Predictions

Discussion in 'ORFFU' started by DamoH, Feb 11, 2014.

  1. DamoH

    DamoH Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,189
    Likes Received:
    1,013
    Gents, as I'm on gardening leave I thought I'd keep myself busy by writing some reviews of the squads to date. Holky beat me to it (and did a better job) so I'd recommend his post on the home page. But rather than bin them, or have FU previews taking over the TS site I'll put them here for your consideration. I'll try to post3-4 teams in alphabetical order each day and finish with the impossible task of predicting the final ladder. Obviously things may change, but with the lack of trading to date I can't see there being a huge difference from now to R1 teams.


    Ararat Armadillos
    Strengths - Age and Consistency
    The 5th youngest squad in the ORFFU with 5th highest average from 2013. The Armadillos have a squad that should do our nation's fattest town proud. Every line has players with plenty of improvement in them; McKenzie and Hibberd in Defence; Treloar, Conglio and Hutchings in the mids and Wingard up front.
    The squad also has impressive depth, with a standard deviation of just 12 from the average of 84.4 ppg (compared to 22, 14 and 19 for the Barcrawlers, Bunyips and Smugglers respectively). This means the Armadillos should regularly pump out competitive scores.
    And to top it off one of the best big men in the game, Minson taking the rucking duties.
    Weaknesses - (Minson's) Age and (Everyone's) Consistency (what?)
    Hard to find a weakness, but searching for something it may just be that consistency. Wingard can go large, but otherwise it is difficult to see where the Armadillos might get those 130+ scores that could make the difference in a final. Minson and Westhoff had games like that in 2013, but they were career best seasons for both, so can they back it up in 2014?
    Minson is also turning 29 in April which is the age when SC scores generally start to drop off, so it's unlikely Insider will get 114ppg this season from big Willy.
    Yep. Straws. Clutching.
    Prediction
    I think Insider has done a great job of putting together a team that will be competitive this year, but a powerhouse in a few years' time. Top 4 in 2014 is calling.




    Banchang Barcrawlers
    Strengths - when they're good, they're excellent
    If you were to pick an all-time” SC team then the names Selwood, Montagna and Hodge would feature very highly in discussions. These three turning out for one of the FU's international expansion teams should ensure some high scores, although Hodge and Joey's age has to be a concern.
    Further, given 2 of the best young players in the game, D. Swallow and B. Crouch, will be also be knocking back the buckets in Thailand the ‘Crawlers are a team that could cause some damage.
    Weaknesses -Thai retirees and the ruck division
    Despite Eden and Goondiwindi having slightly higher average ages, the Barcrawlers are arguably the oldest squad in the FU, with a standard deviation of just 2.9 years, compared to 4.3 and 3.6 for the Whalers and Goannas respectively. One quarter of the squad will be over 29 this year and some of those in teams that won't win too many games (I'm looking at you Joey). Hopefully for Chopper's sake these OAPs have a few more quality seasons in them.
    With their third round draft pick, Banchang take Robert Warnock”. For me it was one of the most surprising picks of the draft. Taking Robbie before McEvoy, Grundy, Mumford, etc while Kreuzer is fit suggests that some secrets have been sent down the direct line from Mick's office. Otherwise Choppers is putting a lot of faith in a guy who has played only 12, 9, 11, 18, 5 and 10 games for the last 6 seasons. McKernan as back-up ruck only played 9 times last year, so failing some last minute recruits we might be seeing some out-of-position ruckman in Thailand this year.
    Prediction
    Will be one of the many teams fighting for the bottom few spots in the 8. Results against that group will be crucial.




    Blanchetown Bunyips
    Strengths - It's all about the midfield…
    Pendles, Selwood the Younger, Prestia, Whitfield and Armitage. In a competition full of teams with quality midfields Blanchetown is close to top of the pile. And we all know that mids score the majority of SC points.
    Those five will reliably score 500+ each week and with an average age of 23 they'll be doing it for a while, leaving the other Bunyips not much work to do to beat the opposition.
    Weaknesses - …except you have to have some forwards
    Has anyone in the FU not been burnt by Robbie Gray? Damn talented, but we all know that he's just as likely to play 2 games in a season as 22. The Bunyips will need him to stand up as the forward line options in the Riverland are a little thin.
    Mayne provides decent support at F2, although he will do well to hold his 2013 average of 92 after averaging 71 in his previous 5 seasons.
    An aging Dwyer and Schulz won't scare too many backlines, especially as I think Port will slide this year so Schulz's scores should drop off.
    And you couldn't in all good conscience play Ballantyne (although in Marty's defence he has already put Hayden up for trade).
    Prediction
    Should be there come the pointy end of the season. Wouldn't surprise me if they finished the H&A season as minor premiers. Fear the Bunyips.




