And finally... what we've all been waiting for:

Wuxi advance to the Grand Final of Div 1 after toppling the favoured Poachers!! This is familiar territory for Wuxi. Their opponent, Dyspnoeics, have also featured in a Grand Final in recent times, albeit a loss in Div 2. This will indeed be a battle of the Titans.

In what will be a spectacle or an eye-sore, depending on whether you have dropped anything funky lately, will be a match-up between Agent Orange and The Ghost Who Walks - GWW knocking out What The Huck? last night at Annerley.

So there you have it folks, the minor premiers bow out in both divisions. In placing matches:

Discheads defeated Yellow

Quties defeated Chimis

The Egg & Spoon Race

Bermuda Triangle won by forfeit over Plastic Scourgery. Sadly, not a single member of PS turned up.

Disc-iples won by forfeit over Griffith Oh Yeahs. Unfortunately the Oh Yeahs could not field enough women - too many students on holiday now. The teams shared players and had a good game.

The Griffith Go-Go's and Starlight played each other last week and didn't see much point in doing it again, so the Bermudans were added into the mix for a pickup game.

See you for the Finals at Griffith next week.

Agent Orange & Dyspnoeics Advance

Dyspnoeics have marched into the Grand Final with a convincing 16 - 8 win over Heroes at UQ tonight.

In Div 2, Agent Orange got out to an 8-3 lead but took the half 9-7. They won by 2 or 3 points over Tsunami in what was likely the game of the season for Div 2. One man got quite horizontal. Guess who?

Results from the other grounds are still unavailable. All will be revealed when Michael or some other source leaves a comment on this post!

Who Will Win Div 1?

Poachers

Back when this blogger wore Green on a Monday night, we had a saying: "Which Poachers?" We knew without question that Dan Blacklock would be there, but who would he have lassoed in for the fight that night, and how would they perform? The latter question has not been asked this season - Dan's herd having a clean record. The real question is - Can they be stopped?

Dyspnoeics

It comes as no surprise that a team as old as Mellow Yellow and Bermuda Triangle could get their shit together and dominate in the top division. With a little help from their friends, Mansauce & Baker have sauced all over most of the competition, only losing to half of the teams that still remain in the race.

Wuxi

Rumours have it that it is no longer fun-and-finger-holding-chinese-mind-games at Kaitlin's place. As minor premiers, there is a lot of expectation to follow up. Wuxi have had just one spill of the bleach in their performance this season and they are poised for another Grand Final birth.

Heroes

This team does not resemble the Super Heroes who entered the (arguably more difficult) Div 1 last season. Perhaps this is a good thing. The blooding of some young talent and the disturbing amount of Hampels in this team is no doubt part of the winning formula that Heroes have found this season. Heroes will be hoping that the stars align and they have Chaddy & Guarin when it counts.

Who Will Win Div 2?

Well kids, with the ever-ambitious and fidgety JdR no longer confined to the Pool Room, he has been able to sit behind the type-writter and bang out his usual rhetoric. To show that the Emperor is not entirely reliant on his speech-writers, dstrel will announce some dribble in a feeble attempt to make up for the poor form that resulted in a very low-key Quarter Finals lead-up, which has been blamed for lower than usual turnouts last Monday night.

Indeed, it has begun.

Tsunami

Despite an inauspicious start to the season due to world events, this brand-spankin' new team has been an unstoppable force, demolishing all that have stood in their way - bar Chimis. A close one last week against 10th place Oh Yeahs warrants the question - are they unstoppable?

Ghost Who Walks

Like their Phantomic leader, these acid-loving maniacs boast no super-natural powers, but excel in strength and wit. If there was something super-natural about their performance, it would be the ability to get away with murder. These guys wrote the manual called "How to dominate Div 2 when you have a 7' tall man, high-release throws and girls who like to run" - aka "How to play to your strengths".

What The Huck?

Indeed. TJ has young, sporty, fit friends, so the label "Cougars" was never really suitable. Possibly the best dressed team in the league and now the best named, WTH are going to have to dig deep, as their losses this season came at the hands of the three remaining teams.

Agent Orange

These Smooth Criminals-turned Goverment Spies have managed to snatch a semi-finals birth from the grasp of a higher ranked team. Captain Gavin Croft claims the win over Chimi's was "Like stealing candy from a Baby"* - swift and relentless. Will this team produce enough noxious gas to cause wide-spread damage well into the future?

