Let's start at the bottom with Div 1
Poachers v Dyspnoeics
Poachers are undefeated this season while last season's champions took till round 3 to get a win. If Dyspnoeics play their trademark patient offence and hustle on D they should be in with a chance, however Poachers off-the-cuff, run & gun style play is very hard to handle when it works and for this reason I'm predicting Poachers for the W.
UQ Lovers v Drop Bears
The Bears are looking pretty good this season. The addition of ladies man Michael 'Musty' Dunne should really help the teams game both on and off the field. Lovers have a fresh look to them this season with the likes of Goose, Atlas and Bonnie taking the reins of leadership. If Lovers put it together they could really trouble the other Div 1 teams. Not this week though. This week they are gonna lose by at least 7.
Div the Second
What the Huck? v Heroes
I think this game should be pretty tight. Tighter than the leash Jess has on Trevor. HEYYOOOO. WTH have gotten 2 close wins so far while the CB led Heroes have a W and a D. I'm tipping WTH by 3.
Griffith A-Team v Tsunami
Without seeing too much of either of these teams this season it'd be hard to tip against Griffith. That said, even though Tsunami have had some heavy losees, they were against 2 very strong teams. I think Griffith will get the cookies, but not by much. Maybe 4. Yeah let's go with 4.
Grove Guardians v Chimichangas
The main questions for me in this game are: Do the Guardians still wear purple and do the Chimi's still display loud shorts? If the answer is yes to both questions, then prepared to be dazzled if you happen to glance at the field. Chimi's by 7.
Discheads v Bermuda Triangle
Discheads used to be a force to be reckoned with in Div 2. Then they left things up to Dave Warren and slipped into mediocrity. I have a feeling this season will herald a return to the halcyon days for the D-Heads (lol). With Seb, Chantelle and Laura headlining, they should do well this season. So well i'm tipping an upset against the zone focussed Bermuda Triangle! D-Heads by 1.
Quties v Agents
Looking at Quties official line-up, it's hard to see them losing at all this season. Mat Ryan, John McNaughton and Mike Neild are 3 of the biggest names in QLD Ultimate. Yet they are 1-1 after losing to WTH. I'm guessing the 3 guys listed are taking a teaching approach to the team, which is excellent for QLD ultimate. Agents are also 1-1 and have plenty of experienced Div 2 heads on the team. Gotta give it to Quties though by 5.
Div 3
Flying Circus v Brick Killed a Guy
I'd be lying if I said I knew much about either of these teams apart from the fact they have top notch names. The offical jersey colour of BriKAG is Ron Burgundy so I'm leaning toward them in this contest. BriKAG by 8.
Team Lift v Space Invaders
Is team lift sponsored by Lift softdrink? Probably not. Maybe they just drink lots of Lift. Or maybe they all caught the same lift in a building and got trapped due to a power outage and in between bouts of I Spy and thumb wars, decided that they should use their new found bondedness to form an Ultimate team. Maybe. Space Invaders are another Heroes team led by the less designy Behrendorff. Even though I'm disappointed they didn't go for a Heroes themed name, I'm tipping Space Invaders by 7.
Mellow Yellow v Yet Another Griffith Team
Yet Another Griffith Team.... Really? Even Craig came up with a better name than that. In spite of the name this team tops the leaderboard currently so they must have something going for them. Mellow Yellow are being overly mellow at the bottom of the ladder so far this season. I think MY have the potential for an upset here, but it's hard to go past the Red Tide of Griffith. YAGT by 6.
Disco Disco v Griffith Go-Yeahs
2 undefeated teams. Who will taste the bitterness of defeat for the first time tonight? Potentially no-one if there's another draw. But who wants to see that?! I like Disco Disco's name. I think it'll transfer onto some sweet hip-shaking moves on the field. DD by 3
Dump & Burn v Quties
It would have been a while since Adam 'Jingle Jangle' Beu played a season of Div 3. He helped Ghost Who Walks to a Div 2 title last year... Can he do the same with Quties in Div 3? His team won't find it easy against Dump & Burn and their established 'Coote'nections ( <See what I did there). I think D&B will get a the W. By 2.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
BPL Round 3 Preview
UQ Lovers Vs Blitz 2
Both fresh looking teams and both looking to chalk up a win. The UQ boys would have to go in as slight favourites for the game, but this hinges on the make up of the Blitz team this week. With Garrahy still on the sideline UQ will look to the triple B threat (BW, B moto, Baynes) to get them over the line.
