2009 Nationals Preview Part 3a: The East (women)

The East region has traditionally been rather dominant in our little old sport. However hints continue to drop that the reign is on the way out and there's room for a new superpower region. Look at AUG last year, where East only had one semi finalist for the first time ever. And look at the Nationals field - in terms of numbers of players going across both divisions, East is taking less than South (136 and 153 respectively). But it is still expected that East teams will be strong contenders in both divisions.


WILDCARD
Home town: Sydney
Captain: Rachel Grindlay
Qualified: 1st from East
Last year: 2nd

After losing their mantle last year to Ragine Wahine, Wildcard are gunning for their second national title and they are considered favourites to do just that. Their list reveals a lot of depth - some teams may be able to contain one or two of their top players, but the bottom end of Wildcard's squad is better than the bottom end of pretty much every other team. Probably the key thing missing is height. Other than the Carraros there's not a solid match up on the likes of Lauren Brown and Ash Martens, but this is only a very minor weakness, especially if they can effectively shut down the known huckers. Expect Wildcard to be cleated up on Sunday.

Key player: Megan Gamble
How Megan had the stamina (and money!) to star at Worlds, AUG and Mixed Nats in the space of a couple of months is beyond me.

Keep an eye on: Loren Viswalingam
Another World Juniors rep making her Nationals debut. Was one of Terra's best defenders in Vancouver.



FACTORY GIRLS
Home town: Canberra
Captain: Jess Preston
Qualified: 2nd from East (4th at Regionals)
Last year: 5th

Factory Girls have been hit by the cost of west coast travel, with only 5 of last year's squad turning out. Notable exceptions for 2009 include Lorna Barr, Laina Hall and Lucy Stevenson. However they have picked up some valuable experience in Vickie Saye (from Sugar Mags) and Erin Wallis (from Indies). The Canberra women haven't seen semi finals action since the last Perth Nationals in 2005, so with a smaller field of teams they'll be hoping to replicate that performance. But with so many players having their first trip to the show, I don't think they'll be able to crack the top four.

Key player: Helen Osmond
Big game experience is going to be essential in Perth, and Helen is no stranger to the elite scene.

Keep an eye on: Erin Wallis
Sure, everyone knows who Erin is, but how well will she be able to adapt to a new club?



SUGAR MAGS
Home town: Newcastle
Captain: Leanne King
Qualified: 3rd from East (6th at Regionals)
Last year: 9th

Newcastle's dominance of the mixed scene in 2006 and 2007 has carried over into a strong men's team in 2009, but the women haven't quite hit that pinnacle yet. The story of Australian ultimate, I suppose. Last year Sugar Mags took 20 to Coffs, and this year they're down to 14. Most teams are in that boat, but when you've lost the likes of Nic Footer, Felicity Jarrott and Jane Altschwager (to that pesky ball sport she plays), it may reveal some gaps. Still, Tegan Sneddon and Katie Bradstock give them the edge in pace, and the two Kings will be consistent as always. Definite top eight, probably not semis.

Key player: Katie Bradstock
Fresh from selection for the World Games team, she'll be on the end of a lot of deep throws.

Keep an eye on: Liz Dodd
Unlucky to miss Green & Gold at AUG. Good handling support for the Kings.



East Open follows tomorrow...

2009 Nationals Preview Part 2: The North

Short one today...


SULTRY
Home town: Brisbane
Captain: Tamara Davis
Qualified: From North
Last year: 10th

This year marks 10 years since anyone outside New South Wales and New Zealand won Nationals. That team was from Queensland, but sadly I don't think the 2009 incarnation of a Queensland women's team is able to replicate that feat. Sultry's best Nationals performance was 6th last time Nationals was in the west, and they have been perennial mid-table finishers since. However they are taking a strong team to what is a weaker field than the last couple of years. While they should certainly be in the quarter finals, I think that will be the end of the line for them.

Key player: Maylin Chuah
Has the pace and the smarts to effectively match up on key opposition players.

