WXV Round 4: Can Cape Town resurrect season?

[Purple 77]

This is a cracker-jack of a round if you ask me. I give every team bar New Delhi a chance to win this week!

Round 4, AFL Round 4, ANZAC Day Weekend

Home Team		Away Team	Head-to-Head	Venue
Berlin Brewers	v	Moscow Spetsnaz	1  v  3	Berlin Olympic Stadium   EurAsia, Europe
Buenos Aires Armadillos	v	Seoul Magpies	3  v  0	Estadio de River
Christchurch Saints	v	Beijing Thunder	0  v  0	Neutral, Gabba
Dublin Destroyers	v	New York Revolution	2  v  1	Crooke Park
New Delhi Tigers	v	Toronto Wolves	0  v  3	Wipro Stadium
Pacific Islanders	v	Mexico City Suns	0  v  3	Tuanaimato International Stadium, Samoa        AAP Alliance
PNL Reindeers	v	Cairo Sands	1  v  2	Stade de Gerland
Rio de Janeiro Jaguars	v	Cape Town Cobras	0  v  0	Maracana Stadium    AAP Alliance
Tokyo Samurai	v	London Royals	1  v  2	Tokyo Olympic Stadium   EurAsia

Berlin sit 2-1, 3rd and have been the second most attacking team this year. Moscow sit 1-2, 14th and have been the second most disappointing team this year. The importance of this match (like many this week) is huge for both teams. For Berlin, they will be looking to assert themselves over the competition and separate themselves from the rest of the pack (they are one of 9 teams to be sitting at 2-1 so far this season). A loss here might smack them all the way out of the eight and there finals campaign will become that little bit harder, something a traditionally middle-of-the-pack team would love to avoid. For Moscow, they need to get back in touch, and a win here might actually see them get to the eight, or close it at least. Losing to Christchurch and Cairo hurts, and they really can't afford to lose to another like-team in the Brewers. I'll back my boys though, with HGA to be a major factor in this match.

Buenos Aires entered last week not really expecting to beat the team that knocked over the Suns, but ended up missing an agonising opportunity to do so, largely thanks to their Captain going down to injury early in the match. From this experience alone, they should enter every match this year thinking they are a chance, and with Seoul producing two below-par performances in a row, the Dillos will consider themselves a remote chance here. Seoul on the other hand, must not lose this match, and all the pressure is on them to knock off a likely bottom 4 side. Seoul have been bereft of players taking the game to the next level of late, and no matter the opposition, they will be looking for just that as soon as possible. Seoul to win this one for me.

In our first neutral match of the year, played at the Gabba of old, Christchurch will be looking to silence the exponentially growing levels of hype over at Beijiing, whom can't do anything wrong at the moment! Beijing stole a win last week against the Mexico City Suns, sending the fans into hysteria, and, although there is no home advantage, you'd expect the fans to almost outnumber the neighbours of Australia in attending this match! Christchurch have produced two impressive performances and one disappointing performance this year, which team will turn up? In either case, they will be helped this week with the absence of Beijing Captain Ollie Wines, which will be the deciding factor IMO. Christchurch for this one.

There have been reported cases around the world, verging on an epidemic, of mass nightmares originating in Beijing, then to New Delhi, and now there have been increased reported cases in New York. The common denominator in all this? I'll tell you what it is, it 376 points scored by the Destroyers over 2 weeks, that's what it is. Should this ungodly form continue, NO team can challenge this outfit. NO team has any chance. NO other team will win the premiership. Luckily for the rest of the world, it would be close to impossible to sustain such a monstrosity, and New York will be hoping like hell that stopped last week. New York must score 150+ this week to have any sort of chance, and they are capable. But you'd be made to tip against Dublin at the moment.

You feel for the 12 players that had to cop the punishment that they did last week. Apparently their psychiatrists just refer to it as "the incident". It's been reported that, however, a key plank in the healing process as been that had New Delhi had 15 players last week, they really might have beaten a few teams last week, and that alone will make them head into this match... on two steady legs. But not with any hope at beating Toronto. It just won't happen. Toronto have hit form after a disappointing round 1, and should go into this match expecting a win.

This one? Maybe. Nah, this isn't the match. Pacific, along with Beijing, have been the feel good stories so far in this season, exceeding everyone's pre-season expectations to currently sit 2-1, 5th, and being the 3rd most attacking team so far this year. Meanwhile, the last two weeks have been a disaster for Mexico City; two back-to-back losses against teams they would have walked over at any other point in their successful past. Injuries are the main explanation for the losses, but the rest of the world doesn't care; they would be delighted at the team that has caused so much pain to them, getting put down. One gets the feeling however, that Mexico City is going to respond sooner rather than later, and I would hate to be the team on the receiving end of that. Will it be this week? It might have to be given Pacific is one of the form teams this year. I'm actually backing the Islanders to get it done, with HGA to be a major factor in this match.

