HALIBUT!

Halibut. It's approaching. There are already 10 teams registered. Some even have witty names. 'Poached Fish'... I GET IT!

If you're thinking about playing Queensland's (and some would say Australia's) premier mixed tournament, now's the time to either organise a team or do some grovelling and get yourself on an existing team. If you leave it too late, you'll get stuck playing with a pick-up team. Or Reece.....

It's being held at Shaw Road, Wooloowin and is an absolute bargain at only $300 to register a team. The player fee is even cheaper at TBA!!!

So what are you waiting for? Get yourself on a team now!

#halibutrocks

BUML Finals Preview - Semi Final Edition

IT’S FINALS TIIIIIIIME!!!!!

What’s better than a Monday afternoon Finals Preview? Probably a Friday afternoon Finals Preview. I have a good reason for it being late though, I’m currently in Townsville and it takes the carrier dolphins a couple of days to travel the 1300kms to the BUB Mansion.

This post is only gonna focus on the teams with something to play for. i.e. the top 4 teams in each division. So without further ado, let’s get this party started!

Division 1

Poachers (1) v Dyspnoeics (4)

Who would have guessed at the start of the season that last season’s defending champions would be sitting last after the wrap-up of the regular competition. Certainly not this blogger! What it means though is that the table topping Poachers have a tricky semi-final game ahead of them. Looking at the stats, Poachers have scored 50 more goals than Dyspnoeics this season! However the D’s only conceded 15 more goals. When you consider that Dyspnoeics won less than half of the amount of games that their opponents did, that’s a very interesting stat. Poachers win this game if it turns into a fast paced shoot-out. The league’s best offence will back themselves to outscore any opponent. Dyspnoeics win this game if their offence fires. We know they’ll play tight D, we know they’ll frustrate opponents and make them throw lots of passes. The question is whether they can convert their defensive stops into points.

Even with Reece Stewart out (a negative for Dyspnoeics) for Poachers, I see this going to seed. Poachers by 6.

Drop Bears (2) v UQ Lovers (3)

After a slow start to the season, UQ’s finest have started to register a few wins (including spoiling this bloggers last BUML game for the foreseeable future. Jerks). A number of their players are also super Gee’d up from making various U23 rep teams. Drop Bears on the other hand have not tasted defeat since the 8th of April (ignoring forfeits) and are primed to make a big run for the trophy. They also played out a 16 all draw last week which will no doubt encourage the underdog students.

Bears win by playing smart and matching the energy of their younger and sometimes better looking opponents. Look for Pete Allen to try and impose himself on this contest. Lovers win by playing up-tempo offence and attacking the break side.

Taking into account Myles has had a haircut and will no doubt dazzle half of the opposition (the women & Dusty) with his rakish charms, I think this will be a tight contest. That said, I expect Drop Bears to get the women, courtesy of their powerful female line-up.

Division 2

Quties A (1) v Discheads (4)

Quties are killing it at the moment. They aren’t destroying teams but they are doing enough for the win and that makes them dangerous. With the exception of a blow-out loss to Bermuda Triangle in round 14, this team hasn’t tasted the bitterness of defeat since round 1!! Led by the former poster boy of Queensland Ultimate (Either Gary or Atlas would take that mantle now) Jmac, this is a team with serious designs on winning the comp. Discheads have had to fight all season to stay in the top 4 but are capable of springing a few upsets now they’ve made it. This team’s strongest line is your predictable mix of Behrendorffs and Browns like most Heroes related teams. Throw in the former holder of the title ‘Most Powerful Man in Firestorm’ Dave Warren, and you’ve got a well rounded unit with plenty o experience. Quties win this by keeping momentum in their favour and being close at the end. If they’re close, they’ll get the W. Discheads win this by limiting the amount of long range bombs Jmac drops and by using their well rounded roster. Limiting the amount of touches Carl has would also be advisable.

If there is 1 upset this week it’s gonna be this one. I still can’t go past Quties though in a tight one.

