Ben Collins writes exclusively for AFL Asia tracking the progress of the Asian 5 at the IC14.
Below Ben reports on Round 4 which was held on Tuesday, 19 August 2014..
Round 4 of the International Cup brought an easier fixture for the Asian Five based on rankings and most of the blowouts seen in the first three rounds were avoided as a result.
Another all-Asian game was scheduled between rivals Japan and China, which was a tight contest for most of the game.
Both teams moved the ball quickly, but it was Japan’s superior ball use that won the Samurais the game by 17 points.
In other games, India was far more competitive against a fellow lowly ranked team in Finland.
The first half was a real struggle, with both sides finding the going tough in their adopted game and no goals were kicked as a result.
In the second half the players started to move the ball a little more smoothly and Finland finally scored a few majors to eventually win the game by 17 points.
In other games, Indonesia were far more competitive against Sweden, winning the first quarter before going on to lose by 28 points as Sweden figured out a way to take advantage of their massive height advantage.
After going goalless in their first three games, Indonesia scored four goals for the game and will take a lot of confidence into what should be another close game against India in the final round.
Pakistan had a tough assignment against Tonga who again intimidated their opponent and thrashed Pakistan in one of the few blowouts on a much more competitive day all round.
The final round of matches will be played on Friday with the Asian Five in action before the final of the tournament on Saturday at the MCG between Ireland and Papua New Guinea.
Photo description: China dishes out a “Don’t argue” in yesterday’s Round 4 match against Japan.
Photo credit: Mark Stennett Photography