    Christmas Island Smugglers
    Strengths - best forward line in competition?
    The question mark is probably the author just being polite: taking 3 forwards (Martin, Dixon and Tippett) with their first 6 picks of the draft have left CIFC with some serious firepower up front. The fact that Tippett sits at F3 shows the depth of this line. With Buddy taking the best defender, and Kurt to spend more time in the ruck the Smugglers will likely have an F3 averaging 95, something not many (any?) teams can match. Developing no. 5 national draft pick Stringer will add further potency to the young forward line in the coming years.
    Weaknesses - midfield and injuries
    With Dusty playing up forward no-one in the engine-room averaged over 100 last year. This means the Smugglers are seriously outgunned when taking on teams who have 2 (or even 3) 105+ mids. Redden has averaged 103 in 2 of the last 3 years, and should return to that figure in an improving Lions team, but the remainder of the young midfield (Hartlett, Heppell and Gaff) need to fulfil their potential and regularly post 100+ scores for Christmas Island to trouble the big boys. Realistically that is probably 2-3 years away, where, with Tyson and Morabito, it could be one of the stronger midfield units in the FU.
    Suckling, McIntosh, Glibert, Morabito, Judd - the list of currently injured, returning from injury or highly injury-prone players in the Smuggler's best XV is a huge area for concern. McIntosh is a key man for the Christmas Island's structure, if he can stay fit then swingman Dixon remains part of the quality forward line, if not, given Witts is unlikely to play, then Wright and Stringer are both starters.
    Prediction
    Making the 8 would be a good result for a developing squad.


    Coolgardie Prospectors
    Strengths - Oedipus complex and simple defenders
    It's hard to overlook a midfield with JPK, Ebert and supreme quality youngsters Jaeger and (to a lesser extent) Wines. But talented midfields are everywhere in the FU, so teams need a point of difference to be truly competitive. The Prospectors have that in their Freudian Ruck pairing of Mummy-Cox”.
    Mumford, as unquestionably the no.1 big-man at the Giants will rack up some decent scores in a (slower than the AFL would like) improving GWS side. He won't hit the heights of 2011 where he averaged 113, but you can bank on at least a 5 point improvement from last year's 92. Then there is Supercoach royalty Mr Dean Cox. Ok, he is on the slide as he nears the end of his career, but starting at such great heights means he's still in premium territory and will be gold for the Prospectors on their interchange line.
    To this embarrassment of ruck riches you could add Freo's Griffin, who always scores well when he plays. However, he will struggle for game time this year and, more importantly, Sigmund didn't coin a phrase that meant you were attracted to a part-lion, part-eagle creature, so he's not included in the primary analysis.
    At first glance Coolgardie's defensive line doesn't seem that impressive, a mature-age rookie from last year, some journeymen and young kids. However I think these guys will be consistent scorers, play a majority of games, and most importantly increase their averages to respectable levels this year. With the natural improvement of their most talented defenders, Vlastuin and Colquhoun, over the coming years the Prospectors are set down back.
    Weaknesses - Droopy's drooping forward line
    Leading Coolgardie's forward line, the Dish” had a career best SC year in 2013, averaging 103. The bad news for JPK is that it is highly likely he won't stay there. 31 year-olds generally don't improve their scoring and North's young-gun midfield will be fighting for points, so I'd expect a return to his career norm of low 90s.
    Vickery will improve, slowly, but not enough this year to cover Petrie's drop-off. Hunter and Tomlinson will also improve, at a greater rate and are good future prospect(or)s, but won't score too highly this year.
    Prediction
    The middle third of teams in the FU will be very close in season 2014. The Prospectors look like being towards the top of that group, so a spot in the 8 should be the goal this year, and a must from 2015 onwards, or else the Coolgardie Board may start asking questions of JPK (both of them).



