The Solna Axemen have continued their good habit of winning the big games and are the 2011 SAFF league champions after a gripping and close tussle with ancient rivals the Södermalm Blues.

The Axemen do it again

In bright sunshine and a perfect day for football for the crowd of 200, the Axemen lifted the Stockholm league premiership cup for the fourth time in five years with a commanding performance across the ground in the 2011 SAFF Grand Final.

Spurred on by final match playing captain and 40 somethings pom, Leslie Clarke, the Axemen started cautiously with 2 goals 5 in the opening quarter. The trend was reversed in the second quarter with both teams going into half time all squared.

The Premiership quarter lived up to its name and the Axemen took a slim 14 point lead into the final change, however the match was far from decided.

Södermalm came out fighting in the fourth quarter and threw everything including the kitchen sink at the Axemen.

With 10 minutes to go, the Axemen were leading by a few straight kicks however the nature of the contest changed dramatically. The Axemen lost two of their midfield generals to yellow cards and one sensed that it was game on.  Södermalm upped their efforts and desperation scoring a number of unanswered goals out of the midfield. The final moments of the match were engaging with dramatic end to end play and both clubs trading goal after goal.

The final siren finally blew and it was an exhausted yet joyous Axemen who left the field and were presented the SAFF Premiership cup, winning 114 to 102.

Coach Knee was delirious “The boys really came through today compared to the laissez-faire game we played against the Swans in the semi-final last week. We were far more physical around the packs and held onto our marks in the one on ones. I couldn’t be more happier with the way the team pulled together and hung on when a couple of the boys hit the showers early.”

Ruckman Wurmbach commented “Four flags in five years. We are ze best!”

It has often been suggested by some that the Axemen gains all their success from the quality of Australian players the club attracts.  However, I believe this statement to be a over-simplification and ignorant of many of the key facts. The core playing group has been together for four to five years with a number of our non-Australian players having been encouraged to pursue and be selected for national team honours (Sweden, Ireland & Germany). Our participation in two weekly trainings of two hours with experienced and able coaching staff in control as well as attendance in tournaments such as the Haggis Cup in Scotland clearly demonstrates the clubs commitment to playing group development. The sport of Australian Football is a complete team game and the Axemen’s recent success has been built on a cornerstone of commitment by a stable playing group and the support staff over a number of years.  This year’s victory is as much a victory for the previous players and coaching staff (who built the foundations for success) as it is for the players who played in the 2011 Grand Final.

The after match celebrations continued well into the evening at the league sponsor pub, The Liffey, also where the AFL Grand Final breakfast will be shown on Saturday 2nd October.