Hogg Premier League 2016

[CoverKing]

Can't believe I lost that game in the end to be honest. Richmond like choke against collingwood

[Rik E Boy]

Round 3

Ecky's Fevolas 1985
Has Been 1889

Delicious 2169
SHARKS 2153

REBCats 2232
Poon Army 2132

Longwood Lions 2125
Squeakeroos 2058

Q Before You 1993
Cork in the Ocean 1893

Captain Who? 2230
Les's Men 2195

Hondo SCC 2155
Richo Richo Man 2083

Pool Swimmers 2099
Honey Badgers 1978

Ben Rolfsburgers 2201
Underdogs 2103

Ladder

1 Ecky's Fevolas 3 0 6420 5997 107.05 12
2 Captain Who? 3 0 6742 6662 101.20 12
3 Ben Rolfsburgers 2 1 6745 6512 103.58 8
4 Les's Men 2 1 6603 6409 103.03 8
5 Underdogs 2 1 6511 6379 102.07 8
6 Pool Swimmers 2 1 6308 6186 101.97 8
7 Longwood Lions 2 1 6388 6279 101.74 8
8 Delicious 2 1 6485 6409 101.19 8

9 Poon Army 2 1 6350 6355 99.92 8
10 Q Before You 1 2 6149 6196 99.24 4
11 Hondo SCC 1 2 6482 6534 99.20 4
12 Richo Richo Man 1 2 6305 6358 99.17 4
13 REBCats 1 2 6475 6563 98.66 4
14 Has Been 1 2 6102 6293 96.96 4
15 SHARKS 1 2 6273 6477 96.85 4
16 Honey Badgers 1 2 6260 6522 95.98 4
17 Squeakeroos 0 3 6212 6317 98.34 0
18 Cork in the Ocean 0 3 5946 6308 94.26 0

The ladder has a different look about it tonight as a couple of sides that were in the top four got done. Captain Who won an incredibly tight match against Les's Men and the Captain is the league's top scorer and is unbeaten after three rounds. Ecky's Fevolas managed to grind out a low scoring match against the reigning premier who has now had two poor scores in a row and sit in 14th spot. Ben Rolfsburgers look to be a contender again this season and their narrow win over Gibbo means that the Rolfs have now leapfrogged the Underdogs on the table.

The two promoted sides are both at 2-1 after they recorded wins during the same round for the first time this season. Delicious had a very close match against a spirited SHARKS combination and only just got the job done. It was also close out at Alaska Park as the Longwood Lions only just held off a winless Squeakeroos combination who have now dropped into the relegation zone.

There was some important wins for struggling sides this week with Q Before You and Hondo opening their account and REBCats topped the league in scoring with Poon Army being unlucky as he doesn't have Fyfe either. An unlucky break for Hammo after a tinny start to the year. Corky is in real bother and bringing up the rear in scoring and in wins and he'll need something to go right soon or be left behind.

regards,

REB

[One Club Player]

My title defence is looking very shakey! Have been more conservative with trades than recent years and my scores and ranking are being hammered for it. Time to trade my arse off and hope for the best

[Rik E Boy]

My title defence is looking very shakey! Have been more conservative with trades than recent years and my scores and ranking are being hammered for it. Time to trade my arse off and hope for the best

The team who beat me in round 1 last year got relegated.

regards,

REB

[One Club Player]

My title defence is looking very shakey! Have been more conservative with trades than recent years and my scores and ranking are being hammered for it. Time to trade my arse off and hope for the best

The team who beat me in round 1 last year got relegated.

regards,

REB

[One Club Player]

The Trade Your Arse Off Table - According to Too Serious

6 trades: Badgers, Pool Swimmers, Reb, Sharks
5 trades: Rolfy, Capt Who, Corky, Delicious, Ecky, Q, Underdogs
4 trades: Hondo, Les, Lions, Poon, Richo, Squeeky
3 trades:
2 trades: Has Been

[Q.]

I've typically been conservative in the front half.

Ditched that philosophy this year and currently having my lowest scoring start ever.