Stay Tuned for Div 1 Hype!!

*Gav made no such comment nor was he cocky in victory. Not very cocky, anyway.

Blimey, we're blogging about Disc Golf (Bout time?)

JdR has left the Pool Room and has sent this telegram:

"For the historical record and your children's children's interest (when know down disc golf dominates the universe), here are the results from the recent disc golf tournament the Queensland Big Bash. Looks like the gang from the Brisbane Disc Golf Club are starting to generate some solid numbers!"

If you look at it long enough, it starts to make sense. You need to focus but relax your eyes at the same time.

>
> Players Round 1 Round 2 Grand Overall
>
> First Surname Division C1 C2 Total C2 C3 Total Total
> Position
>
> Tim Marchbank MO 26 28 54 23 30 53 107 1
>
> Mat Adams MA 27 27 54 27 28 55 109 2
>
> Bruce McNaughton MG 28 26 54 26 30 56 110 =3
>
> Rick Kapalko MO 29 22 51 27 32 59 110 =3
>
> Aaron Moreton MA 26 28 54 30 26 56 110 =3
>
> Chris Pye MA 27 27 54 30 30 60 114 =6
>
> Brian Clevenger MO 29 26 55 29 30 59 114 =6
>
> Jason Glass MA 32 25 57 29 32 61 118 8
>
>
>
> Jason Vidot MR 34 31 65 31 34 65 130 9
>
> Nathan Lee MR 35 35 70 34 34 68 138 10
>
> Michael Caley MR 39 33 72 0 72 12
>
>
>
> Leo Caley MJ 48 41 89 0 89 13
>
>
>
> Carmen Crain WR 34 40 74 38 45 83 157 11

The Week That Was

Wellety Welley.. it HAS been a quiet week here at the BUB Palace, and it's finally caught up to us with views plummeting rapidly on the weekend. Or perhaps, like us, you were busy doing REAL stuff and enjoying the beeaaauuutiful Brisbane Winter. Either way, we're back and here's a summary of what we have certainly missed, but you, discerning reader, may have sourced your information through some back-water under-the-table dodgy dealing (with shonky builders).

Enough shocking ACA slogans, here it is (it's pretty boring):

The Australian Women's Beach Team desperately needs players. As we know that women don't read blogs, please pass this on to the women in your life who are great at ultimate. They need to get in contact with Notty for this one.

If you want to provide some light entertainment for the Australian Beach Teams, you will have your chance on the 23rd of July. Ride the AFDA Dinosaur to register. This is NOT limited to gender.

In the spirit of SEQ, we must further boast about our good weather (we've had little chance this year!) All of this week's news is about Beach Ultimate! Al Don would like to open up his Beach Courts to all and sundry, every Saturday at 10am - that's on Palm Beach. Just cruise on down and enjoy it. It must be said that when the mercury drops below 20, it's prime time for Beach Ultimate.

Now for some non-beach related news (boooo!):

A 4-week "Draft" style men's league will begin on the 30th June. This will be played at Annerley and will be a refreshing time for the BPL guys to mix it up and a great opportunity for new players to come and get a taste of BPL. Who knows, you may even be offered and exclusive spot on a BPL team for Season #2!! Head on over to AFDA to register. I'm not going to give you a link - if you can't get around the website, you shouldn't have gotten this far.

Moreton Bay Muddle

This is not an evolution of the Buggers, but a brand-spanking-new tournament in Brissie this winter! It's going to be King/Queen Hat style, and looks promising.

Too long since we last had a fun-focused tournament? I agree.

Therefore, the MORETON BAY MUDDLE will be held on Saturday 2 July.
The venue is Norths Rugby Club on Shaw Rd, Wooloowin (Where Nationals was)

For ALL info, watch the website: http://moretonbaymuddle.wordpress.com/
It'll be a little slow to get it totally up to speed, but that's the
main place. Bookmark!

Repeating, ONE DAY TOURNAMENT
Saturday 2 July
Wooloowin

Up Yer BUML: Round 10 (take #2) Preview : Rice Wars!

Borag Thungg BUMLets! A privileged few will have been aware that I, JdR the Well-Travelled, once again departed Godzone last week for a few days R&R in marvellous Hong Kong. But alas, despite strict instructions to the support drones, the preview for this week’s BUML games was not completed to satisfaction. Be assured that these drones have been appropriately punished. Now, while the weather might make it all moot, let’s look at the THRILLING draw.