Prediction a scrappy game with plenty of loose zone. UQ by 4
Dojo vs Buggers
The battle of the retirement villagers. Proudly boasting plenty of grey hair on both lines this will be a battle of skill rather than legs. In classic sensai style the off season has seen some scouting for new player talent. Having not found any they have looked to poach players from the other teams. Spesh G has sort out the peace and tranquillity of the Dojo the see out his retirement years. Add to this the return of my room-mate from 2006 Nationals Andy McLean and the old boys are always going to be a dangerous team.
The Bugs on the other hand have been forced to put out an open call for all players. Having lost almost half the team that made the final last year there were doubts if this team would survive. Old Man Trev has taken the reins as captain making him the Youngest bugger captain in history and also the first JTM to captain his team. Cue the return of the Bugs spiritual leader and former captain Mike Nield and this team is going to be a handful.
Prediction, As a Bug I would love to say easy bugs win but reality is that the throwing ability of the Dojo should see them over the line. Dojo by 3
Cobras vs Slamtown
This is my game of the week. Both teams had strong seasons last year to go 1 and 2 in the minor premiership. Cobras have picked up one Linus Mueller fresh from his exile in Germany. Rumour has it he escaped by tunnelling his way out by using nothing but a glow in the dark ultrastar (only thing they are good for).
Slamtown have continued the franchise domination of the SE corner by taking the Northen Regionals trophy from the Firestorm boys. The team has now been quite stable for a number of seasons and boasts probably the strongest line on paper. Added to the defending champions in the Man Giant only known as Rob. Some say he only eats animals he has strangled with his own hands, others that if he shaved his beard he would look like Ryan Gosling. All we know is that for a rookie he has some serious potential and beware if you happen to collide with him on the field.
Predition, This will come down on who has less turns and calmer offence. Both teams can crank up the Defensive pressure, but tend to give the disc back. Cobras by 1
Blitz 1 vs Heroes
Blitz 1 come off a strong showing in week one to face up against a Heroes team looking to reclaim that winning feeling. I would expect Cunliffe will look to strengthen Blitz 2 this week so this could give the Heroes boys a chance. The questions is can Jmac use his left hand this week or will the likes of Myles,Craig, Goose and Spesh have to step up. I hate not know the rosters.
Heroes don't look like much on paper, but don't let that fool you. They have plenty of talent simmering below the surface. The Brown town have both come a long way, Seb has become a solid handler and can drop some great bombs from all over the field. CB as he is going by these days has his ups and downs, his ups make him look like one of the best players in brisbane, his downs make him look like a rookie. Regardless expect these boys to feature heavily on this team. Add to the team is Tassie import Michael "Musty" Dunne who when it comes to the ladies makes Hef look like some old wrinkled dude. His skills extend beyond the ladies and he has a deadly high release flick huck.
Prediction, I expect Blitz will continue to go from strength to strength and the heroes will go down fighting. Blitz by 5
Both fresh looking teams and both looking to chalk up a win. The UQ boys would have to go in as slight favourites for the game, but this hinges on the make up of the Blitz team this week. With Garrahy still on the sideline UQ will look to the triple B threat (BW, B moto, Baynes) to get them over the line.
Prediction a scrappy game with plenty of loose zone. UQ by 4
Dojo vs Buggers
The battle of the retirement villagers. Proudly boasting plenty of grey hair on both lines this will be a battle of skill rather than legs. In classic sensai style the off season has seen some scouting for new player talent. Having not found any they have looked to poach players from the other teams. Spesh G has sort out the peace and tranquillity of the Dojo the see out his retirement years. Add to this the return of my room-mate from 2006 Nationals Andy McLean and the old boys are always going to be a dangerous team.
The Bugs on the other hand have been forced to put out an open call for all players. Having lost almost half the team that made the final last year there were doubts if this team would survive. Old Man Trev has taken the reins as captain making him the Youngest bugger captain in history and also the first JTM to captain his team. Cue the return of the Bugs spiritual leader and former captain Mike Nield and this team is going to be a handful.
Prediction, As a Bug I would love to say easy bugs win but reality is that the throwing ability of the Dojo should see them over the line. Dojo by 3
Cobras vs Slamtown
This is my game of the week. Both teams had strong seasons last year to go 1 and 2 in the minor premiership. Cobras have picked up one Linus Mueller fresh from his exile in Germany. Rumour has it he escaped by tunnelling his way out by using nothing but a glow in the dark ultrastar (only thing they are good for).
Slamtown have continued the franchise domination of the SE corner by taking the Northen Regionals trophy from the Firestorm boys. The team has now been quite stable for a number of seasons and boasts probably the strongest line on paper. Added to the defending champions in the Man Giant only known as Rob. Some say he only eats animals he has strangled with his own hands, others that if he shaved his beard he would look like Ryan Gosling. All we know is that for a rookie he has some serious potential and beware if you happen to collide with him on the field.