Bermuda Triangle (2) v What the Huck? (3)

Bermuda are always a force in Div 2. Season after season they put that zone on and season after season it works. After the upset loss to Chimichangas in round 10, Bermuda have been posting some quality results. This is a team that works as a unit better than any other in the division. WTH? Probably wanted to finish higher than 3^rd on the ladder, but will back themselves in this contest. Led by on field general Tim Johnson, they are a team well drilled and with plenty of patience. Their run home has been horrific, going 1 and 4 to close out the season. Whether or not this can be attributed to Trevor still being hungover from the Nationals party is anyone’s guess, and we here at the BUB are not ones to speculate, but whatever the reason, it’s now or never for WTH?. Bermuda win this if they stifle the downfield options of the WTH? handlers. If they can do this they’ll generate cheap turnovers and easy points. WTH? win this by generating fast movement and not letting the Bermuda zone get set.

Bermuda should win this given WTH?s form of late.

Division 3

Brick Killed a Guy (1) v Disco Disco (4)

BriKAG havn’t lost a game all season. Simple as that. They had a draw in round 1, but have been perfect otherwise. They have an amazing points differential of +99 and have scored 205 goals this season. That’s an average of 15.7 goals per game. They also average a measly 8.1 goals against per game. I don’t really know what else needs to be said about a team that puts up those numbers apart from the fact I like their name. Disco Disco have done it the hard way this season, just scraping into the top 4 by 1 point. They are 3 and 2 from their last 5 games, including a loss to tonight’s opponents.  Led by Leask Marcus, they have a nice even roster and all listed their diet preferences as ‘not fussed’ on AFDA apart Omnivore Daniel Lau. My pick is to watch out for that guy as he’s obviously an X factor for them. BriKAG win this by doing what they’ve been doing all season. It obviously works. Disco Disco’s only hope is to come out hard t the start and out-enthuse their opposition. Get a handy early lead and all of a sudden doubts may emerge in their opponents heads.

BriKAG should win this and win it well.

Dump & Burn (2) v Quties B (3)

Dump & Burn had a cracking season, only losing once and drawing twice. Led by a collection of Cootes, this is a team that knows how to get a result. The name on the list that stands out for me though is Zev Permack. This import has been a revelation in BPL and is especially dangerous on D. With Zev generating turns, Dump & Burn have a distinct advantage over most teams. Quties B are a team full of young, energetic, up and coming players. And Jangles. They only just made the finals and have been inconsistent all season. Looking at their roster the name that stands out is Stephanie Moroz. In Div 3, experienced women are gold and she is definitely capable of causing match-up headaches for opposition captains. Dump & Burn win by hustling hard and shutting down Jangles. My recommendation is to sweep the leg. Quties win limiting turns and making the most of their opportunities. I think this game will come down to whoever comes out firing and gets some momentum.

Quties B in the only upset I’m tpping.

BUML Preview Round 4

Div 1 – Shukaku

Bermuda Triangle v UQ AUG

The best part about this game is one team is going to taste the sweetness of victory for the first time this season. Bermuda were always going to take a while to find their feet back in Div 1 but UQ’s results have certainly been less than impressive. How the UQ handlers deal with the Bermuda zone will go a long way to deciding this fixture.

UQ by 2

Drop Bears v Poachers

Both teams are capable of scoring bulk points in a fast fashion. A more free-flowing, run and gun style, will suit the Poachers more than the Bears however. It’s the ladies who I think will be the difference tonight.

Drop Bears by 3

Dyspnoeics v Cadillacs

Both teams are undefeated and will no doubt be amped up for this. New kids Cadillac have firmed to early season favourites and what better way to gauge where they are than against the team that has been a benchmark for reaching finals campaigns over the last few seasons, Dyspnoeics. Noeics are missing a few players and could struggle come the crunch.

Cadillac by 5

Div 2 – Matatabi

Griffith A-Team v UQ Fluttershy

On paper this looks like a big mismatch. Bigger than if Reece Stewart was trying to sky Pete Allen. Form demands I tip the A-Team.

Griffith by 9

Tsunami v Ghost Who Walks

I expect both of these teams to feature in the finals at the end of October. They’ve both got the strike power and defence to go far in Div 2. Ghost’s height should give them the edge.

