals.
So lets hope for a much better show from both teams on Thursday and Sunday.

The Pointless game?

With Middelfart's loss last night I believe it's safe to say that my team Marienlyst are going to finish top of the ladder before playoffs. It's a great effort from the boys so far to finish top and gain the home court advantage for the semi finals, and if all goes well the final. However the road to finishing top has been a rocky one, losing 4 games for the season thus far is probably more than anybody would of hoped for, however the post-season is what counts now so hopefully we can hit top form and go on to win the DM.
However before the playoffs start we have an interesting game with our soon to be semi final opponents Gentofte. In the way of changing the league standings this game is completely pointless, but this game is in a way still very important to both sides. A win the week before semi finals surely gives a mental edge to either team, and also the fact we are yet to win in Gentofte adds a edge to the game. The coaches could go about this game in a few different ways. They could give some bench players a bit more of a run and rest the starters a little more, or they could play the full team like it was any other match. I personally hope for the proffessionalism of the sport and just to put on the best show possible, both teams will play the game like a semi final. Both teams can be great on their day and a good solid hit out before the playoffs never hurt anybody. I figure think that stopping the momentum we have started to obtain over the last couple of weeks by changing the lineup considerably would probably not be the best idea! why stop a winning formula.
Stay tuned for a post-game match report.

BM V Middelfart

25-12, 25-19, 25-14

Well it's great to finally get a victory over our 'bogey' team Middelfart. And do to it in a such a convincing fashion is always great. The first set started out great with some good transition plays and some good serving keeping Middelfart from playing their natural free flowing game. The middles kept the blocking tidy, giving us some good transition oppurtunities. Towards the end of the set Middelfart gained some momentum, but the damage was done at the start of the set and we had a convincing first set victory.
We definitelly expected Middelfart to come out firing in the 2nd set, after all they are a quality side. However much of the same continued, we were able to make the most of our opportunities. Our middle attack was strong and coupled with some attacking errors from Middelfart we were able to skip to a good lead. Jacob Funch sent down some srong serves late in the set to gain some momentum going into the third, but the lead was to much to make up as we took the set by 6 points.
The 3rd set started with Middelfart taking an early lead. It took us til 7-8 down to switch on. A few serving runs from Jacob and Toke and suddenly we were 17-9 up. It was simply then a matter of finishing off strong and taking a well played victory, and also re-taking top of the ladder.
I guess it was a good team effort all round. I think the middles again played solidly in attack and block, Jordan was his usual consistent self. BT played a solid game as libero and te outsides were great at putting the ball down in those tough points. Personally I probably played my best game of the season, it felt good to get back to my national team form, still being pesimistic about myself I would liked to of served a little better, but beggars can't be choosers!! So hopefully i, as well as the team can keep up this great form come finals time.
So we still have the one game left against Gentofte, who are traditionally strong at home. A good win will hopefully guarantee top spot and home court advantage. However i expect all 4 finals teams to step it up a gear as we go into the finals. Lets just wait and see what happens!!

Down to the wire!

Well the slutspil is certainly hotting up! Especially with this weekend. We have 5 teams going for 4 Semi final spots.We have a top of the table match, Sk Aarhus playing for their playoff life against Aalborg (who can still possibly not make semi's) and Gentofte looking for a much needed win to get back on track for what is shaping up to be a big match against us next week!
Well i'm gonna start with the Gentofte- Holte game. I predict that Gentofte will win the game easily, but more importantly get some much needed confidence after a lean few weeks. Gentofte have been unlucky after losing some matches to an 'in form' Aarhus and Aalborg. However I'm sure they would still be disspaointed with their efforts. However I will never write of Gentofte, they have the big guns who are able to turn it on and take out any team in the competition at any given time, winning the pokal final was certainly no fluke!
This leads me to the Aarhus- Aalborg game. Aarhus are playing for their playoff life for i believe the 2nd or 3rd week. And full credit to them for staying in the semi final hunt. Certainly playing at home will be an advantage for them especially if they play in the smaller hall. However for some reason i'm liking Aalborg in this game. I think that they have a solid attacking lineup, and if the passing holds up they will be in the box seat. However I wouldn't be suprised with an Aarhus victory.
Now for the top of the table clash! The only team we havn't been able to beat this year is Middelfart. It certainly seems like they enjoy playing us. But this time we have a point to prove after coming home with our tail between our legs after getting spanked in Middelfart. I think to gain top spot we are gonna need a good victory over Middelfart, which is certainly what we are going to attempt to do. (easier said then done) However also having bragging rights going into finals will surely be a big advantage also. I think our serve is important, when we serve well it will make it hard for any team to attack consistently. However in saying that Schula and Funch have been very solid all year in reception and attack, and I think it will be no different on Sunday. It will have to be a good performance all round from the guys to get a victory.
So everybody lets just sit back and see how the slutspil unfolds over the next few weeks. Knowing this season I'm sure theres gonna be some suprises in store for us!