Division 1
Bermuda Triangle vs Discheads – Griffith 3
The masters of smack vs the masters of hack. JdR the Obscure’s tip: Discheads
d-bot: Discheads

Plastic Scourgery vs Poachers – Annerley 5B
JdR the Retrospective compared members of the Scourgery to characters from the successful TV series Happy Days earlier in the season. Tonight, it should become clear that they’ve jumped the shark. Either that, or it will be revealed that the Poachers are really Pinky Tuscadero in disguise. JdR the Serupticious’ tip: Poachers
d-bot: Poachers

Mellow Yellow vs Heroes – Annerley 5B
The Green vs The Yellow. Almost but not quite an Irish drinking song. JdR the Brotherly’s tip: Heroes
d-bot: Heroes

Wuxi Finger Hold vs Dyspnoeics – UQ 7B
The team nobody talks about up against the team that everyone’s talking about. Why is this so? JdR the Analytic puts this down to the success story that is both teams public relations antics – ie Wuxi Boss’ Kaitlin’s preference for a no-to-zero press presence, up against Mansauce and Andy Lankowski’s constant media hype. JdR the Polite’s tip: Wuxi.
b-bot: W00shy

Division 2
What the Huck? vs Starlights – UQ 7A
What the Huck seem to have managed to master the trick to winning Division 2 games – apply zone on defence and run like hell on offence. Meanwhile, Starlight are on the up after their maiden win as a team last week. Alas, much like the Lions, we can’t see them getting another one tonight. JdR the Axis’ tip: WTH.
b-dot: WTF

Agent Orange vs Griffith Go-Go’s – Griffith 1
For some reason, folks in our hearing have started to nickname Agent Orange as ‘the belly buttons’. Some may think this is some sort of stream of consciousness thing along the lines of Agent Orange -> Navel Orange -> Navel -> Belly button. But apparently this is not the case, and its something more to do with witchcraft, as several of the team apparently have an ‘outie’ (and seven is a suspicious number in itself). You decide, or you could join the Go-Go’s as they get out the pitchforks and flaming torches and look to rout the evil ones from their Nathan village. JdR the Fetishal’s Tip: Go-Go’s.
d-bot: AO

The Disc-Iples vs Griffith Oh Yeah’s – Griffith 2
Speaking of nicknames, apparently Ryan and Marcus’ gang are playing further with their witty name and tried calling themselves ‘the Iples’, which of course when written looks something like a reference to ‘nipples’, which of course Abe and Issac Stone both have, despite their adventures with open flames. Our point? Nipples. JdR the Erect’s Tip: Oh Yeah’s
D-b-t: Nipples to Cripple

The Ghost Who Walks vs QUTies – Annerley 3A
There’s an old jungle saying that’s probably true - that The Ghost Who Walks has the strength of ten tigers. But this could be the week that the purple-suited ones come up against eleven tigers (and a cougar or two!). JdR the Educated’s Tip: QUTies.
dbot: GWW (Get Wet Willy?)

Tsunami vs Chimichangas – Annerley 3B
This is a big clash. JdR the Excited’s Tip: Tsunami.

bslot: Chmi

Beyond Monday

As we watch how terrible our Queensland football teams perform, with BPL done until August and Sunday activities canceled due to foul weather, our attention is directed to Monday nights (to the dismay or JdR).

The big JC has just announced the game plan. This week we will be playing Round 10, the fulfillment of which will finalise ladder positions.

Next week, June 20th, everyone will have a game. It will be Quarter Finals. What does this mean? One can only speculate. Quarter Finals often implies that there will be 4 games. So will the entire Div 1 be eligible, with only two Div 2 teams missing out? Or will there be some strange kind of 6 team finals system (think AFL and Rugby League in the early 90's). Draws and venues will no doubt be announced (and unorthodox).

June 27 is Semis. We can assume that there will be four games that count - two in each division. Everyone else will play-off for placings.

The Grand Final will feature four teams (Div 1 and Div 2). The two games will be on at GRIFFITH and everyone not featuring will be required to drink and heckle (soft-drink?? be sensible).

In the after-life, there will be Pickup matches and Learn to Play events. Also, stay tuned for super-fun-for-all-happy-winter-joy-tournaments!!

Dojo take the trifecta

Tonight a small crowd saw Dojo win comfortably, I believe the final score was a lot to a little. Dojo also incredibly won spirit and Leon came out of nowhere to win MVP. Well done guys.

