Wow this season went quick (or was that just me?) Congratulations to the Majorca Islanders @TheTassieHawk on taking out the Minor Premiership! It was an extremely close finish, with 2nd place Quebec Caribou @FreeKickLiam only 15 points behind total for the whole season. Importantly though, both teams have earnt themselves a week off and a place in a Prelim. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darmstadt Dynamos (5-2) @WillH_VI vs Korean Kickers (4-3) @Chloe Vancouver Vultures (5-2) @Athos123 vs Stuttgart Storm (3-4) @Jono Steven A big shout-out to the Darmstadt Dynamos (3rd) for a hugely impressive season, finishing with the largest total points of any team. Their only losses came against the top 2 sides, but they'll need to get through this week to get their chance at revenge. The Vancouver Vultures, the Korean Kickers and the Stuttgart Storm have been fighting it out in the main pack this season and all managed to secure their place in the finals. Last year's wooden spooners, Vancouver (4th), have used the redraft to revitalise their side and jump up to 4th place. The Kickers (5th) were the team to beat, undefeated after Round 4, but have dropped their last 3. They'll have to turn it back around against a scary Darmstadt to keep their season alive. The Storm (6th) had a slow start at 0-2 but have done well to work their way into finals (just!) Vancouver and Stuttgart are coming right out of a Round 7 clash in which the Vultures prevailed by 22 points. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corza All-Stars (3-4) @Corza vs Kyoto Kruisers (0-7) @FreoDockers Lagos Royals (3-4) @Peter W vs Lima Llamas (0-7) @hoschke118 The other side of the Storm sneaking into finals is the All-Stars (7th) just missing out after being in the top 6 all season. Lagos (8th) is another team that had a slow start and then finish strong with 2 wins in a row. If the season went any longer the Royals could well be playing finals. Instead, both teams now have the chance to qualify for an inter-competition knock out next season! But first they have to beat the Lima Llamas (9th) and the Kyoto Kruisers (10th), who have both had, uh, not great seasons. I think congratulations are in order to @FreoDockers for stealing pick 1 at the last second after my Llamas had that spot locked down all season. I'm mostly sad we never had a spoonbowl to decide it. The All-stars and the Kruisers met in Round 5 where the All-Stars won 930 to 662 Good luck everyone!
To say the Kruisers have had a disappointing season is an understatement. Poor form, bad coaching and a raft of injuries have made us largely uncompetitive this year and to be honest we're glad we won't have to be thrashed again after this weekend!! Def: Claudia Gunjaca, Aileen Gilroy, Lauren Butler (Jess Rentsch OOP) Mid: Georgie Prespakis, Hayley Miller, Emma Swanson, Jasmine Fleming (Kirsty Lamb) Ruck: Tahlia Hickie (Kerryn Peterspon (OOP) Fwd: Ash Richards, Bella Eddey, Gabby O'Sullivan (Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner) IC: Hannah Priest, Montana Ham (Kaitlyn Shroj)
The Dynamos will be hoping to continue their strong form in the first elimination final! DEF: Brenna Tarrant, Tess Craven, Chantal Emonson (Tamara Smith) MID: Ebony Marinoff, Brittany Bonnici, Rebecca Beeson, Claudia Whitfort (Kate Dempsey) RUC: Alice Edmonds (Lauren Wakfer) FWD: Jacqui Parry, Danielle Ponter, Courtney Hodder (Charlie Mullins) I/C: Mikala Cann, Tilly Lucas-Rodd (Bre Koenen)
Carlton v Western Bulldogs at Ikon Park, 7.15pm AEDT LATE CHANGE Carlton: Darcy Vescio (delayed concussion) replaced in selected side by Amelia Velardo
Lagos Royals: DEF: Serene Watson, Jaide Britton, Tarni Evans (Zoe Prowse) MID: Aisling McCarthy, Sophie Conway, Maddy Guerin, Isabelle Pritchard (Olivia Vesely) RUC: Matilda Scholz (Teagan Germech) FWD: Bonnie Toogood, Kate Hore, Megan Fitzsimon (Tahlia Randall) INT: Jade Ellenger, Shineah Goody (Mikayla Williamson) OTHERS: Julia Teakle (injured), Ellie McKenzie, Brooke Barwick, Chloe Molloy (injured),Georgia Patrikios (injured)
All Stars Def- Schleicher, Goldrick, Thomas (Erika O'shea) Mid Drennan, Nanscawen, Molly Mcdonald, Breed (Niamh Kelly) Ruck- Jesse Wardlaw (Sabrina Fredrick) FWD Taylor Smith, Brennan, Tarni Brown (Banister) Int Ashmore Finn (Jess Hosking)
