ORFFA Round 13 - Non-mid season cup competition round It appears that some other league has had a thought bubble that involves running a cup-style competition in mid season in order to maintain interest during the cold dark winter months. Of course a fair counter suggestion would be for that certain other league to perhaps trust in its product a bit more, or perhaps ensure people could watch games on Saturdays on FTA TV. But what would we know, we're just a fantasy footy league doing our best to get along in the world. We don't need silly gimmicks to maintain interest here, do we? I dunno, whilst I was a little critical of the concept at first, I dont mind the mid season cup in the NBA. The part I still dont like is that the semis and final dont count as actual games in the standings, but I have gotten into pretty much everything else about it, its been fun. I dont think we should follow-suit here though, there's no need... but something similar that I would love to see reintroduced is the champions knockout or something along those lines where we play a knockout comp including teams from all the ORFF leagues simultaneously alongside our regular season games - maybe something for next year. Things are heating up in the FA with just two rounds remaining until the finals and we have 10 teams jostling for the top-8 ladder positions! At the other end, there are four teams still in contention for the wooden spoon and top pick in the pre-season draft; whilst the Dungbeetles and Incorrigibles are languishing in no-mans land, the former on the up and must be pleased with their progression, and the latter seemingly commencing a rebuild after many loftier seasons. There were some massive games last round so lets jump into the game reviews. With this week's round theme about the NBA Cup, I will offer up some suggestions of comparisons between our teams and NBA teams. Waikickamoocow Incorrigibles (Los Angeles Lakers) 1209 vs Cradle Mountain Devils (Denver Nuggets) 1393 The Devils got the job done but not without a bit of a scare, as the Incorrigibles posted a score which would have been enough to beat 9 other teams this round. Waikikamoocow hasnt been going too bad, and I noticed their for&against for the season is remarkably very similar to that of my mob the Cockatoos who have double the amount of wins! This win and the Uglies' loss has locked up a top-4 spot for the Devils and they now have two huge games to finish the season against other teams currently in the top-4. Like the Nuggets, the Devils have been able to sustain several seasons of excellence including one championship, following a rise from mediocrity. Are the Incorrigibles the glamour team of the ORFFA like the Lakers? Like the Lakers, they usually have a very competitive team most seasons, and won a recent premiership in a dominant season after missing the finals/playoffs the previous season. Charlies Opening Spelunkers (OKC Thunder) 1524 vs Mount Beauty Uglies (Boston Celtics) 999 The Spelunkers are rolling and have made a statement here, comfortably knocking off the team going for a three-peat of premierships this season! This 525 point win was easily the biggest margin of the round and Bandit has done a great job compiling this team who look almost unbeatable on paper. But we all know the game isnt played on paper... someone else could get lucky! The Uglies only had 11 players this week and have now lost two in a row. If they cant get their boys back out on the park for the run home they are in serious threat of missing the finals which would be shocking after their dominance for the past two and a half+ years. Can the Spelunkers follow in the Thunder's footsteps and win a maiden premiership after their first ladder-leading season. Unfortunately injuries have hit the defending premier Uglies at the wrong time, similar to the defending champion Celtics in the NBA this season. Lovely Banks Lilacs (Philadelphia 76ers) 1057 vs Gariwerd Cockatoos (Toronto Raptors) 1084 Somehow the Cockatoos got away with one here to keep their finals hopes alive, with the Lilacs playing this one 3 players short. This resulted in a very low scoring game, and the Cockies did just enough, led by young gun Harvey Langford (117), to get up by 27. The Lilacs have scored the least total points of all teams this season so far and find themselves entrenched in the bottom-4. Just like Toronto in 2019, Gariwerd broke through for a random premiership a few years ago, but have otherwise been mostly disappointing. The Lilacs trusted the process through a long rebuild and started to see the fruits