What the punters are saying

Dojo or Slamtown?

Who are you cheering for this frosty Thursday?

And why?


Reece: Dojo, I've always had a soft spot for old men and redheads. this team fulfills both agendas. I'm also starting a grassroots movement of Watto MVP.

JdR: Thursday is about halfway between BUML rounds, so its hard to say.

Rick: Slamtown - underdogs.

We must have the same parents.

Let us know why you're cheering for your nominated team, or why you are implicity NOT cheering for the other team.

One-Sided Grand Final Interviews

Ok, so today we have an interview from a Dojo rep, but we've got nothing back from Slamtown. I guess that's what happens when you ask an over-worked doctor for an interview. So if any Flatballers want to shoot back a rebuttal, we'll accept it at danielstrelan@gmail.com. I'm sure they'll make up for their silence on the field.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Pre-interview: Today we take you behind the scenes and the high walls of the Palace. You'll see the dirty work involved in scoring an interview with a potential Dingos player.

Hey Pete,

A few weeks back, Jangles said I should interview "someone" from the Australian Squad. He said
that I should interview Pete, and not Jangles - I agree, who wants to hear from Jangles?

Hey Dan,

Happy to assist with your blogging since I read it daily and guess some input would be a way of paying you for the entertainment you provide.

You could do that, or I could send you my bank details. I also need new cleats... Hey wait!! Where are you going!?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peter Allen - Southerners say you've gone from being shit to The Shit in quite a short time. You've been the man about town
and indeed The Game Plan for Dojo for some time now. You were left out of the U23 squad, but now find yourself included
in the 60-man Dingos squad. How do you rate your chances this time round?

Well missing out on the U23 campaign was crap, but when you stop playing for a year then start training/running (refer to foot vs. anchor battle of 2009 for reasons) 2 weeks before the first selection camp, it's bound to happen, and I've really enjoyed playing over the last year and have grown as a player, World Clubs was probably the most fun I've had at a tournament and I probably would have missed that if I made the team so there ya go. Chances this time are much better for want of a quantitative answer.


So the 60-man squad - that's huge, what's it about?

The 60 man All-Australian squad was selected from the (I'm going to say hundreds if not thousands of) guys who expressed interest in being considered for selection to represent Australia at the World Championships next year which is what I consider the highest level we in Australia can reach. From Brisbane this year we had a good representation of players making it through to the 60 on the mens side and a bunch more on the womens side which has the same sort of process, the men were:
- Abra, Stu, Jangles, JMc, Mike, Cunliffe and myself, I think aL was also in there but has since pulled out.
Women:
- Blair, Bree(still Brisbanite in my books), Maylin, Molly, Megs, feel like I'm missing someone, so the comments can fix that.

And then there is masters who are their own thing and I have little idea what's happening there, but I'm guessing the likes, of aL, George, Buzz, Ferg, maybe Mat Ryan? who knows.

And when does it get narrowed down?

The squad has already been narrowed down after the first camp to a "35-man" (ie. 39 people) squad for the upcoming series of 3 training/selection camps. Everyone who did not make the 35 are included now in the mixed squad if they want to be. We will all be attending the next series of camps without Stu, who is now in the running to make the mixed squad. The updated squads can be found at: http://forcesideline.com/?p=711
The next camp is in less than two weeks and after this the mens team to compete at Emerald City Class in Seattle will be announced (27 June - stay tuned), which will be a great opportunity to play at a level even higher than world champs against the top 8 teams from US/Canada as well as teams from Columbia and Japan this year. After the announcement there will be 2 more camps in Canberra then the ECC tournie and the team for Worlds next year will be announced sometime after that.

Our blog adviser and team mate gave a poor anecdote summarising the trip to Sydney
"It's like shnk! shnk!" - the shnking referring to the perfect execution of the well oiled machine, made up of the best parts -
It must be something else to train with Australia's elite:

I'm not too sure about the "shnk" being the noise a well oiled machine makes, I'd probably be a bit worried if it did that, sounds like someone left a bolt inside by accident. A whirring noise would be more accurate or perhaps no sound.
But yes, training with the best players in Australia for a weekend is a whole new 'ball'game. Every line you step onto there is not one easy matchup so by the end of the weekend you are just as tired as after 4 days of nats.