DEF: Chelsea Biddell, Elisabeth Georgostathis, Madison Newman (Sarah Verrier) MID: Madison Prespakis, Keeley Sherar, Anne Hatchard, Abbie Mckay (Teah Charlton) FWD: Ruby Tripodi, Rebecca Privitelli, Gemma Houghton (Kellie Gibson) RUCK: Stephanie Wales (Georgia Campbell) INT: Cathy Svarc, Isabel Dawes (Sachi Syme)
Korean Kickers DEF: B. Smith, L. Pugh, E. King FWD: M. Conti, A. Anderson, M. Bowen, G. Egan (H. Zreika) MID: E. Zanker, K. Shierlaw, S. Alexander RUCK: M. Strom INT: S. Rowe, A. Eva (M. Kauffman)
Blues and Dogs players are locked in/out for the Storm @Jono Steven and Llamas @hoschke118 as per their round 7 teams If they don’t submit prior to the first bounce in Friday their full round 7 lineups will rollover to round 8 best of luck to all teams
Duursma didn't play last night, so the Llamas are expecting Hamilton to come in as an OOP emergency in the forward line. DEF: Gabby Newton, Sarah Goodwin, Katie Lynch (Jemma Rigoni) MID: Alyce Parker, Mia King, Lucy Single, Liv Purcell, (Amy Gaylor) FWD: Alice O'Loughlin, Yasmin Duursma, Mikayla Pauga (Lexi Hamilton) RUCK: Emmelie Fiedler () INT: Dana East, Piper Window (Caitlin Wendland) Injured/Suspended/Managed/other: Kalinda Howarth, Lulu Beatty, Ally Morphett, Kiara Hillier, Bri Davey, Montana Beruldsen
One small change at Stuttgart Storm again this round, hoping for a slightly better effort than last week! DEF: Rebecca Webster, Jenna Richardson, Ella Heads (Maeve Chaplin) MID: Charlie Rowbottom, Eliza West, Emily Bates, Mimi Hill (Lily Mithen) RUC: Breann Moody (Jess Good) FWD: Cynthia Hamilton, Aine McDonagh, Ash Saint (Issy Huntington) INT:Tarni White, Steph Cain (Lauren Bella)
The Round 8 review is once again brought to you by ChatGPT Well, folks, Round 8 of the Premier League was a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with moments that made us laugh, cry, and wonder if we’d accidentally tuned into a sitcom instead of a football match. EF1 - Dynamos 886 def. Kickers 850 In a thrilling clash that had all the drama of a soap opera, the Dynamos managed to squeak by the Kickers. You’d think both teams were trying out for “Dancing with the Stars” with all the footwork on display. In the end, the Dynamos took the W and moved on to the Premi Final Stage while the Kickers have concluded their 2024 campaign. EF 2 - Vultures 867 def. by Storm 933 The Storm rolled in and showed the Vultures what “storming” the field really means, turning the tables after their round 7 defeat. If the Vultures were looking for a sign, it was right there: “Do Not Enter.” Maybe they should change their name to “The Feathered Friends Who Can’t Catch a Break.” Coach @Jono Steven moves on to face the Dynamos next week while the Vultures have also finished a successful season on which they can aim to build a go better in 2025. -------------------------------------------------- 2025 knockout play-ins All Stars 714 def. by Kruisers 786 The Kruisers cruised to victory over the All Stars, who seemed to be playing an entirely different sport—perhaps a new version of football where you can only score with your eyes closed? They’ll be taking home the “What Were You Thinking?” award this week. Maybe they should consider some new strategies… or just open their eyes! The Kruisers victory was their first of the Premier League's 10 team era. Royals 1059 def. Llamas 779 And then we have the Royals, who decided to put on a masterclass in scoring while the Llamas were busy contemplating life choices. “Should we be out grazing?” they seemed to ask. The Royals strutted their stuff like they were auditioning for a royal ball, while the Llamas were just trying to find their footing on the field. Someone get those Llamas a GPS! Round 9 will see the Royals hosting the Kruisers with the 7th 2025 knockout spot on the line and the All Stars hosting the Llamas in a sudden death match. --------------------------------------------------------- Overall Verdict Round 8 was a beautiful mess—filled with questionable tactics, unexpected outcomes, and enough drama to keep us entertained until the next round. Here’s hoping the teams can sort out their game plans and leave the comedy to the professionals! @FreoDockers will be our round 9 thread starter and @Peter W will be doing likewise for the season finale