Who says you can't get better while sitting on the couch?

Since all my favourite shows have finished their run in the States, I have been left with bugger all to download and watch on my laptop in bed before dozing off. So instead I've been going through the early seasons of Scrubs on DVD. Great show. But I digress.

Instead of being tucked up in bed upstairs, I'm on the couch watching it on the telly downstairs. I'm quite fidgety, and can't sit still without doing something with my hands as well (hello ladies). More often than not, I have a disc in my hands. My activities with the disc include, but are not limited to...

• Trying unsuccessfully to spin the disc on my fingertips.
• Throwing up push passes.
• Catching said push passes with my left hand.
• Faking scoobers and backhands (forehands too difficult to do sitting down).
  
• Switching between forehand and backhand grips with a flick of the wrist.

First three...idle waste of time, really. But the last two came in quite handy over the weekend at Halibut.

I've always seen faking as being a vital part of handling, especially against a zone. So many times I've seen players put out terrible fakes - just doing it for the sake of doing it. And I have seen some people's fakes bought by their marker, the fence, the deep deep, the TD, half the crowd and birds in nearby trees. After watching some of those people at work and paying attention to what they do to make their fakes convincing, I realised how simple it was.

Do everything you do in a normal throw, except for letting go of the disc.

So I started doing that in games. And it worked. One of my favourite break throws is to suddenly crouch down low and fire out an inside-out forehand right from my marker's hips. Which I remember from my goalkeeping days as being a very difficult spot to defend. Then when I started throwing in a simple hammer fake, it became easier to get that throw off.

So back to the couch.

I have found that a fake becomes even better when you make the disc move at the end of your throwing motion, to make your marker think for that split second you have actually let go of the disc. So when I fake a scoober or hammer, I actually flick the disc down onto my wrist, and the marker bought it nearly every time.

And when I faked a backhand, I flicked the disc around, straight into a forehand grip, which allow me to step across to the forehand side and get the throw off about half a second earlier. This can make a huge difference in terms of metres gained, since you're hitting your receiver half a second earlier (3-5 metres). Same of the other way - fake a forehand, flick into a backhand grip and step across into the backhand huck, having that extra split second to get the throw off unmarked.

Then I learned something else to add.

Being tall, I have the advantage of simply being able to reach over my marker's shoulder without too much strain. So a few times I put in a high fake over my marker's shoulder behind their line of sight while flicking the wrist. This worked better than I thought, because apparently it sounded like I had let go of the disc (the sound of course being right in their ear) and the marker would turn around and start running away. Amazing.

At Halibut, I added another aspect.

This wasn't some amazing epiphany - I got this from watching/talking to O-Shep. If I threw in the aforementioned over-the-shoulder-flicking-the-wrist fake while I had two feet planted, then as soon as I've flicked the wrist, I quickly pivot out around the marker, giving the illusion I have started running. Which in turn causes the marker to do the old "oh shit I better go chase him", leaving you to throw whatever pass you want.

Sold two suckers up the river with that one.

Halibut preview

So over at the Brisbane Ultimate Blog they've been speculating about the revered Halibut tournament this weekend in sunny (?) Brisvegas. Not content with their preview of the teams, today I suddenly remembered that I have my own blog and I could do my own preview. I've also enlisted the assistance of my work colleague Beggsy, who knows as much about ultimate as he knows about his job, for his predictions.


Team: Plan B
Captain: Erin Wallis
Who dem?: Dingo/Firetail/Mundi rejects

Much like sterile couples in their 30s who buy expensive dogs as a replacement for children, this team will be treating Halibut as a replacement for their shattered Vancouver dreams. And much like the sterile couples spoil their dogs just like they would children, Plan B will treat Halibut like Worlds, complete with warm-ups, warm downs, tactics and a party curfew.

