Congrats @HOLKY ; ended up being closer than I thought. Five scores of 60 odd and below blew my chances. I checked the fixtures and if I can't get over @Mick 's Blowflies this week I could be staring down the barrel of a 1-7 start. Hopefully there's some value in the MSD as it looks like being another wasted season. Could even re-draft Plowman if he can continue to show form.
The visitors dominated this game and as the saying goes win the middle win the game and that is what the Prospectors did, well they won the middle with Mummy 137 33HO 16CP 11CL 110%EFF, tag teaming with Martin 125 44HO 14CP tapping the ball down to Wines 122 pushing forward 2Goals, Ebert 107, Kennedy 107 22CP domination which had the cheer squad and supporters in a frenzy victory with a possible victory over the horizon. Home teams Grundy 105 persevered Sheuy 105 steady Mitchell 102 pushed through but those numbers bearly keep us in the contest. Down back Montagna 164 24K 9M stood stall and steadied the ship Roberton 93 pushed up on the wing to get a few kicks Boyd 86 finding some form but yet to crack a ton for his new team. For the visitors this is where the wheels started to fall off MacMillan 74 there best as the rain bucketed down Baguley 56 Hooker 51 could not handle a wet ball and Barrass 44. Up forward Young 29 sent shock waves through the team as the game was on a knife edge but young bull Petracca 101 13CP Kent 102 in for his first game from back soreness Greene 92 3Goals Motlop 84 mr. consistent. Prospectors Miller 115 21Hb 2Goals defied his height and stood tall Westhoff 91 tried to keep them in the game but as the same as the back line when the rain came it ended there hopes as Wright 39 Fantasia 29 wanted a hot shower more than a win. Two derby cup's in the cabinet for the Vikings as we continue a strong start to the season. 3 Montagna 164 2 Mumford 137 1 Martin 125
It was a good, close game at Eden Sporting Complex but the Big 5 led the way for a great win. Leuenberger won in the ruck while McGovern, Prestia and some of the other stars for the Sandgropers struggled to adapt to the conditions. Duncan and Fyfe still starred for the Sandgropers but it was not enough to get the win. Next week we travel to Coolgardie for the Scotch 'n Coke Stein while the Sandgropers host Korumburra. Eden Whalers 1219 Def: Williams 109, Tarrant 76, Andrews 68, Vlastuin 60 (Maynard) Mid: Curnow 117, Jones 123, Scully 111, Zaharakis 43 Ruck: Leuenberger 98 Fwd: Lynch 110, Brown 51, Hrovat 70, Stretch [46] (Griffiths) IC: Atkins 71, Gibson 66 (Crisp) Southern Cross Sandgropers 1130 DEF: J.Harmes 71, J.McGovern 52, M.Hurley 73, H.Crozier 74 (e) H.Taylor MID: N.Fyfe 113, M.Duncan 120, B.Cunnington 62, D.Prestia 52 RUC: P.Ryder 87 FWD: W.Hoskin-Elliott 71, D.Smith 92, J.Stringer 88, C.Rioli 65 INT: W.Milera 38, J.Darling 72 BAFFU: Jones 3, Duncan 2, Curnow 1 MKA: Jones 5, Curnow 4, Scully 3, Lynch 2, Williams 1
Match Report from Banchang. Ararat 1241 def Banchang 1074 In a very lopsided contest at The Stadium, the visiting Armadillos were far too good for the inconsistent local Barcrawlers. Apart from Gawn injuring himself when he failed to successfully negotiate one of the potholes left over from a Sunee Wontiphontiphontipoom concert held the week before, Ararat had a good afternoon in front of the lowest crowd seen at The Stadium so far this year, and now sit 2nd on the table at 3-0 while The Barcrawlers have slipped to 17th at 0-3. While Banchang's defence, led by 1st gamer, Newman 105 and Suckling 98, did their best to halt the avalanche, the only help they received came from Taylor Adams 122 in the middle and Robinson 82, off the interchange. With 5 players failing to hit 60, the locals were never in it. The Armadillos, however, had winners all over the park, led superbly by their midfield of Gibbs 119, Rich 118, and Treloar 108, and able to get 1st use of the ball at most stoppages, while up forward Dahlhaus 124, and Broomhead 86, took full advantage of the supply from their midfield, which enabled them to kick the winning score. They were ably supported from the bench by McDonald 94 and Parish 82. A complete performance ruined only by the injury to their sole ruckman, which may now see the Armidillos struggle to post winning scores, until they can secure another ruck during the mid-season trade period. BOG. 3. Dahlhaus 124 AA 2. Adams 122 BB 1. Gibbs 119 AA BIG TAP. Sinclair BB def Gawn AA 54-27.