GWW by 4

Agents v Chimichangas

It’s the battle of warm colours at the Gap tonight. What do you get when you combine Orange and Red? Oranred maybe? Rerange perhaps? Clearly I wasn’t paying attention to Mrs P my grade 9 Art teacher. This game should be loose and fast.

Chimichangas by 7

Heroes v What the Huck?

Heroes will be wanting to get a win in honour of young Michael Strelan tying the knot on the weekend. Congratulations to Mikey and his lovely bride. Speaking of tying the knot, it can’t be too long before WTH?’s own Trevor Lovering pops the question to his better half. I think WTH? will have too much structure for the Heroes.

WTH? by 3

Div 3 – Isobu

Ultimate Apsotles v Dump and Burn

The Ultimate Apostles are similar to Ultimate Juggernaut at the moment: impossible to stop when they get a bit of momentum up. Dump and Burn might struggle tonight.

Apostles by 7

Griffith Go Yeahs v Slipped Discs

The Go Yeahs are a team capable of scoring points with ease, but their defence has been a problem at the start of the season. Slipped Discs are in the same boat without the disc in hand, leaking 28 points in 2 outings so far. If Slipped Discs can control their offence they might challenge Griffith.

Go Yeahs by 6

Mellow Yellow v Griffith Aunties

Are any of the Griffith Aunties actual aunties? Or is the name a reference to the ABC? Either way Griffith will be up against it tonight. Word from the Muddy Farmer is Rolo is determined to not lose a game this season. Casey, Alenka, Pavel, Daisy & Co. will have to be firing on all cylinders.

MY by 5

BUML Preview Round 3

Div 3 – Akuila Uate

Slipped Discs v Mellow Yellow

Mellow Yellow are eyeing off the Div 3 title. You can tell already. Rolo has a gleam in his eye similar to when a pint of golden brew is poured with perfect head. Slipped Discs will be just the next step in yellow domination this week.

Mellow Yellow by 6 Rolo Lover posts

Griffith Go Yeahs v Dump and Burn

The Go Yeahs definitely have the best team name of the various Griffith teams. Easily yellable, even when drunk. Not that I’m saying that Griffith Ultimate promotes irresponsible drinking practices. At least not now that JDR The Encourager has left. Dump and Burn are still clearly finding their feet this season, but last week’s tight win will have done them the world of good.

Go Yeahs by 2 bottles in brown paper bags

Ultimate Apostles v Griffith Quties

The Apostles are the only team to crack that magic 17 mark in a game this season. That means they are clearly packing some serious heat in the offence department. After a round 1 bye the Quties had a tough 1 point loss last week. I think the Apostles free flowing offence will dominate this game.

UA by 7

Div 2 – Ashley Graham

Griffith A-Team v Tsunami

The imperiously named A-Team have been dominant this season, mercilessly crushing foes Vandal Savage style. I think this week will be another win for the cream of Griffith’s crop.

A-Team by 5

What The Huck? v Chimichangas

These 2 teams will be contenders this season. It should be a free flowing game with plenty of long shots. Geoff Grundy v Trevor Lovering will be a good contest.

What The Huck? By 3 gingerbread men

Heroes v Agents

INTRA CLUB BATTLE! The only thing guaranteed from this game is that it will be tight, hard fought and well spirited. I’m going with Heroes simply because they got a solid win last week.

Heroes by 3 hulks

UQ Fluttershy v The Ghost Who Walks

I still don’t know who exactly makes up Fluttershy. It sure would be nice if someone at UQ got their act together with the team on AFDA…. I’m assuming the off field confusion will translate to their on field gameplay. For this reason I’m tipping the highly regimented and occasionally tall Ghost Who Walks.

GWW by 4

Div 1 – Ben Barba

Bermuda Triangle v Cadillac

If there is one team that is going to feel the effects of the dreaded Halibut Hangover, it’s Cadillac. How they turn up tonight will determine the outcome of this tussle. Bermuda will definitely be fancying their chances of an upset. The question is whether their famed zone defence can put enough pressure on the Cadillac handlers.