Simon's tip: 2nd
Beggsy's tip: 10th
Party finish: 6th



Team: iCarrot
Captain: Maylin Chuah
Who dem?: Sultry/Firestorm

With four non-carnivores on this team, they are risking an exposure to iron deficiencies this weekend. This can lead to on-field "brain farts" because according to experts, our ancestors eating meat unlocked vital proteins that led us to become smart enough to invent the wheel, use fire to our advantage, and create awesome television shows. However, Own Bed Advantage should kick in for these guys on Sunday and they'll finish strong.

Simon's tip: 3rd
Beggsy's tip: 1st
Party finish: 5th



Team: Goldigaz Revival
Captain: Mark Isherwood
Who dem?: Remnants of Eureka Goldigaz from WUCC2006

The original team was born in Ballarat, but only 3 out of the 11 players fronting up this weekend still call B-Town home, so it's really a team of nomads this time around. Traditionally Goldigaz players perform strongly on interstate turf, particularly evidenced by their inability to string three points together at Albert Park. While they will start slow due to being a while since they've played together, the strong on-field pairings of Bree & Blair, Woodley & Basil, Simon & Sezzy and Frank & in cuts will remind them all of how to play. They'll probably finish last in spirit, just like WUCC!

Simon's tip: 4th
Beggsy's tip: 2nd
Party finish: 1st



Team: Mellow Yellow
Captain: Jon Good
Who dem?: Brisbane league team

Not only did they spell it wrong, they probably can't even turn right, much like Cole Trickle in Days Of Thunder, who incidentally shared the same sponsor as this team. While an inability to turn right isn't much good on the frisbee field, they would smash Derek Zoolander in a walk-off, which puts them in good stead for the party. While there are no names on the team quite manly enough to be the lead character in a Jerry Bruckheimer film (Rafe McCawley, Herman Boone, Marcus Bennett - bonus points to whoever can name the films), their weekend should play out like Tom Cruise's career - great start, everyone wants to be them, then somewhere along the line they become a bit strange.

Simon's tip: 9th
Beggsy's tip: 6th
Party finish: 9th



Team: Pickup Team
Captain: Andrew McCasker
Who dem?: All the Nigels

I had a look at the team list and recognised zero names. The risk with pickup teams is that sometimes they'll have super-dooper imports who just haven't been noticed by club teams yet. The number of new AFDA members on that team concerns me a bit - they might be super-dooper imports, or they might be newbies who are yet to realise that despite me being 6'5", a deep cut does not result in me catching it.

Simon's tip: 11th
Beggsy's tip: 7th
Party finish: 11th



Team: Mind The Gap
Captain: Mat Ryan
Who dem?: Previous winners

Every tournament has their stalwart team - the one that's there every year, with the familiar faces, that usually win. Mind The Gap is that team for Halibut. Several recogniseable names are on the list, with plenty of Nationals experience under their belt. A squad of 18 suggests that either they'll run everyone else ragged, or they have kids and need to ensure there's players on the sideline to babysit while mum/dad are on the field.

Simon's tip: 1st
Beggsy's tip: 8th
Party finish: 10th



Team: UQ Lovers
Captain: Peter Allen
Who dem?: Uni kids

This team hasn't got Cunliffe. They'll be fine.

Simon's tip: 5th
Beggsy's tip: 11th
Party finish: 4th



Team: UQ Passion
Captain: Nathan Litzow
Who dem?: Uni kids

This team has Cunliffe. Take that for what it's worth.

Simon's tip: 7th
Beggsy's tip: 9th
Party finish: 2nd



Team: Slamtown Flatball Club
Captain: Stefan Rappazzo
Who dem?: Gold Coast

I'll be honest, I don't know a lot about the Gold Coast ultimate scene, but I do know that Stefan is quite capable of being an angry young man, so they might even take this weekend seriously. Sport in the Gold Coast is enjoying a boom with every sport ever invented trying to set themselves up with a presence there - the NRL, AFL, A-League, basketball, croquet and curling are all looking to have semi-professional clubs there in the next few years. However ultimate has jumped the gun on all of them and I predict that by August 2019 there will be approximately 2 million people playing ultimate in Surfers Paradise.