Bulls / Smugglers Review In a match that failed to live up to the standard set by previous match ups the Smugglers depth across the board has seen them take a vital 4 points from Mill Park in accounting for the Bulls by 159 points. A closer analysis suggest the match was much much closer with the Bulls winning the defensive battle 318 to 300, the midfield battle 374 to 342 and the forward battle 315 to 310. The match was won on the pine as Martin & Dunstan destroyed Swallow and McCluggage by a whopping 165 points and Kreuzer took 49 points out of big boy McEvoy. Martin was a a class above and was ably supported by Dunstan Beams Kreuzer Grigg adn Heppell. For the Bulls the new recruits in Selwood and Hill led the way with Rocky and Roughead also battling manfully. Griffen joins Coniglio on the sidelines with some weird ankle injury and Fasolo and Hill both continue to put solid number sup in the 2s. All to play for next week as the Bulls make the trek to the Serengeti, whilst the Smugglers returning home with the 4 points take on a rejuvenated Panthers outfit. 3 - Martin (CIS) 2 - Selwood (SFB) 1 - Kreuzer (CIS)
Thanks @bryzza Its a shame the selection table let us down so much, and too many players who were passengers... (or just wanted a hot shower more than a win, as you so eloquently put it!)
Groote Eylandt (Barracudas) 1,326 def Serengeti (Buffalos) 1,240 With @wrightbrendan stampeding Buffalos, hungry for another win after taking out the Grenades and Parasites and the Barracudas going down to the Armadillos and Prospectors seeming like fish out of water this was an important game for both clubs. One to continue their form the other to kick start their season. On paper and on the day these two teams were very evenly matched. For both teams the engine rooms worked the centre bounces and corridors with speed and tenacity. The visitors have Dangerfield, Merritt and Kelly whilst the home side had Bontempelli, Zorko and Cripps. The difference was the return of Hannebery with his 31 possessions and goal of the day for the Burracudas. The agility of Hickey had the upper hand in the big tap over the hulking Giles. In defence Harbrow lead the way for the bovines as they pushed and shoved their way around the paddock. For the home team Lloyd is relishing his new role off half back moving the ball quickly up forward. The visitors struggled to hold back the big bodied Hawkins as he booted 5 big ones keeping the ray-finned fish in front. In his first game back Guthrie was very slow off the mark whilst Captain Cotchin is showing some youthful moves out on the paddock to just another difference on the day to the lead the Barracudas to their first win of the season. BOG awards 3 Patrick Dangerfield (138) 2 Marcus Bontempelli (133) 1 Trent Cotchin (120)
thanks @choppers no wifi at this hotel so been struggling a bit to keep up with everything. Heard from a few sources (yes FU, you know who you two are) that Gawn is done so that was great news. I'm back in a week to pick up the pieces. cheers
Cow Bay Crocs 1,310 def Hughenden Prairie Dogs 1,274 A close contest at half team was all the home fans had to cheer about with Cow Bay putting on a second half display The Prairie Dogs could learn from. The final term was all the Crocs with Jack Martin (133) the star in defence and through the midfield together with Liberatore(131) destroying Hughenden’s midfield with only Oliver (102) and the big monolith Sandilands (103) providing any resistance. The call up for Kerridge’s first game of the season for Hughenden was a disaster, scoring a paltry 22 points for the entire game. Was he locked in the toilets??? Take nothing away from Cow Bay they came to play football and had many other contributors that saw them as the superior team on the day with Zac Jones (103) providing great support down back and Cameron (112) up forward. Overall a great team performance and with their first win of the season will be looking forward to next weeks match against the Grenades. As for Hughenden, the coach will be having a good hard look at some players during the week and there will be changes as they look for their first win of the season when they meet Banchang. BAFFU Awards 3 Martin, Cow Bay (133) 2 Liberatore Cow Bay (131) 1 Cameron, Cow Bay (112)
Round 3 - Korumburra Blowflys 1189 defeated by Pakenham Parasites 1212 The Parasites crawled into Korumburra confident of solidifying their spot in the top 8 never having lost to the Blowflys (3-0 lifetime). The Flys were likewise quietly confident of gaining a valuable W to secure a 3-0 start and place themselves firmly in the top 8 at this early stage of the season. The match lived up expectations - a to and fro slugfest that went down to the wire with Pakenham narrowly escaping with a tough road win by 23 points. Leading up to and during the game, the Footy Gods let down a torrent of precipitation upon K Town, basically turning the Terrordome into a swamp - somewhat fitting conditions for a battle between Parasites and Blowflys! The miserable conditions did no favours to the big fellas in the middle, with ugly mauling going on all day coupled with much confusion over the intricacies of the new "no 3rd man up" rule. Both coaches experimented with not even using the behemoths at various stages and in the end it was Vardy (60) narrowly winning the ugly big tap over Goldstein (52). The miraculous recovery from what was at first thought to be a career ending knee injury only 2 weeks ago and the subsequent domination of the forward half by Nick Riewoldt (161) was pivotal in Pakenham snatching the win. He was everywhere in an almost