2009 Ballarat Ultimate National Draft

So earlier this year, I knocked up a frisbee draft in about eight minutes loosely based on the AFL draft. This year I'm putting a bit more thought into it.

For those who weren't paying attention to the last one, the picks are based on the order of where teams finished at Nationals, with the lowest team getting pick #1, second last getting #2, and so on and so forth. I'm only including teams that aren't pick-upy or likely to be at Nationals in 2010. Now in the actual AFL draft, teams can pick players from wherever the hell they want, but for the purposes of realism (lol) I'm restricting teams to players from their own state.

This year there's something else that I'll be taking into consideration - since the Thunder and Terra teams will be competing at Nats in their own right, the candidates for those teams won't be in this draft.

Rather than waste blog material in just one post, I'll start out with the draft order and open it up to some speculation...who is the next big thing you've seen around the traps?


Women
1. Honey
2. Indies
3. Sultry
4. Factory Girls
5. Primal
6. Kaos
7. Honey
8. Sugar Mags
9. Team Box
10. Wildcard

Open
1. Umlaut
2. Chilly
3. Sublime
4. Fakulti
5. Karma
6. Fakulti
7. Sublime
8. Firestorm
9. I-Beam
10. Heads of State
11. Fyshwick United
12. Chilly

Post-AUG Ruminations

OK, so now that AUG has been run and won and things have had time to settle down. Rather than provide a journalistic-type review, I thought I'd lay some rambling thoughts down on the keyboard. That, and my memory isn't really crash hot and I don't really remember many details of games.


Two Divisions

Aside from the glaringly obvious need for AU/USA and NZ to be in Divison 1, I felt the two divisions worked well and did exactly what I believed it would do - provide more competitive games for all teams across the entire week. It may have simply been our approach to each game, but BUUF didn't have a single easy game all week, and I'm sure that was the case for most teams. If the number of teams competing at AUG stays above the 20 mark, I feel that the two division structure should stay, but smaller registration numbers than that should be placed in one division. The challenge we have now is how to decide who goes in what division - do we adopt some sort of formal process or the old "look at the rosters and guess" method?

The two divisions is also a long term decision. This year there was a 12 team Div1 and 11 team Div2. Next time we're back in Surfers I want to see a 16 team Div1 and 20 team Div2! Impossible? Not really, given that since 2005 there have been 32 different universities competing at AUG. Plus the 5 other unis that have been to a regional Uni Games in that time. Plus the 2 that have sports unions that want to get an ultimate team together. Even further down the track, we want to see Open, Womens and Mixed divisions at AUG. Imagine that.


Quality Versus Quantity

Already I've heard some feedback from players - "we wanted to play more games!" But I also observed something on the final day that I haven't seen in previous years - a near-absence of injured players. Sure, there were some doozies of injuries, like there are at pretty much every ultimate tournament ever, but being able to go home with all limbs in tact is an aim that every player has. It also meant that all the games on Friday were high standard games of ultimate, not just fourteen people with limps throwing a frisbee around.


Making the newbies feel welcome

At AUG there were a few teams full of ultimate virgins who thought a week of frisbee sounded like a top idea. However I did overhear comments from other Div 2 players (with some experience with tournaments) about how these teams were "wasting our time." These comments annoyed me somewhat because no matter what, we are always going to attract these sort of teams because ultimate still has a 'novelty' aspect to new players.

That being said, most people made efforts to meet the new teams and make them feel part of the incestual lovefest that is the ultimate community. There were people offering advice, shitloads of gary, and even Robsquad got together for the ACPE vs UNE game to dish out some modified encouragement. If these efforts can translate into just one of these teams forming a club and attending other tournaments, it is well worth having these teams at AUG. If you need further convincing, just talk to anyone who saw the Wollongong vs QUT game on Wednesday arvo (Tiger, Tanty and anyone else from Macquarie, I'm looking at you).


Support staff and off field management

Outside the national teams and maybe a couple of club teams, there are very few non-playing personnel with teams. This year, BUUF had three non-playing "staff" - a trainer, a team manager and a "secretary" (stats and other odd jobs). With these three on the sidelines, plus everyone else fulfilling their assigned duties, we were by far the best prepared team there. We had our own shade tent, water barrel, sunscreen, first aid kit and food available at all times, and it ensured the players could always remain focussed on the game at hand.

However the non-players role wasn't exactly our invention and wasn't exclusive to us. Only 2 out of the 12 didn't have a non-player in a formal role on the sidelines, whether they were a coach or a team manager. Two years ago, this number was a lot smaller but it was speculated that that would change, and will continue to do so.