of their toil albeit without achieving the ultimate success, but have now dropped off in a big way and are eyeing off a high draft pick again - hopefully they can get someone as good as VJ Edgecombe looks! Wineglass Bay Packers (Detroit Pistons) 1312 vs Dunsborough Dung Beetles (Charlotte Hornets) 1168 The Packers are playing so well this season, currently sitting in 5th by total points-for, but stuck in a log-jam of teams on the ladder with just three wins separating 4th to 10th. The Packers are 8th and the run home sees them play teams in 7th (Cockies) and 5th (Uglies) so their destiny is in their hands and if they can keep up their strong performances, they should fancy themselves against both opponents on current form. The Dungbeetles still put up a great fight in this one, with three of their players scoring 123+ in Sheezel (123), Richards (142) and Windhager (152) leading the way, but they were no match for Josh Daicos (198) from the winning team with his BOG performance. Wineglass Bay havent made the finals yet since they relocated from Powlett Plains but they have seen a dramatic improvement this season and are certainly in the mix for a finals spot! Hopefully they can finish the season as well as the NBA Pistons surprise packets did this year, making the playoffs for the first time in 6 years and winning a playoff game for the first time since 2008. Things werent looking good at the Hornets a few years ago, but some astute drafting in recent years has seen some promising signs for the future - not yet good enough to put the results on the board consistently, but not the worst team either. Larrikin Lagoon Lefties (Chicago Bulls) 1115 vs Junee Jaguars (Brooklyn Nets) 1249 Junee did what they needed to do here and get the win to keep their very slim finals hopes alive, and they did it in style with 6 centurians (only two teams had more this round). A lot would have to go the Jaguar's way in the last two weeks to make the finals and they have a huge game next week against Birdsville who is currently just one spot ahead on the ladder. I was at the Pies/Suns game last round and the Lefties must be very very happy with how Noah Anderson (148) is playing, he has been very impressive! After a move from Marble Bar to Junee earlier this season, let's go for Brooklyn as the most recent NBA team to have changed its location, moving from New Jersey to Brooklyn in 2012. They have also both just cleared the deck, trading away all of their aging superstars and we wait to see how it will work out for them both. As a Bulls fan in the 90s, I remember when the Bulls were winning championships, but it seems like such a distant memory now after so many terrible seasons in recent years, I havent even enjoyed watching them play the last few years, but us fans hold out hope that one day they will return to those heights and they might now be starting to turn things around. Birdsville Battlers (Orlando Magic) 1068 vs Iron Knob Codpieces (San Antonio Spurs) 1055 The Battlers keep their slim finals hopes alive with a rather fortunate victory over the cellar dwelling Codpieces. The Codpieces have managed to just sneak in for some massive losses of late and this game was no exception with the final margin of 13 being equal to the total amount of players Iron Knob fielded against a full Birdsville squad of 15. Alas, some more savvy team selections for Iron Knob could have seen the teams play 15v15 with an alternative result likely. Birdsville were led by Rowbottom (122) and Ryan (104) and not much else as they were the lowest scoring winners of the round. The Orlando Magic have always been in the mix for one of the last playoff spots, sometimes making it and often just missing out. Like the Spurs were to the NBA, Iron Knob was once one of the very best ORFFA teams but now see themselves in a rebuild where they are acquiring some of the best young talent going around with high draft picks in successive years. Gundagai Grasshoppers (Cleveland Cavaliers) 1291 vs Wagga Wagga Wombats (Sacramento Kings) 1322 A massive upset here as the 2nd placed Grasshoppers go down by 30 points to the upstart Wombats who have the 5th-worst % in the league but find themselves in 6th spot on the ladder! The Wombats are very much in the frame for a finals spot and they face the bottom placed Vultures this week. The Hoppers had some high scorers in Dawson (157) and Grundy (154), but the Wombats were more balanced, led by Libberatore (126) but with nobody scoring less than 50 compared to the Hoppers having three under 50. The Wombats have been one of the unluckiest