Cadillac by 2

Drop Bears v UQ AUG

This game is a grand final rematch from last season. UQ haven’t started well though and Drop Bears will be looking to bounce back after letting Dyspnoeics grab a comeback win last week. For the men, Pete Allen v Myles McCallum will be a key matchup, especially given Atlas scores a fantastic 87% on the Pete Allen Niceness Scale. On the ladies side, Megan Barnes v Giordana Rock will have a big bearing on the result, if not on an Abney Level.

Drop Bears by 15. Cos that’s how old Reece Stewart turns today right? HB Junior!

Dyspnoeics v Poachers

Dyspnoeics v Poachers is always an entertaining battle. Both teams have plenty of points in them and both have plenty of experience. It wouldn’t surprise me if both teams were feeling a bit of a Halibut Hangover as well. Expect plenty of big shots from Poachers to their long receivers and for Dyspnoeics to make their gains in the middle third.

Poachers by 2

Halibut Talent Scouts - Preview - What we've heard:

[DTF may indeed stand for Deep Transverse Friction of the Gluts, as discovered on a google image search]

DTF vs Burley Griffins


DTF: WTF? We've heard that Reece and GIO are rockin' this team with some romance. We've also heard that after the letter F follows the popular combination of 'uck'. We've pointed out to Reece that Fire Truck should read DFT. We've also pointed out that DiscFireTruck is as illogical a name as Dyspnoeics, albeit more pronounceable. Reece is having none of that shit, coz were Gen Y babi n' imma totz ignore correct spelling and dismiss any sibilance of correct grammar, syntax and word choice. Peepz.

Expect some good ol' fashion loving from The Behrendorffs, with the honey-pot overflowing and the flow-on leading to an early departure from the dance floor. Word is that the lovers are staying at Laura's parents place, which would be tot's awks if that happined.

No doubt there will be disc spiking and spiked drinks when the honourable Finn McCarthy-Adams enters the field of play. The competition is on for who can most destroy a disc - Finn or Linus. I think you know why.

To be honest, this team is full of characters to make good humoured jest of. Let's move on.

The Burley Griffins: Not to be mistaken with Aerobic Fitness Club - The Burleigh Griffins. We've got the low-down from Myall on this mixed bag from Canberra. Players such as Mel Gangemi and Vickie Sayer have AFDA numbers lower than 2000. Adam Mortimer also has a lower number but it's triple figures so he's probably like a Tony Ross or Phil Stocks - a dinosaur! I may be wrong, Nathan Litzows number is 52, but if I'm not, these players bring the mongrel!

Myall says that they've got 2 or 4 players who have played Worlds, and not just the World Clubs types - we're talking Australia! They've chucked in the up and coming Linuses of Canberra and promise to excite. The most exciting name, no doubt, is Phillipe McCracken, who, if he is a straight man, will be watching his back at the party, so as to avoid any confusion resulting from the innuendo surrounding his name.

Speaking of the party, if these guys are anything like Myall, they will win the talent show with circus acrobatics and sword fighting of the traditional kind, thank you very much. They will abstain from alcohol, instead choosing to rogaine through the night, ending with a hands-only climb of Mt Warning, before returning to Palm Beach and challenging Al's harem of temporary housemates to Guns at Dawn.

I feel that this has been one of my best posts, and you plebs in your cubicles should be thankful that I have been conserving my energies lately, so that I may blow you away with such phenomenal drivel.

End Post.


[recognise THESE calfs?]

Marvin Gaye with Mixed Nats?

Indeed.

It's an exciting time for Ultimate in South East Queensland, and we're predicting the biggest, most competitive Mixed Nats qualifying series in the North for some time. With the big one being hosted by Brisbane's cooler, older cousin (Melbourne), it is quite likely that many a frisbee player will fancy an excuse to visit the cultural capital in October.

This blogger has been keeping his ear to the ground on the matter since whispers began even at the Australian Ultimate Championship in April.

We have heard that Dusty is keen to shake off the first four letters of his name and train hard over winter. Don't believe it? Neither do we, and in fact we demand photo evidence and a training blog from this veteran partier.

