Hogg Division I 2012

[nuggety goodness]

1st Qualifying Final
Has Been v Boongas Bulldogs
Has Been have been travelling nicely and finished in the top spot, they now have to decide what they are going to do about Swan and Franklin, while Porpoise could also be a problem in the forward line. The Bullies need to get more from their backs to pull out a winning score and also will have to worry about Franklin and Porpoise coming into this match. The Bulldogs appear in Ecky’s ladder ahead of all other Div 1 teams for improvement since the byes so will be hard to beat, but I think Has Been will just succeed.

Things are lookin good for the bulldogs right now. Has been will be missing Swan in the mids so Baguely gets a run and Franklin, Chapman, Porps and Adams in the FWDS.

Get on the dogs, hopefully 1 game away from premier league!!!

Yep I'm in all sorts this week.......

Still not a bad side you've come up with... A couple trades and some mpp links have done wonders... Still a long way to go

[Rik E Boy]

Hogg Division I finals results. Boongas and Spuds one win away from qualifying for the Hogg Premier League.

regards,

REB

[Alaska]

Review

Well I was wrong again Has Been stumbled and the Bullies pounced getting the most out of their players in a final and securing a good win, they now move straight into a preliminary and get the week off.

Les’s Men put up a score that saw them win in the Champions league but wasn’t good enough for Div 1 as The Spuds showed their great late season form and triumphed by 181 points. This puts The Spuds into the other preliminary and earning a week off.
The 1st Elimination final saw the elimination of Buddy, who also suffered a Qualifying final loss in the Champions league. Cossi took it out by 72 points and survives another week.

The Lions wary about the late season abilities of the ManBearPigs took a risk and named Beams as Captain, which paid handsome dividends and set a platform for a top 700 score for the round. They move to the next stage and the ManBearPigs with a score of 2405 were unfortunately bundled out of both Div 1 and Champions league finals.

The Beasts 2661 scored a 200 point win over Slim and the Honey Badgers reversed the scores from last week and beat the Heroes in the minor qualifiers. The Rumcoks easily despatched the Cobras and in the battle of the sister cities the Potenza as expected defeated the DenverCrows in the minor eliminators.

[the milky bar kid]

Congratulations to Alaska for ending the ManBearPigs finals winning streak.
I was let down by some big names, which is disappointing, but i'll be back next year!
Who knows, I might get an undeserved promotion like some of these other teams that have followed me thru the divisions

[nuggety goodness]

Congratulations to Alaska for ending the ManBearPigs finals winning streak.
I was let down by some big names, which is disappointing, but i'll be back next year!
Who knows, I might get an undeserved promotion like some of these other teams that have followed me thru the divisions

Haha!!! Yeah maybe... I've been lucky enough to get the invite twice now after losing prelims both years... And the way it's looking I may just lose another prelim cos Alaska has his lions peaking very nicely and Les is more than competitive!!!

If it comes down to points then I might be ok! Sitting 9th overall in the Hogg and 4th in the div...

It's gonna be weird not playing you in finals milky...

[One Club Player]

Well, after feeling pretty good about my team a couple of weeks ago, I'm in a battle to avoid the dreaded "straight sets" against Cossi this week.

Had to sideways Broughton 2 weeks ago and then had Swan, Franklin, Chappy, Adams, Porps all out last week plus late withdrawals of Roughie and Fyfe (who I traded in for Porps ) leaving me with 2 donuts. Rather than using my last few trades for final upgrades, injury and selection has left me scrambling to fill a side. Including DT I'm in 7 leagues, finished top 4 in all them but lost in five of them.....what a disaster!

Selection has been a lot kinder this week so look forward to an improved performance this week!

[Alaska]

1st Semi Final
Has Been v Cossi’s Carnts
Has Been has set up a bakery in his forward line with donuts to Roughy, Franklin, Chappy and Fyfe last week giving him a score of 2211. The outcome of this match could be dependent on what is happening with Roughy and Fyfe. He would also like to see some increased output from J. Selwood, Thompson, Pav and Cloke from last week scores. Although not all is rose-coloured over at the Carnts (2250 last week) who also have Chappy and Franklin. They will be trying to get improvement from Suckling, Boyd, Hayes, Pav, Sidebottom, Petrie and McGlynn. I will stick with Has Been as my pre finals selection.

2nd Semi Final
Les’s Men v Longwood Lions
Les scored 2415 last week but still finds himself in a knockout final this week. He had Chappy and Roughy out last week and will be calling for more effort from M. Johnson, Hurn, H. Shaw, Dal Santo, Rockliff, Griffen and Goodes.
The Lions big score last week was made without Roughy, Porpoise, Fyfe and the injury to N. Roo so the continued absence of these players will hurt them. The players that need to lift to spread the load are Hanley, S. Selwood and Boyd if they do they should get up.