ORFFA teams with so many finishes around the 9-10 range on the ladder, just missing out on a finals spot every year except once in 2022 when they snuck into 8th! The Kings have been very similar, finishing 9th to 12th in the West in nine of the last ten seasons, sneaking into the playoffs just once in 2023. After a long time down the bottom, with a couple of #1 draft picks, the Cavs rose to be one of the most dominant teams in the NBA for several seasons but have just one championship and a few runners-ups to show for it! Both the Grasshoppers and Cavs are still right up there, but hopefully Snoz can get his team firing in the ORFFA finals better than the Cavs were in this year's NBA playoffs. Venus Bay Vultures (Milwaukee Bucks) 1030 vs Nareewillock Nuffers (New York Knickerbockers) 1375 Apart from the Nuffas neverending ruck woes, where they had Sims score just 10 this week, this was a very solid performance to move them up into the top-4. Venus Bay are currently bottom of the ladder with just 1 win so far, and the Nuffas' opposition will be stronger from here, coming up against the Devils and Wombats on the run home. They are still a mathematical chance to miss the finals, but their form should be good enough to overcome any obstacles. Meanwhile, the Vultures will be eying off a couple of potentially winnable games, especially against Iron Knob in the final round. I mean, I had to go with the Knicks for this one! But still, it fits well with the Knicks rising up in recent seasons to see relative success they hadnt seen for a long time. Not quite good enough to win championships, but very close to it and just making the playoffs and the top-4 is certainly a big step in the right direction! Like the Bucks, Venus Bay have been right up there for the last decade with multiple top-4 finishes, but have often bombed out in the finals/playoffs, but they do have one Premiership to their name in this time. The Vultures have dropped right off this season as they start to rebuild, and the Bucks are tipped to fall off next season too, but maybe not as much when they have someone like Giannis keeping them afloat.
Got no idea what the NBA references are about @anthak but have to give you credit for such a fresh take on a review - well done. You are correct that the cows are rebuilding, but it is a moot point whether some of the kids are really good enough. One other problem is the continued schizophrenia from graeme and chels continuing to debate selections in my head. No wonder I suffer from headaches.
That's excellent Ant. A little worried that the Nuffers, like the Knicks, might be on the hunt for a new coach. Let's hope management didn't get the memo.
Haha I hope not too! I must admit I really like Mike Brown as a coach and I think he'll be a great fit with this team. But no need to change things up at the Nuffas
I considered putting you down as New York or Brooklyn, but tried to keep it more about Gundagai rather than your remote coaching location
I can relate to that! Currently rebuilding in both the FA and FFF and its harder than it seems. Lots of tough decisions to make! Thanks for the feedback about the review, and I'd be happy to discuss anything you want to learn more about the NBA comparisons. It was a bit of fun looking through all the teams to find relevant comps, and there is more that could have been written about them all with more time to do so.
Great write up Anth, as a suffering Bulls fan I hear you... but I fear the United Centre will not be a place of relevance for a while OKC is a good shout... I was lucky enough to watch the Bulls play the Sonics in Seattle when Gary Peyton and Shawn Kemp tore us apart in the second half, outscoring us by 18 points to record 1 5 point win. The Sonics then rebranded to the Thunder, but there ain't no rebrand happening at The Pit!
wow that would have been awesome to go to a Sonics game in person. The atmosphere there back then looked amazing. It was brutal to move that team. But I guess OKC is doing alright haha Yeah, with the Bulls, I have actually disliked how a lot of their players play in recent years, but those guys are no longer with the team so Im hopeful theyre heading in a better direction now, they just gotta sign Giddey! In recent years Ive enjoyed watching so many other teams more than the Bulls, but theres still the sentimentality with the Bulls. I found a free NBA Jam arcade on the weekend and I found myself enjoying playing with Pippen and BJ Armstrong more than the other teams haha, but I did try heaps of teams. Orlando was fun to play with too with Penny Hardaway