WXV Round 10: Moscow Rise as Toronto Slip

[Purple 77]

Round 10, AFL Round 10

Home Team		Away Team	Head-to-Head	Venue
Buenos Aires Armadillos	v	Rio de Janeiro Jaguars	0  v  0	Estadio de River   Rhythm (South American) Cup, AAP Alliance, Americas
Cairo Sands	v	Dublin Destroyers	2  v  1	Neutral, Etihad Stadium
Cape Town Cobras	v	Beijing Thunder	2  v  1	Newlands Cricket Ground
Christchurch Saints	v	Seoul Magpies	0  v  0	AMI Stadium
London Royals	v	New York Revolution	1  v  2	London Royals Olympic Stadium
Mexico City Suns	v	Berlin Brewers	4  v  0	Fireball Stadium
New Delhi Tigers	v	Moscow Spetsnaz	0  v  3	Tata Stadium   EurAsia
Tokyo Samurai	v	PNL Reindeers	2  v  1	Tokyo Olympic Stadium   EurAsia
Toronto Wolves	v	Pacific Islanders	3  v  0	Rogers Centre   AAP Alliance

YOU CAN SELECT FOUR EMERGENCIES THIS WEEK

Buenos Aires would be thrilled at last weeks triumph over Cairo, and even more so of its young midfield whom provided the winning grunt to get their highest score of the year, which outscored the Jaguars score last week by 125 points. That alone would give some belief to this Armadillo outfit that they can notch up yet another win if everything goes to plan, and would all but guarantee themselves in avoiding the spoon, if they haven't done so already. Rio faced the brunt of a vicious Suns outfit last week and put up a very sub-standard score at the same time. They will be looking to rebound this week to keep any finals chance alive. I will back the Jaguars, as much as I kinda want Buenos Aires to win.

Cairo have a right to be miffed last week at losing to Buenos Aires, whom if they had played them at ANY other week this year, they would have won comfortably. Instead, Buenos Aires scored 22 (WXV) points above their season average to down a Cairo outfit that has just seen no light or luck since Round 1 this season. Then, to make matters worse... they now face Dublin. Oh dear. Dublin re-affirmed their dominance last week in convincingly beating the highest scoring team outside themselves in Berlin last week, and would always welcome a percentage boost. Perhaps it's a good time to rest Joel Selwood? Dublin will win this match.

The Cobras are coming! After a nightmare start to the season that got as bad as 1-4, the Cobras have since won 4 matches in a row including crucial match-ups against like-teams Tokyo and Pacific. In this 4-week patch, the Cobras have averaged 100 points more than their opening 5 matches, as they start to get selections right. Beijing, also on 5-4, have hit a bit of a wall in the past 2 games, just scoring 130 and 129 in matches that proved good character defining moments. Have the Thunder clouds begun the dissipate? Either way, a win here would be monumental for the Thunder's season, because if they were 6-4, 4 more wins would likely get them a place in the finals, 2 of them should come from Seoul and New Delhi, but the rest of their opponents on are level pegging terms or are stronger than they. Hence, this is why I'm calling this match for the Thunder as season-defining; lose, and miss out, or win and go on to glory. But, I'm gonna go with the Cobras.

Christchurch have been (most of the time) a picture of classy consistency this year, with two scores below 140, 6 inbetween 140-149, and one 150+, which came last week against the Islanders. As such, the Saints sit 2nd on the ladder and 6th on points, and have well and truly asserted themselves in a place in the finals, barring a disaster. This week though, could represent a danger game led by Danger itself in the Seoul Magpies, who went BOOM last week (and I so called it) with 146; a score that would have beaten Christchurch every week so far this year except last. It's really a question on whether Seoul's young hence inconsistent gun midfield will all fire at once, and whether Dangerfield is Captain, that will determine whether Seoul can beat the best. But, I'm gonna back consistently good over sometimes great, and Christchurch will get it done.

And it remains to be so, that London are the team that rise and fall according to their opposition (I've said that from the start this year), demonstrated no better by its last two weeks where it beat the biggest giant of them all in Dublin, only to then lose against bottom 5 team Seoul the following week. The good thing about this reputation however, is that they rise to the good teams, and hence will fancy themselves a good chance to knock over the Revolution which; despite the absence of their midfield stars, scored their highest score of the year last week in 153. New York would be over the moon about that too, perhaps proving in the process that they have the best bookends behind Dublin in the competition? However, I'm not confident that they will fire every week like they did last week, whereas the midfield at London has the firepower to knock them down. I'm actually gonna back London this week, with doubts at New York's consistency at this level without their midfield stars.

477 points in 3 weeks, the Suns have scored. I'd wager that would be the highest in the past 3 weeks and hence are the form team in the competition at the moment. So of course I have to play them now, and not a month ago. But whatever, I suppose. Berlin got a good smack from Dublin last week, but weren't shamed in the process with the standard 142 produced. But Berlin knows that the standard won't get it done against either Dublin, PNL or Mexico City, and need to announce to the competition that they are indeed a powerhouse, and not just a team that whines about scoring high scores and still gets beaten. Berlin scored 169 two weeks ago, which has surpassed that of any score Mexico City has produced this year, so that is the mark required. Can Berlin produce when needed? So far this season says no, and I also think no this week, so I reckon Mexico City will get it done, and make my season very hard to resurrect at 4-6.

