Welcome back to yet another season of the Ultimate Keeper League!
MILESTONES
100 Games
- Ed Langdon (Puttanesca Chiefs)
50 Games
- Jack Lukosius (Te Puke Pukekos)
- Jamie Elliott (Taxmanian Devils)
- Bailey Williams (MaherShalalHashBaz)
Not exactly a murderers row here to kick off the season. It feels odd to write “Ed Langdon (Puttanesca Chiefs)” when he’s done nearly all his work in this league for Te Puke Pukekos – but that’s what happens when you get old.
Also, pretty astonishing we are at point where guys like Lukosius are bringing up these milestones. Granted it’s “only” 50 games but he didn’t get drafted until several seasons into the league’s existence. He’s played more games than Dayne Beams did (44). Or Jordan Lewis and Alex Rance (both trapped on 49!). Nick Riewoldt only got to 33. Steve Johnson and Leigh Montagna only got to 31. We only managed to squeeze 23 games out of Brett Deledio (Connor Macdonald and Braeden Campbell will go past him this weekend).
Did I use this an excuse to look at some of those older giants? Sure. Point is well done Jack Lukosius on bringing up game 50.
GAME OF THE ROUND
Some leagues start the year with a Grand Final rematch. We don’t do that here – mostly because we’re beholden to whatever the denizens of AFL Fantasy land decide is our fixture. So we’re going to settle for an Elimination Final rematch for our game of the round.
Last time these two teams played was that Final (duh), which the Sparkles won by 14 points. Jai Newcombe was the standout player, dropping a mammoth 159 (which more than made up for Todd Goldstein’s 28). Newcombe is still around for the Sparkles, but Goldstein isn’t. Don’t ever let anyone tell you there aren’t repercussions for poor performance…
Both teams are relatively unscathed by the injury bug. The Sparkles will likely be without Jy Simpkin and Isaac Cumming. The Roughnecks have question marks over Windhager, Hobbs and, more ominously, Macrae.
This should be a great game and both teams will be keen to get an early win against stiff competition in their quest for the right to lose the Grand Final to the Soldiers.
SNEAKY INTERESTING MATCHUP
The whispers of a Defenestrators decline are in the wind, and rumours of a Devils ascendancy are gaining traction. What better way to test all this with a round one matchup.
The Devils snuck into the finals in the final round, then promptly eviscerated the far more fancied Vipers who – up till that point, were the team people were speculating could take it to the Soldiers. They fell well short the following week against that very club, but hope had been seeded. This was a club on the up.
The Defenestrators have made four grand finals in a row. Yet there seems to be serious doubt over whether they can make if five. That may be fair. After all, who on Earth makes five grand finals in a row? It’s not the done thing, you see.
They’ve been a mainstay every year of this competition. No really. They’ve made the finals every year. They’ve made four grand finals in a row. There were a few seasons before that period where they fell over in the finals after having been the strongest side for most of the year. They win for fun, is the point I’m making. But now the rest of us vultures are watching to see if the run is over.
I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here, but have you seen the Defenestrators schedule to start the season? It’s tough. Devils, Sparkles, Roughnecks, Vipers, Midnight, Soldiers before getting the Chiefs in Round 7. The roster tear down has been in vogue in recent seasons, and if things break poorly, this feels like the team most likely to go that route.
Or they come out of that batch with a 4 and 2 record and are well in the mix for number 5. Who knows? This weekend will get the ball rolling in either direction…
STRAY OBSERVATION
Midnight v MSHB was the other SIM option heading into round 1. A few months ago I would’ve viewed as being well in the mix, a matchup of two teams gunning for a finals spot. But now I find myself thinking it’s sneakily interesting for a different reason…. I think coach Rowan would be a little uneasy if he didn’t emerge victorious here. This MSHB outfit feels like they’ve got a foot on the brake, at least until their injured crew return to the fold.