SlimShady DTC plays Rumcoks in one minor semi in what should be a good close game with Slim just having the edge. The Heroes play the Potenza in the other semi and The Potenza should get up.

[Rik E Boy]

Semi Finals results. Preliminary Finals are

Boongas Bulldogs v Longwood Lions
The Spuds v Cossi's Carnts

The winners are promoted to the Premier League and earn Champions League spots. The losers get jack shit. OUCH.

regards,

REB

[Alaska]

Review
The first semi final saw Cossi’s Carnts get up by a mere 22 points his players he needed to improve did and he was able to cover the Franklin and Mitchell late outs with good bench coverage. Has Been tried hard by bringing in Stevie J. but could feel let down by Scotland, Lake and Carazzo down back, Joel Selwood and Pendlebury in the midfield and Martin and Cloke did not fire up forward.

In another close semi determined by only 32 points the Longwood Lions triumphed over the early season favourites Les’s Men. The Lions set up and early lead and the Men gradually cut it back and if Ablett in the last game had another 5 minutes of play they would have been successful. The Lions discharged the N. Roo for Stevie J. and had improvements from Hanley S. Selwood and Boyd. Les did not get the required scoring out of M. Johnson, Rockliff, DalSanto Watson, Pendlebury, Chappy and Martin but it was the Lyon switcheroo that sank the Men when Griffen failed to run out and Sandy made his comeback thus giving the Men a donut in the Ruck.

While both Les’s Men and Has Been are now out of Division 1 they both remain alive in Champions league so still have a chance to remain there by winning next week.

The minor finals were won by Rumcoks and the Heroes with scores that would have won both major finals. I still think the drug testers should be waking Mattee G up around 5 am each Monday with another inconsistent weekend not even scoring 2000 this week.

[MatteeG]

Debating whether to be sponsored by Krispy Kreme or the rhythm method.

More donuts than a cop shop and so many late withdrawals*

[Alaska]

Preliminary Final week

Who is going to be hit by the General this week Carlton looks to be the prime suspect, perhaps Carazzo, Scotland, Murphy, Kreuzer and Gibbs could take a spell. Or with Geelong also having a bye it could be Enright, he is due or Selwood, Chappy, Stevie J. and Kelly are all chances for a rest. Maybe with the Saints now out Dal Santo, Hayes and Montagna could be rested to play some youngsters. Some of these selections could well decide the finals being played this weekend. It is a big week as those that win get an invite to next seasons Champions League.

1st Preliminary Final
Boongas Bulldogs v Longwood Lions

The Bullies have been building towards the finals for a while and are looking strong they have N. Roo’s knee to worry about and should have Mitchell back after his week of rest. The Bullies will be sweating on the Pav injury and his ability to first take the field and second perform to his best. He will be hoping for good weeks for Heater, Lake, Lewis and Martin and continued good form of Watson, Maric Swallow and Pendles.
The Lions have still not been consistent leading up to this final but have been able to do enough to get through, they will be hoping for a game similar to the Elimination final to carry the day. The Lions are sweating on Porpoise and Bugg to return and need good scores from Hanley, Scooter Selwood and Fyfe. They also need continued good scoring from J. Kennedy, Beams, J. Selwood, Roughead, Stevie J, and Wright.
I am hoping there is more upside in my POD’s so should sneak a win.

2nd Preliminary Final
The Spuds v Cossi’s Carnts

The Spuds have looked the team to beat now for the last five weeks as they completed their roster. Having had last week off but still scoring massively to put them to second in the Hogg, they now have Franklin and N. Roo to make decisions on. But have good options in defence and the midfield. They have gone with Nic Nat in ruck and are being well looked after by Scotland, Waters, Heater, J. Kennedy, J. Selwood, Murphy, Dangerfield, and Beams.
Cossi has come from 8th spot beating crowd favourites Buddy Franklin and Has Been in their two finals and have certainly improved over the last part of the season. They have patiently waited with Franklin and now may find it wasted in that his opponent in this important match also has him. He will also have a refreshed Mitchell to come back but will be worried about Pav being able to continue his stella form. He has the other Eagles ruckman in Cox as a POD that could be useful. He will be relying on his other POD’s (Enright, Adcock, Suckling, Newman, Boyd, Hayes, Petrie, Chappy and J. Roo) to perform at their best to win.
Cossi has shown he can top score in this league in recent times but the consistency of high scores that The Spuds has put up make them favourite to move to the Grand Final next week.

In the minor finals the Beasts should account for a resurgent Heroes outfit and the Rumcoks should be able to take out the Badgers who would have run out of trades.

[cossi11]

Not really sure if I had a chance but if I did I def don't now. Hayes subbed off at half time FMSC!

