Pie 4 Life
Hall of Famer
Here's part two of the 2014 season preview where I look at the pro's and con's of every team, starting with everyone's favourite, the Mozzie Bites!
Mozzie Bites: amos
It's hard to believe there is actually a season where amos can't claim his Mozzies are the reigning champs. The trophy cabinet is filling up and much like the Manchester United of the LFFL, everyone loves a good win over the Mozzies. Hard to believe this side went out in straight sets last finals series, but so it was and the Bites had their earliest draft pick since 1683 which was the start of their 329 year premiership streak if you believe the amos story. Another impressive round of drafting has left them in premiership contention with good consistency across the board. Nick Riewoldt is getting every little bit out of his ageing body as is Aaron Sandilands and Chris Judd. They ideally lack a utility as having Liberatore in inside mid is the perfect fit, but given Judd is not the Judd of the mid 2000's, Libba is the obvious choice with the exception of Sandilands. Elsewhere the Bites' are pretty well covered and again, a top four placing is on offer for this side.
The Repeaters: Pie 4 Life
Hard to rate your own side, but I back my team to be up with the best. Obviously one of the weaker bit-part forward lines in the league with Paul Chapman, Jason Winderlich and Hayden Ballantyne the key players. It was a deliberate approach to be bordering elite across the rest of the team with Beams, Cunnington and Pendlebury sharing the midfield and utility duties while Leuenberger and Kelly sit in the ruck and tackler positions. Kane Cornes is rock solid captaincy option down back, meaning six of the ten players are bordering elite or elite. I'd be disappointed with anything less than a top four finish and believe I can reasonably achieve that. Even a bad week last week saw a score of 420+ so that will be 75% of the teams most weeks.
Safety Bay Stormers: peterss
The 2014 Safety Bay Stormers remind me of a premiership reunion. A lot of players of which in their prime would be elite LFFL players, knocking off the best in the league. Now, the likes of Jonathan Brown, Matthew Pavlich, Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross aren't what they used to be. They'll still pump out 30 odd PPG each probably, but they won't match it with the elites of the competition. I would even argue Ben McEvoy is the only potential elite player on the list. I hope I'm proved wrong, but if Bosh is to get a win, it may well come against the Stormers. Have a feeling they might be in for a long season unless peterss cna weave some magic and get those oldies pumping out some vintage scores.
South-Eastern Polar Bears: sr20
Another one that will be right there when the whips are cracking again, but his luck thus far with injury has been shocking. Taylor Walker, Beau Waters, Kurt Tippett and Adam Goodes are already amongst the casualties, leaving a distinct weakness in the forward line. Once they regain three of those four, they'll be up and running and be hard to beat. Best scenario for opposition teams is to catch them early while they're vulnerable. Fully fit, this side is a top four contender. The big question mark is how many wins can they notch up while they're undermanned? Could be the difference between a double chance and a 5-8 spot.
Woodville Wolverines: BoshtrichBurger
If this season went on for five years, Bosh would probably be favourite for that fifth year. But unfortunately it doesn't and he's in for a long, long season. Guys like Andrew Walker, Chad Wingard, Harry Taylor and David Zaharakis will pick up some good points but even talented guns like Brodie Grundy, Jaeger O'Meara and Taylor Adams will take time to develop. Problem with drafting so many youngsters in the bid to carry them over is he can only pick a maximum of four and then other clubs can snaffle them when they come of age. Anything above bottom will be considered a good season. They make finals and I'll become their number one ticket holder.
The Newbies:
The Super Troopers: Wacky Tiger
Wacky has inherited the team formerly known as TRFC. Having never made a finals series, they look for some stability coach-wise this season and hopefully Wacky can provide that. Far from the worst team, they could sneak into the bottom of the eight with a bit of luck. All things being equal, they will probably miss out to be in the bottom six, but a high draft pick and a relaunch will see them in a good position for 2015. Plenty of elite scorers in Brett Deledio, Steele Sidebottom, Callan Ward and Steve Johnson to keep other teams wary. Not a top four hope, but top eight is not beyond them.
Melbourne Heat/Skippos' team: Skippos
The team Skippos has inherited has significant top-end talent with Jobe Watson and Dane Swan leading the way. Managed two wins over the pre-season so the team are another one with finals ambitions. Not quite in the top eschelon of teams with the quality dropping off after the first few, but have enough about themselves to make finals and with the right coaching could do so. From there, you just need a few good weeks to take out the flag, just ask The Cheetahs.
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Summary:
Contenders:
The Cheetahs
Mozzie Bites
The Ladyboys
The Repeaters
South-Eastern Polar Bears
Animals run wild
The next bracket: Need to make the next step
Classy Gentlemen
American Rednecks
City Oval Plovers
Unknowns:
Melbourne Heat/Skippos' side
The Super Troopers
The Alley Gators
Long season ahead:
Safety Bay Stormers
Woodville Wolverines
It's hard to believe there are six teams you wouldn't be surprised to hear of winning the premiership with another three that are outside chances. Classy Gentlemen were probably within a bees dick of making it into the contenders, but need to assess them in the real stuff to see if they can continue their consistency. I think most coaches expect those top six to be fighting it out, but it will be intriguing to see if the other eight sides can upset the apple cart and really shape a new top eight. Genuinely believe there's only two teams with no chance of making finals, while another three that will find it tough, but have enough talent to get there.