Simon's tip: 6th
Beggsy's tip: 5th
Party finish: 3rd



Team: Not Sure Yet
Captain: Peta McNaughton
Who dem?: Mix of Minx, Townsville and assorted locals

Their team name doesn't exactly bring forth visions of creativity and innovation. I'd expect this team to spend the weekend playing traditional mixed ultimate - vertical stack on O, man-force-flick on D, running a triangle drill on warm-up and looking off their women's long cuts. At the party all the guys will be dressed as Batman, and the girls will dress as Marilyn Monroe. They'll probably even be drinking XXXX, and reminding me that Queensland won State Of Origin while I look at them blankly and tell them I'm from Victoria.

Simon's tip: 8th
Beggsy's tip: 4th
Party finish: 8th



Team: The Pass
Captain: Andrew Badman
Who dem?: Byron Bay plus some locals

I can see their game plan already - Jangles catches the pull, throws to Badman who hucks to the Brothers Stone. Now that that's been exposed, they'll need to come up with something better and practice it before Saturday. I can also see Jangles doing everything he can to keep Wetnose away from Carissa Beu, who I assume is Jangles' sister and/or wife.

Simon's tip: 10th
Beggsy's tip: 3rd
Party finish: 7th



See you all Saturday morning.

Line judges?

Those of you who are on the afda-hp mailing list would have seen the online donnybrook just before Nationals about the trialling of line judges. I think the problem with that was the short notice of having them at semis and the finals or whatever was planned.

The idea itself isn't a terrible one - someone dedicated to watching the line to advise (not rule) on in/out calls.

So at ECC I decided to try it out in one game. On the last game of the Tuesday it was UNSW versus University of Sydney. High stakes game as the result and margin affected the final standings. I approached both captains and asked if they agreed to the trial - both were fine, as long as we were advising, not ruling.

I recruited Nick Dowle to be my co-line judge for the game since he was injured. He was positioned on the home sideline at the front corner of the right side endzone. I was diagonally opposite (away sideline, left side endzone). We had basic hand signals - point to the field if they're in, away from the field if they're out. Same with the endzone.

So was it worth the effort? Not really.

We were called upon once each - I was asked if a pull landed out (which it did), and Nick was asked if someone's first ground contact was over the goal line (which it was). But on both occasions there were participating players much closer to the disc than we were who also advised on the outcome (both occasions they agreed with Nick and I). So it wasn't a bad exercise and it's certainly not a terrible idea.

However, if you consider having to find volunteers for each game, and having those volunteers concentrate on the entire game (I was guilty of not watching for long periods, and I'm sure Nick was too), and at Nationals each team is going to have a dozen or more players on the sideline anyway, then it seems to be that the effort far outweighs the benefit.


Oh, and while you're reading, Vintage and Flying High won the Geelong League semi finals tonight. Final is next Tuesday night. Spectators welcome.

Geelong League: Semi Finals next week

So after last night's final round of games which saw Vintage get over the Yoghurt Slingers comfortably, and Flying High defeating BUUF on universe point, here's the standings at the end of the first season.

Team	W	L	For	Against	%
Vintage	4	2	76	58	131.03
Flying High	4	2	71	64	110.93
BUUF	3	3	70	65	107.69
Yoghurt Slingers	1	5	47	77	61.03

Semi Finals on Tuesday night...
Vintage vs Yoghurt Slingers
Flying High vs BUUF

Junior Worlds 2000?

So I was thinking the other day... if everyone who plays ultimate now was playing eight years ago, would I have made an Australian junior boys team in 2000 (when I was 17/18)?

I looked into it - included are players who were 16-19 years old as of January 1st, 2000.

