2008 Uni Games Preview: Part 2

Today we look at the two other pools...


POOL C
Sydney (3), UWA (6), Ballarat (11), QUT (14), Wollongong (17)

This seems to be another pool with a clear frontrunner - Sydney. The size of Suufa's structure led to them being the only team that had to turn quality players away this year. They love to play a lot of zone D, and why not - they're good at it. They have the most depth of any team coming, but they have been known to succumb to brain explosions - insert AFL-style "mental toughness" cliche here. UWA seem to be a complete mystery to eastern states, but they had 5 of their players representing Sublime and Primal in Coffs this year, so UWA will know more about us then we'd probably like them to. They have a large squad and plenty of experience as a team, so they should wrap up 2nd place and may even take Sydney to a close game. QUT and Ballarat have both lost a lot of their top talent from 2007, so the team that settles into their rhythm first in their game on Monday morning should take third. As odd as it seems, the weather should be a huge factor in this pool - Ballarat will thrive in winter weather, but UWA and QUT will be more adapted to the conditions if Melbourne produces temperatures of 25° plus.

Prediction: Sydney 4-0, UWA 3-1, Ballarat 2-2, QUT 1-3, Wollongong 0-4

Game to watch: QUT vs Ballarat, 0830 Monday

Players to watch:
Lu Wee Koh (Suufa) - Plays as the chaser in Sydney's zone D. Is very quick and very smart on the mark, forcing teams to either move the disc quicker than they'd like to, or to take risks. Which is what you want a zone to do, I suppose.

James Eley (UWA) - Comes into AUG carrying a knee injury, but even at a reduced capacity should be a target player.

Amanda Eastwood (BUUF) - Is playing her final AUG and will be looking to wrap up a fourth consecutive BUUF MVP award. Will be on the end of a lot of deep throws. May be an outside chance at G&G selection, depending on where BUUF can finish.




POOL D
Newcastle (4), Melbourne (5), Murdoch (12), Griffith (13), RMIT (18)

If you had to pick a "pool of death" like you do in every tournament, this one is probably it. But really, that tag is only applied because there's two potential semi finalists in it - Newcastle and Melbourne. Moho are still hurting after last year's Pool A points difference debacle, so they'll be gunning to improve upon 2006's bronze. Having four current Australian representatives doesn't hurt, either. Newcastle have a squad loaded with talent, but are missing Dave Jarrott who was their lynch pin at ECC. Chris Lavis has plenty of support, but it will be interesting to see if they can hold it all together for five days. And once again, the battle is on for 3rd. Murdoch are missing Andrew Hutcheon, who was the key player in their last 3 AUG outings, so will probably be adjusting to a new style. The G-Unit are also missing their key guy Stefan Rappazzo, but have a lot of athletic folk who may give a lot of teams a solid runaround. RMIT shouldn't be discounted, and certainly have the potential to upset Murdoch or Griffith. In fact, that's what I'm tipping.

Prediction: Melbourne 4-0, Newcastle 3-1, Griffith 1-3, Murdoch 1-3, RMIT 1-3

Game to watch: Newcastle vs Melbourne, Monday 1030

Players to watch:
Tarrant Meehan (Moho) - This is what junior development does. It produces players who are two-time Australian reps and two-time Nationals players that are in their first year of university. Taz is freakish. That's all there is to it.

Chris Hill (Newcastle) - "Chilly" has a lot of raw talent, and can punt a forehand further than most players I have seen. Will probably act as a target for Chris Lavis and Liz Dodd to throw at.

Bec Walbridge (RMIT) - Bec still rates herself as a novice in women's ultimate, but a season of experience in the single gender game can do wonders for a uni player. Will get more confident as the week goes on, and may be up for MVP on Friday.


Full predictions to be posted tomorrow morning.