    Cow Bay Crocs
    Strengths - My generation
    As the youngest team in the competition, at a barely able to drink average of 22.3, it is no surprise that Cow Bay is home to some young talent. But as we all know, young talent isn't equal. There is the kid with plenty of potential who never goes on with it, and then there is the young guy who midfields/forwards lines etc. are built around. Fresh has drafted plenty of the latter.
    In the midfield, to help out some guy called Gary Ablett Junior, the Crocs have Libba and Ellis. Arguably the most improved SC player of last year Libba pulled out some mammoth scores, including a 163, to finish with a 107 average. With the Doggies showing some good signs towards the end of last season expect some more game-winning scores from Tom.
    A year younger than Liberatore, Brandon seems to be following right in his footsteps, posting five 120+ scores (with a high of 149) in just his second season.
    They'll be supplying a forward line that includes two of the best young forwards going around, Gunston and All-Australian Cameron. The scary thing is that I don't think we've seen close to the best of either of them.
    Weaknesses - The kids are alright (it's those slightly older that could cause problems)
    With a developing list the Crocs need their experienced players to carry the load for the next couple of years. Veterans GAJ and Harry Taylor will do their bit, but it is the next level of players that are a concern. Garland, Schoenmakers, Scully, Dawson Simpson and Hawkins, with an average age of 24.4 and 74 games played should be reliable scorers for Cow Bay, but the 5 only averaged 75 in 2013. The Crocs need this group of players to improve (which Scully and Hawkins should at least do) to take some of the pressure off the young list.
    Prediction
    GAJ will carry the Crocs to some wins in the inaugural season, but Fresh is obviously playing the long game, so not much will be expected of the kids this year.




    Eden Whalers
    Strengths - 2013 draftees
    Boyd and Aish. Aish and Boyd. Two names that will become famous on the South Coast over the coming years.
    Holky was gutsy enough to take Boyd in round 7 while most coaches were stocking up on established midfielders. There's nothing I can add to the reams that have been written about how good this kid is. He'll be crushing defences for Eden for the next ten years.
    Add to Boyd the talented midfielder Aish, who should have gone higher than pick 7 to the Lions, and it is obvious that Holky scouted the 2013 draft perfectly.
    Weaknesses - they are really, really old
    Not a particularly astute observation when you are talking about the team with the highest average age, but when you look over the Whalers line-up you becomeacutely aware of the fact that they are really, really old. One third of the likely starting XV (Hale, Harvey, Thompson, Reilly and Malceski) will be 30 or older this year. Will Hale hold his scores with McEvoy arriving? Will Thompson as Danger, Sloane and Crouch improve? Will Evergreen Boomer with the continued development of North's young midfielders? I'd say the answer is no in all cases and this is where the Whalers could struggle.
    Prediction
    Picking the 2nd highest averaging team from 2013 to miss the 8 would be incredibly controversial, and I'm not going to do it, but only barely. If the veterans don't go backwards too much they could cause an upset, but more likely is a loss in the first week of the finals.


    Gisborne Grenades
    Strengths - I'm here to see the supporting act
    Supporting McVeigh in defence there's Seedsman, Pearce, Hombsch and Harwood. Supporting Steven in the mids there's Douglas, Masten and Christensen. Gisborne has dealt itself quality undercards on these two lines.
    To highlight how good the support is, Gisborne's M2-4 average is the 5th best in the comp, and they are a lot younger than most of the teams in that elite grouping.
    Weaknesses - An empty forward 50
    Team structure. Coaches bang on about playing within a certain structure from the first day of pre-season training until GF day. It's become as meaningless as one game at a time”. Therefore, when you see a team that truly has a unique structure you take notice. And that's what the Grenades have as Tomster has drafted a team without any forwards. As the greatest commentator in Sport's history, Pepper Brooks would say it's a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off for 'em”.
    I'll concede the above is a slight exaggeration, but subject to some canny recruiting and trading pre-season lack of forward depth will be an issue in the Macedon ranges this year. No longer a leader” J. Riewoldt is a decent F1 but then there are two rookies and guys who haven't played that often (Daw with 6 games in 2013 and Dell'Olio with 3). Both Billings and Lennon will get games, but a full season? Without appearances in a vest? Daw might be in the Roos best 22, but Dell'Olio definitely isn't for the Bombers so covering the rookies' inevitable non-appearances (and a potentially empty F4) will be an issue.
    Prediction
    A hard team to place as I think the Commish will trade some of his midfield depth for forwards. There's definite talent in the squad, but structure (there's that word again) could be an issue. The Grenades should be part of that close middle third, with the remainder of the draft/trading period more important for them than most teams.