Lee Baker
Mike Baker
Andrew Barr
Troy Booth
Josh Cukierman
Paul Denyer
Pete Gardner
Abra Garfield
Tim Gee
Andrew Glover
Tim Lavis
John Liddicoat
Pete Liddicoat
Joel Pillar
Frank Simmons
Jonathon Tatham
Alex Wong

...I think that'll do. I probably wouldn't have made it.

2008 East Coast Challenge review

Executive summary: Everyone in NSW plays zone D. And it wasn't even windy.

So I was up in Sydney for a few days being a volunteer at the East Coast Challenge. In short, the quality of play was sensational and was very entertaining to watch. It almost become my primary reason for attending, however it didn't quite beat out "free lunch and t-shirt".


6th place - UTS
A young squad that is finally starting to have everything click. I didn't see much of them at AUG last year, but their results didn't exactly inspire me. My offsider (technically he was my boss, but whatevs) for the week informed me they were much better now than last September, so I'm keen to see what they produce this September. Probably the key criticism I had was their flow on O - they could move the disc around without any troubles, but could never get anything going beyond two passes, especially against a zone.

The Plus: Enthusiasm
This is a team that really, really loves ultimate. Always throwing between games and on the sideline, actively encouraging their own teammates, running hard and never giving up, even when down 12-0.

The Minus: Leadership
Every uni team has their key player (or two) - last year UQ had Matzuka, Mac had Dowle and UNSW had Waz Shepherd. While UTS has some talented players, they don't have that one player that can control the O on field. This team could really benefit from having a Nationals-playing coach (maybe a notable alumnus...James Yorsten perhaps?)

Players to watch:
Tom Elliott - For my mind he was the best performer on O for UTS. Confident with his throws and able to get the disc under pressure. Really should be playing upfield, but until there's someone who can fill his handler role he'll be stuck there.
Rosie Suthers - Similar to Tom. Stuck in a handler role because there's no one else who can confidently fill that role, when she really should be playing as a primary/mid. If UTS can get other people into handler roles before September, Tom and Rosie should be able to give them the upfield movement they desperately need.



5th place: University of New South Wales
These guys were very unlucky to miss the semis in a close field, but a first day injury to Nick Dowle didn't help. Watching fUNSWitch was essentially watching "The Waz & Ju Show" - these two dominated the play and were well supported by the likes of Wayne Thong, Adam Kran and Mariel Huicochea. If only a couple of close pool games had have gone their way we would have seen these guys medal. They did miss Abra Garfield's intensity from 2007, but should be factoring among the top few at AUG. Fun fact: fUNSWitch's team had the younger brothers of 3 Dingos and 1 Barramundi.

The Plus: Waz and Ju
When it comes to uni ultimate, these two are in a class of their own. They spent the week trotting about the field doing whatever they felt like, because no one could really stop them.

The Minus: Cohesion
Unlike many other uni teams, fUNSWitch don't play together very often. While there are some very talented players, there was some sloppy offense at times, and they struggled on quick turns at times. If they were to get in one or two tournaments between now and September, they should be top 4 contenders.

Players to watch:
Steve Gangemi - if everyone didn't already know him, Baby G would probably be a very underestimated player, largely because he looks about 12 years old. However is very quick and has solid throws. Plays very well as a popper against a zone and knows exactly where to cut on O. Only drawback is a propensity to get schooled on D, because of aforementioned appearance.
Rebecca Jiang - Fairly sure I didn't hear a word out of her all week, so she'll probably fly under the radar of many teams (not any more! Muahahaha!) Is a product of the National Junior Training Camp, so she will just let her skills do the talking. Plays upfield but could just as easily play handler.



4th place - University of Newcastle
This was a very talented squad filled with I-Beam and Sugar Mags, plus some chump. Dominated the pool play and finished on top (after some head-to-head and goal difference shenanigans), but couldn't continue their form on Wednesday. Played a lot of zone D, and why wouldn't you if you had Dave Jarrott patrolling the deep. O was just as good, with Liz Dodd and Chris Lavis controlling the play with virtually no errors.

