A killer uphill in the early stages of the run

October 30
Breaking the Dragon's Back
An elite core of Dragons members took to the hills of Hong Kong island on the the public holiday Monday, ignoring their duty by local custom to attend to their dead relatives graves.

Death was never far from the minds of several players tasked with running about 10km through testing terrain. Without naming names, Caldwell and Byrnes did particularly well to stay with the living. Both deserve kudos, Big Man because of his advanced years and Byrnes-eye because of his advanced state of liver malfunction.

Nige was another to put in a determined effort, driven by the single-minded desire to sink a couple on the beach at Big Wave Bay at the conclusion of the run.

The Dragon's Back trail sucked the life from your legs in the first ten minutes of solid uphill slogging. Being overtaken by octogenarian grandmas with walking canes did little for morale. Rest breaks under the guise of essential photography stops eased some of the grief.

A lengthy trot along the spine of the dragon followed, with sensational views of Shek-O beach and village and the solid swell rolling into Big Wave Bay. When life seemed benevolent and good, a major uphill (pictured) confronted us. Riggsy, Boges and Lips urged the boys to push the last 50 steps and with Lips breathing heavily behind you, no further motivation is needed to keep moving.

The run then cut its serpentine swathe down into the jungle, where your footfall and heart beat were the only soundtrack. Maybe a babbling brook in there too.

A rest at the prison followed and a near cardiac arrest for the Prez.

Members of the Dragons' Japanese fan club were waiting for the team at Big Wave Bay

The rest of the run, punctuated by regular queries on where the hell we were, took us back across the top of the Dragons spine and to the 1000 steps down into a very welcoming view and reception at Big Wave Bay.

Burgers, beers and boardriding followed on the beach at the end of one of the most rewarding and enjoyable training sessions ever held.

Plans are afoot to conduct a similar outing before the Shanghai tour at the end of the month and the eight blokes who fronted for this session (namely Big Man, Rigger, Nige, Longhair, Boges, Lips, Prez and Nico) will attest that it is a run not to be missed.

* See all the photos in the Dragons in Action gallery under Scenic HK training run 2006

Boges

October 22
Training bucked from the agenda
Our infarmants infarm us that due to the inability of anyone to confarm training, due in no small measure to a collective sense of feeling infarm following Farm's bucks night in Macau, training was cancelled.

October 15
Numbers Improve Under Steamy Lights

It was great to see 19 blokes turn up for the 2nd training in October to help prepare for our Shanghai Tour on 25th November. With Burbs and Stuch combining to take training, the boys displayed solid skills under the neon lights of Happy Valley.

After 4 drills we played a scratch match of two halves which saw new comer Wally turn it on in the 2nd half. Brushy made up for his sh*thouse kicking all night with a lovely outstretched one-hander while Shannon had a fight with the goal post. Supposedly the post said something about Shannon's gay boots.

Look forward to seeing an even bigger turn out at 4.30pm this Sunday at the Valley.

Byrnseye

October 8
Fight For Ground Space Ends In U-Beaut Training

Last night's training session was the first one back after 4 weeks break.
And the grounds staff decided to stuff up the booking system which saw the Dragons train on the soccer pitch under weak lights. Just as we though this would dampen spirits, instead it gave the boys a new lease of life with outstanding accuracy on the kicking drills, good voice and a high powered handball game. Good to see 17yr old Brenton turn up for his first session in a long time and while the little scrawny fella looks unintimidating, the Colonel put on a display with round-the-back baulks, long kicking and an impressive overhead mark.
Apart from Burbs losing both contacts, which actually improved his game, and Brushy getting the ball lost in his hair,
it was a good session but not enough players. More required this weekend to make it competitive.
Byrnseye

Besty lines up for one of his seven

DRAGONS SNATCH LAST MINUTE THRILLER

Shanghai: With just seconds on the clock, the Hong Kong Dragons took the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter and held on for a thrilling three point win against the Shanghai Tigers in China.

Confronting a 17 point deficit at three quarter time and kicking into the teeth of a chilly three-goal north China breeze, the Dragons never-say-die attitude dragged them to an unlikely victory.

A stunned home crowd gathered on the outer perimeter of Shanghai was left silenced as debutant Betsy drilled his seventh and final goal of the day with 30 seconds left on the clock. A three point deficit was turned into a three point lead and the Shanghai Tigers were left with one last bouncedown to create something special.