    Goondiwindi Goannas
    Strengths - defence wins premierships
    Round 3: Bartel, round 4: Mitchell. The King showed his cards early drafting the two best, although old, defenders very early. Throw in Swan, as the oldest round 1 pick and it becomes clear that the Goannas are chasing success early in their history.
    While Swanny will still rack up the massive scores in the midfield, Jimmy and Sam will win more games for Goondiwindi then the heavily inked one. Having the only 2 defenders who are locks to average more than 105 this year, while the majority of D1 and D2 combinations will average mid-80s, gives the boys from the Darling Downs a decent points advantage down back against the rest of the FU. Spurr with a developing O'Shea and Yeo will provide good support to the big two in a quality defensive line.
    Oh, and I really like their midfield. A good mix of high scoring elder-statesmen (Swan and Jack) and young talent (Ward, Shiel and Rich).
    Weaknesses - 911 for 211?
    Given he hasn't played a full season since 2008, and only 7 (SC) games last year, Sandi was an interesting pick 5 for the Goannas. I'm sure you've all read plenty on him this year (and thought about having him in your SC teams), so there's nothing more to say than super-high risk, high reward.
    Never the best scoring ruckman (on the field at least) Hampson isn't the ideal back-up to an injury-prone Sandi. Dimma has said he'll play, so I guess that's a bonus, but how many points are available to him with the Mullet taking the primary rucking duties and Vickery pinch-hitting there also? It seems similar to the position at Carlton where points were always split between the big men.
    Prediction
    How many teams have I included in this tight middle third of the ladder”? 3 or 4 so far? Let's throw the Goannas in there as well.


    Groote Eylandt Barracudas
    Strengths -Only a slight improvement needed, unfortunately (for the rest of the FU) they've got plenty in them
    The Cudas start the season with a squad that had the 4th highest 2013 average. They'll be in the top 2 by year's end.
    Cotch, Hannebery, Cunnington and Gibbs as the starting 4 mids could all realistically increase their average by 10+ ppg this year. The rest of the youth brigade (Zorko, Darling, Watts, Spencer and Nicholls) have similar improvement in them also.
    Rex will be getting some great entertainment from Groote Eylandt as No. 1 ticket holder this year.
    Weaknesses - Umm?
    Bob Murphy is injured. Burgoyne and Goodes are old.
    I'm happy to take suggestions on this one.
    Prediction
    They will lose the Island Nations Cup to the Smugglers in round 21, but otherwise anything less than a preliminary final (or whatever the 2nd week of finals is called in the FU) appearance would be a disappointment.

    King Island Monarchs
    Strengths - Supercoach royalty up front
    Surprised most when they took NicNat with the number one draft pick, but JJ Kennedy in the 3rd round was a bigger shock for me. The Monarchs obviously like big forwards as Tex was also picked up early (round 5). Both of these guys can go very, very large (don't forget JJK's top score is 190) which of itself is tough enough for defences. However they've got the greatest forward in SC history, Mr Pavlich up front also. While Pav is on the downhill run to retirement the man is genuine class (not Jeremy's iron for any Simpsons' fans out there) and with Freo being up there again should score very well for an F3 when fit. Pacey Rohan will hopefully get his chance this year and completes one of the best fwd lines in the FU.
    I also have to give Tylo credit for one of my favourite names in the comp, along with Manangatang.
    Weaknesses - Peasants in the midfield
    NDS is a walk-up start for a midfield spot in the all-time SC team. Priddis would be a decent shot at the 2nd 18. So it is harsh to call them peasants. But as both near the end of their illustrious careers their averages have starting declining (over the last 2 years: 22 points for NDS, 13 for MP). NDS' move to HB looked good in the first round of the NAB, and the Weagles have to improve on their 2013, so there are reasons for King Island to be hopeful, but I think the decline for both has set in.
    Boak at M1 is in the opposite position. Improved his average to a very respectable 107 last year, after running at around 90 for the 5 years before that. Captaincy seems to have brought out the best in his style of play, so hopefully a 105-110 average is his new norm. King Island need him to hold this (at least) to compete with the premium midfields in the FU.
    Prediction
    Another very tough team to place. With their explosive talent they could beat anyone, but unfortunately I can't see the Monarchs being consistent enough to be there at the end.


