The Round 9 That Was…….

Strange weekend. Either your boys came good and you went big or there were a few misfires and you fell well off the pace. Here’s how it turned out.

Wombats 1226 def by Codpieces 1390. Vintage Melksham 160, assisted by Sheil with 107. Hurt by sub-par performances from Sicily, Oliver, Gibbs and Swallow. Meanwhile, the team with Jackson Macrae (177) just sits there and counts the money. A poor 55 from GAJ? Who cares. Harbrow turned back the clock (a long way) with 126. But it was the most potent forward line in the ORFFA that cut loose, led by Darling (181), Riewoldt (114), de Goey (111) and Waite (129). Scary stuff.

Misfits 1226 def Lilacs 1111. Misfits made a welcome return to the winner’s circle, despite a Giant’s team still in the doldrums. Tons to Laird, Webster, Fantasia, Haynes and a massive 173 to Jake Lloyd. The Lilacs continue to keep their heads above the 1,000 mark (a good sign) and were helped with tons from Rampe, Duncan and Heeney.

Uglies 908 def by Devils 1304. The Uglies decided to go for all-out attack by fielding only one defender. A failed strategy, despite 103 from Dusty and 121 from Max. The Devils were simply solid without much fanfare. 104 from Lever, 113 from Heppell, 121 from Zork and 108 from Redden. Uglies looking to dig deep in the MSD.

Warriors 1164 def by Battlers 1203. It was a good week all round for the Battlers. After Brisbane got up they drank the Tiki Bar dry and headed back up the Birdsville track with a win under their belt and getting all feely – touchy with the top 4. It was basically Witts effort in Shanghai (129) that made the difference. Despite an offer to trade Ainsworth, @JC would not leave him off the plane. He was helped by McDonald (115), Ryan (121) and Cutler (113). Otherwise JC would have been a bit disappointed by the flatulent effort from his mids. The Warriors provided a bit of a tussle with 115 from Andrews, 105 from Wines, 125 from Boak and 107 from Smith. Bugger all in the forwards.

Spelunkers 1105 def by Nuffers 1256. Finally, the cavemen had a bit of a go, but fell short. Bonts looks to have found it again with a 120, while a tag-less Zac knocked out 118. Hooker tipped in with 117. The new coach cracked the whip at the Nuffers and respond they did, even if from some unexpected quarters. A steady 118 from NicNat and a reliable 108 from JPK, but it was the 128 from SPP and the 109 from Daniel Wells that won the day.

Packers 856 def by Dirigibles 1248. The Packers unfortunately had a donut to add to the disaster that was Fasolo. Brave tons to Dunstan and ANB were not enough. Just need a few things to go their way. Meanwhile, the Dirigibles are flying (see what I did there?). Someone needs to let the air out of Gunston (102) and Brown (128). Whitsunday have put in a rush order for air rifles.

Vultures 1364 def Chickens 1110. Then there was the short-odds favourites in a very convincing win in the Battle of the Bays. Huge performance from the backline and a total of 7 tons in all. The Chooks just had one of those days (scoring 1 less than the Lilacs). Dangerwood were okay, but the rest showed about as much interest as Geelong did against Essendon. Will be a hard week on the track.

Waikik 1248 def by Hoppers 1287. I’ll bet Snoz is pinching himself after taking out the match of the round. @graeme has invited Michael Hibberd for a weekend of pig shooting. Hibberd is the pig. And he is going to roast him sans Sauce. The Hoppers can thank McCluggage (130) for pulling out a big one to cover the donut up forward. What happened to Curnow? I read he slipped the tribunal and was certain to play. Stringer on the bench covered well with a ton, otherwise it may have been a very different result.

Cockatoos 1185 def Lefties 907. No one can doubt Anthak’s sporting spirit. Up against a hapless Lefties he decides to leave Touk Miller on the pine just to even things up a bit. Must be pleasing to see Rock Lobster back amongst the triple figures. Despite a field full of donuts, the Lefties pulled out three tons to Brayshaw (105), Phillips (121) and Weller (109).

The battle for the last 4 in the 8 is warming up and R10 should see the Hoppers through. Cockies and Cows will be interesting, as will the Battlers and the Misfits.