Indeed. I think the sound was in reference to those romanticized images of early machinery post-industrial revolution (more appropriate for Silverbacks?)

Has anyone in the squad been a mentor or an inspiration to you? How do you learn to be the best receiver?

Inspiration wise - it is hard to go passed Mikey, he plays the type of game that I like to play myself so probably the perfect model to try and replicate. As for mentors, JMc knows what it takes to play elite level ultimate and offers very useful guidance when you need it. As for learning to be the best receiver, well that is just something that comes over time with hard work, watching the players who excel at it helps a lot, plus just don't try too much, a nice principle most of us received as youngsters was the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid), seriously that applies to everything. Oh and two very important things, read and jump.


Ok, now to Dojo - I've referred to you at "The Game Plan", but now is the time to do the team thing and tell us all
about the depth of your team:

The Dojo team has a fair amount of talent in its ranks, that's for sure. We've got the MVP from last years final in Watto, backed up by his sidekicks in Wallsy, and not suspended this time, Ryan. Then there is the Fatty/Coops connection which just keeps getting better, add to that the guidance of the Sensei and Sean's run through D's, our best pickup ever Cola, and the crazy defence of Daz and Cunliffe. I guess that puts the Dojo depth at approximately Challenger Deep or deeper.

I've just something rare on the Dojo blog. A new post!! I've not heard who is making expert comments on this footage.
With Sensei and Coops again featuring in the Final, and The Mayor and Al standing at the other end, who do you think
is best suited to call the game?

Well we may be fortunate enough to hear aL commentating since he is not playing so that's a very good pickup for the sideline team, apart from that I'd say we could all use some Finn commentary.

Tell us, if you don't mind, just how you plan on putting those Flat-ball Chumps in their place (2nd) on Thursday night.

Suffocating D and huck happy O. I hope.

I think I've answered everything, I was interrupted by a fire in my building...seriously.

Thanks for your commitment to Sparkle Motion. Whatever that is.

Here it is!!

This should have gone up 24 hours ago, but someone, possibly Russian took out one of the interweb cables under the Palace Moat, and we've had fat Greek guys in DT's repairing the bastard. Rick-E-Beats, if you could help us out with a photo of those guys, that'd be great!

Without further adieu, the image you've all been waiting for:

Should this link to the past remain Silent?

The following comment was found regarding George's father:

"John's list contains all the other contenders except Hugh Salisbury who came to Worlds in Japan in 92 and was truly world class at his peak (before he discovered sex, drugs and surfing).
Jason Ray Fri Jan 27, 01:16:00 PM"

Very intriguing!

Finally! Friday Night Ultimate Is Here!!

And it's on the beach!

Huh?

When Australia's finest swarmed the North-side suburb of Wooloowin in April, we attracted some attention. The people at the Beach Sports venue near by liked what they saw. John MacN. has been in conversation with Beach Sports, and they've arranged for monthly matches to begin with.

The games will be played on beach volley ball sized courts, significantly smaller than our usual soccer fields. In this way, it will be similar to indoor frisbee, but with a much more inviting surface for layouts. Should be fun.

Bring a light and a dark shirt - it's gonna be pickup, with a small cost of $5 for the night. This is a unique avenue for attracting athletes to our game. Huzzah for more Ultimate in Brisbane!! HUZZAH!!

DETAILS:

Friday night, 10 June. Beach Sports, Wooloowin (behind Norths Rugby on
Shaw Rd).
www.beachsports.net.au

Second Round - 1st July.

Up Yer BUML! Round 12 (sorta) Preview - You Mangled My Nets!

Borag THUNGG BUMLettes! Its a beautiful sunny Monday morning here at the stately Brisbane Ultimate Blog mansion, meaning its probably worth putting together the preview for tonight's games. But hang on, didn't we already preview this round? Yes, this week is the replay of the first washed out round of the season. You could go and have a read over here, but what the heck, we'll cut and paste. Don't ever let it be said that I am not JdR the Service-providing!

Dyspnoeics v Discheads – Griffith 1

It’ll be nothing but action Action ACTION as the mouth-breathers take on the flatskulls. Even as we type these words the vibrations from this game are throbbing back through TIME ITSELF to rock the keyboard, so apologies if there are any mistooks.

