Ralph - no stranger to pain (vs UAE, 2008 Champs)

Ralph Wheeler, the utility player with the impeccable kicking action, has made a late and impressive bid for most unfortunate player of the year award. With the season all but over, a couple of light Dragons training sessions were held before the planned China tour (before it was cancelled by the China contingent). Diligent in his preparation, Ralphie (as he has come to be known) was one of the players on the track for the penultimate session of the year at Happy Valley.

Sadly for Ralphie, he somehow contrived to do the dreaded ACL and is now setting himself for mid-next year.

"I ended up having to get an MRI done on my knee last week. The results show a "high grade" tear of the ACL which basically means it is holding on by a few threads... The good news is the surrounding cartilage seems to be okay," said an ever-optimistic Ralph.

"My plan at this stage is to see how it fares up when I get off crutches and all the swelling goes down. Then I can decide whether or not to head to Oz to have surgery in the new year. I'll then come back in March and do a few months with Faulks to rehab and build strength. Hopefully I won't need surgery at all if I can help it," he said.

Scenic Yangshuo was to host its first ever Aussie Rules game.

Sadly, we report that China has pulled out of the tour to Yangshuo/Guilin. Their excuses centre around the failure to lure any of the Beijing or Shanghai players to tour, with the local contingent in Yangshuo alone insufficient to warrant a tour.

I apologise to anyone who has structured there plans around the tour and can only say that the Dragons had done everything possible to make it happen. Flights were confirmed, the committee had put the blocks in place and enough Dragons had put their hand up to tour.

It is a disappointing way to end our year, especially in light of the inability to host a game in HK this year as well for reasons beyond our control.

So we now turn our attention to the end-of-season awards night. Keep November 28 free.

A committee meeting will be held this month to get planning underway for next year. The aim is to put our tour plans in place early in the year and to try to attract a visiting team (or two) in mid-2009. Also, should anyone wish to take on a committee role, please email president@hk-dragons.com

The Beijing Bombers extended their apologies and offered to host the Dragons next year. The fledgling Yangshuo Yobbos also expressed the hope the tour could be reorganised in the future.

Their correspondence follows:
Beijing Bombers:
"Sorry to say but I have given it a final push over the weekend to no avail. Despite my best efforts I have not had one person from Beijing or Shanghai put up their hand. Seems that the Y3000 price tag from BJ has scared everyone off so soon after Shanghai. Its also been a massive year for us with Manila, Olympics, Singapore, International cup fundraisers and games with the chinese boys, and then the icing on the cake with shanghai last weekend. On reflection it was a bit presumptuous for me to think I would get 10 to Yangshuo at the end of the biggest year ever for our club.

I have to apologise to you and the Dragons for letting you down like this, the interest you guys have shown towards this dream of mine to get footy started in Yangshuo has been fantastic. If Scotty is still keen on getting a group of Yobbo's together to play you guys it will be great, although I'm gonna be pissed I cant be a part of it.

I have also not been successful in drumming up any support in Shanghai as they have their big international rules decider against the Irish on the 15th and seem pretty pumped for that.

We have a BARFC committee meeting soon where we will discuss this. We have definitely learnt some lessons about how much we commit to. Hopefully we can make it up to you guys by hosting you to a great weekend in Beijing if you are able to travel up sometime next year. We have now hosted 2 full scale 18 v 18 games games here on our great new ground in Beijing and would warmly welcome you all to come and see for yourself the great strides we have made in developing footy here over the last couple of years, and while you still may have a slight chance of beating us before we start dominating the whole of Asia!

Best regards,
Keysy.
Beijing Bombers

From Yangshuo:
Unfortunately I really think we wouldn't be much good for you. Basically we are just a mix-matched group of ex-pats, a few Aussies and a few other randoms who were keen for a run around and a bit of fun. We were really following Grant and the Bombers lead on this one, I'm afraid without them we really wouldn't be much use.

Moral of the story is mate that I don't think we could pull together enough of a team for a decent match with you. I do strongly believe that there is a future for a regular HK vs Bombers/Shanghai match in Yangshuo though and hope you guys can co-ordinate a plan for next year.

.................................................
EARLIER PRE-TOUR REPORT:

The Dragons final tour of the year will take place on the weekend of November 15 in scenic Yangshuo (near Guilin) just an hour so flight from Hong Kong. The Dragons will play a combined China side on an historic footy tour.