Keep an eye on : Tatiana Maya
Handler who plays an aggressive, attacking style, looking to gain ground on every cut and throw.



FIRESTORM
Home town: Brisbane
Captain: John McNaughton
Qualified: From North
Last year: 9th

Firestorm has always been a bit of a mystery to me. They certainly have the talent to factor amongst the top end of placings, but have never done better than 8th. In fact, the last Queensland team to be in the semis was Moreton Bay Buggers back in 2003. Last year they went the X/X split route for development and hopefully that move can pay off for them this year. There are no notable exclusions from the team, and provided Mike Neild and Johnny Mac can fire, there's no reason they couldn't potentially make semis. However I don't think they will this year. Sorry boys.

Key player: Mike Neild
The Space Needle somehow made it through the Dingos campaign without a major injury, so provided he can stay fit he'll be a dominant target for Buzz and Johnny.

Keep an eye on: Liam Gillions
"Who the fuck is that?" I hear you say. He's better known as Wetnose. Very handy defender, and will no doubt be wearing some stupid outfit (if anything at all) at the party.


Tomorrow we'll look at the East region.

2009 Nationals Preview Part 1: The West

Wow, it's been a while since an update. Going back to uni and training for Nationals will do that, I suppose. So while my extensive Southern Regionals review is going to have to be canned (sorry Wetnose) due to me not being able to remember any details from it, I thought I'd launch into my Nationals previews now. It will probably take me a week and half to finish them anyway.

Last year I broke the preview down neatly into pools, but since I don't have a draw yet and we don't have a nice even 16 teams in each division, I thought I'd go by region. So today, we take a look at the West region teams.


PRIMAL
Home town: Perth
Captain: Claire Rogers
Qualified: 2nd from West
Last year: 11th

The problem with Australia being such a massive country and all the ultimate (and population for that matter) being confined to the east coast is that it is rare to see WA teams in action. Twice a year if we're lucky - Nationals and AUG. So my thoughts on WA teams are largely confined to who I actually see play. I saw Primal in action a couple of years ago in Melbourne and they most definitely had their shit together then. However there are a lot of names different on the 2009 list from the 2007 list, and they were defeated by Kaos 15-3 in the qualifiers. Despite this, the home bed advantage could work in their favour. Expect a mid-table finish.

Key player: Debbie Staples
Probably the only player I remember from the 07 side. Solid playmaker on O.

Keep an eye on: Susan Campbell
Very fit and fast. Can mark strong players and can burn most opponents deep.



KAOS
Home town: Perth
Captain: Sally Ray
Qualified: 1st from West
Last year: -

Nationals being in Perth will always produce new teams of players who suddenly don't have to shell out $400+ for eastbound flights. And so Kaos is the 2009 product of this phenomenon. Kaos have snapped up all the younger players in the Perth area, with 5 coming from the 2008 UWA AUG list. Ballarat faced UWA early in the week but were overwhelmed by the pace and fitness of all the girls on the team, so if they can carry this over to the club game they should run a lot of O teams ragged. A big win at Regionals will give them plenty of confidence on Day 1. Their list contains a few breakaways from 2008 Primal so if a local derby happens it ought to be a fierce match up. Or maybe quite friendly, who knows.

Key player: Sarah McKerracher
One of the drivers behind the formation of the new team.

Keep an eye on: The UWA girls (Sarah Brereton, Lou Delane, Steph Hancock, Danya Meakins and Sarah-Jayne Robinson)
Expect to see any combination of these girls running the wall in a pommy zone.



HAPPY PIG
Home town: Perth
Captain: Andrew Hutcheon
Qualified: 3rd from West
Last year: -

Last year I vaguely remember announcing the death of the "pickup team" at Nationals. If someone were to argue that these guys were filling that void, I'd shout back that they played Regionals and therefore weren't pickup at all going by the policy. Nevertheless, this team would not have formed if Nationals was on the east coast, but you can't fault the lads for taking the chance to play when it's in their backyard. Nationals experience on this list is very thin, with only one player having been to the show in the last two years. They're likely to spend Thursday and Friday getting their ass kicked and their real test will be if they're still holding their heads up and grinding out every point by the playoff stage.