Match Report BM V HIK

BM 3 HIK 0 25-20, 25-13, 25-20

As i said in the last post an important game and a good win from the team. The first set started of rather slowly, losing the first 4 points. Slowly but surely we were able to bounce back with some good blocking and hitting, especially through the middle. It was pretty even going into the 20's, but we managed to make a few plays to take the set to 20. I'm not sure what happened to HIK in the 2nd set, they they really started to struggle to get good blocks up for our hitters. Our over the top combination plays were working well and a run of 5 kill blocks in a row always helps the situation. Runaway winners to 13 in this set.
We knew the 3rd set was always going to be tough. One thing I've learnt from playing HIK is they always bounce back, and have the players to turn a match to their advantage in any situation. Again similar to the first set HIK took a slight lead and after maybe 14 side-outs in row we were able to make a transition play, only to see us lose a transition play the next point. After a few good serves at about the 17 mark we took a 2 point lead, with a couple more blocks at the end from toke (who at times looked as if he was putting on a blocking clinic) the set ended up 25-20 in our favour, although it could just of easily been much closer.
So all in all a good win, great play from the middles all round, Stu recorded some great blocks throughout the match, jordan set some great options and jesper and BT were solid in their passing the whole game. I know personally I could of had a much better game, but fortunatelly the rest of the boys did the job. Just hope to pick it up for the big game on Sunday.

Match Preview BM V HIK

The match on Wednesday in Aalborg is sure gonna be an interesting one. Aalborg has the chance to cement a place in the Semi Finals, and we have the ability to put one foot in the door to gaining one of the top 2 spots, and importantly home court advantage for the semi's. Im happy that this game is at home, after beating Aalborg 3-0 up in Aalborg they have won some big games are definitelly the 'in form' team of the competition. Playing in Aalborg this weekend would of been a daunting task. A big key to Aalborg's game is their block. (as we found out in Aalborg during the first half of the season) Aalborg's quick attack is also strong so increased service pressure from us will be a key to the game. I think at home our serving has been much better and i'm sure with a solid performance from all players we should be able to get over the line. But im definitelly looking forward to playing a rejuvinated Aalborg side!

Holte Match

Marienlyst 3 - Holte 0

As we made our may into Kobenhavn we knew it was going to be an interesting game. With 1 fit middle out of 4 it was always gonna be an intersting task to see who would fill the gap. As it happened Paw was up to the task of playing out of position. Playing a great attacking game out of the middle as well as putting in some great aggressive serves. Those other middles better watch out or else he might stay there!!!
All in all the match was a fairly lacklustre affair, It seemed Holte were not as switched as on when we had played them at Marienlyst only a month earlier. Our own game also was far from spectacular, some decent sideout plays was the basis of our win, i think theres still a lot of work in transition plays as well as being able to put some more service pressure on the opposition. However a 3-0 win is a good win, and everybody on the team got a good bit of court time which certainly cant hurt going into the last 4 games before playoffs.
Now we have a good gap before another big match with the inform Aalborg, hopefully this will help with the niggly injuries around the team and set us up for a good run towards the DM crown!

Denmark

Now as we head into the playoffs I'd like to reflect on my time in Denmark thus far. From first getting into the country after 5 days and maybe 10hrs of sleep it took me a week or so to settle in. But quickly enough it became obvious that the guys in the team were all friendly and nice guys, and luckily for me all spoke bloody good english. No matter how long I'm here i still can't quite gather how so many people speak great English, just coming from Australia where hardly anybody knows 2 languages (and it can be argued that a lot of us dont really even know english!) It's just weird. Well either way its a great help to me.
The town of Odense is also a pretty nice place, smaller than what im used to living in, but it's really exactley how i'd pictured a European town growing up. Riding around on the bike is also always fun as well.......until it was winter!
Now if i had to say anything bad about Denmark it would be the weather. As an Australian native It's far to bloody cold! At first I loved seeing snow for the first time, but after only a short time the sight of snow was quickly followed by a "FOR SATAN" as I realised riding to training was going to be a colder and much slower task.
I believe that the fact my team is what I believe a good chance to win the Danish Championship has added to the fun of being overseas for the first time. Although theres a lot of hard work to go in these last few months of the season.
All in all I have so far loved my experience in Denmark, and no doubt the reason behind the great season so far is the guys in the team. I'm lucky enough to be living with Stewart, who I get along amazingly well with! Which is always a worry when your being thrown into a situation where you live with a complete stranger for 7 months! And also theres all the other guys in the team, always ready to have a good night out on the weekends off, always good to share a joke, (slap Stew's arse or attempt to make a Scottish impression), always ready to make Odense feel like home. And most importantly always ready to let me stay somewhere whenever i come back to Denmark (WELL THEY BETTER!)
So as we go on to the finals of the DM I hope that we perform well enough to win the league and celebrate with all the guys in the club that have made the year so special thus far. That would be a fitting finale!