<p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;]ORFFU 2014 Season Review <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] Whilst I do have records of round by round scores from last season, I don't have complete records of ladder positions or who played who. So I'm just going by memory a bit. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] As expected the awe-inspiring Parasite midfield wasted no time in asserting their dominance over the opposition and establishing Paky as the team to beat in 2014. So powerful were they through the middle, that their weakest mid in Barlow would have been the number 1 in many other teams. The Armadillos were also quickly out of the blocks posting a massive 1476 in round 3, with their old meets new style midfield of veterans Cross and Vince, and young guns Treloar and Coniglio. The surprise packet however was the Prospectors. Though they struggled to knock up high scores themselves, their control of the stoppages through dual ruck combo Cox and Mumford was enough to keep the opposition to losing totals and see the Coolgardie boys off to a strong start. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] At the other end of the table, the pre-season departure of Ablett saw a very young Crocs outfit struggling to rack up a competitive score and they soon found themselves anchoring the competition. The Grenades were having trouble just fielding a full team after self-destructing during pre-season, whilst the Blowflies just couldn't put a win on the board despite some solid performances. Although they had notched up a win there was worrying signs for the Orangutans with an early forfeit. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] At the mid-season break it was Paky and Coolgardie heading the table. The Goannas were sitting in 3rd and showing themselves to be a hard team to beat with a high score of 1453 and a low of 1244. A very experienced lineup including the likes of Swan, Bartel, Mitchell, and Sandilands, the Goon side was obviously built with the inaugural ORFFU flag well and truly in its sights. The top 4 was rounded out by the Bulls, who after a steady start were building into some imposing form. The Buffaloes had also stampeded into the 8 on the back of their hard running midfield group. In the lower reaches of the ladder, the Barcrawlers had dragged themselves up a few spots with their quality backline starting to gel together nicely. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] The trade period only saw the flag favourites get stronger with the Parasites draining the opposition of gun players, Franklin and Goddard. However the new additions caused some disruption to the Paky structure and they conceded their grasp on the top spot. The Prospectors continued to hit gold after the break and the Buffaloes charge took them all the way to 2nd place on the ladder. Goon posted the highest score for the year at 1477 and while the Monarchs big forwards came out firing, their lack of ground level pressure saw them scored against heavily on the rebound. At Christmas Island, the return of old head Chris Judd to the otherwise inexperienced midfield group was just what the Smugglers needed to see them wrap up a string of wins. The Panthers were prowling ever closer to the 8 and the super consistent Barracudas were looking dangerous. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] As the season drew to an end, the Parasites regained their rightful spot at the top of the tree but with superstar Ablett out for the year, for the first time they looked vulnerable and the flag race was wide open. The elusive Bunyips, who had been quietly picking off their prey in the lower half of the 8 all year, finally showed their true power moving into 2nd place. With the best ruckman and best forward in the comp, and a midfield led by the classy Pendlebury, the boys from the bridge were looking a genuine threat. The Monarchs finally claimed a place in the top 4, outclassing their opposition with 4 scores over 1300 leading into the finals. Goon had been a top 4 fixture all season and their battle-hardened players were ready for the fight. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] The defensive game styles of the Prospectors and Smugglers that had been so effective in the early and mid season respectively was starting to look shaky, and the Buffaloes who had routed many teams in the middle stages of the year, had charged right off a cliff and out of the finals hunt. But going into the final round, it was the race for the last 2 spots in the 8 that held the most interest. With 5 teams a mathematical chance and some of them playing each other, it was anyone's call and how could you have a football season without some controversy! <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] With big boy McEvoy back in the lineup and skipper Rockliff in rampaging form, the Bulls shrugged off their opposition to hold their place in the 8. Meanwhile, a ferocious display by the Cudas had them looking like a real flag contender but their chance to claim the final place relied on the Panthers knocking off the Armadillos. The week before, both teams had posted their highest scores in 5 rounds so the game was shaping as a ripper. Amazingly when the opening siren sounded, only 1 team was on the ground! The Panthers were nowhere to be seen. Had they had a big night the night before, had they misread the schedule, were there bookies involved? Who knows. Debate raged and confusion reigned over the following days before finally it was announced the Panthers would register a score of zero and the Armadillos were into the finals. The Cudas season was over. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] So then there was 8. The top 3 teams had fought hard throughout the season for the right to choose their opponents in the first round of finals. Didn't do them much good. When the first week of finals came to a close, only the Monarchs remained from the top 4 after just scraping passed the Prospectors. King Island's claim to the throne would be dismissed the following week by the Bulls, led by Rockliff in unstoppable form. On another island on the opposite side of the country the Armadillos ensured it wouldn't be a season to be jolly for the Smugglers, ending their campaign. So when it came to the big finale of the ORFFU's first season, 2 teams stood opposite each other after claiming the last 2 places in the finals by a whisker. But with no Rockliff, the skipper-less Bulls were no match for the hardness of the Armadillos, who in Bradbury-esque fashion claimed the title of ORFFU premiers for 2014. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;] At the other end of the ladder, the crocs managed to pull themselves out of the swamp of bottom spot, with some monkey business from the Orangutans seeing them forfeit a couple of games and claim the wooden spoon. The Grenades were competitive when they finally got a full team on the park but the Barcrawlers were in pretty ordinary shape by the end. The Whalers landed the odd big fish however never had their compasses set quite right. The Sandgropers finish to the season was very strong but they left it too late to worm their way into the finals and the high-scoring Blowies didn't take their opportunities. <p style='margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;]