Another big week in Ultimate Footy land, and as Derek ‘Boundary’ Rider, a Damien Barrett-esque media entity I’ve literally just invented for the purposes of this post, would say – narrative abounds.
The battle for sixth place continues to simmer, with the Roughnecks scoring an unexpected win over the Defenestrators. Not to be outdone, the Scourers broke the 2000 point barrier as they put the Redshins to the sword. The Scourers would expect to retake pole position this coming week as they face cellar-dwelling Vipers, setting up a tantalising clash between the combatants in round 19.
At the other end of the ladder, it seems the Defenestrators are stuck in groundhog day yet again. The seams of another rampaging regular season are stretched – perhaps to breaking point, with midfield ace Coniglio joining Josh Kelly (and Tom Mitchell) on the sidelines.
The most oft-repeated fact of keeper league history bares repeating yet again. The Defenestrators have led the league in scoring throughout the first three seasons, but have failed to make the grand final. The same won’t repeat again in 2019 thanks to the Chiefs’ and their overwhelming scores, but the general pattern may.
Injuries to key players has been an undeniable part of the club’s history – and while the Chiefs have brushed aside injuries to the likes of Docherty to attain premiership glory, the Defenestrators have sunk into quicksand at the business end of the season. This week Kyle Dunkley and club legend Josh Kennedy were brought off the scrap heap and forced straight into the 22 to cover the likes of Kelly and Lynch, scoring 51 between them. Yikes.
Speaking of the Chiefs, they find themselves in the opposite position, welcoming back Taylor Adams into an already formidable fold. The finals bye is all but assured, and it would be a brave soul betting against them to snare a third successive flag.
The Soldiers – the SOLDIERS – own third place outright after edging out MSHB by five points. After their fifth win by less than 50 points this season, the Soldiers will be watching the malaise above them and wondering if they may be able to join the Chiefs with the early holiday. With games against the Taxmanian Devils and the Redshins to come they’ll feel confident in earning at least two victories. The Defenestrators also face the Devils, but will also square off against the dangerous MSHB and Love Sparkles as well. Watch this space.
Returning to the foot of the ladder, the battle for the spoon is a percentage only affair. The Devils have a brutal run in, while the Vipers face off against the Redshins. Will the Vipers win? Do they want to win? Another space to watch.