Kennedy Parker
🎨𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙🎨
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Here we are at Rfctigerarmy's Hippodrome for the preliminary final clash between the Fighting Furies and East Side Hawks. The stakes are high with a place in the grand final up for grabs. Both these clubs have been consistently high performing teams in recent seasons but have come up short when it really matters. By the end of this week, it'll be another wasted opportunity for one while the other gets a chance to finally make it count and put past disappointments behind them.
Fighting Furies Analysis
Of the two sides coming into the preliminary final the Furies have had a far more convincing season. They finished 3rd on the ladder after the regular season with a record of 10 wins and 7 losses along with the best percentage in the league. This is largely due to their stingy defence that has conceded the least points of any team in the competition (1476 which is 101 points less than the Warriors who have the second best defence). They combine this with an effective game plan that allows them to score 100 points per game meaning they have a well balanced and consistent brand of Qooty.
Such a consistent season is a truly incredible feat as the Furies lost a vast amount of talent over the offseason and a season-ending injury to star full forward Sterge mid-season made the road even more challenging. How did they do it? With innovative game plans and unorthodox strategies implemented by captain NaturalDisaster who is quickly establishing himself as the league's best tactician this season.
With less talent available to him than rival clubs, NaturalDisaster's willingness to take risks with unconventional field placings and moves was a key factor behind the Furies' success thus far. Some examples of this include:
- The brave move to place himself on the bench. This allows him to have the best perspective in observing the game and be as responsive as possible to the game situations that unfold in order to make appropriate changes that arrest momentum quickly and push it in favour of the Furies.
- The emphasis on defence is the staple of the Furies' performances this season and ND made this a clear priority when he names Dual Mobbs Medalist, Deestroy + EKA + TFLUA-TIGER + Premiership captain Wacky Tiger in the back pocket to marshall the backline and make the Furies defence the best in the league.
- Naming rfctiger74 on the bench proves another masterstroke as anyone who comes to the bench for a rest goes back on the field more motivated by a Rfctiger74 pep-talk that will mostly include threats to punch them in the neck if they don't lift and some rant about tennis and half-hats.
East Side Hawks Analysis
The Hawks came into the season on the back of two strong seasons where they finished top 4 and made the grand final and preliminary final. Expectations were high with the list full of talent and big name recruits. However, a very mediocre season ensued with the team struggling to gel or attain any sort of consistency on the field and going into the final round they were in 10th spot. The Hawks got into the 8 mostly on the back of strong form at home being on average 7 goals better at Waverley Park and 5 of their 7 regular season wins came at the home venue.
In the late stages of the season they managed to find their mojo when it was really needed. An away win over the Swamprats enabled them to sneak into finals on percentage, and in a vastly different path to the prelim from previous seasons the Hawks overpowered the fading Warriors and blitzed the Wonders on the road.
What's the reason behind their success in the finals so far?
- Fast starts in both finals ultimately broke their opponent's resolve and set up relatively easy wins against the Warriors and Wonders. The Hawks dominated the first quarter keeping both finals opponents to a solitary goal while piling on 7.1 and 6.3 respectively to build up a formidable lead. Teams don't tend to win games often when chasing from 7 goals down.
- Both finals wins have been brought about on the back of some massive displays of match-winning individual brilliance up forward and in the midfield first from The Filth Wizard and Noobz0r in the elimination final and then boncer34 and spookism in semi-final. With so much talent across the ground the Hawks aren't reliant on any one player to perform.
Keys To The Game
The Start: If the East Side Hawks can replicate the first quarters of their games against the Warriors and Wonders the game will be over quickly. If the Furies defence can hold them off it'll give them a lot of confidence for the rest of the game. Defensive Fortress: The Fighting Furies have only conceded 81 points per game at rfctigerarmy's hippodrome in Season 26, including just ONE score above. This is almost 10 points on average better than any other team at their home ground. Pace Of The Game: The Furies being the defensive team prefer a slower game with lower scores. In games where both teams score less than 100 points the Furies have a 4-3 record compared to the Hawks' 2-4. By contrast, the Hawks defeated the Furies in the Round 11 clash at Waverley when the game turned out to be a shootout 131 to 128.
Ophidian Old Boys
