Larrikin Lagoon Lefties

Have heard good things about Maurice the six limbed octopus.

Is it true you are not to ask what happened to his other two limbs? Apparently he can get quite upset.

 

So Luca Brasi wasn't sleeping the fishes, but in fact sleeping with the octopi....

 

Grav, it was a huge turnaround from 2014 to 2015! I do remember though that in 2014, you were better than your 17th place finish, as, despite several LTIs to your players, you scored ok and had several extremely close losses. But 17th to 1st is still remarkable in any case...
Well done on the win. I remember when i came up against you just after the bye, i wrote the comment, asking you how and when your team got so good. I looked in the 'matchday' tab and was surprised and impressed by the quality you had on every line, and i thought i was in line for a drubbing. In the end we had a close game with some of your better players having poor weeks. Im curious/interested in your list turnover. Could you post all of your trades, delistments, and draft picks since end of 2014 season so we can see it all in one place.

 

grav wrote:
anthak wrote:
Grav, it was a huge turnaround from 2014 to 2015! I do remember though that in 2014, you were better than your 17th place finish, as you scored ok and had several extremely close losses. But 17th to 1st is still remarkable in any case...
Well done on the win. I remember when i came up against you just after the bye, i wrote the comment, asking you how and when your team got so good. I looked in the 'matchday' tab and was surprised and impressed by the quality you had on every line, and i thought i was in line for a drubbing. In the end we had a close game with some of your better players having poor weeks. Im curious/interested in your list turnover. Could you post all of your trades, delistments, and draft picks since end of 2014 season so we can see it all in one place. Thanks Ant. Yeah you're right both 2013 and 2014 saw my share of narrow losses, so I was around the mark to potentially break into the 8. Made a call at end of 2014 that I needed to make my own luck and improve my scoring potential across all lines. 2015 PSD trade period was very fruitful and you can read in above posts who came in pre 2015 season. Prior to that,my list turnover/trade history has been pretty scatter gun and for the most part, uninspired. Most notable would be myprostituting of every early draft pick over the last few years. I have also traded away plenty of talent in Gunston, Hill, Higgins, Cunnington, Nic Nat, Coniglio, Christensen, Gibbs etc, and regretted many of those decisions. I'm sure my Garlett, NicNat/Coniglio trades will still hold a place in most peoples funny bones as they were arguably some of the dumbest decisions I have made in my life, but eh I can laugh about it.
tbh (and i'm sure this ain't a trade secret), some of my best players have been sourced from the MSD. They have still needed patience but the likes of Baguley, Lynch, Duryea and now Hill, are repaying the faith.
If I find the time and you still really want to know the gory details I can work on posting my trade/draft history. Hey, thanks for that. Yeah, i had read up above about the players you brought in, but i was wondering what you had to give up for them. I do remember the Garlett and NicNat/Coniglio trades. How could we forget haha. I think everyone was thinking they would havr offerex you more than what you got in thosr trades if given the chance haha. Isnt that a big reason why we have the auction now. I also remember Chris openly talking down Coniglio to try to make the trade seem more even hahahaha. I quickly tried to offer Chris a trade for Coniglio but he wouldnt bite lol

 

I also remember voluntarily giving Grav an extra 2nd round draft pick after everyone objected to the trade. :/

That said, Nic Nat is now elsewhere too in a trade that hangs on whether Jaeger O Meara can return from injury.

 

Due to popular demand (one request is popular in my book), a snapshot of how the Lefties rose to immortality.

The Road to Glory – A Fractured Fairytale of an unlikely Lefty

Pre 2013 – Traded In – Priddis Out - Gunston

2013 MSD – 4 TTLynch, 22 Baguley, 40 Duryea

Pre 2014 – Traded In – Z Smith, pick 82 Out – pick 21

2014 PSD – 30 Cripps, 64 Langford, 93 Schofield

2014 MSD – 24 Jake Lloyd

Pre 2015 Trades

· In – Crameri Out – Pick 54

· In – Pick 48 Out – Wright

· In – Goldstein/pick 72 Out – Hale/pick 2

· In – Pick 15, 33, 61 Out – Conca , Pick 20, 74

· In - S Mitchell, Pick 11 and MSD pick 21 Out – Cripps, Pick 15, 33

· In – R Shaw, Pick 17 Out – Z Smith

· In – J Gibson, B Goddard, Pick 32, 38, MSD pick 14 Out – Pick 11, 17, 48 and MSD pick 9

2015 PSD – 32 Taberner, 38 Ceglar, 61 Firrito

2015 MSD – 14 J Hill, 21 Z O’Brien, 27 J Kelly

2015 MS trade period – Traded In – Montagna, PSD Pick 18 Out – Cunnington, PSD Picks 11, 47


This is by no means a comprehensive list of every trade I have made, more a summary of trades that (in hindsight) benefited my team either directly through player acquisition or indirectly through pick acquisition (with positive spin-offs via draft or subsequent trade).