The challenge ahead

This year there was even more of a reliance on Nationals players to drive the teams than there was last year. This is troubling because next year uni ultimate faces one of it's toughest challenges - growth of the competition in the face of the three mid-year Worlds tournaments (Clubs, U23 and Juniors) and AUG in Perth. However if uni teams put pencil to paper and start planning the 12 months ahead, there's no reason (outside cost of flights) they can't get a team together and have a run at a medal in what is likely to be a weaker and therefore winnable competition.

2009 AUG Preview - Part 4

It has been a wonderful journey, but like all good trilogies with an shitty additional fourth chapter “reboot”, you kind of wish it had come to an end earlier. After feigning knowledge about anything north of the Murray, you’d figure a look at the South teams would be a bit more accurate given that I’ve, like, seen the teams play. That is what I would like you to think anyway.

Way back in the early days of Southern Uni Games, Melbourne Uni (aka Moho) were the leaders. A SUG without them being in the final was unfathomable. Fast forward to SUG 2009, where they were playing off for bronze. Here it has definitely been a case of everyone else catching up, because honestly, Melbourne are not a bad team. With a name change (MUtation) and new attitude…actually scrap that last bit, I’m just in a mood for cliché. A notable exclusion is Tarrant Meehan, who probably discovered that being drunk is awesome. Chris “Warpaint” Freise and Michelle Phillips are the stars of this team, ably assisted by Jude Mitchell and Ben Phillips. Injury scares to Chilly B stars Tim Horden and Ben Robotham in the last couple of weeks might have an impact on the team’s depth, but otherwise they should poll well during the week. Probably not a medal contender on paper, but then again they weren’t last year, either.

Cross-town rivals Monash are on a path to avenge their shitty Thursday/Friday performance in 2008. Many of last year’s team are back on board, including HoS trio Andy Moroney, Seb Barr and Cletus Johnson – who is recovering from a bullshit rumour and should be fully fit come Monday. The disc skills on this squad are exceptional, with Ash Thornton, Chris Folkes and Josh Cukierman throwing the disc to the likes of Mich Rogers, Lucy Ross and Sam Ludowyk. The wildcard on this team is Steve “Toey” Thomas. He played a part in Chilly’s 4th national title this year, and with a deadly combination of speed and height, there will be very few opponents who can match him going deep. Only concern is a niggling shoulder injury that has kept him out of action for the last couple of months. Monash also have someone else that factored in Chilly’s national titles – Steve Campbell. It will be his first stint as a non-playing coach, so it will be interesting to see what difference he can make. Expect to see Monash at the medal presentations, and not just heckling either. They have also adopted a club first - uniforms that don't look goddamn awful.

Defending champions Flinders Fury seem to be a bit of an unknown right now. Sure, they have Joel Pillar. And Brett Middleton in place of Alec Deslandes. And Sarah Pillar in place of Erin Wallis. And if we were going to run the old Mr. Ultimate pageant again Scott Middleton would probably win. But can they repeat last year’s gold medal? I feel they are going to have a heavy reliance on their boys to move the disc. Last year Ali Clarke and Erin Wallis did a lot of it, whereas this year Sarah Pillar is likely to be backed up by Sam Odgen and possibly even Chris Osborn. Doesn’t matter either way – most shots at goal are going to be “Joel To Sweet As”. And given that will work a lot of the time, why wouldn't you do it? Anything less than semis would probably be unacceptable to Joel, but now that Fury have already done it once, are they going to be that hungry for it again?

And now for the last time to be previewed - BUUF. I could be sneaky and not reveal anything, or I could talk a whole lot of hyperbole bullshit. But I'm going to try and take an objective look at things. And honestly, I think we should get to the pre-semis at least. It has been mentioned elsewhere that we lack the depth needed to win gold, and in part I agree. We definitely have a "strong 9" and a "weak 9" (when comparing both groups to each other, not to other teams), but how well it all fits together on the day will be interesting. The leadership of Dan Rule is going to be a massive influence, especially for maintaining mental strength and focus that was sorely missing in 2008. This year the team has shifted from a structured offense and defense to an aggressive, organic style of play that should catch a lot of teams by surprise.

Stay tuned for Part 5 - the "Special Features" disc, with players to watch, key matches and predictions.

2009 AUG Preview - Part 3

Once the almighty powerhouse of Australian ultimate, the East region has either fallen by the wayside in recent years, or (the more popular theory) the rest of the country has caught up and pretty much overtaken them. Part 3 of our look at this year’s AUG focuses on the four teams coming out of the Sydney and Newcastle area.