The Heroes club seem to be out in front in terms of organisation, with training more-or-less being underway. This basically involves a bit of forethought into the clubs general Sunday trainings, which will remain open to all. More specific training is rumoured to begin in July. It is likely that the usual conundrum applies here, with enough male interest for 2 teams but maybe just enough women for one.

Word is that Reece and Sophie want to play with young people. Reece plans to get a team together, while Sophie has been attending Heroes training. That said, the Heroes list is aging, and it will be up to Agent Orange star Vanessa to bring the required party and show Soph that 25 year olds can be a bag of fun ;)

Trevor has publicly announced that UQ will be making a bid again this year. Will they go under their usual name of Lovers, or their recent unusual alias of QUTies? One would expect training to begin around August. Lovefest will definitely be on the agenda.

But what will happen with the usuals? We were under the impression that John Doe players were on a 2-year contract, ending after this seasons tournament. But a wise punter in a pub pointed out that Al, Stu and Maylin etc. were a good chance of making Mundi's this year - the Australian Mixed team who will play together at Mixed Nats.

Will we see a Slamtown / Byron collaboration? Will all these ideas fall apart, leaving Heroes, Agent Orange and Discheads all going to Melbourne, as joked about by that wise punter in the pub? We hope not.

It is possible that we will see around 5 teams playing off to qualify. Last year, we were given two spots and a wild-card. Who knows what we would get if we had 5 teams at qualifiers? Probably JdR.

Taunts

Last weekend, the captains of our most prestigious league, the BPL, were invited to the virtual BUB Palace for fine dining, wining and some not-so-friendly banter. Today we bring you a summary of what went down.

The youngest captain in the league started proceedings by declaring that they have become more dynamic than ever before, despite losing some defining players. He warns us of a wave of North American influence coming our way. One can only imagine what this means for spirit scores! (which will be published, by the way).

The mayor came prepared, megaphone in hand and propaganda well laid out. Of course, Stefan's speech is available as a press release. Here are his taunts, word for word:

- The Slamtown Flatball Club is an in your face encounter.  We're out to take your lunch money, and your women.
We pride ourselves on being well rounded individually, while composed and disciplined as a team.
In the offseason we acquired the services of four players, while 3 moved on.
Of our new players, we get Byron Bay youth Issaac Stone, the return of GC veteran Jimmy Larkin, aL Don's moving literally moving onto Palm Beach, and Abra was drawn to the Coastal vibe.  All of our new recruits are awesome, and can provide physically and vocally.  We're as resilient as the pounding tide, and as uncontainable as the beating sun.  Our style's impetus...... our defence impregnable. We will take to the pitch with intent to win every time we play.... and we'll hope that you'll be cheering for us when we're in the big game.

Moreton Bay Bugger's President and Captain, Mike, delivered a conference like presentation, incorporating slides and graphs, proudly boasting of past achievements. Mike was quite uncomfortable with the lack of Grand Final appearances in 2010 (0) and is relying on the return of some stalwarts for the hope of returning to the glory days. All these stats can be viewed on the MBB blog.

It seems that premierships talk. Dojo's absence from this meeting was expected, and a barrage of smack-talk in their direction would be considered the norm. However, after losing the "Chokers" collar last season, they appear to be the team to beat.

Each captain was asked who their team was going to beat in the finals. Mike said "I think the Dojo will probably return... They have a great base of guys who used to play frisbee on their team and now they have more than 2 who currently play frisbee. They will be a little harder to crack than usual."

What does Mike mean by "used to play frisbee" exactly?

Reece is looking forward to beating Dojo in the final as well. He thinks they'll be there because "They have height and their strange ability to never have to dump the disc." Stefan agreed, and added "Those tall bastard proved on Thursday night that they truly can get away with a steady flow of hucks"

Finally, for dessert, the can-of-worms was opened. The captains decided to pile pressure on new LD Graham "Special" Prickett. Stefan and Mike feel it's time to rehash some old issues. Mike wants to see the league go to two-tiers, an idea that this blogger is very interested in. Mike reckons it's about a year away.

