SWANSEA Magpies made a hugely promising start to the new Aussie Rules season in Wales.
The Magpies were one of the teams taking part in the Cymru Cup at Tonna RFC, where they featured alongside teams from Surrey, Cardiff and Chippenham.
Reigning champions Cardiff Panthers got off to a storming start with an 83-15 win over Surrey Stags.
The Magpies then pulled off a big shock in defeating last year's finalists Chippenham Redbacks 37-16.
As the rain continued to pour and the pitch began to cut up, the games became more attritional. The Magpies followed up their opening win with a battling performance when narrowly going down 17-8 to the Panthers.
Chippenham returned to winning ways in round two, beating the Stags 37-23, before losing 24-9 to the Panthers.
The final match of the tournament was abandoned after six minutes due to a nasty shoulder injury to a Stags player, with the score 2-1 to the Magpies.
This meant the Cardiff Panthers managed to retain the cup, while the Magpies finished a creditable second in front of AFL Europe president Ben MacCormack.
Swansea coach Geraint Havard said: "I was very proud of the effort the boys put in. Against the odds, we battled hard and showed how much we wanted to win.
"Unfortunately it wasn't to be in the end, but this puts us in very good stead going into the league season.
"With hard training and good recruitment, I believe we have a good chance of making this year's grand final."
The Magpies train on Mondays at 9pm in Swansea Tennis Centre and at Tonna RFC on Thursdays at 6.30pm.
Read more: South Wales Evening Post
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