But the Dragons gun midfield evacuated the ball out of danger and into the forward line before the siren sounded on a much-needed win for a side that, while formidable at home, has taken to the road of late like an Indian cricket team.

The match also provided a fitting farewell for one of its favourite sons, Tim Burbury, who put in a stellar performance in the backline.

Despite stealing Besty's man-of-the-match award, Byrnes-eye was his usual dominant self around the ground. His award-winning, headline-grabbing opportunism stems both from the ability to take a big grab and his penchant for placing his 200cm frame in front of the umpires and setting his pubic hair alight - never fails to get noticed by the umps.

With greasy conditions prevailing, the Dragons mosquito fleet was integral to its eventual success, with Junior Burger Stuchy always lurking dangerously, Taity putting in a good second half, the ageless Winesy solid and the unlikely figure of Farmer, in his 51st match, showing some of the class he has often spoken of but none have witnessed. Well, 'class' may be too heady a superlative, but 'dogged persistence' would cover it. In the backline, burbs was rock solid and ably assisted by Ian Allen in a back pocket.

The first quarter saw an experimental midfield of Salty, Stuchy, Besty and Boges clash with the decorated Tigers engine room. Honours were even, with little separating the two sides at quarter time. The Dragons created opportunities but failed to convert.

The second quarter saw Shannon, Wu and Tait assume some roaming capacity (unlike the mobile phone of President and organiser Byrne), while the twin-spearheads of Caldwell and Gribble were diluted with some speedier options. But the Dragons still were overrun by a fit and fired up Tigers team.

Laughing all the way to the victory dias - the Dragons in Shanghai

Kicking with the wind in the third quarter after receiving a spray from the management heirarchy, the Dragons lifted but again were dragged to the wide expanses of flanks and pockets that seemingly receded to the Tibetan steppes.

The irrespressible goalsneak 'Loose' Faulkner popped up for a major after popping out of a waist-deep pothole and Besty broke a pack like a card-shark and boomed one in from half-forward to fire the visitors.

But with Marcus Tehan, player of the tournament in Hong Kong earlier in the year, and no 4 powering out of the midfield despite wearing more tags than Posh Spice's wardrobe, it was still the Tiges in front at the final change.

Each side went goal-for-goal, with the Dragons every major replied to almost immediately. A sealer from a suspect holding the ball decision against Burbs, who had unceremoniously flung a mother hen from atop his hatchling, seemed to consign the Dragons to a grim year.

But it was the Dragons who dug deepest and took the spoils. In an emotion-charged spectacle unlikely to be bettered in China before the 2008 Olympics, Besty celebrated his winning goal with a selfless solo run to the boundary to accept the plaudits of the crowd.

Goalscorers for the Dragons were Besty (7), Faulks, Dale, Stuch and Doddsy.

Special praise must be made to the Tigers, who organised a great trip, from our bus and beer wenches at the airport to the end of a great function at the Big Bamboo.

As usual in Asia, football was the winner.

Craig 'Boges' Francis

On song: Burbs struts his stuff

After 21 games with the Dragons, the most famous Tasmanian since Boonie has decided to pull stumps on his Asian football career. After his Buck's night, he caught up with The Firebreather for a few soothing pints of Boags.

Firebreather: So, you've decided to pull stumps on HK? Not a bad way to go out of international football, eh, that three point win?

Burbs: Yeah, I guess I'll be transfered onto the 'Past Players' part of the Dragons' website now? Mate, it couldn't have been scripted better. Leaving aside the Champs' wins, that was one of the best Dragons games I've been a part of and I was proud of the way the boys never gave in. Special thanks to Shannon Morgan for getting Besty to come on his first tour and kick 7 goals, including the sealer! He'll do well that boy.

FB: So how long you been in HK, what ya been doing?
B: Almost 4 years. I've been moonlighting as a lawyer when I'm not playing footy.

FB: Is it true you'll be working as a kitchen-hand in a Melbourne train station when you go back?
B: Ha ha! Anna is starting a new health food business when we get back. I'll be helping her out in the mornings, but I'll keep my day job.