    Korumburra Blowflies
    Strengths - Rory Sloane
    Is it lazy analysis to pick one player as a strength and then write 100 words on them? Yep. But that's what I'm doing, and in the case of Sloane I think it's justified.
    He pulled out a massive 180 against North late in the season off just 28 disposals, showing he doesn't need much ball to score big. When you take into account that in 2013 he made less tackles and inside 50s (both SC gold) than in previous years he simply has to return to those numbers already achieved to enter elite scoring territory. It will be interesting to see if he starts to get tagged this year, which obviously won't help Korumburra, but otherwise a very clever pick by Mick.
    Weaknesses - Buying at the top of the market
    D1 - Andrew Walker (106, +27, +17)
    M1 - Stevie J (116, +19, +9)
    R1 - Goldstein (113, +20, +7)
    F1 - Cloke (95, +13, +3)
    These are the Blowflies' highest scorers in each position with their 2013 average, followed by the points increase from 2012 and then the points increase 2013 represents over their last 3 years average.
    These were career best seasons for all except Cloke. The question is can any of them do it again? The stats suggest Cloke could, Goldstein might, Stevie J shouldn't and Walker definitely won't*.
    *A case of lies, damn lies and statistics here as Walker's role change should see him hold more of this average than the stats suggest. I would still expect a drop-off in scoring though.
    Having your best players going backwards is, in what has become an overly common phrase, not ideal.
    Prediction
    Should make the eight. I'm not sure there's enough improvement in the list to hold off their challengers for top spot but nevertheless they'll win plenty of games.


    Manangatang Orang-utans
    Strengths - Youth
    While writing these reviews has kept me busy (and somewhat entertained) for the last week, some parts have just pissed me off. And none more so than when I looked at the Orang-utans list.
    Taylor Adams picked in round 11. Round 11. Round. 11. How the hell did I miss him? (Don't look at your round 11 picks now, it's just depressing).
    The kid's a contested ball specialist, future captain, etc, etc. Might not have the highest scoring 2014 but certainly will in seasons to come, where he'll be feeding off fellow orang-utan, ruckman Grundy. Or just because they can down in the Mallee, Brodie could look for another quality young mid in Ziebell or Trengove instead. Well drafted Hawks.
    And until someone picks up Orazio Fantasia they also have the 2013 draftee with the best name: Christian's burn witches at” Salem. Bonus is he's a handy player also.
    Weaknesses - Yoof
    Manangatang has obviously drafted for the future, and embraced all the risks that come with that. There's no obvious weakness in their youngsters, it's just a question of whether they can develop as expected. Time will tell.
    Prediction
    Hawks is another coach who has embraced the keeper” aspect of this keeper league. Will be closer than the stats suggest, as there's plenty of improvement in this list, but challenging for the eight should be beyond them this year. Very bright future though.


    Packenham Parasites
    Strengths - I love lamp (and this midfield)
    Brick Tamland, in all his wisdom, confirmed that it's perfectly acceptable for a man to love inanimate objects. And so I'm declaring it early: this is my favourite midfield in the FU. And it's unconditional, no this is my favourite M1-3 combination” lack of commitment here, I'm 100% into all the West Gippsland mids. A lot of the love comes from the fact it's one of the highest scoring units in the comp, but as with all infatuations there's that intangible quality of just really liking the way Barlow, Swallow and Beams play.
    Even the bench players are worthy of affection, with Viney being a future gun, and Polec looking to find himself at a new club (he looked ok in NAB 1).
    Weaknesses - KPFs with poor KPIs
    Young key forwards generally take a while to develop. Young key forwards with an injury history and plenty of competition for a spot in the team definitely take a while to develop. In taking Hogan and Patton DD has snared two of the best forwards in the comp, in 2019. Picking these developing players means the Parasites need Higgins not to get injured to hold their forward line together. Given his history it's not a particularly nice place to be.
    Prediction
    Definite contenders for the 8. Their chances could easily be cruelled by injury/poor recovery though.
    Pearcedale Panthers
    Strengths - Break on through (to the other side)
    There are players all through this team that have break-out potential in 2014. Conca and Caddy are the two most obvious options to significantly improve their scoring from their respective 2013 averages of 81 and 60. In a review of Richmond's 2014 SC season written by Pearcedale's coach he said Conca could get his average up to the 90-95 mark this season which would be great for his price. Strongly consider him.” While I'm sure this review was in absolutely no way influenced by TTT's FU ownership of Reece, I have to agree with him, Conca should significantly improve this year.
    Lobbe is looking like another inspired pick given Port's ruck stocks, and Smith in defence could benefit greatly from Henderson's injury.
    Weaknesses - The end
    The defensive end of the ground? End of careers? The two could conspire against the Panthers this season. The veterans in the defensive 50; Shaw, Fisher and Gibson will all be the dreaded 29 or older this year, so a drop off in scoring should be expected. Especially for Shaw as teams should be able to tag him pretty easily following his move to the Harbour City.
    To be fair it's not a huge weakness as there's enough depth in Pearcedale so that Gibson and Fisher won't get much game time anyway.
    Prediction
    A potential surprise packet (to the extent that one team could be more of a surprise than others in a comp that hasn't started yet). My smokey for a top 4 finish.