All interested tourists should immediately email Tour Manager Stoochy at tours@hk-dragons.com to indicate their intent to be a part of this truly unique tour.

The Dragons will take on a combined China side featuring players from the Beijing Bombers, Shanghai Tigers and the fledgling Yangshuo Yobbos, comprised mainly of expatriate climbing tour operators.

This will be the last chance to tour for the year, not to mention the last chance to accumulate votes for the coveted Ray Wood Medal for the Dragons best player of the year. All players on this tour are also guaranteed plenty of quality game time.

Details about the format of the matches, hotel accommodation and flight times are being finalised but the club requires players to immediately declare their intention to tour so as to waitlist flights etc.

Yangshuo is a county in Guilin, Guangxi Province, China. Surrounded by karst peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River (漓江) it is easily accessible by bus or boat from nearby Guilin (65kms away). Over the years, it has become popular with foreign backpackers.

And as an added advantage in the wake of the global financial meltdown, this will be one of the cheapest tours we have undertaken, with Guilin just an hour away by plane and hotels expected to cost less than HK$150.

Get on board for the last tour of the year, to our ever-friendly motherland.

Woodsy (right): actual footy photos were hard to uncover.

Firebreather (FB): How long you been a Dragon?
Mark Wood (MW): I arrived May 2006, and was a member by June of that year, although I was a little late to get going with touring - work in that first year sent me around the world.

FB: How many tours you survived?
MW: Three tours; Thailand Champs 07, Manila Cup 08, Singapore Champs 08.

FB: Fondest memories?
MW: On home shores it would have to be the Beach Party, which is certainly not an event to be missed. A definite highlight of the year. In only its 2nd year already attracting keen diary enthusiasts to commence pencilling. Honourable mentions to this year's Ladies Night and the AFL Grand Final Day.

Away I would have to say the Manila Cup was a fantastic tour. We got the win and had a ball off the field. A really good place to tour as every sticks together, and more Dragons together usually means more laughs. More speeches than a
Greek wedding on the bus back to the airport Sunday. Harty was appalled!

The Rigg v Byrne "I'm not angry, just disappointed" tour. However the tennis/banter between these legendary Dragons on the bus ride home was exceptional. Please remember this bus ride was minus booze, but included
fire. Still rates as one of the greatest tennis games of the modern-era. Hats off to Capt Rigg for a straight sets demolition of the somewhat past-it Nathan 'feet of fire' Byrne.

FB: Whose the best player you played with?
MW: Besty - on and off the ground. He never dropped a mark. Fantastic with members of the opposite, feeding off his crumbs on the dancefloor was gold.

FB: How many more good playing years do you have left?
MW: Zero! Didnt have any to start with. You think I would join the committee if i could play? I can't play, so i have to contribute somewhere. Highly likely to stuff up being a committeeman as well.

FB: That's encouraging. Preempts my next question, which is, what fresh ideas are you going to bring to your club in your new role?
MW: Not sure yet... But reckon we need CREED

FB: What IS your new role?
MW: Still waiting to be told. I think I'm on the social committee, which is good. Though i would prefer one of these modern AFL terms. Director of Football Operations has my name all over it.

FB: What's with the weather/Phil thing?
MW: Angry Dragons are the worst kind of Dragon. When one Dragons feels he's getting a hard time, he makes its his priority to make sure another is feeling worse. Baby Dragon was given the unfortunate nickname of Jose with a slient 'H' by another vertically challenged Dragon. Jose didn't take kindly to said nickname, but wasn't able to come up with anything for the offending Dragon. So he directed his ire my way. I was giving weather reports (see above where i need to contribute something/anything) on Singapore before the champs each training session leading up to departure. Jose said it reminded him of Phil Toinby (yes, who the hell is that?) off Fast Forward. Now sorry kids, I stopped watching Fast Forward about one week in, so I have as about as much of an idea as the rest of the group. Jose loves it though, wets himself everytime.

With regard too being expert lifeguard / Olympic Volunteer / tweaking hamstrings and hearts / Port Adelaide loving South Australian - all true

FB: Tell us a little bit about the exciting world of shipping.
MW: Want to charter a ship? Come and talk to me. I only do the big ones though.