[Alaska]

My title defence is looking very shakey! Have been more conservative with trades than recent years and my scores and ranking are being hammered for it. Time to trade my arse off and hope for the best

I will just place this here:

"Stick with keepers (eg Newnes/Hibered) - saves you trades at the end. They look bad in rnd 5 but by the time you get them to your 5th/6th/7th spot they're OK"

[Rik E Boy]

My title defence is looking very shakey! Have been more conservative with trades than recent years and my scores and ranking are being hammered for it. Time to trade my arse off and hope for the best

I will just place this here:

"Stick with keepers (eg Newnes/Hibered) - saves you trades at the end. They look bad in rnd 5 but by the time you get them to your 5th/6th/7th spot they're OK"

My only poor trade this year was Yeo-JJ. Yeo doesn't score that well away from Domain and his 40 spooked me. So I went the trade and pocketed the cash. Next week JJ did stuff all and then against Carlton when he was on fire he did his hammy so I didn't benefit from him at all. My trade of JJ>Byrne-Jones was a much better one and hopefully I can make enough cash from Darcy to trade him out and bring JJ back in. Very keen on JJ as a defender this year.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Round 4 Preview
tips in bold

Has Been v SHARKS
Poon Army v Ecky's Fevolas
Squeakeroos v Delicious
Q Before You v REBCats
Captain Who? v Longwood Lions
Hondo SCC v Cork in the Ocean
Honey Badgers v Les's Men
Ben Rolfsburgers v Richo Richo Man
Underdogs v Pool Swimmers

MATCH OF THE ROUND - Captain Who? v Longwood Lions

After dusting yourself off and reversing a few trades eventually you have a bo peep at the fixture and your opponent's squad. Anyone who has a quick glance at Captain Who's team will be turning a whiter shade of pale. The Captain has gone tightarse in the backline this season and as a result they have a dazzling array of midfield premos that at their best represent a scoring bonanza. The only downside is that Fyfe is gone for the Captain so a replacement must be found. The bad news is that Groover could bring in a Steele Sidebottom just for the LOLs and still smash you even if he has one of his '80' days.

This week the unlucky team who has to try and dethrone the Captain is Alaska's Longwood Lions. The Lions have got off to their best start yet and are a pretty good side as well. There aren't any duds in the Premier League anymore and the Lions are currently in the top eight. However, the Lions look weak in the very area where the Captain looks strong. The extra money spent in the forward line and in particular the backline will not provide any dividends for the Lions and despite whatever score they cook up, the Captain appears to have him covered.

The Lions badly need big scores from Bachar Houli, Shannon Hurn and Mitch Robinson to be competitive but consistency is not a byword which could be applied to these players. If you are looking at the rucks then it's advantage Captain Who here as well as Groover has the feared Gawnstein combination that looks the Ace in the pack for Ruck combinations so far this season. Nic Naituni is another player who will need a big game for Alaska to win this.

The Lions will growl but by the end it will be the Captain who proves to be the king of the jungle.

Captain Who? by 185 points.

THE REST

Round 4 is characterised by teams currently in the top four playing against sides who are not. So either we will see a tightening of the ladder of some of the top sides might start to put a gap on some of the early season stragglers. Squeakeroos had a brilliant season last year and look to be slowly improving but Delicious appears to have them covered so Squeaky could be looking at a 0-4 start to the year. We might have to call them the Squeaky Dockers at this rate. Les's Men are looking pretty strong and I expect them to make short work of the Honey Badgers. Ben Rolfsburgers are one of the best teams in the comp and they are already in the top four so I don't expect to see Cover King's Richo Richo Man to be dancing back into the eight.

There are a few eight point games that are pretty important even though it is only round 4. Things are getting a bit desperate for Cork in the Ocean who haven't fired a shot this season. This week they must defeat Hondo to remain relevant in this league in 2016 but on present form you can't see this happening. Things aren't so desperate for Pool Swimmers and Underdogs with the winner looking to consolidate a spot in the top eight. With a 500 point scoring advantage so far this season I'm leaning towards an Underdogs victory. Has Been's pre-season strategy of beating me then scoring bugger all isn't a winner as far as I'm concerned and it certainly hasn't helped One Club in the last two rounds. A slight rebound is all that is needed to defeat the SHARKS.

In the other games the REBCats are up against Q Before You. It's been quite a few years now since I've tasted success against the Q Man but looking at this year's Q Before You squad has me thinking I might have the numbers this week. Poon Army doesn't have a Fyfe be out of it program and despite his lofty ranking Ecky's Fevolas aren't scoring as heavily as some teams. I'm predicting the Army to bounce back and burst Ecky's bubble this week.