    Serengeti Buffalos
    Strengths - Back to Front - stop the presses
    WB's strategy is pretty clear: superstars up front (Danger and Chappy), some breakout candidates down back (Atley and Guthrie) with a solid but not spectacular midfield. He's put a higher value on fwds and defs rather than mids. Which in a league game where the difference between good and ordinary mids is less than in other positions seems pretty smart to me.
    However given this focus on Defenders and Forwards, losing his 6th round draft pick, in Henderson, for the season is a major set-back.
    Weaknesses - known unknowns
    The Saints got rid of McEvoy and drafted Longer, so he's definitely the preferred ruck. Except the Saints traded a first round pick for Hickey and have been developing him, so he's definitely the preferred ruck. Has the Saints/Doggies game overnight solved this dilemma in favour of Hickey?
    WB would certainly hope so. When I started thinking about this (before last night's game) my concern was that both would play and not score particularly well. If they do it's a weakness, if not, then it's pretty smart drafting.
    Prediction
    Having a few players in new teams (Savage, Longer, Sylvia and Chappy) with unknown roles, along with the ruck uncertainty, makes them a tough team to rank. Too many variables imho have to come together for them to be confident of a spot in the 8.



    Southern Cross Sandgropers
    Strengths - West Australian mids
    Taking Martin, sight unseen in the third round, showed EE has Bungle Bungle sized cojones and was drafting for the future. Better than Jaeger, most skilled rookie ever, you've read everything I have. And he's from WA.
    He joins the Groper's captain, Nat Fyfe, in the midfield. Young gun, racks them up at will, great mark, etc. And he's from WA.
    Weaknesses - Damn east coasters
    As the third youngest team in the FU, Southern Cross needs some of the more established players, in the 24-26 age bracket, to step up to be competitive this season. Unfortunately for EE he had to draft some Victorians, Hurley and Hansen, who probably won't do the job.
    Hansen hasn't averaged above 73 in his 7 seasons, and while his move out of the forward line should help his scoring, it probably won't hit the levels needed by EE.
    Hurley has the skillz, but for unfortunately for him and Southern Cross will miss part of the season through injury. It's like the tides.
    You can add to this group Yarran and Myers, good WA boys who would have been superstars but for their Victorian teams ruining their talent.
    It's hard to see the ‘gropers getting anything more than high 60s, low 70s returns from these 4 this year.
    Prediction
    EE has said that the Sandgropers are focussing on winning the comp in 3-4 years, and this team has obviously been drafted with this in mind. Let's hope they develop as expected or the FU's most parochial coach might give in to those secessionist desires that lie just below the surface out west and set up the WAORRFU.


    Staghorn Flat Bulls
    Strengths - They're a happy team at Staghorn
    Leading three of the lines at Mill Park are some incredibly well credentialed Hawks; Birchall, McEvoy and Roughy.
    It is looking good for them this year also: You would expect McEvoy to increase his average from 93, given he's going to a far better side. Roughy actually scores better without Buddy in the team, and while Birch may drop off slightly with Suckling's return, it should be more than covered by the improvement in the other two.
    Weaknesses - None (or am I tired?)
    It may just be that this is the last section of the previews, or it may be that there's no obvious weakness in the Bulls, but I'm struggling to write anything here. It is in fairness a solid list, one that has the makings of a competitive team for a few years.
    Prediction
    Has a decent shot at one of the lower spots in the 8.
     
  2. Tomster

    Tomster Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,193
    Likes Received:
    651
    Fantastic work both of you. Care to continue Damo? It's nice to see two points of view about each team
     
  3. eagle_eyed

    eagle_eyed Training the house down!

