MILESTONES
150 Games
- Jack Macrae (Roughnecks)
50 Games
- Tom Green (MaherShalalHashBaz) (Still)
- Hayden Young (Solomon’s Soldiers)
- Jye Caldwell (Lethal Vipers)
- Jayden Hunt (Threat Level Midnight)
GAME OF THE ROUND
Not much debate here, this is the standout matchup of round 9.
The Sparkles are top of the ladder and the second highest scoring team in the land. The Devils are third and are the top scoring team in the land.
So who is best? This weekend may offer some preliminary answers.
These two teams strike me as broadly similar.
- Absolutely stacked defences (particularly since Dale remembered how to football, and the Devils got the Martin and Amon dual position nod).
- Two very deep midfields, led by Noah Anderson on one side and Jarrod “inexplicably averaging 111 in my last 3” Berry on the other (who needs Rozee?)
- Two physical rucks in Xerri and Briggs (though one is in much better form and could be the difference…)
- Two forward lines that are scoring better than they have any right to (key forward fantasy resurgence localised entirely amongst Harry “95 average” McKay and Josh “84 in my last 5” Tracey wearing the Devils’ Green & Red, taking on Brad “turning back the clock 5 years” Hill)
So it will be interesting to see who comes through on top.
SNEAKY INTERESTING MATCHUP
The Soldiers’s recent list management decisions mean the obvious SIM is off the table (note: editor reserves the right to return to this if the disastrous occurs)
As we breathe in this very moment, the Chiefs are just a game (and percentage) outside the top 6. They’d draw level with their opponent this weekend with a win.
Sure, the Chiefs aren’t really angling for the finals. Yet they are cobbling together victories and one this weekend isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Oliver perhaps turned a corner last weekend. Holmes and Rowbottom are really kicking on this year. Gryan Miers is currently an All-Australian forward (in both our league and reality?). I described this team as frisky a month or so ago, and frisky they remain!
On the other side of the ledger, it remains a familiar story for Threat Level Midnight – the guns are doing the heavy lifting. They have the number one scorer in the league through 8 weeks (Sheezel). And the third (Serong). Both of those two players are in joint second in the DangerGawn Medal. It’s a rip-roaring start to the year, and there’s Gulden and now Bontempelli (and Petracca) lurking in the background.
But the bottom 6 or so each week are preventing this team from putting up truly frightening scores consistently (unlike their friends next door on the ladder. No, not referring to the Roughnecks). Last weekend it was Duryea and the returning Cam Guthrie who went below 50, and guys like Petrucelle, Buckley and *checks notes* some guy named Rowell who were around that mark as well. Bumping up those scores just a little will push them into 1800+ territory most weeks, as their leaders are dropping game breaking scores just about every week.
STRAY OBSERVATION
Don’t ask me why I was doing this, but I was looking at the box score for our first Grand Final, back in 2016. For the kids at home, it was won by the club now known as Te Puke Pukekos.
Boy are there some names that took the field that day. Real trip down memory lane. Dylan Roberton and Xavier Richards played in that one. As did several people who are now on commentary for Channel 7.
In an amusing coincidence, both teams that weekend had only 7 players each who are still in the league today.
MSHB: Merrett, Dunkley, Zorko, Gawn, Acres, Tom McDonald and Jeremy McGovern
Pukekos: Wines, Sidebottom, Patrick Cripps, Heeney, Petracca, Yeo and Aish
Things have changed quite a bit since then!
ELIMINATOR
You know you’re in the pointy end when a score like 1807 isn’t enough. The Devils are gone, and that leaves just two – the Sparkles and Defenestrators. The game within the game, which is handy, because the Defenestators actual game is against Te Puke Pukekos, which likely won’t be much of a game at all…
Still in it:
- Defenestrators
Lethal Vipers (Round 5)- Love Sparkles
MaherShalalHashBaz (Round 3)Puttanesca Chiefs (Round 4)Roughnecks (Round 7)Solomon’s Soldiers (Round 6)Taxmanian Devils (Round 8)Te Puke Pukekos (Round 1)Threat Level Midnight (Round 2)