HELSINKI HEATSEEKERS

Wednesday arvo, 25 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. 26 players and 2 umpires take the field for the inaugural Blue vs Red scratch match; featuring 6 debutants, 4 with less than a fortnight of training under their belt, players strapping on their boots for the first time in seasons and father son duos giving a glimpse into the future. Tali bore witness to a monumental hit-out. 

Blue: Maxwell, Kane, Spencer, Ilari, Mich, Paulo, Cyril, Alban, Pekko, Petrož, Joonas, Nick

Red: Ryan, Frank, Geoff, Jani, Veli-Matti, Declan, Brian, Ilmari, Paula, Vilma, Izmo, Tim

Ryan “Doc” Trevorah donned the captains band for the Reds whilst Maxwell “Max” Charlesworth strapped it on for the blue. The reds having won the toss, chose to kick with the wind (and against the sun) and with that the game was underway for the first of 8 (yes 8) quarters.

It was a high scoring, free flowing game, with minimal stoppage and a lot of end to end kicking with the bench coming in more than handy. An Ice Hockey style 2 minute shift mindset was used by both sides with all players involved getting plenty of game time. Each player managed to play in every position to get a true feel of the sport and showcase their skills. Difficult to mention every noteworthy moment from the clash but here's the highlights. 

We saw 4 players score their first goals, youngster Izmo capitalising during a stint at full forward, Joonas getting his first from a set shot 25 out after taking a strong solid mark. Spence with a snap on an angle from 30 out with 2 opposing players surrounding him and Mich with his signature torp on the run from the wing. 

Ilmari and Ilari both showed strongly in their 2nd times touching a footy, the former having great defensive pressure, being rewarded with 2 holding the balls and was unlucky not to get his first goal. Ilari, having first tried footy on the sunday had numerous important spoils, using his size well both in the contest and in a long shift in the ruck. 

Returning players Declan, and Brian stamped their class on the blue team with great agility, midfield work and accurate kicking. Those who were pitted against them learnt a lot about negating space to your opponent and how quickly they can break away from you if given the slightest chance. It was equally as great to see Alban back after a long stretch of injuries who proved how necessary accurate kicking is in transitioning out of defence. New player Paulo demonstrated that if you can clear the midfield off a step that can be just as handy. Father-son duo Pekko and Petrož ran hard all day and were unlucky not to get rewarded on the scoreboard for their efforts. Similarly Cyril; who first saw a footy let alone played, on the day tried his heart out and was oh so close to getting his first goal. 

Veli-Matti showed he is still the dominant ruck in the city with his ruck craft and use of his frame, Frank showed class in permanent and along with Ryan made the Blues pay out of the midfield with multiple goals each. Speaking of multiple goals it was great to see Geoff getting up for big marks and looked as fit and confident in his body as ever. Jani and Tim put the hard yards in in the heat, the latter instrumental in cleaning up off half back and popping up for a goal or two. At the other end it was Nick with his physicallity in defence and immense pressure that not only directly saved goals but forced errors from the opposition, he too was rewarded with a couple of snags. 

All in all, an amazing day of footy here in Helsinki, putting on display to everyone present that footy is on the way up not just in the capital but the country as a whole. Final score: Red 15.7 97   Blue 14.8 92  Red win by 5 points. 

Red: Frank (M), Ryan (M), Geoff (M), Declan (M),Veli-Matti, Izmo,Tim

Blue: Kane (M), Max (M), Nick (M), Spence, Joonas, Mich, Geoff

M=Multiple

25 degrees and a slight breeze, the perfect day for a game of footy. On Saturday the 14th of June, 21 players donned the Heatseekers jersey to take on Turku in our must win, 3rd round match of the 2025 FAFL premiership. 

One of only a handful of errors for the home side on the day came with gameday captain Andrii Bichik losing the toss and being told to kick into the wind by his Turku counterpart, Alix Kalliojärvi. It mattered not in the end however as Stadi started strong, clinical ruck work from Aidan Fitzgerald fed a blitz from mid-fielders Josh Townsend and Kane Bebbington, with the former reaching a 3 game streak of kicking the team’s first goal of the game. Early in the first quarter also saw first season player Ville Alaja kicking his second goal of the season, showing mighty promise throughout the day in an unfamiliar full forward role. Kane, Josh and Aiden continued peppering the goal face as the one way traffic lasted all the way to the first siren. Having not scored a goal in the first quarter of their first 2 games of the season the Heatseekers flipped the script and headed into the start of the 2nd with the scoreboard reading 38 - 0. 