The Plus: The girls
Newcastle were able to use the Sugar Mags on their team to a huge advantage on many occasions, especially against a zone D (which there was a lot of). And they still may have Ellie Sparke on their team for AUG. Will beat a lot of teams at AUG based purely on that.

The Minus: Mentality
It was hard to find a minus for this team from what I saw of them, but obviously there must have been one otherwise they would have one. I suspect they had issues with mental focus - they came out all fired up, but would be quite drained by the end of most games, which allowed UQ (semi) and Sydney (bronze medal game) to run away with the victories by 4 points or so after being even a few minutes before.

Players to watch:
Chris "Chilly" Hill - This guy has what you want in an ultimate player. Height, hops, speed, athleticism and a forehand that makes you go "shit, that's a pretty good forehand."
Tegan Sneddon - Tegan was on the receiving end of many of Newcastle's goals. Very fast and agile and can take a high grab, making her a deep threat but she can also play back if needed.



3rd place - University of Sydney
These guys were very unlucky not to be in the final. After the pool play was done, there was a 3 way tie at the top with Sydney, Mac and UQ all on equal wins, and on head to head they were all 1-1. At first, Bozza and I worked out that Sydney finished on top and were to face Newcastle in the semi, but apparently we got it wrong and they were second and had to overcome Mac in the semi. Other than that, they were a bloody good team. Their zone D was difficult to get around without taking risks, and their O was solid, but they got impatient during long points which cost them on a few occasions.

The Plus: Zone D
As mentioned before, their puppy fence was awesome. With a guy chasing, three girl wall and three tall guys deep, standard zone O wasn't enough to get around them. Teams were forced to take risky options to get around them. This came off often enough for some teams, but in any kind of wind it'll be a big ask.

The Minus: Impatience on O
Sydney lost a lot of long points because they became frustrated as they got closer to the endzone. While some of their endzone shots weren't necessarily bad options as such, there were much safer options available. Exceptions can be made for Izzy MacAuley and Mike Tarn who keep much cooler heads. If they can score quickly on all their O points, Sydney should medal in Melbourne.

Players to watch:
Lu Wee Koh - I first played with him at Melbourne Hat 06 and he showed plenty of potential back then, which has now transformed into talent. He was chasing as puppy on most D points and was absolutely relentless on the mark and was able to keep up on the long points. Got himself a lot of hand blocks, and even scored an "ass block" on one point.
Izzy MacAuley - a reliable axis is imperative in zone O, and when Pete Liddicoat wasn't doing it, Izzy was filling the role. Got a lot of break throws off which gave them plenty of run through the middle. With Firetails/Mundis/Terra reps missing from AUG, I think Izzy will be up for Green & Gold selection.
Special mention goes to Fiona McDonald, who I saw playing NSL Division 3 for one of the SUUFA teams on Monday night. New player who should push to make the SUUFA squad this year.



2nd place - University of Queensland
With no competition to speak of up north, UQ were decent enough to make the trip down for a good hit-out. While it was only a small squad, they still managed to last the seven games relatively easily, while also dominating the parties like they usually do. They played a very fast game and used the whole field effectively, with every cut seeming to have endless space in front of them. With a bit of added depth come September they are looking good to defend their gold medal.

The Plus: John McNaughton
I wanted to avoid pinpointing one player as the reason to a team's success, but J-Mac is the lynch-pin of this team. His throws render any force or mark useless and he initiates about 90% of the O. He had plenty of talented support, but without him they would not have been quite as good.

The Minus: Reliance on males
I was tempted to say they didn't use their girls very well, but upon thinking about it I realised that Tatiana Maya and Blair Sheard were probably two of the better players of the tournament. However, from what I watched, an awful lot of their O went through the 4 guys on the field, with the girls seeming being a backup option. That being said, it is entirely likely they will prove me wrong at AUG.