JdR the Superlative’s tip: Discheads by 1
Danbot’s tip: Cock-Rock by 4

Starlight v Griffith Oh Yeahs – Griffith 2

Last week’s little bit of rain in the afternoon demonstrated the differences between the scrotnig and nonscrot Ultimate players, with several teams light on for numbers, and none moreso than the Griffith Oh Yeahs who for the first time ever had less than seventy-dozen on the sideline (mostly thanks to some laziness we guess from the Athlea St Irregulars). Still, those who were there were properly thankful as they got themselves a real solid run, what with having barely any subs and all. Will this change this week against the mightly-upbeat Starlight, who must fancy their chances. Yes, it’s the motley blacks vs the motley whites, with never a dull moment.

JdR the Insoulecent’s tip: Griffith Oh Yeah’s by 3
Danbot’s tip: Yeah Yeah Yeahs by 1

Tsunami v Griffith Go-Go’s – Griffith 3

The Griffith Go-Go’s move onto the unfamiliar territory of Griffith 3, but this is the uphill end of the Griffith AFL field so this should help against the rampaging Tsunami. Here in the Command Module its getting harder and harder to sort out games like this in our nonetheless high domed heads, so we’re plugging for a close one. Can the Go-Go’s get a third win in a row, for the first time ever?

JdR the Mighty’s tip: Go-Go’s by 1
Danbot’s tip: Nuclear Disaster's by 6.... actually, it's 7

Mellow Yellow v Heroes – Annerley 3A

According to some reports following last week’s game, the Heroes have been considering continuing what might be called a NYNY approach to Spirit of the Game. They’ll find this difficult this week though, coming up against the frequently intoxicated Mellow Yellow squad who love nothing more than a chance to laugh.

JdR the Impenetrible’s tip: Heroes by 2
Danbot’s tip: Drew Hutton by 2

Poachers v Plastic Scourgery – Annerley 3B

This is the battle of the hottest dudes in Brisbane Ultimate - Dusty vs Dan. I’m still totally bummed not to be in their division – just being in the reflection of their zarjaz glow makes me feel even more impressive than I already am. It’s LD droidette Adilia’s birthday soon too, so we anticipate the Scourgeons offering the appropriate gifts.

JdR the Administrative’s tip: Poachers by 1
Danbot’s tip: Draw your swords

Baby Chimis v Ghost Who Walks – Annerley 5A

Purple and red are colours that do not normally mix so well together, however these teams are full of intensity and are ready to let loose the artistic approach to flying disc sports that they are famous for.

JdR the Hootings tip: Baby Chimis by 3
Danbot’s tip: The Mexican by 2

Agent Orange v Disc-iples – Annerley 5B

The relentless march towards an Orange future continues, with the fusion jazz of Adults Only looking likely to sweep the endearing Disc-iples aside with ease.

JdR the Exculpatory’s tip: AO by 6
Danbot’s tip: RSL by 5

Wuxi v Bermuda Triangle – UQ 7A

The lights were on Wednesday night, so maybe after last Monday’s hassle the UQ Oval 7 will be once again ready to handle the non-stop-thrill-power that is Ultimate as demonstrated by some of its greatest practitioners (at least in this galaxy), Wuxi and Bermuda Triangle. Although Geoff has been playing Ultimate on this grass for something like 20 years or so, these day’s its Kaitlin, Julz and Pallen’s backyard, bbq area and outdoor thunderbox.

JdR the Universal’s tip: Wuxi by 7
Danbot’s tip: Wookie by 5

What the Huck v QUTies – UQ 7B

Rounding out the round, Hammertime becomes What the Huck, just in time to take on UQ team, the QUTies. Confused? Don’t be.

JdR the Not-Trevor’s tip: QUTies by 4.

Danbot’s tip: ERROR!

And that's it. Splundig Vur Thrigg!

Results

Dojo 15 def. Heroes 8

Slamtown 12 def. Buggers 11 in universe

Grand Final = Dojo vs Slamtown

grats.

The Tradition of the Play-off Beard

"The playoff beard is a superstitious tradition among North American sports teams, particularly those of the National Hockey League (NHL), in which players do not shave their facial hair while competing in postseason play in order to bring their teams luck. This practice was started by the NHL’s New York Islanders in 1980, and has since become a ritual among most NHL teams. The playoff beard tradition has even been adopted by some athletes in other professional and non-professional sports, although it has not attained the same popularity it enjoys among hockey players. Many NHL fans show support for their favorite team by growing a playoff beard, sometimes as part of a charity fundraising initiative." - Wisegeek.com

Question is, will the only Canadian in this final series be representing? I'm looking at you - Chris Fox(anne)!

