MILESTONES
150 Games
- Jack Steele (Love Sparkles)
100 Games
- James Sicily (Solomon’s Soldiers)
GAME OF THE ROUND
The winner of this one will be in second spot and the box seat to join the Devils with a bye in the finals. This is arguably the most consequential fixture remaining in the home & away season (though one or two fixtures come round 21 may prove this false…)
Both teams come in with comparable form. By which we mean, both lost to the Devils at some point in the past fortnight. Is it beginning to feel like it’d be a surprise if the Devils don’t pull this off…
The Roughnecks have lost Tim Taranto to concussion. And then on Thursday night Yeo, Farrell and Graham all decided to go to Bali for a rejuvenation program, or something. I dunno all I know is it was unexpected and it sucked. A surprise test for the Roughnecks’ depth this weekend – and not the ideal opponent for such a test.
The Sparkles will go in with a similar side to the one that fell short against the Devils last weekend, and will be hoping to press their newfound advantage down back. They’ve only spent a solitary round outside the top 2 since Round 3, and they’d no doubt be mightily annoyed to let that slip so close to the finish line. Everything to play for this weekend.
Last time these two met
The Roughnecks scored a 47 point victory and, after a few close losses against the other elite, some belief they could match it with the very best.
The Roughnecks victory broke a streak of 3 consecutive Sparkles victories in this matchup, including last season’s elimination final. Prior to that run the Roughnecks have historically led the way between these two clubs, with 16 wins to the Sparkles’ 7.
The Sparkles had two of the best 3 players in the game, but it was the consistency of the Roughnecks that proved the difference. They had 10 players score 90 or more, with 8 hitting triple figures. The Sparkles only had 5 centurions. And at the other end of the scale, Kyle Langford could only manage a 38, whereas fellow Bomber Sam Durham was the lowest scoring Roughneck, with a more respectable 55.
DangerGawn votes
- 3 votes: Noah Anderson (Sparkles) – 142
- 2 votes: Sam Flanders (Roughnecks) – 122
- 1 vote: Matt Crouch (Sparkles) – 119
SNEAKY INTERESTING MATCHUP
Bit of a reach to call this one sneaky given both clubs are finals bound, but I’ve given this the edge over the MSHB v Midnight game – even if that one has greater repercussions if TLM can pull off an upset.
The Devils are flying. They’ve dispatched their two most in from competitors in the last two weeks, and will finish this season in the top two for the first time ever. They’re in the box seat for the minor premiership as well, and can just about spend the next 3 weeks hoping to avoid any nasty injuries (or suspensions)
The Defenestrators are flat. Real flat. They’d have lost last weekend if they faced anyone other than Te Puke Pukekos. They haven’t gone over 1800 since round 13.
And yet, they have the same number of wins as the Roughnecks. And only one less than the Sparkles, who we are not concerned about at all. Perhaps this is just very Cleveland Cavaliers circa LeBron second edition – just doing what needs to be done in the regular season before turning on the switch and dispatching the 1-seed Raptors with ease. Given how consistently these Defenestrators have made the Grand Final in recent times, it seems a fitting comparison. Beware the sleeping dragon. Or something.
Last time these two met
The Devils won a high scoring affair by 75 points. Consistency was the name of the game here, with 12 Devils scoring 90 points or more – overcoming some poor efforts from Impey (42) and Finlayson (35).
For the Defenestrators it was the improbable miracle forward Blake Hardwick who tried to drag them to victory. But a series of poor scores in the middle of the park sunk some pretty stellar efforts from their defenders and forwards.
It was only the Devils’ 4th win in this matchup, all-time. The Defenestrators have 15 wins to their name. They’ll be hoping to lean on some of that history again this weekend.
DangerGawn votes
- 3 votes: Jordan Clark (Devils) – 141
- 2 votes: Blake Hardwick (Defenestrators) – 132
- 1 vote: Zac Fisher (Defenestrators) – 121
STRAY OBSERVATION
The Chiefs v Midnight game went according to script last week, with Midnight falling short despite a monstrous 151 from Gulden. I’m looking forward to seeing what TLM does in next year’s pre-season draft.
Meanwhile MaherShalalHashBaz did themselves, the Chiefs, and the other finalists a big favour by holding firm against a Lethal Vipers outfit who – at this stage – feel like clearly the best team in the bottom half of the ladder. They’ll finally (!) climb out of 9th spot after this weekend, which feels ridiculous to say as they would’ve been by some measure the strongest performing 9th placed finisher in league history had they remained. But they’re now two wins behind the Chiefs for 6th place, with only 3 rounds remaining, and matchups against both the Devils and Sparkles to come.
It’s been a hell of a charge over the past month, but it seems almost certain to fall short in the end.