I will note, with some considerable emphasis, two points:
1. I would not rate myself as a particularly savvy trader or drafter. I have made some epic stuff ups along the way and, as mentioned previously, have all but sold my soul (primarily to snoz and chris) to get to this position.
2. It takes two to tango. One of the best bits about this league is the willingness of everyone to participate civilised trade discussions. A dynasty league this certainly aint.

Thank you fellow ORFFAns.

See you at the trade table.

 

Pre-season Rant

With the weight of expectation hanging over the club like a dense Gosselands fog, the Lefties have played a conservative hand during the pre-season by instigating only 9 trades. The reigning premiers have not dismissed the notion of back to back glory, but this league is really starting to even out, so some succession planning has been in order.

As anticipated, dual position luxury has been buried like a Relton revival, leaving a gaping hole in the goofies forward line. The arguably laughable recruitment of Monfries and Crameri has come home to roost as the CAS hammer hobbles us further. Fear not ever-faithful supporter, we have done the only logical thing and permanently removed the blinding distraction of Joe Daniher’s moe from our senses. Now if all of this smacks of whiskey-fuelled madness, then you’re probably right (for the most part). However, this brand of wreck-less abandon has got us where we are today, so strap yourself in if you’re a fan of decision-making…carnival style.

The resulting strategy is one that sees us firmly camped on the fence, with one leg in the now and another somewhere a decade from now competing with the Hoppers for another flag. Fisher and Sargent Schulz have joined the club with the sole objective of polishing off their careers with an ORFFA premiership medal. They will be hungry.

Then the dice come out. Now it’s no secret that our defence and midfield are the wrong side of Cretaceous, hence a grab bag of couldabeens and next-big-things have been recruited to send us all grey. Bugg and Haynes have been welcomed to the backline to ply their trade under some dour leadership. Whiley and Toumpas join our engine room to apply some pressure to the likes of Selwood, Langford and Lloyd for an interchange gig.

However, all this doesn’t come without cost, but hey this is a glass half full post, so get over it plebs.



Lefties 2016 rabble


Def: J Gibson, Baguley, Fisher, Duryea (Bugg, Haynes, Schofield)


Mid: Goddard, S Mitchell, Priddis, Lewis (W Langford, J Lloyd, S Selwood, Toumpas, Suban, Whiley)


Ruck: Goldstein (rabbit’s foot)


Fwd: Montagna, TT Lynch, Schulz, J Hill (Taberner, Broomhead)

 

Round 5 update

Put the sparklers away kids. 5 and 0 is a very flattering statistic.

After starting like a house on fire with 1443 and 1527, the blaze has been pissed on from a great height, seeing us smoulder away with sub 1200's in the last two weeks.
Despite drafting an additional 3 forwards in Curren, McCarthy and Howard, the Lefties appear to be scraping the bottom of the barrel each week in order to field a complete forward line. The injury to Schulz, the form of Taberner (and more broadly Freo) and the long queues at StKilda and Collingwood for Curren and Broomy have not been kind. McCarthy has been a great find, provided he can hold his spot for longer than a week at a time.

All this adds up to a very fortunate start against some (arguably) meagre opposition.

Current scoring trajectory has us projected to dip under 1000 this week and fall under the "Bar" by 20.

 

Well the Larrikin Lagoon hierarchy have achieved the unimaginable.

Four posts to this thread in one year.

EPIC


Oh and a lesser light of going…


BACK 2 BACK!!!!!!!!






Another epic grand final...

Its always great to see superb athletes in peak physical condition going toe to toe on the big stage, thankfully there was an Auskick game at halftime to satisfy this craving as the main event was floggeristic.


Larrikin Lagoon Lefties 1192 def Venus Bay Vultures 1138


They say good things come to those who wait. Well that adage could not be more apt for the Lefties, who have endured 12 long months in the wilderness waiting for another shot at a premiership.

A full kitchen reno was commissioned at the Lagoon at the end of 2015 as the kitchen sink and most of the adjoining wood panelling cabinetry was removed and unceremoniously thrown at an encore.

Fu%k, we really loved those cabinets!

The price one pays for eternal glory...


Anyways, there's two sides to every story.

Fitzy's Vultures booked their entry into this finals series via the now infamous "Behind The Tuckshop After Recess Ya Mole" Smackdown against ex-BFF Lenny120 (aka Lenny5 aka Lennyinsertrandomnumber).

*footnote: Small amount of pride salvaged as Wombat hierarchy take out the ORFFA SC league


Roll on finals.

Vultures drew the long straw and got to play the Colanders first up.

Week 1 - Vultures def Codpieces by 47


Then booked a showdown with flag fancies the Uglies and proceeded to slap them a new one.

Week 2 - Vultures def Uglies by 65



Lefties most fortuitously finished second and reluctantly chose to face the Blimps.