The Mayor and Simon Cowell Team Up!

We always thought the Mayor was more of a Donald Trump kinda guy, but just in case you missed the latest missive from the Mayor's desk.

Halibut's got Talent..... and a logo

We've already got 10 teams registered, over 2 months in advance!! And I must say, a couple really good lookin' rosters.

Party Venue is nearly firmed up, and will be an absolute cracker....

A talent show will bridge the limbo contest into dance floor mayhem,.... I've already heard some of the acts to be on display, and they promise to be entertaining at minimum.

Remember, each team is responsible for a 2min act.... of any nature....the judges will have a gong or a hook to keep things real.

Menu's are looking good already, and the gift will be an absolute gem as always.

Get your tickets booked to the Gold Coast!!

We're playing at Carrarra.... the park next to the stadium where the Suns play... and the Geelong Cats happen to be in town that night.... so you can get your footy fix and still hit the party.

Don't forget the surf and sun too.

Get a squad together, and see if you can represent your region/state at the best tournament of the season.

You'll not wanna miss it.

Register here: http://www.afda.com/rego/showdivision.php?divisionid=1698

Semi Final: Dojo vs Heroes

Next up we have our master espresso drinker - no it's not Al or Coops, it's everyone's favourite Italian import - Cola!!!

Hi Dan, my grandma is an avid reader of the BUB so I’m really happy to answer your questions. Ciao nonna!

Mr Colagengo, did I pronounce that correctly?


Almost. It actually is Salvatore Francesco Godzilla Vasquez Colangelo. Currently I think that only Watto masters it.

1. You resisted a lot of pressure from recruiting agents after your first season, only
to have your face smashed in. You managed to play half the season for Dojo and
as minor premiers you face the Heroes in the first week of the finals.

What do you like about Dojo? Was it the hope of backing up with another premiership?


I have a clear memory of Mansauce saying something to that guy in Townsville and seeing him winking back just before going yokozuna on my face. Your question explains everything.

With Dojo I like the totalitarian authority of Sensei, feels like home.

Starting the season with Jules in and myself out, Dojo was taller and our score in the English test was 5 points higher so the premiership was sure.


2. You guys might even win spirit this season! Has Sensei stopped making speeches? Are you going to miss the rivalry between your team and Cobras in this finals series?

It’s more likely that Coops just hacked the website and changed the spirit score. I remember a couple of emails about that. This season Cobra is probably the best team in the Brisbane Goalty League so I think that BPL was kind of a side competition for them.

3. Goalty is supremely fun. I've heard you say a lot of nice things about the Heroes. You're even running with them in the morning! But come on!! It's time for some smack talk:

Yeah I have a cultural exchange with Heroes in the morning. They make me run and I explain them the benefits of a good cigar. Tomorrow will be a good game between pure energy and arrogant class. Like ecstasy and brandy. ipod and jukebox. Road runner and Wile E. Coyote.

Indeed. What is it with Italians and (b)romance?

Ok folks, next up we have my own blogging mentor, the one and only... (*lowers voice) Carl Behrendorfffff.

Carl, you must be a visionary. You jumped the Cobra's ship before it was even set on fire.
Now they are down and Heroes are on the way up. Did you long for finals glory in
your first season with Heroes, the way that Gary Ablett Jnr must?

Well Daniel when I first joined the Cobras we made the grand final after going close the season before. Was I the catalyst to that seasons performance? Look at the time I didn’t think so, but the beauty of hindsight is that you can put your own spin on things - so I guess you can say the reason why the cobras went down and the heroes went up is me, yes. Look finals were obviously a far off dream in my first season with the boys last season. Just getting a win was the aim. But after a hard summer of training for the greater part of the BPL heroes squad with FS it is certainly a credit to the guys for putting in the work and making the finals is obviously good reward for effort. I think Ablett is dreaming if he thinks the suns will make the finals in the next few years, but the Heroes will be in the finals for many seasons to come.

2. So Heroes seem to be getting it together at the end of the season. What's been the difference?

It’s been a combination of things. Firstly our skills have improved out of sight - WE CAN CATCH NOW!!! And we can execute basic plays and maintain strong force. But secondly our form over the past few weeks has meant that we start playing the game in the first point. Where in seasons past teams would get on top of us early and close the game out with a lead, and us scoring the last few points once we got going is now no longer the case. Other differences from other seasons is just the intensity that we bring to the line. However we still do have a long way to go, which everyone is well aware of.