All the best to your teams this weekend...except for Q because I'm sick of losing to you.

regards,

REB

[Banker]

The Trade Your Arse Off Table - According to Too Serious

6 trades: Badgers, Pool Swimmers, Reb, Sharks
5 trades: Rolfy, Capt Who, Corky, Delicious, Ecky, Q, Underdogs
4 trades: Hondo, Les, Lions, Poon, Richo, Squeeky
3 trades:
2 trades: Has Been

8 now. Fyfe & Bennedy for Jelwood and Hanners

**** it. I'm not playing finals anyway...

[Rik E Boy]

The Trade Your Arse Off Table - According to Too Serious

6 trades: Badgers, Pool Swimmers, Reb, Sharks
5 trades: Rolfy, Capt Who, Corky, Delicious, Ecky, Q, Underdogs
4 trades: Hondo, Les, Lions, Poon, Richo, Squeeky
3 trades:
2 trades: Has Been

8 now. Fyfe & Bennedy for Jelwood and Hanners

**** it. I'm not playing finals anyway...

Um...Round 4.

regards,

REB

[Banker]

I like to think of it more like 22 trades left to upgrade 8 players. This isnt 2012!

[One Club Player]

My title defence is looking very shakey! Have been more conservative with trades than recent years and my scores and ranking are being hammered for it. Time to trade my arse off and hope for the best

I will just place this here:

"Stick with keepers (eg Newnes/Hibered) - saves you trades at the end. They look bad in rnd 5 but by the time you get them to your 5th/6th/7th spot they're OK"

A wise man once said...........

[Rik E Boy]

Not trading is brilliant. Goldy and Mitchell **** all, Laird gets hurt while Ward, Sloane and Sauce all smash it. I'm GAWN.

regards,

REB

[Q.]

Not trading is brilliant. Goldy and Mitchell **** all, Laird gets hurt while Ward, Sloane and Sauce all smash it. I'm GAWN.

regards,

REB

Sloane and Ward a couple of handy ins for me this week

[valleys07]

Used a get out of jail free card this week, with Squeaky copping a late out in Yeo, which saw me home by 30 points.

[Rik E Boy]

Round 4

Has Been 2126
SHARKS 1965

Ecky's Fevolas 2133
Poon Army 2128

Delicious 2207
Squeakeroos 2175

Q Before You 2158
REBCats 2050

Longwood Lions 2129
Captain Who? 1996

Hondo SCC 2160
Cork in the Ocean 1961

Honey Badgers 2108
Les's Men 2071

Ben Rolfsburgers 2205
Richo Richo Man 2062

Underdogs 2177
Pool Swimmers 2115

Ladder

1 Ecky's Fevolas 4 0 8553 8125 105.27 16
2 Ben Rolfsburgers 3 1 8950 8574 104.39 12
3 Longwood Lions 3 1 8517 8275 102.92 12
4 Underdogs 3 1 8688 8494 102.28 12
5 Delicious 3 1 8692 8584 101.26 12
6 Captain Who? 3 1 8738 8791 99.40 12
7 Les's Men 2 2 8674 8517 101.84 8
8 Hondo SCC 2 2 8642 8495 101.73 8

9 Q Before You 2 2 8307 8246 100.74 8
10 Pool Swimmers 2 2 8423 8363 100.72 8
11 Poon Army 2 2 8478 8488 99.88 8
12 Has Been 2 2 8228 8258 99.64 8
13 Honey Badgers 2 2 8367 8563 97.71 8
14 REBCats 1 3 8525 8721 97.75 4
15 Richo Richo Man 1 3 8367 8563 97.71 4
16 SHARKS 1 3 8238 8603 95.76 4
17 Squeakeroos 0 4 8387 8524 98.39 0
18 Cork in the Ocean 0 4 7907 8468 93.38 0

Ecky stands alone atop the Hogg Premier League ladder after the Longwood Lions smashed Captain Who? in Round 4. It's hard to figure out how a side as fearsome's as the Captain could fail to crack the 2000 but fail he did. Groover's Round 4 flakeout has cost him four spots on the ladder while it was all good news for the Lions who stormed into the top four.