Predition, This will come down on who has less turns and calmer offence. Both teams can crank up the Defensive pressure, but tend to give the disc back. Cobras by 1
Blitz 1 vs Heroes
Blitz 1 come off a strong showing in week one to face up against a Heroes team looking to reclaim that winning feeling. I would expect Cunliffe will look to strengthen Blitz 2 this week so this could give the Heroes boys a chance. The questions is can Jmac use his left hand this week or will the likes of Myles,Craig, Goose and Spesh have to step up. I hate not know the rosters.
Heroes don't look like much on paper, but don't let that fool you. They have plenty of talent simmering below the surface. The Brown town have both come a long way, Seb has become a solid handler and can drop some great bombs from all over the field. CB as he is going by these days has his ups and downs, his ups make him look like one of the best players in brisbane, his downs make him look like a rookie. Regardless expect these boys to feature heavily on this team. Add to the team is Tassie import Michael "Musty" Dunne who when it comes to the ladies makes Hef look like some old wrinkled dude. His skills extend beyond the ladies and he has a deadly high release flick huck.
Prediction, I expect Blitz will continue to go from strength to strength and the heroes will go down fighting. Blitz by 5
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Regionals Wrap
Ladies and gentlemen,
It was a beautiful, sunny weekend of Ultimate at Northern Regionals, upwards of 30 degrees with low wind. Here's the breakdown.
SATURDAY
The morning games saw Black Betty and Cherry Bomb setting themselves apart, taking easy wins over the less experienced Blackberries and Purple Llamas. The quality of all four teams' uniforms was outstanding, as was the fact that we had four teams at women's Regionals! An exciting outcome, and kudos to everyone who played, and everyone who made it happen.
After lunch, the Blackberries took a golden point thriller over the Llamas for third place, while the established force of Black Betty had their way with Cherry Bomb. I saw little of the game, but a 13-5 scoreline seems an emphatic victory. Both teams should qualify for Nationals without difficulty, and we're excited to see two Queensland teams competing in the women's division.
On the Open side, this day's results had no bearing on Nationals qualification/seeding; it was simply a long day of fun Ultimate. Kudos to all those teams who came together for this, especially those who fought through with low numbers on a hot day. Firestorm, reigning champions for several years, split their team into two squads for extra challenge and more game time. Congratulations to Fire, who swept through the day convincingly to take the win.
Congratulations to the Blackberries, who took out the women's Spirit win, and to the Griffith A-Team for taking Open Spirit. The spread of different finishing times meant we didn't have a chance to acknowledge you on the day, but well done.
Full Saturday rankings:
OPEN
1. Fire
2. Slamtown Flatball Club
3. BPL Retirement Village
4. Storm
5. Townsvillains
6. Griffith A-Team
7. UQ Lovers
OPEN SPIRIT
1. A-Team (51)
=2. Fire (48)
=2. Villains (48)
=2. Lovers (48)
5. Village (47)
6. Storm (44)
7. Slamtown (41)
WOMEN
1. Black Betty
2. Cherry Bomb
3. Blackberries
4. Purple Llamas
WOMEN SPIRIT
1. Blackberries (24.5)
2. Cherry Bomb (23)
3. Purple Llamas (22)
4. Black Betty (20)
SUNDAY
Sunday saw the Open competitive playoffs. With Ignition losing several players on Saturday to injuries or changed minds, a late decision was made to merge Townsvillains and Ignition and create a three team draw.
In the first two games, the composite Ignillains group (got any better ideas?) worked hard, but were outmatched by Slamtown and Firestorm, in that order. It set the stage for the match these teams had been looking forward to.
Slamtown have a number of big-time playmakers, and use these talents to play a high-risk, high-reward style on both O and D. In previous matches against Firestorm, this hadn't worked out in their favour, and a revamped Firestorm offence was able to score consistently as their defence generated turns. When the risks work out, though, Slamtown will be able to put points on any team in the country, and this game saw their throwers absolutely on point.
Firestorm's offence was put under big pressure by a hard-working Slamtown unit, and when they generated turnovers, Slamtown were unwilling to give back the disc. They forced early turnovers and converted, going up 6-3. Firestorm's time-out didn't change the direction, as Slamtown took half 8-4.
The second half continued in a similar fashion; Firestorm were struggling to generate turnovers as Slamtown continued to nail pinpoint hucks down tight sidelines and leading hammers in the back of the endzone. The lead continued to extend, and only a couple of late points brought Firestorm to double digits, as Slamtown handed out Firestorm's first ever Regionals loss.
It was a convincingly display from the Gold Coast/Brisbane mix, and one that will presumably be celebrated in true Slamtown style. To both teams' credit, the game was played in excellent Spirit despite the level of intensity and desire.