Stef is sick of Dutching to Brisbane and back every week. Slamtown are calling for a home game, and the Mayor is serious about organising this, in collaboration with GCU. His campaign is representative of a larger playing area on the Gold Coast and South of the border.

Nice Photoshopping There

Mixed Nats has started!

Livescoring is available. Don't forget them southerners are on daylight savings time.

There's also some stuff being shown via youtube. Alas, we can't see it at our present location, but post any tips in the comments!

We love the tinkering on this profile shot of our pal Reece.

We should also point to the full preview over at Forcesideline!

Tipping at the Halfway House

So the current BPL season is now half way through and, as promised, we have the current standings along with a little bit of commentary.

1= Sensei, Gref, Reece
While these 3 tipsters all are even on 67% correct tips, the definite leader is Sensei. He missed the first 2 rounds, but has tipped in the next 5 rounds consecutively. Out of the 5 tips he has missed, these have included the 2 draws involving the Buggers, and the apparent upsets of Heroes beating Cobras, Cobras beating Passion, and Lovers beating Slamtown.

Gref (2 rounds tipped) and Reece (3 rounds) need to remember the rules that you need to tip more than 50% of game for the season (being 8 round minimum) and pick their game up to make sure they don't make themselves ineligible for the end of season prize.

4. Stu
Sitting alone in 4th place, Stu's love of Bug has kept him going, but his apparent dislike for Passion has stopped him climbing any higher. Needs to pick it up to go back-to-back with tipping titles.

5= Jmac, Julz
These 2 guys show how winning on the field make it a lot easier to win your tips, as no one (except Jangles) does or should ever tip against themselves.

The Rest
7. Jdr
8= Wetnose
8= Pete
10= BW
10= Jack
10= Al
13= Jangles
13= Stefan
15. Carl

Interesting Points
- There have been a total of 237 tips this season, and 131 of these have been correct giving an average percentage of 55.27%
- The most successfully tipped round so far was round 4 when 82% of the tips were correct. People obviously foresaw that Bugs would beat Lovers (9 out of 11 tips), Slamtown would beat Heroes (11 out of 11) and Dojo would account for Cobras (7 out of 11).
- The least successfully tipped round so far was round 3 when 44% of tips were correct. No-one though that Heroes would beat Cobras (0 out of 13 tips) and people were divided over the results of Bugs and Passion (8 out of 13) and Dojo against Lovers (9 out of 13).
- No one is yet to tip the draw, yet alone tip is successfully.
- No one also knows what Pete is doing with his tips this season, except for setting up some elaborate excuse for the end of season as to why he didn't win/lose.
- Dojo is the most popular team to tip with 69.70% of tips in game involving Dojo being in support of the Kensei.
- People don't like support Heroes with only 2 out of 70 tips in their favour, giving a percentage of 2.83%.
- Tipping percentages for the other teams are Passion 64.71%, Buggers 60.87%, Cobras 60.29%, Slamtown 50.00%, and Lovers 43.28%.
- Frisbee players have no lives, with 6 of the 15 tipsters tipping every round so far, with another 3 tipsters only missing 1 round.

The Best of the Rest

Well, we said we would do it, so here we are. QUT are the Best of the Rest.

News just in is that QUT have taken the bronze medal match against CSU, 9-8. Details are still sketchy, but what we do know is that, due to the strong wind that has been around all week, it was a huck-and-zone type match. QUT showing those CSU Falcons who is boss.

We have also learnt that QUT Captain and all round little bitch, Reece Stewart, placed 2nd in the division two MVP votes. Good work Reece.

We will have photos and division one results as they come to hand.

Disc Gotten Out in the Past - Reece on a Beach

Email rom Reece:

Hey jdr,
This is a pic of me on one morning at schoolies last year at Surfers. Needless to say I was still hungover from the night before and the night before that. It was taken by a photographer and then published in the Courier Mail. Do I win $100?
Reece

Alas, Reece has forced us to restrate a rule that we should've stated earlier - we're interested in new pictures, not old ones. We let Pete's slide a little because it was only a few weeks old, and we were over-excited about our first entry.

But you do get fame Reece! Fame!