Key player: Andrew Hutcheon
Will attract the opponent's best defender. Shut down Hutchy and you're set.

Keep an eye on: Marc Copes
08 Martin Laird Award nominee making the transition from uni to club.



FEAR
Home town: Perth
Captain: Gareth McDonald
Qualified: 4th from West
Last year: -

"Beware the wily veteran handler in an upwind point" was the advice ringing in my ear when I matched up on Buzz Burwell at Halibut last year. Unfortunately as well as having any throw he wanted, he was a lot quicker than me over a muddy ground and scored pretty much every point. But I digress. FEAR has a few players who are certified veterans of the sport (such as Steve Baker, Brian Vanallen and Colin Wagstaff) and will be able to outsmart a lot of players half their age. They may be at a home ground advantage if the Fremantle Doctor (while we're here: what a stupid for a weather occurence) decides to come and check out the afternoon action, but fitness may be lacking to keep up with the top teams.

Key players: The veterans
The three vets I mentioned before will be controlling most of the offense.

Keep an eye on: Felix Kennedy
Starred for UTas and Zing at 2006 AUG/Mixed Nats but has kept a low profile since then.



SUBLIME OBNOXIOUS
Home town: Perth
Captain: Christian Krogdahl
Qualified: 2nd from West
Last year: -

One of three clubs fielding two teams this year, Sublime are out to show the east coast just how much depth they have. What will hurt them is a lack of elite experience. They have a couple of players who have run with the best, but a handful of players does not a team make. The home bed advantage will definitely be at play for these boys, but can only hope for one or two upsets over the stronger teams. They will finish in an even numbered spot because I'll be surprised if they even show up on Sunday, let alone beat anyone.

Key player: Paul Staples
Has been a Sublime regular for the last couple of years, and will be leading the B team into battle.

Keep an eye on: Dan McNaughton
Plays a fierce D and will throw himself around the field like Mark Schwarzer.



SUBLIME ANTI-SOCIAL
Home town: Perth
Captain: John Daimiani
Qualified: 1st from West
Last year: 8th

This year's hype is surrounding Sublime. Their win at the BC Invitational blew the wind up a few east coast teams, but it could be argued that their pickups made a significant difference. Irregardless, the now often-mentioned-in-this-post home bed advantage could either help or hurt Sublime, depending on their attitude towards mid-tournament drunken buffoonery. History has shown this is laconic at best, but a serious shot at the title could change their minds. Right now, I have them slated to make semis.

Key player: John Daimiani
I have heard on the grapevine that Sublime's Offensive Playbook is just a photo of JD on the turps.

Keep an eye on: Cupcake Tulett
Yeah, everyone knows who Cupcake is, but he is a similar type of player to JD. Be interesting to see where he fits in to Sublime's game.


Next update will be a short one - focusing on the North teams.

100th post - dedicated to Dan Rule

I had several ideas on what to do for the 100th post of Ballarat Ultimate, but I was astounded that I have never in the previous 99 posts mentioned the lengthy list of things I have learned about Dan Rule in the five or so years I have known him. I usually keep track of them over at Facebook but I thought I would share the ever-growing list with you now.


Dan once dumped himself via text message.

Dan once completed Super Mario 3 with one hand tied behind his back and the other hand tied behind his back.

Dan tried testing the old adage "A watched pot never boils" and proved it to be incorrect.

Dan doesn't use deoderant. Instead, each morning he staples a fresh rose on each armpit before going out.

Dan can't tell the difference between yellow and up.

Dan claims to have invented time. He has no idea how long it took him to do it.

Dan can play the guitar with his feet, but only the song "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas.

Dan went to the Paralympics once, and asked a guy with no arms for his autograph.

Dan doesn't have a favourite colour, but if he did it would probably be fourteen.

When Dan was 10 he shaved his cat and glued the hair to his groin for pubes. Unfortunately he is allergic to cat hair.

Dan once played Jumanji and won in four minutes.