The 2nd period followed much of the same pattern, however inaccurate kicking resulted in Helsinki scoring only 1 major from their 8 attempts at goal. The other end of the ground saw immense defensive efforts from Joost Hoogendijk, Niko Huhtula, Nick Lukkonen and debutant Mich Watson. None of whom shied away from putting their head over ground balls in a bid for possession, nor feared standing under high balls falling short of goal. Mich in particular had a shining moment; Having stood under a high ball for an eternity and completing a well contested mark, he found himself without any option up the ground. So he took matters into his own hands, kicking a torp from the defensive goal square that easily cleared half the ground. Couple that with high defensive pressure and composure in finding leads and Mich proved he's more than up to the mettle of the FAFL.

The third quarter saw Andrii boot his first for the day with a busting run out of the midfield, while Kane and Josh both added to their tally as the score passed 50 before Turku had registered double digits. Isac Quinlan put on a show with run and gun ball movement out of the back 50 and pushing hard up the wing, continuing his good form from the last game in a high pressure midfield. Paula Pekkarinen made important leads in the forward line, keeping her man out of the contest and thus providing space in the pockets for the mids to get their shots off. 

The ball stayed in Helsinki´s forward 50 for all bar 5 kicks in the last quarter, with Andrii booting 3 more to keep the momentum going well into the dying stages of the game. One of which, the result of a Ville lead from the center square. Aidan rejoined in the fun as well, getting the sherrin between the big sticks while facing the other way, in a somewhat standup bicycle kick. Milo Pylkkänen meanwhile was yet again unlucky to not get his first career goal with a third smother in as many attempts so far, however the dangerous spaces he got in and the ability to disrupt Alix in the air kept the crummers happy.

A massive team effort from the flaming shorts ended in a much needed win. Final score 15.14 104 def. 3.6 26. The coaches called for a fast starting, hard hitting, 4 quarter performance and the boys responded. We will head back to training and get ready to travel to Turku on the 16th of August in a bid to take the premiership into the final game. Let's bring the heat.

After an early morning and a brief stint on the toad stools of the train's sports bar cabin, the Heatseekers arrived in Turku for the 2nd match of the premiership season. A delayed start due to missing Turku jumpers saw the game begin 3pm amidst a 25km wind straight down the ground.

Ville Alaja in the ruck, Al McEwen (celebrating his 50th game in the flaming shorts) and Ryan Trevorah in the midfield. Milo Pylkkannen, Andrii Bichik and Maxwell Charlesworth are upfront. However, It was the defence of Spencer Rode, Josh Townsend and Isac Quinlan hat was under pressure early as clean midfield work from Turku's big bodies saw them post 5 goals from 5 individual players in the first term. Helsinki on the other hand failed to register a score on the board. 

The 2nd quarter saw an ebb and flow of forward 50 possession, with both teams booting 3 goals. Josh started it off for the Heat, bashing his way through the mid and flushing it straight down the middle from 35 out. Next it was Maxwell to join in the fun, taking his chances from both of his set shots, one from a tight angle on the boundary and the second from a holding the ball payed 20 out directly in front. However, this quarter, and the rest of the game at that, would not be remembered for the goals scored but for Tagging Tim Howarth. Having been given simple instructions at quarter time to forget about the ball and simply tackle Wyatt whenever he touched it, he not only thrived in his role but took it on with immense enthusiasm, his energy infectious in lifting the team for the rest of the game after a slow start. 

The 3rd quarter was a stalemate, with neither team making the most of their forward half entries. Josh provided the sole goal for the Heatseekers with another run and gun effort. Milo Pylkkanen had 2 cracks at goal, both times smothered off the boot, unlucky to not get on the leaderboard for this years goal kickers. Spencer Rode, roving around half back, gave it his all, diving on anything that hit the deck and dishing it out to the bigger bodies around. Isac, in a move to the forward line, made good space and led well, he too was unlucky to not get his first for the season. Stadi headed into the last break chasing a deficit of 34 points.

A similar story in the final term as neither side proved effective on the scoreboard, 5 points scored between both sides, 4 for Helsinki and 1 for Turku. Final score 9.7 61 Turku def. 4.6 30 Helsinki.