[Rik E Boy]

Not really sure if I had a chance but if I did I def don't now. Hayes subbed off at half time FMSC!

Sainters have put the cue in the rack. And I've got Sam Fisher who has gone to the mechanics.

regards,

REB

[cossi11]

Not really sure if I had a chance but if I did I def don't now. Hayes subbed off at half time FMSC!

Sainters have put the cue in the rack. And I've got Sam Fisher who has gone to the mechanics.

regards,

REB

Mitchell is on fire

[Rik E Boy]

Congratulations to Matt 852 (The Spuds) and Alaska (Longwood Lions) who have qualified for Hogg Champions League and Hogg Premier League next season. You'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on...starting with next week's Division I Grand Final.

Bad luck to cossi and nuggetty goodness who got all the way to the Prelim but come up empty handed. It's a brutal league this one and it might get even harder if Premier League dropouts BlueGunners and Woody decide not to suit up next year.

regards,

REB

[nuggety goodness]

Well done Alaska and Matt 852... Well deserved. The highest two scorers for the year.

I ran my race about 3 weeks too early... Got a bit anxious and trigger happy on trades in the last few weeks when I should have held off... Lost this week by 150 odd points thanks to Lake and Pavlich late withdrawals plus some small incorrect personnel decisions...

Back to the drawing board for 2013... Hopefully I can go one step further, or I'll be like the footscray version and make three prelims in a row for no GF berths!!! Or better yet be like the useless mongrels this year, even worse than Port!!!

[Alaska]

Review

The Spuds after only 4 wins last year in Div 1 have really risen to the top this year. They did loose the Grand Final in Div 2 in 2010 so certainly know how to get there. As it happens their tormentor in 2010 was also mine in the same year where Benji’s Beasts beat us both up in the Grand Finals as they took out two Hogg Divisions in the same year. So it proves we can get there but also that we have not been able to go all the way.

The Spuds put up a big score this week with a good all round effort from their squad and look favourites for the Div 1 title. Cossi was not helped by the late withdrawal of Pav the red vest to Lenny and Cox v Nic Nat hurt.

The Bullies as Nuggety said suffered from the late withdrawals of Pav with no cover and Lake with only Tomlinson. He had Smedts covering for N Roo and that only unearthed him 13 points. I hope you do not have a trade left? Jobe and Sam Mitchell also did not perform up to his expectations. The Lions added Waters to their roster which didn’t help much and covered J. Selwood with Treloar which worked well.

So the Grand Final this week is The Spuds v Longwood Lions

As predicted the Beasts play Rumcoks in the minor final

[cossi11]

Goodluck to the The Spuds and Longwood Lions this week, my tip is The Spuds by 150+

Cheers Alaska for doing the write ups each week... was always a good read!

See majority of ya next season

[Alaska]

2012 Grand Final Hogg Division 1

The Spuds v Longwood Lions

The Spuds come in to this match ranked 1293 overall in SuperCoach and pressing for top spot in the Hogg. On top of this they have improved their scores over the finals campaign and are consistent with their high scoring. After qualifying for Division 1 in 2010 and finishing 8th in the Hogg that year, they had the year off last year with only 4 wins but seem to be back on song for this years bid. At this stage he only has Lake to worry about but has Yarran as an ample reserve. Other points of difference to the Lions are Heater, Watson, Priddis, Murphy, Nic Nat, Giles/Kreuzer, Martin and Franklin. The Spuds had their highest weekly ranking in SuperCoach last week so I am hoping he has peaked a week early.

Of my 7 Grand Finals this year this looks to be the toughest even more so than a TS League I am in that is ranked 59 overall. (Pity we didn’t progress past the top 16 in TS leagues.) The Lions differentiators are Hanley, Birchel, Selwood * 2, Cox and the forwards of Stevie J, Wright, Fyfe and Porpoise who I am hoping will get the job done. While my scoring has been high it has not been as consistent but with a good week I believe I can do it.

In the minor final I think the Beasts should get up to show they were the best out of the top 8.

[Alaska]

Review.

73 point win to the Longwood Lions

The Lions had trouble with Cox 81, Stevie J. 89, Wright 72 and Treloar 87 taking the place of Porpoise. The Spuds had their own issues with Priddis 86 Heater 77, Murphy 78 and Martin 19. They only really had Jobe score better than average on 126, whereas the Lions had Scooter Selwood on 137, Fyfe 151 and Hanley having a good day on 117. The Lions finally have a Hogg grand final win and end up with two in the same season. They had a very consistent 2385 average after the byes with only the Beasts beating them on the run home (which nearly knocked them out of the finals) They came from 7th and the spread of score in the last three finals was only 22 points. The Spuds scored 400 points more for the season and they had some fantastic high scores but the occasional down game which is what they had for the grand final.

Benji’s Beasts won the minor final with a score that would have seen them win the major one.