Dan went back in time to tell Galileo he was an idiot.

Dan told Shane Warne to use SMS to keep his fingers agile.

If an infinite number of Dan Rules sat typing at an infinite number of typewriters for an infinite length of time, all they would come up with is the script to "Men In Black II"

Dan uses soapy water as a chaser when drinking shots. He used to use bleach but he decided that he was white enough on the inside. Dan hates blacks.

Dan has never been to a library in his life. He thinks books are the reason he's left handed.

Dan has picked every single Melbourne Cup winner since 1983, except for Might And Power in 1997 because he "didn't think it would be that obvious".

Terrorists are yet to strike in Australia because Dan wrote them a polite, but firm, letter asking them not to.

Dan has written several drafts of his autobiography, but refuses to have it published because of the number of inaccuracies.

Dan removed his own appendix when he was 12 using a steak knife and a Dustbuster.

Dan wants to become a pirate because Johnny Depp makes him feel funny in his special place.

Dan owns a flux capacitor, but he has no idea how to use because he lost the manual years ago.

Dan once forgot what honey tastes like.

Dan doesn't believe in South America.

Dan learnt how to speak Dolphin so he could ask them riddles to prove they're not really smart. Unfortunately they seduced him and now Dan is the father to 3 dolphin calfs.

Dan is considered a God amongst the lemming community. Their sacrifices are in His name.

Dan can jump 32 metres high but refuses to since he doesn't know what a metre is.

Dan entered the 1992 Olympics as his own nation, but lost every single event.

Dan dreams of one day becoming one of those fancy hats posh women wear at the races.

Dan doesn't like this line because it's completely inaccurate.

Dan can't drive a car but he does have a driver's license, which he uses to chop mints up and snort them because he can't afford coke.

Dan's favourite pick up line is "wanna lick my eyebrows?" It's never failed.

Dan gets confused by the title of the hit TV show '24', as he can only count up to 7.

Dan once lost a sex contest to Kieran who was asleep at the time.

Dan is so is afraid of turning gay that he only walks in straight lines. If he wants to go somewhere the rest of the world has to rotate to accommodate him.

If Dan was a Mr. Man he'd be Little Miss Naughty.

Dan once busted an entire school of trout for cheating as he knew something fishy was afloat.

Dan was an extra in Cars. He was the red one.

Dan is an accomplished skiier and would be a multiple time world champion if he wasn't scared of snow.

Dan can do a thousand pushups in thirty seconds, as long as no-one is watching.

Every time Dan gets a new Melways he looks in the Legend for pictures of himself.

Dan thinks that fascists are so named because they dislike funny faces.

While most of our bodies are made of water, most of Dan's body is made of love.

Dan once bathed in the blood of a thousand virgins but just ended up red rather than clean. Now he uses soap and warm water.

Dan is a telepathic entity that recreates the desire of whoever looks directly at him. No two people have seen the same Dan Rule.

Dan thinks Dr. Pepper is a real doctor, and has sued him for malpractice.

Dan thinks he is lactose intolerant because he doesn't take shit from dairy products.

Dan must eat his own body weight in pasta every day in order to survive.

Although he did it, Dan never received credit for designing the BA Falcon.

Dan has never missed an episode of Deal Or No Deal.

Dan's Australian accent is fake.

Dan actually laughs all the way to the bank.

Dan believes that the First Fleet arriving in Sydney was staged.

Dan has no natural predators, nor does he have any friends.

Dan feels uncomfortable eating bananas in public.

Dan had the same driving instructor as Olympic swimmer Matt Welsh.

Dan reckons all the seagulls are up to something.

Dan Rule consists of 90% water and 10% Dan.

Dan estimates that his lefty backhand has gotten him laid over four times.

Dan runs an online petition to have double lines painted across Bass Strait because he thinks it's too dangerous for ships to be overtaking each other.

In 2003, Dan sued himself for libel.

And won.

Dan doesn't like going to Subway because he feels overwhelmed by the number of decisions that need to be made.

Dan only knows two things about women, and both of them are wrong.