For a team that was touted as top 4 team at pre-season, PNL have certainly been disappointing. Sure they are 2-1 and that their loss came against a respectable opponent in Toronto, but they currently sit 9th in both ladder position and in the amount of points they have scored. Cairo have scored the 12th most amount of points this year, so on that stat alone, this is an interesting match. ALL the pressure is on PNL to win this match, as a loss will almost eliminate all their top 4 credentials. This is no disrespect to Cairo at all, who are capable of challenging the best teams on their day, but if PNL are to be worthy of a place in the top 4, this is a match they just cannot afford to lose. So I'll back them, this time.

Yep, this is the one. This is my MATCH OF THE ROUND! This is largely due to the importance of a win and the consequences of a loss to both teams. Cape Town have been the most disappointing team this year, without a win, the 4th least amount of points scored and above only the lowly New Delhi. A loss here, against a solid opposition, might mean the end of their finals race, with matches against Dublin, Mexico City and other top teams on their horizon. Rio de Janeiro, would still be celebrating after their maiden win last week against the odds against New York. Still, they sit 1-2, which is unlucky as they have scored the 7th most amount of points, and 13th on the ladder. A loss will make it tough to make the finals, but with a more offensive game to date than others, finals still would be well within reach. I will back Rio in this one, and it will end Cape Town's season IMO.

Tokyo should consider themselves lucky, scraping an ugly win against Buenos Aires last week. But, a win is a win. London have been living on that motto for some time now, often finding a way to only play a little better than their opponent, regardless of how good that opponent is. Except for last week, when they regained respect with a very impressive 156. Both teams actually currently reside in the top 4, and are both perhaps regarded not as top 4 material. Still, a win for either team will probably mean that they stay there for another week. More importantly though, a win will maintain respect from the competition, which is what both teams are striving for. I will back Tokyo in this one however, as I'm not sure London can keep that form up two weeks in a row.

[Toga]

Having our skipper Ollie Wines out will make it a tough ask this week. Will need some of our fringe players to really stand up!

[Nige]

Looking forward to being robbed on HGA again this week.

[Holz]

Confident but only because im back at home. Surely I have to fall back by 20+ points.

[elephants]

Y'all falling into our trap. False sense of security everywhere, it's beautiful. Look out Toronto!

[Holz]

Also go pacific go

[Toga]

Beijing Thunder:
D: H.Taylor (CC), C.Hooker, M.Jaensch, C.Shenton
M: L.Neale (CC), J.Caddy, J.Polec, J.Aish
R: B.Grundy
F: E.Betts, T.Bell, T.Broomhead, J.Stewart
I/C: C.Wood, J.Thurlow

Emg: T.Jonas (def), T.Miller (mid), C.Dawes (fwd)

OUT: O.Wines (wrist), M.Weller (calf), C.Dawes (omitted)
IN: C.Wood, J.Thurlow, J.Stewart

Rest: Phil Davis

[ossie85]

Amazing write up as usual

[AaronKirk]

I don't think we would be able to beat Dublin Purps just quietly.,.

[Jay]

Also go pacific go

No problems from our end. Pacific being 3-1 is inevitable  8)

[Purple 77]

Amazing write up as usual

I had to lol at this one, because I was behind my keyboard for about 80 minutes, trying to start an essay for uni, and in that time, got a good 100 words or so...

I didn't want to do it anymore, so I thought I'd do the write-up, and ended up punching out 1300 words in 40 minutes lol

[roo boys!]

Y'all falling into our trap. False sense of security everywhere, it's beautiful. Look out Toronto!

Yeah I actually don't really like the expectation...in my eyes NDT going in favourites and I'm hoping my boys can scrap a victory   :-\

[RaisyDaisy]

This is a cracker-jack of a round if you ask me. I give every team bar New Delhi AND NEW YORK a chance to win this week!

[Jukes]

D: Seedsman, Vlastuin, McDonald, Docherty
M: Ward, Heppell, Armitage (cc), Bastinac
R: Naitanui (cc)
F: Daniher, Hogan, Monfries, McInnes
U: May, Sheed

Emg: Sinclair, CPearce, Jenkins
Resting: Dunn



This week's team hasd an average age of 22.33, pretty good right? Oldest just 27, youngest 19.

[Holz]

This week's team has an average age of 22.33, pretty good right? Oldest just 27, youngest 19.

Thats pretty good, im sitting at 26.3