Ben Rolfsburgers continue to be a major threat in this competition with another solid effort from them. The Underdogs got the job done as well so these two sides joined Ecky and Longwood Lions in the top four after the first month of matches. Delicious snuck over the line against Squeakeroos who aren't having a great deal of luck so far this season and Hondo is back in the top eight after they had a stroll in the park against Corky who is consistently the worst scorer in the Premier League so far this season.

Teams on the up this week include Honey Badgers who upset Les's Men and Q Before You who had their annual win against the REBCats after Goldie and Sam **** You Mitchell failed to turn up. Has Been also returned to the winner's list after accounting for a suspect SHARKS combination who I am sure will score 2250 when he plays me.

Poon Army couldn't get the job done against the mighty Fevs while Richo Richo's percentage copped a hammering at the hands of the Rolfs. Pool Swimmers were not disgraced but fell short against the Underdogs and the league as a whole finally cracked the top 1000 so the league is getting back to where it should be.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Round 5 Preview
tips in bold

Has Been vs. Poon Army
Squeakeroos vs. SHARKS
Q Before You vs. Eckys Fevolas
Captain Who? vs. Delicious
Hondo SCC vs. REBCats
Honey Badgers vs. Longwood Lions
Ben Rolfsburgers vs. Cork in the Ocean
Underdogs vs. Les's Men
Pool Swimmers vs. Richo Richo Man

MATCH OF THE ROUND - Underdogs vs. Les's Men

Gibbo (Sharksta) and her Underdogs have marched into the top four of the Premier League ladder, a position that is not a familiar one for the Underdogs. Les's Men are once again amongst the leading teams as you would expect from a side that made the Grand Final in Hogg Elite last season. If the Underdogs can win this one then they go 4-1 and are very nicely set up for a genuine tilt at the Premier League title. If Les drops this one they will be 2-3 and wondering just how good their team needs to be to challenge for finals action this season.

This match will be a very close one I feel. Both teams have the Laird/Weitering double in defence so how they approach this conundrum will decide this match. Both sides have a very similar structure with four handy forwards where some teams have opted to beef up the mids and manage with three. While I'm envious of both teams forward lines I can see a few issues in the mids for both sides.

At this stage the Dogs will be looking to play two of Kennedy, Mills or Hewitt in the middle considering the issues down back. Les welcomes back Brad Crouch but Brad has yet to set the world on fire in terms of fantasy football so far this season. Callum Ward is a big player for Les and Underdogs will be sweating on Pendlebury and Sidebottom not only playing but having big scoring matches against Carlton. In the backline I like Underdogs' back up players a bit better but Les gets the nod in ruck with Gawnstein over Stefmax. In a real toss of the coin job I'm going for the Underdogs in this one...which now makes them the favourites.

Underdogs by 19 points.

The Rest

The other big game for this week is Captain Who vs. Delicious. Valleys has been looking pretty good in his first season in the top flight and the Captain was rolling along nicely until I declared him unbeatable last week. At this stage I'm thinking the Captain's form last week was a blip and that he will hit back and defeat the newcomer. The defending premier took a small step in the right direction and should take another as they will defeat Poon Army who are starting to wobble. Squeakeroos will be looking to open their account this week and I think they will against SHARKS who have far too many PODs to make a mark at this level. I can see some additional trading in Spiro's future.

I've been tipping against Ecky for a couple of weeks now but this week I've decided to get with the program. Now that Q is not playing me I expect a sharp dip in his scoring and a narrow victory to the ladder leaders. My boys are up against Hondo and unless Sam Mitchell pulls his finger out then I'm in a bit of bother. Lucky for me he doesn't have Laird so I might just trade in Josh Smith for the cash and reset for next week. Either way I'm in trouble and Hondo should get the points.

The Honey Badgers are vicious snarling animals (did you see that shit with the Lions?) and they showed their true colours last week but Longwood Lions are more up for it than Neville Longbottom for Luna Lovegood. These Lions will get the better of the Badgers, despite that vid doing the rounds on Facebook. Corky are bottoming out and the Rolfs are scoring pigs so I expect an absolute destroyation in this one. In the last game the Pool Swimmers will be lapping it up against Richo Richo who are down the arse end of ladder just like me.

regards,

REB

[Hondo]

Very unlucky for you there REB ... 3 points!