The first rule of fight club is Dan Rule.

Dan fathered the entire 2010 Thunder squad, and is disappointed with all of them.

Dan avoids playing mixed because his mark is so tight he risks getting girls pregnant.

Dan came up with the name for Fyshwick United. They all hated it and wanted to go back to being called ACTion Men.

There is no 'i' in 'team'. However Dan has two 'i's. Fuck you, team.

If you rearrange the letters in Dan's name, he'll get upset and ask you to put them back.

Dan can't find Wally in the last page of the book. If you ask him about it he'll yell "IT'S BULLSHIT. THEY'RE ALL WEARING SHOES."

Dan's car runs on the hopes and dreams of his opponents. It goes fast. Really fast.

Dan can set the sun on fire by channeling the power of ants through a magnifying glass.



Hi Dan!

I should have taken up Tom Brennan on that bet...

Subtitled: 2009 Regionals Results



So what if I got the Wildcards the wrong way around, but I was closer than he was.

Listed below are the final placings for Regionals around the country held last weekend, with my predicted placings in brackets.

Northern Regionals

1. Firestorm O (2)
2. Firestorm D (1)
3. Brisbane Barbarians (5)
4. Thor (4)
5. Slamtown Flatball Club (3)

1. Buff Breaka Bond Misfits (1)
2. Sultry Blue (2)
3. Sultry Red (3)
4. QUTies Women (4)


Western Regionals

1. Sublime A (1)
2. Sublime O (2)
3. Happy Pig (4)
4. Fear (3)

1. Kaos (2)
2. Primal (1)
3. Suffer Jets (3)


Eastern Regionals

1. Fyshwick United (1)
2. I-Beam (3)
3. Fakulti* (2)
4. Fakulti* (4)
5. Brick (5)
6. Umlaut (6)
7. Hills (7)
8. Westies (8)
9. Slapdash (9)

1. Wildcard X (3)
2. Northern Beeeaatches (2)
3. Wildcard Y (1)
4. Factory Girls (5)
5. Southside (4)
6. Sugar Magnolias (6)
7. Hills Angels (7)


Southern Regionals

1. Chilly (1)
2. Heads Of State (2)
3. Karma (3)
4. Chilly B (4)
5. Evolution (7)
6. HoS White (5)
7. Karma B (6)
8. Tassie Tiggers (9)
9. GFUC/Roflcopter (8)

1. Sporting Team Box Athletico United (1)
2. Honey (2)
3. Bush (3)
4. Indies (4)
5. Honey Gs (5)


* As of writing, the two Fakultis are yet to have played their placing game.

Proper write up of my experience of Southern Regionals to come later this week.

"Hey, where did they come from?" - The 2009 WFDF Rules

I don't think there's been a formal announcement from the AFDA yet, but WFDF have released the 2009 version of the rules of ultimate. Officially speaking they come into effect tomorrow (March 14, 2009), but they won't get adopted in Australia until someone (governing body, league director, tournament director) says so. I imagine it won't be until after Nationals at the earliest.

Personally I think an "annual update" of the rules isn't really necessary. There's still people getting around that don't quite have the 2008 rules down pat. But then again there's people playing that don't have any version of the rules down pat, so that kinda makes it a moot point. Regularly changing rules are the biggest arguement there is for a mandatory rules quiz for players. Personally speaking I think there should be a rules quiz as part of registration for Nationals.

But I digress.

The 2008 rules only saw some minor changes. The only one I can remember right now is removing the 'middle' call after a pull lands out of bounds. But this time around there are what I think are some massively significant changes.

1. Marking infractions don’t stop play. After a second infraction, the marker resets the count to 0 and continues.

2. Play doesn’t stop for a travel where the thrower hasn’t thrown the disc, the stall halts and the thrower goes back to the correct pivot point as indicated by the defence.

3. Calling a time-out when you don’t have any left is not a turnover. Add 2 to the stall count instead.

4. Players may ask non-players for their perspective on a call.

5. There is a new infraction called “Contact” for when the marker touches the thrower or the disc but not in the act of throwing – this should not be treated as a foul as it is not affecting possession, but treated as a marking violation.