FB: Talk us through your ascendancy to the top post in the Dragons lineup. Who were some of your influences along the way and did you find the captaincy an inspiration or burden?
B: I'm sure it was a process of elimination. Dicko semi-retired, Macca had to go home, Riggsy was elevated to coach and Byrnes-eye had too much on his plate as president/tour organiser/training coach/mad hatter. In fact, I'm sure Byrnes-eye and Riggsy decided to make me captain to get me to training and to go on tour! Well it worked and I was honoured to lead the boys out in each game. All of these people were big influences, along with Hamish Stuart who is an exceptional footballer and the great man himself, Will Hamilton.

FB: Did you develop any particular rivalries, with a certain player or team?
B: I can't think of any rivalries with individuals, but I tried to lift a notch every time we played Singapore. They proved to be a quality side in last year's Champs so you always want to gee the boys up to play well against them. We also have a friendly rivalry against the Thailand Tigers, who I really respect.

FB: Any game/incident that stands out?
B: Apart from my last game in Shanghai? There's a few here. Winning the Asian Champs in '04. We kept Singapore scoreless which was a credit to the boys, especially Dicko, Hamish and Jamie Liddle on the back-line and Riggsy who simply dominated the game. One incident from that game stands out. Before the GF, I went to see Jazz Neil in the medical room. He had a nasty concussion from the previous game and was no chance for the GF - he didn't know where he was. Then in the last 5 minutes of the GF, he suddenly appeared in the forward pocket and kicked a goal. He still didn't know where he was! The other one that springs to mind was last year's tour to Bangkok. As part of the tour, we went to Hellfire Pass with the Thailand Tigers for a rememberance ceremony for the POWs. That was quite an experience. And of course, no one will ever forget Farmer's acceptance speech after winning the KL Asian Champs in '04. I still cringe when I think about it.

FB: Former Dragon Jazzman has recently returned to Melbourne from HK and said he loved Melbourne during the weekend but missed the action of Hk during the week. Are you looking forward to the move and what do you think you'll miss the most (Dragons aside)?
B: We're really looking forward to returning home. We both miss our Oz friends and our families, so it will be great to live with them all again. Having said that, we'll both miss HK, especially the city's vibrancy and pace. I'll miss all the good friends I've made over the years. One of the great things about living in HK is that you see your mates a lot more than you probably do back in Oz. That's probably due to the fact everyone lives and works in such close proximity and also because we tend to socialise a lot more during the week. I'll also miss our little god-son, Sam Badenach. I'll have to work out that video Skype thing to check on him from Melbourne. I'll also miss the junk trips, the walks and showing the city off to friends when they come to stay. I'll have to come up from time to time for work, so I don't plan to say 'good-bye' when we go, just 'see you later'.

FB: How has HK treated you as person? Do you think you have grown as an adult or reverted back to childhood?
B: Good question, you'd better ask Anna that one! A bit of both to be honest. I've certainly rediscovered having the kind of fun I had back in my Uni days - playing footy and having fun out with the boys. I think the '80s & '90s music in LKF has something to do with that.

Burbs leads the team through the club song

FB: The Dragons personnel has evolved over the past few years. How do you see the club faring in 2007?
B: There aren't many guys left from the team I was playing with in '03, but I think we have a terrific bunch of guys right at the moment. We also have done well in recruiting players of the calibre of Byrnes-eye, Brushy, Shannon, Cole Mitchell & Besty. There is also a real team spirit that you only get when you have a bunch of guys who genuinely like hanging out with each other. We need to take that into next season. There are already plans for a new coach and captain, and hopefully we'll see guys like Dicko, Riggsy, Stu Walker & the rest of the Cathay boys return in '07 to show the way. Try to get Rabbit Tucker back too. He's massive, but he has a penetrating left foot kick.

FB: How does Asian footy compare to the stuff you played in Oz?
B: I played most of my footy in Tassie in the early to mid 90s. It was a good comp - in fact I found out the other day that Besty and I both played against each other in '92. It was probably a little quicker, but so was I back then! I think the quality footballers tend to stand out more in the Asian game.

FB: Lucy Lui or Cameron Diaz?
B: Cameron.

FB: Any parting words from a man of your experience to pass on to those you leave behind?
B: Tour as often as you can. Don't sit back and watch - get involved with the Dragons as much as you can and you will have some of the best experiences. I was given this advice from people like Will Hamilton, Webby and Damo McNair when I arrived in HK, and Hamish Stuart said it again in his B&F acceptance speech last year. None of us will play here forever (well, maybe Winesy), so make the most of the friendships and experiences while you are able to.