3. Dojo - are they really all that? Lay the smack on!

Look Dojo Mojo are the old school. Their club has been up there forever right, we all know that. But I’ve actually found cracks starting to emerge in this old club. Firstly we can take the blog indicator. Once the blog stops being updated by a proper blogger a team is likely to fall down the pit. Take cobras for instance. As soon as Wetnose handed the reigns over to Reece the blogging stopped and so did the team. The same is bound to happen with the Dojo. Maybe it’s just the arthritis in the old button pushes creeping in - I dunno. But other signs are just simply that the Dojo has their heads in the clouds...literally. Their height has been the Dojos strength but even the oldest tallest trees can be brought down by the smallest termites. Now the Heroes obviously aren’t insects but who ever heard of a super hero losing to a ninja??? Yea it just doesn’t happen does it.... Heroes are going to win if we can keep our cool, start well and use our under cuts. The handlers are going to have to break the fatty zone which means running him around and tiring the old fatty out.

Thanks Carl, that was lengthy, to say the least! We here at the Imperial Palace wish two of these four teams the best on Thursday night. GET IT ON!!

Semi Final: Slamtown vs Buggers

*note - if you go to google images and type "buggers" you will find a humourous and disturbing photo that I was not game to upload. If only Wetnose was still around!

Without further adieu, (A Jew?! In these parts!!?) I present to you the Semi Finals interviews!!!11oneineoneeleven

First up we have Byron Bay Nice-Guy - Mr Kevin Stahlman!!! Can he out-do the Mayor?

1. Kevvy, undoubtedly you travel further than anyone for BPL. Is there any
uncovered talent down there in Byron that might be exposed when SFC
host home games on the Gold Coast?

It's fair to say that we bring the very best that the Gold Coast has to offer each week to the BPL. Byron has some great talent, but the 2 hour commute has put them off. I doubt the change to some home games next season will get these boys out, but if the SFC roster could include Donovan Moss and Justin Tiefer it would be a great boost and help to get us out of the 5'9" blues.

2. Slamtown recruited formidably during the off-season. Have Al and Abra
really been the saviours, or has your success been driven by the local boys?

First of all, these men came to us, drawn to the orange shorts and good times that is the SFC. No, they have not been the 'saviors', but they have fit in perfectly in places where we were deficient. With aL, he has brought a steady calm and experience to an offence that had potential, but struggled under pressure. Abra brings an infectious excitement and energy. They haven't saved us, but perhaps they were the missing pieces. Now if we could convince Fatty that he'd look good in orange... Formidable recruitment will begin in a few weeks.

3. How easy is it to smack talk the Buggers? Extremely? Would you mind
giving us a demonstration?

How's this: "The Bugs: A coupla old guys and one really tall one" That's all I got, they are a class act, and they're playing great disc. We know we're in for the fight of our lives. It's Slamtown's 3rd season, and we're in it to win it all. We respect the Bugs, but we must smash those c*nts if we're to achieve our goal. See ya Thursday

Cheers Kevvy, and now, it's over to the most Loverable Bugger in Moreton Bay - Trevor!! w00t

1. Trevor Lovering - Australian representative at juniors, given the following feedback:
"Has done f*ck all for the Buggers". You've co-captained Ignition at Nationals, has this
translated to increased initiative on the field on Thursday nights?


I think the best thing that I learnt from nationals is how to work within a team. Its not simply about playing your best, but playing in a way that the team needs you to play. In other words, yes.

2. Are the Buggers any good without Mike? It looked like the answer was "No", until
the final round, where you came back to salvage a hard-fought draw. This must be
an auspicious sign for the team, coming into finals?

I think we have proved that we are still up there with the best while Mike is stuck on the sideline, despite the predictions of some. It is a different team without Mike, and we are all the stronger for it. We are now a team with not only a threatening long game, but a smooth flowing short game. The game against Dojo gave us the kind of momentum that carries teams to the top.

3. Slamtown make a lot of noise, lots of cussing and the like,
but they've backed it up by taking second. But you guys
have got their number, right? You're all over it! Insert Smack:

All the noise and antics from Slamtown are simply a ploy to distract people from the fact that their game is nothing special. We have had our ups and downs during the season, done the hard yards. We know how to play under pressure (unlike some), and there will be plenty of pressure Thursday night.