6. If a call during or after the throwing motion did not affect possession, then it should be ignored. For example, if a thrower is fouled in the act of throwing, but the disc flies perfectly to the receiver who then drops it on their chest, the turnover should stand.

7. In order to throw after landing but before establishing a pivot, a thrower must maintain contact with the ground throughout the throwing motion.

...they're the listed "Significant Changes", but I think there's some "Minor Changes" worth highlighting...

8. Allowed play to be stopped if play is obstructed by non-players or objects on the sideline.

9. Allowed non players to return an out of bounds disc to within 3 metres of the field.

10. Added new “Indirect foul” to deal with contact that does not relate to an attempt to catch the disc

Source - WFDF Rules of Ultimate 2009 Summary Of Changes


On first glance, I thought that all makes sense and the changes are a logical progression.

On a proper read through, I thought, "Wow, this is gonna remove heaps of stoppages at elite level."

Then I read through again and thought a bit more about it. My reaction now is that the application of these rules is going to be a fucking mess. I'm thinking at a league-or-weekend-tournament level. There are going to be so many players who stop for stuff that aren't stoppages any more, and will bleat about their ignorance, therefore creating a stoppage anyway.

Whenever we introduce these rules in Australia, there is going to have to be a fierce "re-education" campaign to get the message out there. I'm even considering establishing a requirement for the captain of uni teams to do a rules quiz prior to Uni Games, but have no idea how to enforce it.

But for now, I urge you all to read the new rules. Or at least the summary of changes. Then send the link to all of your team mates.

2009 Regionals preview

I originally planned to post this on Monday and not on the night before so people might actually, y'know, read it before the tournaments happen. But it ended up taking me all week to write, so here it is...


Northern Regionals

In the Open division there's 74 players across 5 teams, but there's no escaping the notion that this is just Firestorm going through the formalities of getting to Perth. North easily has the most difficult path to the West financially and logistically, so it's no surprise that only one team has made plans to travel. Still, there's good regional representation, with players from Townsville, Gold Coast and Byron Bay joining the usual Brisvegas lads. Expect one of the Firestorm squads to take out the title, but there's no reason either Thor or Slamtown could slip in to second place and earn an invite to Perth. Firestorm D looks the better of the two, with Mike Neild, John McNaughton and Al Don on their list.

1. Firestorm D
2. Firestorm O
3. Slamtown Flatball Club
4. Thor
5. Brisbane Barbarians

The women's division looks to be the same - a warm-up for Sultry. Only four teams fronting up this time around, but it looks like Sultry will be testing themselves with two close-to-savage teams up against QUTies and Buff Breaka Bond Misfits. QUTies lack the experience to challenge any of the three teams but they'll definitely come out of the weekend as better players for the experience. I'm tipping the upset here, and picking BBBM to win. With a larger squad and a handful of key experienced players (Kristen Nott, Sandra Poon, Gen Healy) they're more likely to last the distance.

1. Buff Breaka Bond Misfits
2. Sultry Blue
3. Sultry Red
4. QUTies Women



Western Regionals

There's a Western Regionals this year? Awesome! Since last time Nats was in Perth (2005), there's been policy changes, meaning you have to go through Regionals to play Nationals, and not just slap together a team a few weeks before. Some might yearn for those good old days, but the growth of our sport realistically means that not just everyone can play Nats otherwise we'll be running WUCC-sized tournaments every year.

I'm the first to admit I know absolutely bugger all about the West. I can count on one hand the number of times I've ever seen a single gender Perth team play, and would need the other hand to count mixed. This weekend there's 106 players turning out to qualify for their backyard-based Nationals. Truth be told, I had no idea Sublime had 35 players on their list, and that there was enough interest in 3 women's teams. Rather than waffle on about educated guesses at the strengths and weaknesses of the 7 teams attending, I go straight to predictions that are largely based on how many names I recognise on each team. Although I do think the Open B2 v B3 could be an interesting game if it ends up being the Game To Go.