First off, the UTSexperience. As has almost become tradition, the talk coming out of the Harbour City is that UTS are the big improvers of the season and look to be ruffling some feathers at the big dance. However…I just don’t see it happening. Yes, they have added Rach Grindlay to their roster. Yes, they have plenty of tall receiving power in Henry Thomas (will probably handle, though), Hugh McCormack, Evan Sieff and probably even throw Linus Forrest in there. Yes, they have plenty of AUG experience across their squad, most of whom are having their second or third crack at it. Yes, they still wear teal. But I still remain uninspired.

Further…up the road, I suppose…we have the fallen giant in Macquarie, who are two years deep into the post-Dowle era. Their squad has plenty of talent across the board, but outside Megan Gamble there doesn’t seem to be a true superstar who will win them games. Sure, the likes of Tiger Webb, Nathan Wong, Yoann Greau and Rory Connell are very talented players, but I really think this club misses having a Dowle to count upon in crunch times. It will be interesting to see if Gamble adopts a “give the disc to me and I’ll sort it out” approach, given that she will take all but a handful of opponents to town. I think pre-semis might be the limit for these guys in 2009.

And now to everyone’s favourite silver medalists – Sydney. After rumours of sweeping changes being made at the club following last year’s disappointment, SUUFA have spent 12 months preparing, recruiting, training, getting psychological evaluations, sprinting, throwing, designing new uniforms and selecting what looks to be…well, pretty much the same team as last year. Notable exclusion again is Calan Spielman, this time through disease rather than policy. Subbing out the female handling power of Tara Carraro and Izzy MacAuley for the speed of Fi McDonald and Loren Viswalingam means they will probably shift to a more aggressive offence, but that means they’re relying on Brett Latham to not throw it away. Hmm. Better leave it to Mike Tarn and Sarah Crossie

Finally, the resurgence of Newcastle from no-show in 2007 to powerhouse in 2009 is almost complete. Led by the younger of Those Bloody Lavis Boys, the Novacastrians (seriously, look it up) will be playing most of their males upfield, with Liz Dodd and Ellie Sparke moving the disc. 2008 could almost have been seen as a training run for this year, as the squad is quite similar and the on-field cohesion should be a lot stronger. If EUG is any indication like it once was a while back, then Newcastle should be considered favourites for the event alongside UQ.

2009 AUG Preview - Part 2

Two posts in one day? What the hell?

So now we take a look at Division 1. 12 teams in two terribly seeded pools who will battle it out for glory. This is simply too big to keep contained within one single post. Plus I get more hits if you come back every day. And it also makes it seem more substantial than Mozza and Tiger's previews. Internet journalism at it's finest, ladies and gentlemen. On with it...

Part 2 - The States That Don't Matter

Looking westward, we only have the one team coming from two hours behind. UWA are out to defend their 6th place finish from last year. Kendall "Twig" Thorn will be playing the part of Captain Corageous in the absence of James Eley who has finally opted to get a knee reco on what is left of his ACL. Speaking of substitutes, Peter Eley will be fulfilling the "looking like a girl" quota of Glen Fowles. And speaking of girls, UWA's strength this year lies in their females, who this year discovered the joys of women's ultimate and actually having the disc thrown to them. I feel that UWA will wind in their long game and play a more run-and-gun offence, with Twig playing back rather than deep.

Moving north now, we come to locals Griffith Uni. After two years languishing around the bottom of the table, 2009 has seen the sport establish a strong foothold in the Gold Coast and the squad should have a lot more depth than before. Joining stalwarts Mike and Terri Morgan this year are Tatiana Maya and Tom "Cupcake" Tulett who will give them the handling experience they missed sorely last year when Stefan Rappazzo went back to the Land Of The Moose. Whether they have a structured set-up, or just let Cupcake run loose and keep out of his way, will remain to be seen.

And now to look at the team that science has proved cannot survive in temperatures below 22 degrees Celsius - UQ Lovers. Like 2007, they enter the tournament as an early favourite led by John McNaughton. It will be fairly predictable of them to, in crunch times, get the disc to John or Al Don who will jack it at Will Churchill or Julian Sacre. However Megan Barnes and Blair Sheard will provide good reason for them to stop looking off their girls. Provided everyone stays fit they should be playing off for some bling on Friday.

And by now you should know the other state that doesn't matter. ANU have already improved on last year's finish simply by being in division one, but the question is can they go any further. The three players to watch on this team are Mica Hartley, Andrew Sutton and Andrew "AJ" Jackson. Hartley and Sutton are playing the roles of the grizzly old veterans and will direct midfield and handlers respectively. But AJ is likely to attract a lot of attention following his standout performance in the final of Nationals. His defence ability has been proven, but can his O stand up to increased pressure? Unfortunately I don't see ANU making an impact beyond the initial pools.