Mozzie Bites: amos
It's hard to believe there is actually a season where amos can't claim his Mozzies are the reigning champs. The trophy cabinet is filling up and much like the Manchester United of the LFFL, everyone loves a good win over the Mozzies. Hard to believe this side went out in straight sets last finals series, but so it was and the Bites had their earliest draft pick since 1683 which was the start of their 329 year premiership streak if you believe the amos story. Another impressive round of drafting has left them in premiership contention with good consistency across the board. Nick Riewoldt is getting every little bit out of his ageing body as is Aaron Sandilands and Chris Judd. They ideally lack a utility as having Liberatore in inside mid is the perfect fit, but given Judd is not the Judd of the mid 2000's, Libba is the obvious choice with the exception of Sandilands. Elsewhere the Bites' are pretty well covered and again, a top four placing is on offer for this side.
The Repeaters: Pie 4 Life
Hard to rate your own side, but I back my team to be up with the best. Obviously one of the weaker bit-part forward lines in the league with Paul Chapman, Jason Winderlich and Hayden Ballantyne the key players. It was a deliberate approach to be bordering elite across the rest of the team with Beams, Cunnington and Pendlebury sharing the midfield and utility duties while Leuenberger and Kelly sit in the ruck and tackler positions. Kane Cornes is rock solid captaincy option down back, meaning six of the ten players are bordering elite or elite. I'd be disappointed with anything less than a top four finish and believe I can reasonably achieve that. Even a bad week last week saw a score of 420+ so that will be 75% of the teams most weeks.
Safety Bay Stormers: peterss
The 2014 Safety Bay Stormers remind me of a premiership reunion. A lot of players of which in their prime would be elite LFFL players, knocking off the best in the league. Now, the likes of Jonathan Brown, Matthew Pavlich, Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross aren't what they used to be. They'll still pump out 30 odd PPG each probably, but they won't match it with the elites of the competition. I would even argue Ben McEvoy is the only potential elite player on the list. I hope I'm proved wrong, but if Bosh is to get a win, it may well come against the Stormers. Have a feeling they might be in for a long season unless peterss cna weave some magic and get those oldies pumping out some vintage scores.
South-Eastern Polar Bears: sr20
Another one that will be right there when the whips are cracking again, but his luck thus far with injury has been shocking. Taylor Walker, Beau Waters, Kurt Tippett and Adam Goodes are already amongst the casualties, leaving a distinct weakness in the forward line. Once they regain three of those four, they'll be up and running and be hard to beat. Best scenario for opposition teams is to catch them early while they're vulnerable. Fully fit, this side is a top four contender. The big question mark is how many wins can they notch up while they're undermanned? Could be the difference between a double chance and a 5-8 spot.
Woodville Wolverines: BoshtrichBurger
If this season went on for five years, Bosh would probably be favourite for that fifth year. But unfortunately it doesn't and he's in for a long, long season. Guys like Andrew Walker, Chad Wingard, Harry Taylor and David Zaharakis will pick up some good points but even talented guns like Brodie Grundy, Jaeger O'Meara and Taylor Adams will take time to develop. Problem with drafting so many youngsters in the bid to carry them over is he can only pick a maximum of four and then other clubs can snaffle them when they come of age. Anything above bottom will be considered a good season. They make finals and I'll become their number one ticket holder.
The Newbies:
The Super Troopers: Wacky Tiger
Wacky has inherited the team formerly known as TRFC. Having never made a finals series, they look for some stability coach-wise this season and hopefully Wacky can provide that. Far from the worst team, they could sneak into the bottom of the eight with a bit of luck. All things being equal, they will probably miss out to be in the bottom six, but a high draft pick and a relaunch will see them in a good position for 2015. Plenty of elite scorers in Brett Deledio, Steele Sidebottom, Callan Ward and Steve Johnson to keep other teams wary. Not a top four hope, but top eight is not beyond them.
Melbourne Heat/Skippos' team: Skippos
The team Skippos has inherited has significant top-end talent with Jobe Watson and Dane Swan leading the way. Managed two wins over the pre-season so the team are another one with finals ambitions. Not quite in the top eschelon of teams with the quality dropping off after the first few, but have enough about themselves to make finals and with the right coaching could do so. From there, you just need a few good weeks to take out the flag, just ask The Cheetahs.
---
Summary:
Contenders:
The Cheetahs
Mozzie Bites
The Ladyboys
The Repeaters
South-Eastern Polar Bears
Animals run wild
The next bracket: Need to make the next step
Classy Gentlemen
American Rednecks
City Oval Plovers
Unknowns:
Melbourne Heat/Skippos' side
The Super Troopers
The Alley Gators
Long season ahead:
Safety Bay Stormers
Woodville Wolverines
It's hard to believe there are six teams you wouldn't be surprised to hear of winning the premiership with another three that are outside chances. Classy Gentlemen were probably within a bees dick of making it into the contenders, but need to assess them in the real stuff to see if they can continue their consistency. I think most coaches expect those top six to be fighting it out, but it will be intriguing to see if the other eight sides can upset the apple cart and really shape a new top eight. Genuinely believe there's only two teams with no chance of making finals, while another three that will find it tough, but have enough talent to get there.