1. Sublime A
2. Sublime O
3. Fear
4. Happy Pig

1. Primal
2. Kaos
3. Suffer Jets

Yes, I know that's the order in what they're all registered, but I swear it's a coincidence.



Eastern Regionals

The big question this year - is Fakulti's dominance of the East on the way out? Fyshwick have again smashed their way through pre-season (one and a half tournaments, anyway), and with the addition of Matt Dowle and Warwick Shepherd to their roster they're only going to be more determined to take the title. On the other side of the fence, Fakulti have lost those two, and are returning to their "traditional" X/X split. But since they haven't actually registered the teams it's hard to make a call on how they're going to perform. At stake are 5 spots, with seeds 1, 2 and 3 at Nationals going to the top 3 from this group. Four of the top five seem pretty likely, but I reckon I-Beam have the goods to be able to sneak into the top 3. The fight for 5th is going to be interesting, with Hills, Umlaut and Brick all capable of taking it. I'm going with Brick, but whether they're making the trip west is another question.

1. Fyshwick United
2. Fakulti Pete (determined by coin flip)
3. I-Beam
4. Fakulti Ken
5. Brick
6. Umlaut
7. Hills
8. Westies
9. Slapdash

Question: Can anyone stop the Wildcard wagon? Answer: Yes. Ragine Wahine can. But they're not going to be at Eastern Regionals, so logic dictates that Wildcard should smash both the region and Nationals. However the reformation of the Manly team under the banner of Northern Beeeaatches (I think that's the right number of 'e's and 'a's) might have something to say about that. So will Southside. And Factory Girls. And Sugar Mags. And Hills Angels. Shit...this is going to be a close race. Wildcard's X/X split might go the same way as Firestorm and Fakulti and actually put them in a bit of trouble. I'll pick Wildcard Y as they seem to have a faster team than X, and Northern Beeeaatches to come in second.

1. Wildcard Y
2. Northern Beeeaatches
3. Wildcard X
4. Southside
5. Factory Girls
6. Sugar Magnolias
7. Hills Angels



Southern Regionals

I'm saving this for last because of two things. A) This is where I'm playing so I know more about the teams, and B) it's bigger than Easterns for the first time since ever (unless Fak have more than 30 players. Get registered, jerks!) Having local knowledge means I can tell you this - the best player this weekend is going to be the weather. Current forecast is for temperatures in the high teens (yay!), rain at times (workable) and high winds (oh bollocks). So experience is going to be essential, meaning the Gack Factor is going to be playing a big part in the outcome. Yep, he's back. Meanwhile Heads Of State keep getting better, and Karma are bringing probably their strongest team ever, assuming everyone is 100% fit. With some bias clearly swinging the decision, I'm picking Chilly to return to the top in South, with HoS taking second ahead of Karma. Chilly B is better than the last two incarnations of a second Chilly team, so they should safely take fourth. Cue the shitfight for fifth. Karma B, Evolution, HoS White and GFUC all have handlers who can easily deal with the wind, while Tassie remain an unknown quantity since everyone forgot they have a team until a few weeks ago. Much respect goes to Roflcopter for playing savage all weekend.

1. Chilly
2. Heads Of State
3. Karma
4. Chilly B
5. HoS White
6. Karma B
7. Evolution
8. GFUC
9. Tassie Tiggers
10. Roflcopter

The women's side is likely to be formalities right up until the playoffs, where we'll see Team Box versus Honey, and Bush versus whoever happens to win the B4 v B5 semi. Team Box have their usual crew, but with the additional experience gained by the four Terra girls during 2008. Bush have no significant losses, but gain Crystal Cheung, while Indies have lost Erin Wallis to Factory Girls. I'll tip Team Box to win for a third straight year.

1. Sporting Team Box Athletico United FC Albion City Town Rovers
2. Honey
3. Bush
4. Indies
5. Honey Gs


Good luck to everyone competing, and come back on Monday evening and watch me attempt to calculate the wildcards. Or wait for the AFDA to do it.