BPL For and Against Season Review - Buggers and Slammers

So yesterday a Bugs player called us out for daring to suggest in a faux-controversial way that Slamtown were a superior team and should be in the Semis instead of the Buggers (the comments were also about stirring pots and stuff, but we'll leave that for today).

We made a bit of a response in the comments, but we’ve never been ones to shy away from a bit more controversy here at the Brisbane Ultimate Blog (so long as its interesting), so what they hey, lets look at the season-long records rather than the 15-10 score from the Slamtown-Buggers matchup last week.

Coincidentally, the Buggers and Slamtown blogs have been reflecting on the season going into the finals, so make sure you check them out too!

Slamtown – 2010 Season 2 - Four wins, two draws, one forfeit away, two losses

It’s the numbers above that suggest that Slamtown are one of the strongest teams in the competition. But drilling down it gets more interesting.

Two of the Coast’s wins are of course against the sad-to-say-but-let's-be frank cellar-dwelling Heroes.

But Slamtown are undefeated by the Lovers and the Buggers, having beaten and drawn with each in their two games.

But on other parts of the ledger, they lost to Dojo in Round 5, and of course didn’t get to play the occasionally very good Mojo again. They also lost to the Cobras in Round 1, and of course didn’t take their chance to have another crack at the snakes and forfeited that game.

There’s certainly some who’d suggest that forfeiting a precious BPL game is so sinful that greater disadvantage should be extracted than the present zero ladder points. But let's go look at the Bugs.

The Buggers – 2010 Season 2 - Three wins, one forfeit to them, one draw, four losses.

The Buggers started by picking up a forfeit from the Dojo in Round 1. Now let’s note, we here in the BUB think many Ultimate players traditionally would rather have a decent game and lose than pick up a forfeit, and the Buggers in particular LOVE to play Ultimate. And indeed, they got extra revenge by beating the Dojo in Round 6, making it clear that back in Round 1 they were certainly shafted of the opportunity for a good game and a likely win.

Elsewhere in the season, the Bugs have lost twice to minor premiers the Lovers, and if we can tangent briefly to looking ahead to this week’s Semis, its going to be big if they can get over the students.

But remember, the Buggers are ALWAYS all about building through the season and being better in the finals series than anyone has seen them before, although they are coming off two losses in Rounds 8 and 9.

For their other losses, they lost to the Cobras in Round 2 (but came back to beat them in Round 7), and of course to Slamtown last week in the replay to their earlier draw.

If you’re just thinking about ladder points though, it’s worth noting that the game that the Buggers didn’t get to play due to the washouts was against the Heroes, and as the Heroes went 0-9 for the season (and 1-19 for the year), its fair to say that would’ve been a win.

The Weigh In

So lets weigh up the factors

• That Round 9 Result – Slamtown 15, Buggers 10, trumping that earlier draw.
• Missing Round 10 - Buggers were far more likely to beat Heroes (firing up their goal difference on the way), than Slamtown would’ve been to beat Dojo
• Missing Opportunities - Slamtown had plenty of opportunities to seal the deal with two draws against teams they otherwise beat, for starters.
• That Forfeit – yep, the rules have been clearly stated and applied for some years – a team that receives a forfeit gets 3 ladder points and 15-0 marked on their points difference, as a recompense for not getting a game.
• That Other Forfeit – yep, and if Slamtown can’t make it to a game, then yep they don’t deserve any points.

Weighing that up, there’s a solid argument that while Slamtown may have won a battle or two through sheer force of arms, the Buggers won the war.

League play and the agreed rules of BPL are about doing what you have to do, week in and week out, to get the ladder and field points to get you into the Semi-Finals – its only there that winning means glory!

Are Slamtown a better team than the Buggers? Yes, in Round 9 they were. 15-10 tells us that.

Do the Buggers deserve to be in the Semi-Finals over Slamtown? Yes. 18 ladder points and a better points difference tell us that.

Tough luck, Slamtown, and good luck Buggers!

Tomorrow – we’ll try to talk tops and bottoms - the Lovers and the Heroes.