Tune in tomorrow for a look at the East and the South.

2009 AUG Preview - Part 1

So we're a week out from the pinnacle of the uni ultimate season - Australian University Games. This year, the 12th time it's happened, is the biggest turnout ever, with 23 teams vying for the title. Well, actually it's 12 teams vying for one and 11 for another. In just a few days, the trash talk and training will no longer matter. So how does everyone look?

As per usual, I'm not going to blow my load in one post. Instead this will be a Indiana-Jones-style four episode epic. Hopefully without the fourth part being shitty.


Part 1 - A Look At Division 2

Each year we get the "random" teams. The ones who we're not sure who they are or where they come from. This year we have Australian Catholic Uni, Australian College of Phys Ed, and Uni of New England. Teams like this are usually written off pretty early, but are capable of causing upsets. It ought to be an interesting fight between these teams on Days 2 and 3.

Further up the chain sit newcomers Victoria Uni, UWS and Wollongong. While mostly composed of new players, each will have some experience under their belt. UWS has Ben Mortimer at the helm, who lined up alongside Tim Gee in 2007. Wollongong have components of last year's infamous savage team, so they will know what to expect this time around. Vic Uni are the better looking of these kids, with Tiff Mann (ex-Monash, Honey) and Chris Khoo being the key players. If they put together a good zone on D they should be able to roll most of their opponents.

The next notch up is the bronze medal fight between QUT, Uni of NSW and Charles Sturt Uni. QUT are a bit far removed from the glory days of Mike Neild, Beth Rougier and some kids called Wetnose and Jangles, but they have a enthusiastic and energetic team that learned a lot at the 2008 event. With the addition of Firestorm's Reece Stewart, they should factor in the top few.

In a similar boat are Uni of New South Wales. After 2007's bronze medal, they failed to have numbers in 2008 and are bringing a relatively fresh team. The two to watch out for are Bec Jiang and Evan Darmanin. What they lack for in height they make up for in pace and disc skills. Despite being a "new" team, they have played together a lot this year and should be a cohesive unit.

CSU were the surprise story at EUG, taking out the bronze medal. There is no doubt that Mark Evans played a huge part in their surge, but whether him and Michael Craigie can carry a half Bathurst, half Wagga Wagga team to another medal is a new challenge. What will work against them is the boys' tendancy to get a bit hot-headed when under pressure. They will miss the level-headed presence of Annaleigh Moore in those moments. I feel they might just miss out on a medal.

And that leaves who I think will be the finalists - Vic Uni Wellington and Adelaide Uni/Uni of SA. I don't think they will necessarily have an easy run there, but they collectively have a lot more experience. The bastard child of AU and USA has brought back Alex B-J, Tom Roden, Kaz Palmer and Sam Caon from last year's bronze medal team, and pick up ex-AU and now-USA Will Christopherson who will play a central role alongside BJ.

Vic Uni Wellington will be better known to all as the NZ team. Or the Kiwis. Or the All-Blacks, or sheep-shaggers or any other cliched name. The similarities in this year's team and 2007's is remarkable in that there aren't any. Only one player from the 8th-placed 2007 team is returning. The player to look out for here is Michael Connolly, who represented New Zealand at some tournament in Canada last year.

So now I suppose the thing to do would be to predict the finishing order.

1. Vic Uni Wellington
2. Adelaide/UniSA
3. Uni of NSW
4. QUT
5. Charles Sturt Uni
6. Victoria Uni
7. Uni of Western Sydney
8. Wollongong
9. Uni of New England
10. ACPE
11. ACU

Regional Rivalries

So over on the Gold Coast Ultimate blog I read about the recently established Gold Coast versus Byron Bay rivalry. Looks like we can add them to the list of the existing regional rivalries (all two of them)

NSW Central West
Dubbo, Bathurst and Katoomba play a three-way tournament every year for the glorious "Western Eagle" trophy. This has been going for a few years now, with Dubbo (I think) being the current holders.

Western Victoria
BUUF and GFUC's rivalry is also starting to hit it's stride, with the record currently standing at 2-1 in Geelong's favour. They smashed BUUF in a practice match in Ballarat a few months ago, and the record was 1-1 at the recent Victorian Championships in Melbourne.



There's still plenty of scope for other rivalries to open up...
- Gippsland took on a Western Victoria team at the VFDA Showcase game last year. Hopefully this can become a regular game.
- Have Newcastle and Wollongong had a history?
- Keith and Murray Bridge had a close, intense game at the Keith Callipo Classic.
- The establishment of a team at CSU Wagga Wagga may lead to a bigger "Western Eagle" comp, or even a CSU Cup?


For those wondering, the AUG preview is coming very soon...