Pie 4 Life
Hall of Famer
Is it 2012 again? The Mozzie Bites are back in the Grand Final and we know what that means... and insufferable off-season from amos. Nay, more like an insufferable five-year period from amos if he wins... The Mozzie Bites haven't been relevant since Buddy and Roo strolled the LFFL scene as midfielders, and now Roo is retiring, and Buddy is on the opposition side. The third placed Mozzies have been talking themselves up all year, because that never, ever happens right? Now they're in the big dance, it's their time to deliver after losing their first final, they rebounded to post back-to-back victories and move through to the decider.
Standing in their way is the ultra-consistent Animals run wild, who have always looked like a premiership contender throughout the year. They had to shake off the Plovers and then pummeled the Polar Bears to make it through to the grand final, and now are evenly poised with the Mozzie Bites to determine the 2017 LFFL premier. This grand final is different to most years as one team will be making history - the first club to win two flags in the modern era; something that has made this game great is the equalisation of all clubs, giving everyone a chance to taste success. The Animals go about their business a little quieter than the Mozzies, but will have just as much confidence on grand final weekend that they can get the points. We'll take a look at the teams and how they stack up:
Mozzie Bites potential team:
B: Ryan Burton
B: Seb Ross
CC: Josh Kelly (OM)(VC)
F: Tom Hawkins
F: Joe Daniher
IM: Tom Liberatore
OM: Dylan Shiel (C)
R: Zac Smith
T: Jack Steele
U: Tom Mitchell
The obvious change to the preliminary final is Tom Hawkins returning to the forward slot for Charlie Dixon, with teh team otherwise chugging along nicely. Jack Redden has always been in consideration for the tackler position, which Libba has played there at times with the inside midfielder role rotated. It will be interesting to see if amos continues to name Shiel as captain, of if he changes to Kelly, or puts his balls on the line and names Hawkins or Daniher as the C, both of which have been in good form (Hawkins prior to his suspension).
Animals run wild potential team:
Back: Mitch Duncan
Back: Jack Macrae
CC(OM): Dan Hannebury
Forward: Lance Franklin (vc)
Forward: Jack Billings
Inside Mid: Jack Ziebell
Outside Mid: Marc Murphy
Ruck: Todd Goldstein**
Tackler: Scott Selwood (c)
Utility: Adam Treloar
I actually love the consistency of the Animals side because there are very few weaknesses across the board. In terms of every line, you cannot say there is a particular weakness. However, the big question mark will be over the fitness of Todd Goldstein, with Rhys Stanley sitting in the magoos, the Animals run the risk of not having a proper ruck in the role, which could seriously hurt. If Tom Boyd returns, then that could fill the void, but if not, then Drew23 has a conundrum on his hands. Does he bring in Luke Dahlhaus or Toby Greene into the forward role and release a Franklin or Billings into the ruck? Probably not wise given Franklin's potential to score big. Does he bring one of them into the ruck role? Again, a risk, but better than the prior option. Or does he look at bringing in a Dan Rich and then use him there hoping he takes more marks, or moves Mitch Duncan or Jack Macrae into the ruck spot. The best option probably is bringing in your next best marker and slotting him in, because you don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul in a sense. So I'm guessing Dahlhaus or Greene will come in for Goldstein if he's not fit.
Tip: Animals run wild in a close one. On paper I think the Animals tick more boxes in terms of consistency. The Mozzies often rely on Tom Mitchell, or a freakish game from a Josh Kelly, Joe Daniher or Tom Hawkins (sometimes all of them do) to pump out huge scores. They do have a few holes in the backs (Burton is good, but he's not a Duncan/Macrae) and tackler (Steele is no Selwood) positions, as well as a who knows? Libba. The Animals will hurt badly with the loss of Goldstein if he misses, but they are considerably stronger in the Mozzies weaker areas, whereas in the Mozzies stronger areas, the Animals tend to have players that can at least get close, if not equal them. If Treloar has a down day though, the Mozzies could be in prime position, with Mitchell sure to go big as he always does.
Don't have to remind everyone, but captains, vice-captains and obviously teams before the deadline. Good luck coaches, hopefully it's another beauty.
Standing in their way is the ultra-consistent Animals run wild, who have always looked like a premiership contender throughout the year. They had to shake off the Plovers and then pummeled the Polar Bears to make it through to the grand final, and now are evenly poised with the Mozzie Bites to determine the 2017 LFFL premier. This grand final is different to most years as one team will be making history - the first club to win two flags in the modern era; something that has made this game great is the equalisation of all clubs, giving everyone a chance to taste success. The Animals go about their business a little quieter than the Mozzies, but will have just as much confidence on grand final weekend that they can get the points. We'll take a look at the teams and how they stack up:
Mozzie Bites potential team:
B: Ryan Burton
B: Seb Ross
CC: Josh Kelly (OM)(VC)
F: Tom Hawkins
F: Joe Daniher
IM: Tom Liberatore
OM: Dylan Shiel (C)
R: Zac Smith
T: Jack Steele
U: Tom Mitchell
The obvious change to the preliminary final is Tom Hawkins returning to the forward slot for Charlie Dixon, with teh team otherwise chugging along nicely. Jack Redden has always been in consideration for the tackler position, which Libba has played there at times with the inside midfielder role rotated. It will be interesting to see if amos continues to name Shiel as captain, of if he changes to Kelly, or puts his balls on the line and names Hawkins or Daniher as the C, both of which have been in good form (Hawkins prior to his suspension).
Animals run wild potential team:
Back: Mitch Duncan
Back: Jack Macrae
CC(OM): Dan Hannebury
Forward: Lance Franklin (vc)
Forward: Jack Billings
Inside Mid: Jack Ziebell
Outside Mid: Marc Murphy
Ruck: Todd Goldstein**
Tackler: Scott Selwood (c)
Utility: Adam Treloar
I actually love the consistency of the Animals side because there are very few weaknesses across the board. In terms of every line, you cannot say there is a particular weakness. However, the big question mark will be over the fitness of Todd Goldstein, with Rhys Stanley sitting in the magoos, the Animals run the risk of not having a proper ruck in the role, which could seriously hurt. If Tom Boyd returns, then that could fill the void, but if not, then Drew23 has a conundrum on his hands. Does he bring in Luke Dahlhaus or Toby Greene into the forward role and release a Franklin or Billings into the ruck? Probably not wise given Franklin's potential to score big. Does he bring one of them into the ruck role? Again, a risk, but better than the prior option. Or does he look at bringing in a Dan Rich and then use him there hoping he takes more marks, or moves Mitch Duncan or Jack Macrae into the ruck spot. The best option probably is bringing in your next best marker and slotting him in, because you don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul in a sense. So I'm guessing Dahlhaus or Greene will come in for Goldstein if he's not fit.
Tip: Animals run wild in a close one. On paper I think the Animals tick more boxes in terms of consistency. The Mozzies often rely on Tom Mitchell, or a freakish game from a Josh Kelly, Joe Daniher or Tom Hawkins (sometimes all of them do) to pump out huge scores. They do have a few holes in the backs (Burton is good, but he's not a Duncan/Macrae) and tackler (Steele is no Selwood) positions, as well as a who knows? Libba. The Animals will hurt badly with the loss of Goldstein if he misses, but they are considerably stronger in the Mozzies weaker areas, whereas in the Mozzies stronger areas, the Animals tend to have players that can at least get close, if not equal them. If Treloar has a down day though, the Mozzies could be in prime position, with Mitchell sure to go big as he always does.
Don't have to remind everyone, but captains, vice-captains and obviously teams before the deadline. Good luck coaches, hopefully it's another beauty.