superhuman like performance. There is many a tale being told in the local watering holes after mysterious chanting was heard coming from the visitors room before the game. An abundance of very unusual odours, accompanied by purple smoke wafting out and cruelly towards the tuckshop. I'm not sure who or what was conjured up and / or prayed to for this miracle to occur but needless to say it worked a treat! What could kindly be referred to as "graffiti" was everywhere and the unfortunate disfigured carcasses of various rodent like creatures are still being discovered within the visitors rooms and around the greater township... Thankfully we are on the road next week so have the extra week to clean the joint up before Coolgardie comes to town... expect a bill in the mail Parasites FC! Anyhoo, I digress, the battle of the midfields was an epic one, with the depth of Pakenham shining through in the miserable conditions. The likes of Ablett (112) Gaff (123) Sidebottom (112) Watson (97) Goddard (133) and ex Fly Blicavs (93) all relishing the slop. Korumburra Captain Rory Sloane (168) did everything possible to get his team over the line in a BOG performance in the bog. Barlow (101) and first gamer Menegola (94) were great but after hard nut Picken (30) was KO'd early in the piece and was unable to return to the field, the lack of rotation through there really cost the Blowflys. Up forward KB were a rabble with Walters (77) the only forward able to hit the scoreboard. Luckily the lightning defenders Johannisen (92) Docherty (111) and young Jayden Hunt (114) managed to defy the conditions to run forward and make an impact. Pakenham also had their struggles up forward with Crameri missing the bus, replacement Moore (35) and Buddy (74) just OK, while Hipwood (1) was utterly confused in the swamp! At the end of the day it was simply that man Nick Riewoldt (and the clear use of the "dark arts" - is there a rule against that by the way!?) who got them over the line. BAFFU 3 - Rory Sloane (KB) 168 2 - Nick Riewoldt (PKP) 161 1 - Brendon Goddard (PKP) 133
Smugglers/Panthers Preview The Smugglers return home to Flying Fish Cove Park to face their FU nemesis, @TigersTooTough Pearcedale Panthers. Both teams notched up wins by around 150 points in round 3, with Xmas Island accounting for the Bulls, while Pearcedale opened their 2017 account winning at home against the Grenades. However, this was a very different Panthers’ side to the one that ran out in the first two rounds (with around 1/3rd of the team changing), and the men from the Mornington Peninsula will be better for the run together. Not that Pearcedale has traditionally needed much of a warm-up to take care of business against Xmas Island, holding a 3-0 all-time record in this match-up. As the Panthers are the only side in the FU that the Smugglers have never defeated, the boys have some extra motivation this week. Further, the Panthers have always won in style never scoring less than 1304 in those wins. Around the ground, this season’s clash is filled with quality match-ups. Most notably, the Smugglers’ forward line against the Panthers’ defence. Both of these lines have been the best in the FU for the last two seasons, but are yet to fire in 2017. Expect a big game from Heath Shaw and Josh Gibson, as both have sensational records against Xmas Island. History shows that a score in excess of 1300 is needed to win this fixture, and with Christmas Island averaging 1290 in the first three rounds they are in with a good shot of singing the team song for the first time against this opposition. However, there is a lot of class in the Panthers outfit and they’ll be out to atone for the slow start to the season. Last time they met – Peacedale defeated Christmas Island 1357 – 1133. Prediction – The Panthers in a nail-bitter, 1330 -1310.
Great review @Mick Pakenham got very lucky in the end....happy to snatch a win. Also very pleased to keep our unbeaten streak against the blowflies intact Hipwood 1 Hahahaha Roo 161 handy. Looks like both trades for big man have failed for me so far...Blicavs scoring less then Barlow and no ruck title and Tippet all done/spud....Beams GUN. I've ended up using Vardy in the ruck who I drafted seasons ago.....silly me. Should have/maybe who knows, all good fun. Bring the cuddas this week. Hopefully we can recapture some of the ridiculous scoring we had in round 1.
On a random side note - does anyone know what the highest combined scores are for the 3 BAFFU votes in 1 ORFFU game!? Just thinking 462 (for an average of 154) has got to be up there...
A promising start for the Grenades at home sees them 177/2/88.5, with a lead over @fresh's Croc's 72/1/72 from their sole player in Zak Jones. The match could be decided early on with 6 players total from both teams playing in the Saturday Twilight affair GWS vs PTA.
Late change at Hughenden with Kerridge permanently locked out of the club rooms until he gains form and replaced by Josh Green in mid emergency as oop.
Out in the WA Goldfields its the local Coolgardie Prospectors off to a relative flyer against @HOLKY and the Eden Whalers, who seem to have forgotten that the round started on Thursday this week. Scores: Coolgardie 176 / 2 / 88 v Eden 0 / 0 / 0 Cunningham and Papley were seen warming up for the visitors before the first bounce, but didn't bother taking to the field. There's also late mail that local hero Jaeger O'Meara has gone missing, with some reports saying that his knee is once again the problem, so it might fall on the shoulders of young Parfitt to jump into the middle with the three superstars in Kennedy, Wines and Ebert!