Courtesy of Bridget! Thank you.

Match Report – TX Heat (Houston + NTX) vs. TX Heat (Austin + NTX) at Houston

A lucky seven She Devils hauled down to Houston to join their Texas Heat teammates from both Houston (Lonestars) and Austin (Crows) in a fabulously hard-fought, gritty competition. On Saturday, September 9, it was not the humid 99-degree weather, but the Texas women who brought the real heat. Our North Texas Devils, especially, were on fire.

Veterans Jess, Liv, and Ashley “The Viper” Twyman returned to the field, ready to rumble. LA, seasoned with NTX 9s experience; Elisa, primed to translate her Gaelic football skills to Aussie rules; and Greeny, our newest addition, with about a month of practice, stepped up with the fresh resolve of first-gamers, ready to prove their mettle. They all surely did.
Our very own Liv led as captain for the combined Houston/NTX team. Throughout the day, she shined as a leader and teammate, coaching on field in critical moments and both sharing her keen footy intelligence at breaks and implementing it with aplomb in play. (She also won extra points for all by using animal figurines to demonstrate the ruck following the game.)
Eleven players a side on field, our six Devils donned Lonestars guernseys, ready to face a solid team of all Crows.

With experience playing as one unit, the Crows connected immediately, moving the ball fluidly to their advantage from the start. They flexed their kicking skills at every opportunity, taking shots on goal from a wide variety of distances to rack up a score of 3.4.22 in the first quarter, while withholding from the Lonestars any chance to score.
As expected, the Lonestars took the first quarter to figure out how to integrate their combined team. They quickly shook off any nerves they had, and embraced Doja Cat’s ethos in her hit “Paint the Town Red.” “Gimme a chance, and I’ll go there,” the She Devils warned.

Newcomer Greeny stepped up to ruck for the team. In the words of the Lonestars coach, Milo, she proved herself “an absolute demon in the ruck,” serving in this role the entire game and earning a shoutout from him as “Best on Ground” for the team. She relentlessly attacked for the ball and consistently made her way through tough resistance, undaunted, never giving up.

Debutant Elisa came off the block with high energy as well, at Greeny’s side in the middle, occasionally falling back to defend. She often matched off with another Gaelic code switch whose boot proved dangerous. Elisa played fearlessly to the ball, using her speed and tenacity to win possession before her opponents, whether by snagging marks or scrapping on the ground.

Despite the Lonestars’ success winning the ball, we struggled to make the connections needed to move the Sherrin downfield to give our forwards, including Liv, Jess, and LA, a chance to score in the first half. Captain Liv wisely identified this as an opportunity to reassess where on field each player’s skills might best serve the team and facilitate the game’s flow. She shifted herself to mid just before the half, where she quickly began to force turnovers and move the ball to Jess in the forward line.

No matter where on field the ball was at any given moment, stalwart forward Jess played with a keen awareness of it. Her unflagging and meticulous efforts to create viable leads clearly influenced the game. She put up epic fights for the ball, won marks, withstood a Crows double team, and loyally protected her teammates.

Ever a team player, first-gamer LA also responded flexibly to team needs. The Crows had no subs. When they needed one, LA switched guernseys. She stepped up to play both forward and mid, wearing red, gold, and navy. She consistently jumped into the thick of the action, battling for the ball and shepherding fiercely for her teammates. She succeeded at securing the ball in ideal positions to kick goals and shows great promise as a scoremaker.
While demonstrating defensive might (with Twyman’s muscles in back) in the first quarter, the Lonestars dialed up their defense even more in the second quarter. Amplifying the pressure, the team managed to move the ball further downfield in the second quarter, unlike the first. Ellis posted both her first point in a footy game and the first point for the Lonestars, in the second quarter.

At the half, the Crows led 6.5.41 vs. 0.2.2. In an impeccable display of sportsmanship, the Crows captain addressed the Lonestars team in a huddle at the break. She complimented the Lonestar’s hustle, admitting that the score did not reflect their play. The Lonestars simply weren’t kicking goals, while the Crows were.

The second half saw more shifts in team and position. Twyman played valiant defense for the Lonestars for the first half of the game before being asked to join the Crows. In midfield for Austin, her true inner Devil immediately came out to play. “The Viper” thrived in mid, duly noted by the Crows coach for the perspicacity, spatial acumen, and guts she contributed to the position. She shepherded for her teammates like a beast and exceeded the physicality of anyone who dared contest her. She rose from every hit like a viper with venom for vengeance to earn her new nickname. When asked, “Why are you so mean?” by an opponent on the field, Doja Cat crooned beyond the Viper’s stare: “Yeah, said my happiness is all of your misery.”

In the final half of the game, the Lonestars implemented their hard-earned lessons. They held Austin to a reduced gain of 1.2.8 in the third quarter and 0.0.0 in the fourth–an incredible change in course from the first half and testament to the Lonestars’ capacity to learn to shut a team down together. In each of the same quarters, the Lonestar scored 0.2.2, consistent with their second quarter. Up against a tough Crows defense, they continued to struggle to deliver goals.

In the third quarter, the team focused on going out wide, looking to create space, and resisting crowding, with mixed success. The same could be said for the Crows. By the fourth, the Lonestars played as a team transformed. They found their stride and controlled the game fluidly. In the final quarter, the team especially embraced the coach’s reminder to support each other proactively.
In the second half, NTX scored three out of the four points added to the board for the Lonestars. Jess converted a beautiful mark into a point. Liv’s vigilance paid off, when she snagged a dropped ball and quickly pivoted to make it count on the scoreboard with a behind. Greeny also scored a behind, just shy of a goal, in the second half, pushing through great opposition.

The final score amounted to a clear win for the Crows 7.7.49 v. 0.6.6, but the growth from this game cannot be measured in points. Your NTX Devils kept the faith, improving exponentially every single quarter. They found within themselves and each other both the humility and the confidence to accept the challenges of a very worthy opponent. They looked out for each other, getting to know themselves and each other better as players over the course of the afternoon.

Huddling as the Texas Heat at the end of the game–Crows, Devils, and Lonestars at each other’s sides–we stopped to recognize and celebrate how we bring out the best in each other, chippiness and bruises included in the process. At the end of the day, we are one team. We share both success and loss, and we look ahead. We cannot wait to play for each other at Nationals.

It’s my honor to report that your dynamic Devils fought like hell from start to finish. As Doja Cat might phrase it, “She put her foot to the pedal. / It’ll take a whole lot for [her] to settle. / Mmmm, she the devil.”

She a Devil.

Match Score
Lonestars
Crows
Q1
0.0.0
3.4.22
Q2
0.2.2
3.1.19
Q3
0.2.2
1.2.8
Q4
0.2.2
0.0.0
Final
0.6.6
7.7.49
P.S. While the Devils brought the heat on the field, Bridge got burned. By the sun. And Dylan beat her in every race. Recruit that little speed demon!
Upcoming Events:
Sept 16th – Annual Golf Fundraiser
Sept 23rd – NTX (M) host Houston
NTX (W) as TX Heat vs Seattle Grizzlies in Austin
Sept 29th – AFL Grand Final at The Wing’D Nut
Oct 13th – 16th – Nationals in Sarasota, Florida!