Slamtown will take the #6 seed to Nationals, while Firestorm is likely to attend in the #15 position, but must wait for confirmation of AFDA wildcard allocations. Townition (definitely not better...) will be heading to Div 2 Nats to represent the North.
It's extremely exciting to see a second strong club emerging here in Queensland, and we look forward to battling with others from around the country.
SUMMARY
Well done to our winners and our Spirit winners.
Thanks to Dom, Myles, Gary, Mat, Timocles, Luke for significant help with running the tourney.
The QUDA AGM was also held, and reports from that will come separately.
Cheers
John (TD)
It was a beautiful, sunny weekend of Ultimate at Northern Regionals, upwards of 30 degrees with low wind. Here's the breakdown.
SATURDAY
The morning games saw Black Betty and Cherry Bomb setting themselves apart, taking easy wins over the less experienced Blackberries and Purple Llamas. The quality of all four teams' uniforms was outstanding, as was the fact that we had four teams at women's Regionals! An exciting outcome, and kudos to everyone who played, and everyone who made it happen.
After lunch, the Blackberries took a golden point thriller over the Llamas for third place, while the established force of Black Betty had their way with Cherry Bomb. I saw little of the game, but a 13-5 scoreline seems an emphatic victory. Both teams should qualify for Nationals without difficulty, and we're excited to see two Queensland teams competing in the women's division.
On the Open side, this day's results had no bearing on Nationals qualification/seeding; it was simply a long day of fun Ultimate. Kudos to all those teams who came together for this, especially those who fought through with low numbers on a hot day. Firestorm, reigning champions for several years, split their team into two squads for extra challenge and more game time. Congratulations to Fire, who swept through the day convincingly to take the win.
Congratulations to the Blackberries, who took out the women's Spirit win, and to the Griffith A-Team for taking Open Spirit. The spread of different finishing times meant we didn't have a chance to acknowledge you on the day, but well done.
Full Saturday rankings:
OPEN
1. Fire
2. Slamtown Flatball Club
3. BPL Retirement Village
4. Storm
5. Townsvillains
6. Griffith A-Team
7. UQ Lovers
OPEN SPIRIT
1. A-Team (51)
=2. Fire (48)
=2. Villains (48)
=2. Lovers (48)
5. Village (47)
6. Storm (44)
7. Slamtown (41)
WOMEN
1. Black Betty
2. Cherry Bomb
3. Blackberries
4. Purple Llamas
WOMEN SPIRIT
1. Blackberries (24.5)
2. Cherry Bomb (23)
3. Purple Llamas (22)
4. Black Betty (20)
SUNDAY
Sunday saw the Open competitive playoffs. With Ignition losing several players on Saturday to injuries or changed minds, a late decision was made to merge Townsvillains and Ignition and create a three team draw.
In the first two games, the composite Ignillains group (got any better ideas?) worked hard, but were outmatched by Slamtown and Firestorm, in that order. It set the stage for the match these teams had been looking forward to.
Slamtown have a number of big-time playmakers, and use these talents to play a high-risk, high-reward style on both O and D. In previous matches against Firestorm, this hadn't worked out in their favour, and a revamped Firestorm offence was able to score consistently as their defence generated turns. When the risks work out, though, Slamtown will be able to put points on any team in the country, and this game saw their throwers absolutely on point.
Firestorm's offence was put under big pressure by a hard-working Slamtown unit, and when they generated turnovers, Slamtown were unwilling to give back the disc. They forced early turnovers and converted, going up 6-3. Firestorm's time-out didn't change the direction, as Slamtown took half 8-4.
The second half continued in a similar fashion; Firestorm were struggling to generate turnovers as Slamtown continued to nail pinpoint hucks down tight sidelines and leading hammers in the back of the endzone. The lead continued to extend, and only a couple of late points brought Firestorm to double digits, as Slamtown handed out Firestorm's first ever Regionals loss.
It was a convincingly display from the Gold Coast/Brisbane mix, and one that will presumably be celebrated in true Slamtown style. To both teams' credit, the game was played in excellent Spirit despite the level of intensity and desire.
Slamtown will take the #6 seed to Nationals, while Firestorm is likely to attend in the #15 position, but must wait for confirmation of AFDA wildcard allocations. Townition (definitely not better...) will be heading to Div 2 Nats to represent the North.
It's extremely exciting to see a second strong club emerging here in Queensland, and we look forward to battling with others from around the country.
SUMMARY
Well done to our winners and our Spirit winners.
Thanks to Dom, Myles, Gary, Mat, Timocles, Luke for significant help with running the tourney.
The QUDA AGM was also held, and reports from that will come separately.
Cheers
John (TD)
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