Players to watch:
Nathan Litzow - very quick and very smart player. Is an excellent sidekick to John, but could just as easily be the key player. Possible G&G contender in Melbourne.
Tatiana Maya - in uni ultimate, a female handler is worth their weight in gold. Tatiana was able to get around any zone put on her and was able to initiate a lot of play up the line. Excellent on D, too. Able to shut down any opponent.



Winners: Macquarie University
Mac have been on top of uni ultimate for some time now thanks to the Dowle Factor. However, I was interested to see how they would perform without Matt this week. The inclusion of Duncan Keenan pretty much made it a non-issue in the end, with Mac winning all their games on Monday and Wednesday reasonably comfortably. UQ looked threatening in the final, but with 30 minutes to go, Mac simply kicked it up a gear and ran out winners 14-10.

The Plus: Experience
Imagine facing this line of seven - Duncan Keenan, Julian Salazar, Neil Roxburgh, Yoann Greau, Megan Gamble, Bec Carman and Gen McDermott. That's what Mac had.

The Minus: Threat of Post-Worlds effect.
I'm really stretching for a minus here, but similar to what I said about Melbourne last week, Mac might find themselves without Matt Dowle, Bec Carman, Megan Gamble and Tiger Webb if they decide that the post-Worlds hangover is too much. But even then they'll still have a top 8 team.

Players to watch:
Rory Connell - with all the talent on the team, this rookie managed to stand out, but that is mostly due to the The Kyle Riemers Effect. Tall and athletic, he grew into the game very quickly over the three days and will be difficult to contain at AUG, especially if he plays deep and learns how to position himself better.
Hayley McFetridge - Hayley will win the party. Every night. And then probably play better than you the next day.


I'm nearly ready to make some early predictions about AUG. In fact, I'm willing to bet on a top 8 of (in no particular order) Mac, UQ, Sydney, Newcastle, UNSW, Melbourne, UWA and Flinders. Any takers?

A change in uniform...

So I thought I'd play around with the look of this place. I had something up the other day, but when I looked at it today I thought it looked a bit fat. So I'm sticking with this look for a bit. Feedback is encouraged, but in all likelihood will be disregarded because I always back my decisions.

Stand by for ECC review, and Youth Nats preview.

Southern Intervarsity review

Executive Summary: Everyone has some work to do before AUG.

It was a fun tournament and plenty of new uni players got a taste of how things go down at these shindigs. The main problem was that no team, with the obvious exception of Melbourne, was actually prepared for this tournament. Still, there were plenty of positives...


5th place - Deakin University
The Cheesegraters have been around for 4 years now, but 2008 is the first time they're having a decent run at things and will be pulling on the blue and green at AUG for the first time. While short on numbers (they were playing savage for most of the tournament), they were high on enthusiasm. They managed to beat Melbourne in the first round, but failed to chalk up a win for the rest of the...I keep going to say 'weekend' but it was a Tuesday/Wednesday.

The Plus: The girls
I have never seen a "new" team use their girls so well. Both genders got equal disc time and their girls are more confident than some I've seen playing for longer. Evidence: Kali Gawinski storming between two Ballarat boys for a vital endzone D in the 4th/5th playoff.

The Minus: Stamina
The Melbourne game proved they will be able to hold their own against quality teams. The rest of the tournament proved they will need to learn how to pace themselves and not blow their load on Day 1.

Players to watch:
Jason Gibson - can put throws wherever he wants. On several occasions he was able to send 30-40 metre passes through a zone to a deep player in a strong cross wind.
Jenelle Morton - legitimate deep threat, often on the end of Gibbo's throws. Fast, fit and able to take high grabs. Will be marked by some strong players at AUG, and I suspect will probably beat them.



4th place: University of Ballarat
If there was ever a team with an entirely new look, it was BUUF this week. This was the second tournament the new team played together and while things started out rusty, they managed to get some good flow going on O, and their D was better organised. Really struggled on fitness due to low numbers, and subsequently were beaten on O-to-D transitions numerous times. An injury to Sam Kuchel didn't help their cause.

