Today is an off day for the teams and all 10 head to the train station for the three hour ride to Wangaretta. Wangaretta is due north of Melbourne, which means it should be warmer as it is closer to the equator, but in actuality it is supposed to be colder as it is at a higher elevation. Our train is due to depart at 7:50 so the team grabs brekky at 5:45 or so and a bus drops us at the station around 7:00. The trip itself is uneventful, but does offer us a chance to view some of the countryside. It is not quite considered bush territory, but is considered country football. Once we clear Melbourne we see rolling hills, creeks and farms, sheep and kangaroos (it is Australia after all), and even an echidna was spotted. The territory we are traveling through is primarily farmland where animals are raised, not as harvesting grains.

When we get to Wangaretta, there is a band playing and the mayor and the local football officials are on hand to welcome us to their town. The AFL has also sent along a film crew to collect some footage. After settling in to the hotel, the boys head out for lunch and at 2:30, most have settled in for a nap or a walk through down town. Five of us, however, brave the city golf course. For me, a non-golfer, or at best a "D" scramble golfer, it is a chance to see the scenery and relax for the afternoon. We play a round of nine holes at a cost of A$15 and really try to forget about footy for a while. The Japanese team has about 15 guys and the Spanish team has about 4 guys as well. Not sure what the rest of the teams were doing this afternoon. [The score was irrelevant – Ed. :-)]

Team dinner is at 7:00 and Rich Mann, former president of the USAFL and the guy who ran my first umpire clinic back in 2001 has joined the team. Rich moved back to Australia a couple of years back and now lives in Perth (on the west coast of Australia) and served as the Runner for the US team in 2002 and he will be fulfilling that role tomorrow. I think I have seen just about everyone who has been involved with my umpiring career during this trip! He is doing quite well, and it is good to catch up with him. I learn during the evening that Wangaretta has been an absolute hot spot the last several years for recruiting of AFL players. As much as it is impressive how much footy is played inside Melbourne, it is equally impressive how much "country" footy is played. I remember ex-pats in the states telling me that small towns of 1000 might have several football teams, and now that I am seeing it first-hand, I am gaining a much better feel for exactly what that means.

I also get in touch with the Umpires Coordinator and I am scheduled for a match during Round 4. That means I need a good night of sleep. After the team meeting following dinner it is off to sleep.

Tuesday August 9th, 2005 Wangaretta, Australia

Round 4, the final preliminary round is today. The US will take on Papua New Guinea and the winner will be guaranteed a spot in the final 4. The loser will make it through to the finals if New Zealand beats Samoa. The PNG side is clearly a smaller and faster side, preferring to use their short game skills to the long bomb aerial attack, compared to the US which has size, tenacity, and physical strength on its side.

The first quarter is a back and forth battle, but in the end the US kicks a late goal to finish 3.0.18 to PNG 1.2.8. True to form, PNG uses its speed and short game to advance the footy, but the US defense stands tall, keeping PNG to the solitary goal. In the second quarter, PNG turns up the heat in a big way, running loose all over the field in numbers and winning most of the loose balls. This, of course, means they have substantially more scoring chances and with a goal at the siren, lead the match 5.4.34 to 4.0.24.

In the second half, the US regains is composure, raising its game back to where it was in the first quarter, again limiting PNG to a single goal, while spending most of the quarter in the attack zone. Unfortunately, set shot kicking lets the US down, and the pile on the points while gaining a single goal, including a set shot from 20 meters out at the siren that sailed wide, costing the US five valuable points. Final intermission sees PNG leading 6.4.40 to 5.4.34.

The fourth quarter starts on a bad note, with PNG getting the opening tap straight down the field for a goal. The intensity on both sides has been elevated, as both obviously know a top 2 spot rides on the next 15 minutes. PNG manages a crucial behind after 4 kicks out on the full, extending its lead to 13 points, which means the US needs two goals and a point to draw even. Luckily, after that point, PNG seems to relax and the US forces its way down field, kicking a goal to get within 7. Time is running out but again the US pushes downfield. As another goal sails through the big sticks, the final siren sounds, leaving the US a solitary point short, 7.5.47 to 7.4.46. James Brunmeier of Milwaukee kicked four US goals and was the most dominant player on the field: clearly the most spectacular performance in any match for the US so far. The loss means that Samoa must lose to New Zealand for the US to place in the final four.

I have been assigned to the Samoa New Zealand match, the last of the day, and I am working with Tony Rowe and Adam Lawrence, two of the top Wangaretta field umpires. The grounds here are in terrific condition even though it has been raining for much of the early morning and we get a nice cold shower right at the start of the match. This match draws a huge crowd which gives us a flavor for what country football is like. After the national anthems, both teams like up to do their respective Hakkas. I have seen both before, from up close (the advantage of being an umpire!), but this time they are simultaneous and nose to nose! The rest of my crew has wide eyes at this spectacle, but I had warned them ahead of time what this would be and so we clear the crowd while the teams line up for what promises to be a physical battle. New Zealand outclasses Samoa in all four quarters to guarantee its spot on top of the ladder (the ladder is the ranking of teams from top to bottom), which also means that the US finishes fourth, and will play New Zealand in the semi-finals. The dream is still alive.

After the match, Terry Heath, who has been looking after me for this round, takes me on a tour of Glenrowan, a few kilometers outside of town, including the site where Ned Kelly was shot. I'll have to read up a little bit more, but apparently he was an outlaw who when cornered dressed up on armor and took on the police. He killed three before being captured, and was hung six months later. This area is has several large textile factories and the main industry is farming, both animals and grains (sorghum, wheat, etc.). From here we can see the mountains of the Great Divide and the sprawling valley (think GUNSMOKE).

This evening, the town of Wangaretta hosts all 10 clubs at the town hall. After dinner and the obligatory speeches and acknowledges, South Africa begins the post-formality singing. They perform two songs on stage. Minutes later, Samoa "answers the challenge" and they sing on stage. For the next hour, one country after another is singing songs: Samoa, Ireland, Great Britain, South Africa, and even Spain, Japan, and Papua New Guinea are all singing songs, arm in arm, cameras taking pictures and videos. What a tremendous experience! The AFL representatives are in the back of the room, not really sure what to make of it all. For me, this is what makes this more than just a footy trip. How extraordinary to have 10 (well 11 counting our host country) singing and dancing together, having a terrific time: world peace on a small scale.