Week 1 - Lefties def Dirigibles by 22


Then fell into a prelim against the giant killers

Week 2 - Lefties def Battlers by 160



Roll on The Big Dance


Vultures were licking their chops at the flying start by Gaff who managed to amass 600 possies by half time, unfortunately a monster tag from Lewis resulted in only 41 of these being converted into actual disposals.

The question the entire football fraternity has been asking was finally answered during this game.

That’s right folks, Travis Cloke has been so shit at goal kicking this year cos Fitzy has had him camped in the deeeeep back pocket i.e. defensive emergency. Even Blighty couldn’t sink one from back there!

Jasper was a ghost of his usual self and let goals rain on through him like a flailing Demi Moore.


On the flip side, the Lefties really turned up to play...golf.

By half time, it was a contest of who could shoot the better under par score as Goonies exhumed the next Carl Spackler in Tom Lynch while Venus Bay unearthed the next un-Happy Gilmore in Elliot Yeo.

Amid the carnage, Docherty, Gaff and Howe managed to stumble into triple figures while Hogan and Watts spent most of the first half tweeting each other with their favourite Paul Roos bloopers.

Thankfully this non-existent forward pressure from the Vultures meant that Gibbo and Haynes could chill out and hone their short game on the practice green with Lynchy.


In a cruel final twist, it is rumoured that Sam Mayes was the victim of a half time text scam calling on him to take part in a pop-up plebiscite to determine the fate of Justin Leppitsch. Sargent Schulz, his direct opponent, went on to bag three (swan song) goals and ice the game for the Goonies.



The significance of this Premiership feat has not been lost on the once lowly Larrikins and defending their title to achieve a three peat would be truly miraculous. Thankfully, gritty realism is the main offering from the unlicensed, car boot pastry vendors skulking around the Lagoon. Extra helpings will be consumed over the coming weeks as the list managers and other oft-ridiculed decision-makers bandy together and scribble our five-year plan onto the back of a hastily discarded census form.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Lefties off-season without some form of panic trading and half-cocked auctioneering.


See ya’ll in the cattle yard!

 

Good God! How do we dethrone the Mad King?


“Please Daddy, do I have to ceremoniously rip up my membership pass and watch you and Uncle Roger hurl 7-week-old rotten eggplants at the limited edition ‘Goonies in Training’ panorama print?” said almost half of the children under 12 on Kangaroo Island, following the shock news of the monster rebuild at Larrikin Lagoon. Thankfully the hierarchy at the Goon are thick of skin and thin of compassion as we weather the storm of discontent and set sail into the familiar waters of mediocrity. Our motto of: ‘We exist to win premierships and/or less wooden spoons than Gundagai’ will be tested over the next decade or so as the new wave of talent emerges from our self-destructive rubble.


New arrivals

Lachie Weller – young forward turned defender with plenty of street smarts and versatility.

Kyle Langford – big wraps on a kid we probably paid overs for. Will take the baton once Jobe and BJ shuffle on.

Seb Ross – already a beast of a man who will broaden his skill base to keep relevant in a young Saints engine room.

Ryan Clarke – in a decimated Kangas midfield, someone needs to step up and collect some points. Surely they don’t all go to Higgins?

Jed Anderson – nobody wants him. He looked cold, alright?

James Rose – they don’t just hand out number 1 guernseys to any old spud. Will get games. Maybe even in this decade.

Riley Knight – I think the Crows have almost gotten over Danger leaving. Not so much Lyons though. Thompson and Douglas are poor substitutes. Our sabotaging of Crouch, Sloane and CEY might be enough to get young Riley a game or two.

Josh Wagner – will struggle to break back into the Dees defence on return from injury, best 22 on talent.

Dan McKenzie – another fringe defender with plenty of prospects when the next wave of Saints fossils move on.

Nathan Krakouer – need this old guy like a hole in the head. Who cares! Plays for Port and I want someone to cheer on. Will have a breakout season up forward.

Harrison Wigg – see R Knight. In frame for possible round 1 gig.

Archie Smith – our lone ruck. No pressure Archie!

Jarrod Berry – future captain material, solid all rounder, possible debut by mid season

Harry Perryman – 5 year project, might get a game in that time (please don’t do an O’Roarke on us).

Brad Scheer – ball magnet but on the end of a bloody long queue. We can wait.

Jy Simpkin – taken purely on the advise of my draft assistant (whom will no longer answer my calls). Jy is now my new BFF.

Joe Atley – kid will be a star. In Teal.


Dearly departed

Anyone over 27 years (i.e. the Whole Team)


In what many perceive to be a hasty and soul-destroying list churn, the Lefties have undoubtedly shot themselves in both feet and will hobble along as the whipping boys for many a season to come. However, we still have silver-ware to polish and fawn over and feel content in the knowledge that our farewelled stars have found new homes across the wider ORFFA populace.


An exciting future lies ahead yee island-folk, so don’t give up on us just yet.

 

Ha! That's a very pale looking four leaf clover.