The Plus: The core players
Many teams suffer after the loss of several big players, but BUUF's second string from 06-07 have settled into the first string role in 08 very comfortably.

The Minus: No game plan
The loss of the "Rule/Timmermans to Isherwood/Moloney" options have left a massive hole in the strategy of BUUF's O. They experimented with many different combinations but haven't quite found the one that works best.

Players to watch:
Nathan Job - Has made the transition from "regular at pickup" to "key player" over the last 6 months and will only get better. Highlight: a layout handblock on Chuck Summers (Melbourne) while playing Disrespect D.
Greta Hunt - Not many players out there are a senior player, let alone coach, in their 2nd year of uni. Will be a strong leader at AUG, plus her solid handling abilities are also a key to BUUF's success.



3rd place: Latrobe University
On paper, they had the team to win the tournament. With Lachlan McDonald on the team now, they will be a threat to most mid level teams at AUG and have the potential to push for a top 10 spot. However, they didn't seem to ever get out of 2nd gear and seemed a bit lackluster, especially on Wednesday. However I think this performance will give them the motivation they need to get their shit together for AUG.

The plus: The HOS boys
Lachlan McDonald, Dave Lockhart and Tim Wise will be the foundation for this team at AUG. The three are ridiculously cohesive and will be very difficult to contain, especially on zone O.

The minus: The rest?
Once you get past the HOS boys and Jen Payne, there is a sizable gap in talent compared to the rest of the squad. Preparation will be vital, as their key to success is how they use the rest of the squad in their gameplan.

Players to watch:
Phil Ward and Emily Billing - two players who have been playing with LaTUF for a while now, but showed at the tourney that the skills and the game smarts have now clicked and they should provide decent support to the top shelf players.


2nd place: RMIT
Well, a couple of RMIT students with a bunch of pickups. Very good team, but looking at the RMIT component of the squad, they have some "OK" players but will need to put some effort into recruiting and training over the coming months.

The plus: The basics
They have them down pat. Throwing and catching shouldn't be a problem come September.

The minus: Numbers
Particularly, lack of.

Players to watch:
Bec Wallbridge - As a wise man once said, "Play on a good team to learn the tricks of the trade, play on a less competitive team to start using them." Bec had a good season with Honey and will get to have some fun being the key player for RMIT.
Cliff Tham - the pick of the newbies. Has a bit of experience, mostly in pickup games/social league, but has the throws and the athleticism required to be an exciting player.


Winners: University of Melbourne
At about 11:30am on Tuesday, there were three teams that believed they could finally roll Melbourne Uni for the first time ever. But then they turned it on and won every game comfortably. Missing most of their best players (exception of Chris Freise for Tuesday arvo), they showed why Moho is the most successful uni ultimate club in Victoria.

The Plus: Their depth.
No obvious weak points in their squad - every player knew what they were doing. Melbourne had quite clearly come to play and to win.

The Minus: Who will rock up to AUG?
Little known fact: University of Melbourne have 5 current Australian representatives enrolled. Which of these (if any) will front up in September? The only thing that could unsettle Moho is uncertainty about what their lineup will be.

Players to watch:
Chuck Summers - The leader in Freisey's absence. Relatively unknown outside Victoria, Chuck learned his trade at UNC and has been plying his mad throwing skillz at Melbourne Uni for a few years now. Rumours are abound that he might actually play AUG this year.
Jude Mitchell - see Wallbridge, Bec. Girls who play women's ultimate = get more of the disc = become confident with said disc = better uni/mixed players.



What happened to Monash? They couldn't field a team. A lack of leadership might be their undoing this year after an outstanding performance on the Gold Coast.


Credit for the photos linked in this post go to Roger Barnes and Facebook. See if you can work out which ones came from where.