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    2,061
    Likes Received:
    1,386
    Great read mate, keep it up! Pity I'm not reviewed until the last installment :(
     
  4. YAD69

    YAD69 Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    2,649
    Likes Received:
    2,050
    Fantastic reviews, can't wait until the Cuda's are up :)
     
  5. JPK

    JPK Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    4,785
    Likes Received:
    3,313
    Really nice work Damo. Can't wait to read your thoughts on my boys.
     
  6. martyg

    martyg Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,450
    Likes Received:
    1,110
    Brilliant effort Damoh... Great write up and good to see that I have got my trading strategy sorted with the way I hoped... Don't worry about my FWD line, you all will be hitting me up for trades in the next 6 months!!
     
  7. DamoH

    DamoH Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,189
    Likes Received:
    1,013
    Updated with the Prospectors, Crocs and Whalers.
     
  8. ddsaints

    ddsaints Guest

    This is gold mate, awesome write up and analyses. Love your work Damo. This is the ORFFU prospectus :) You could sell this
     
  9. fresh

    fresh Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,417
    Likes Received:
    1,656
    Top work Damo. You've pretty much typed out the thoughts in my head about the young Crocs that have been drafted.
     
  10. DamoH

    DamoH Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,189
    Likes Received:
    1,013
    Only going to get one done today boys. Updated with the Boss' Grenades.
     
  11. choppers

    choppers Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    3,674
    Likes Received:
    2,530
    I think some extended 'gardening leave' is required. Doing a great job here, Damo.
     
  12. DamoH

    DamoH Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,189
    Likes Received:
    1,013
    Couple of contenders today: Goannas and 'Cudas.
     
  13. DamoH

    DamoH Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,189
    Likes Received:
    1,013
    After a bit of a break, the Monarchs, Blowflies, Orangutans and Parasites are up.
     
  14. PushUpKing

    PushUpKing Guest

    Nice Damoh. Keep up the good work ;)
     
  15. thokash

    thokash Full-Time Magician Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,321
    Likes Received:
    1,079
    I like reading up on what's happening around the other comps, but I have no idea which players are in these teams - is it possible to have a team list posted as well? I think I did see one in the draft thread but wasn't sure if it was complete.
     
  16. walesy

    walesy Administrator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2015
    Messages:
    3,872
    Likes Received:
    2,565
    thokash wrote:
    I like reading up on what's happening around the other comps, but I have no idea which players are in these teams - is it possible to have a team list posted as well? I think I did see one in the draft thread but wasn't sure if it was complete. Yanno, I'm thinking, there's no reason to restrict people from viewing different leagues under the tsLeague tab- I'm already double checking and hiding stuff when you shouldn't be allowed to update it. Might open the dropdown to include all the leagues so that we can all follow each other.
     
  17. eagle_eyed

    eagle_eyed Training the house down!

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    2,061
    Likes Received:
    1,386
    thokash wrote:
    I like reading up on what's happening around the other comps, but I have no idea which players are in these teams - is it possible to have a team list posted as well? I think I did see one in the draft thread but wasn't sure if it was complete. The final page of the draft thread has the first 20 picks for each team, this is up to date barring any trades that have taken place since the first draft finished. I'm pretty sure Damo's write ups don't take any trades into consideration either.
     
  18. DamoH

    DamoH Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,189
    Likes Received:
    1,013
    eagle_eyed wrote:
    thokash wrote:
    I like reading up on what's happening around the other comps, but I have no idea which players are in these teams - is it possible to have a team list posted as well? I think I did see one in the draft thread but wasn't sure if it was complete. The final page of the draft thread has the first 20 picks for each team, this is up to date barring any trades that have taken place since the first draft finished. I'm pretty sure Damo's write ups don't take any trades into consideration either. No that's right, only the initial 20 players in each team are considered. I'll update briefly after the finalsquads are announced, but as I said in my opening post I'm not sure there will be huge changes to many squads (although GAJ moving from Cow Bay might alter that!). Updated with the pride of Pearcedale. Final three coming on Thursday.
     
  19. ddsaints

    ddsaints Guest

    Nice work Damo, I like your thinking. Go the Parasites in 2019 :-D
     
  20. DamoH

    DamoH Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Messages:
    1,189
    Likes Received:
    1,013
    Finished with the Buffalos, Gropers and Bulls.
     

Share This Page