Israel wins first Harmony Cup trophy since 2004
For the first time since the tournament’s inaugural year in 2004, team Israel finished with a trophy in hand
The footy was tough, and the heat scorching, but the friendly vibe and carnival atmosphere at AFL International’s 2024 Harmony Cup last Sunday at Livingston Reserve in Cranbourne, made the participating teams representing nine nations all feel like winners.
And for the first time since the tournament’s inaugural year in 2004, team Israel – comprised this year of players from AJAX Football Club’s men’s Sunday thirds squad – finished with a trophy in hand, after winning the men’s division 2 grand final by four points over Nauru.
Photos: Peter Haskin
The team – led by captain Zev Aron and vice-captain Eitan Potash, wearing guernseys featuring a white dove and a Star of David – had a rocky path to qualify for the decider.
They lost their opening game – played in two 15-minute halves – by 10 points to top division side Fiji, before doing just enough against teams in their division to advance.
In the second round, Nauru scored a goal after the final siren to defeat Israel by four points, and Israel then drew 3.3 (21) – 3.3 (21) with Cook Islands, but finished with a better points for-and-against percentage, earning the right to progress, and have another crack at Nauru.
This time, team Israel prevailed, winning 3.4 (22) to 2.6 (18), with two goals scored by Amir Meyerowitz, and one booted by Jarred Swire.
Aron, who was named Most Valuable Player in the grand final, told The AJN, “It was an amazing event, and was certainly played in really good spirit. For us, it was great to earn team Israel a Harmony Cup trophy for the first time since 2004, and to enter the event for the first year since the start of the pandemic.
“When Amir’s second goal got us in front with four minutes left, we were able to chip the ball around to keep possession, and seal the win. Apart from the footy side of things, it was just really nice to be able to share our different cultures together through the Harmony Cup, with people who we wouldn’t normally get the chance to interact with.
“To top it off, we got to see the Cook Islands team perform a traditional haka.”
Aron said the tournament was also the perfect preparation for the 2024 VAFA men’s thirds season, which starts on April 7, “as we’d done pre-season training, but hadn’t played any trial games yet”.
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