New Delhi have fielded a traditional XV in the past few weeks, which are signs of inevitable improvement as it waits for its better players to come back from injury. They also fielded a Mumbai team for the 3rd time this year last week, so they're slowly making inroads. It's just a shame that this MUCH improved Moscow outfit have the thirst for blood, with brutally good consistency over the past month with scores reading as 148, 149, 152 and 153. Moscow have arrived and put my early season doubts about them to rest, and would be looking at a top 4 spot eventually, should they keep this form up. But, as good form warrants, I'm now making sure the spotlight is firmly on you, Moscow, so how will you respond? Well, with a win this week I suppose. In the meantime, I'm challenging New Delhi to hit the 120 mark in this match, because that score is the minimum required to steal a win, and you just never know.

Tokyo have struggled in the past 3 weeks; failing to surpass 140 in that time and as a result have gone 1-2. But, the teams they have lost to aren't exactly pushovers either (Christchurch, Dublin, Berlin and Cape Town), whilst also having big scalps of Mexico City, Toronto and London. I think there is no real pattern or correlation to their wins and their opponents, other than scoring well gives you the best chance at winning. They will most certainly have to score well this week against the 7-2 Reindeers, whom are 1 point away from being the second highest scoring team of the year (ha-ha :P). With only one week period of the year in Rounds 2 and 3, the Reindeers haven't scored less than 144 since that time, and are deserving top 4 aspirants. This form is just too good to tip against, so I will back the blood thirsty Reindeers... who says Reindeers aren't scary?

This is most certainly my MATCH OF THE ROUND! In the red corner, we have a team that responds to any spotlight with "Oh it's too bright, the light will give me sunburn" in Toronto, whom after a dazzling first 6 rounds and were once the second highest scoring team, have crumbled in the past 3 weeks with scores of 121, 138 and 129 to now be 8th on the points ladder. Although the 2 teams that they lost to in this time went big, that doesn't excuse the fall in their points output, which ultimately has led me to resent them for taking my heart in the first place  :'(. In the blue corner, we have a team that has boasted its improvement to the world, only to lose the past three matches against teams that actually aren't in the bottom 5. I say this, because Pacific have only... me... as their biggest scalp, with their other wins coming against Rio, Cairo and Buenos Aires. This is my match of the round, because the ramifications for either team that loses is pretty major, so hence the stakes are high. Although finals will still be on the cards for both teams, it's just gonna make life all that little bit harder. Who's going to win? Well, despite Pacific scoring higher in the past 3 weeks, I'm going to back Toronto to win on HGA alone!

[Ricochet]

With Darling and Mullett close to a return we'll be much improved over the next few weeks.

[Purple 77]

Just to re-iterate and in case you glazed over it

FOUR EMERGENCIES THIS WEEK

Also, I have an exam this weekend :( then going to North v West Coast in Hobart, and also have the family coming down for a visit, so I might not be around as much to give updates and such.

And then I have an exam on Tuesday morning, so I'm not sure I will do the match write-ups on Monday night, but we will see how we go.

[Nige]

Can we just forfeit and rest our whole team for next week where we actually stand a chance?

[ossie85]

Continue to astound me with your write ups Purps

Buenos Aires are having their 7th crack at the rhythm cup, Rio its first. Someone gotta win it

[Jukes]

D: S Docherty, L Dunn, P Seedsman, J Hombsch
M: C Ward (cc), D Heppell, D Armitage, R Bastinac
R: N Naitanui
F: R Gray (cc), J Hogan, J Daniher, A Monfries
U: C Pearce, N Vlastuin

Emg: D Sheed, S May, H Ballantyne, J Sinclair

[Toga]

Another tough game for the Thunder, can't have any passengers if we are to get up!

[Holz]

Dublin Bostons featuring ANDREW BOSTON

Birchall Murphy Rance Mcdonald
BOSTON Boak Mundy (CC)  Selwood
Gunston Buddy (CC) Roughy Martin
Walters Thompson

Hansen Bruce NVB Schoenemakers

resting Sloane

IN ANDREW BOSTGUN!!!!

[Jroo]

Who is Andrew Boston?  ??? ??? ???

[Purple 77]

Who is Andrew Boston?  ??? ??? ???

Rookie mistake JROO, queue a Holz rave  :-X

[Holz]

Who is Andrew Boston?  ??? ??? ???

Rookie mistake JROO, queue a Holz rave  :-X

Since you asked

He was drafted in the 2013 Rookie Draft with the Gold Coast Academy selection at pick 56. He played 8 games that year mainly in the vest. In his last two full games of football that year he kicked 7 goals straight.

In 2014 he was hit with injury, Boston dislocated his right ankle, rupturing ligaments and requiring surgery.

As he was training in a bid to make a late-season comeback, he sustained a lateral strain in his left ankle to complete the miserable year.

The Suns/Destroyers believe highly of the creative half-forward and elevated him to the senior list after two years as a rookie. Boston played eight games in 2013 and has a deadly accurate right boot that makes him arguably the club’s best set-shot for goal. He was the first player in the history of the draft to register a perfect score in the goal kicking contest.

on the weekend he racked up 14 kicks, with half of his possessions contested and knocked up 5 tackles and 5 clearances.

[ossie85]

He plays for Gold Coast, likely injured this week

[Purple 77]

He plays for Gold Coast, likely injured this week

On that, I think it's only a matter of time before Dixon gets injured again  :-X he's played 6 games in a row!

[Holz]

He plays for Gold Coast, likely injured this week

On that, I think it's only a matter of time before Dixon gets injured again  :-X he's played 6 games in a row!

how I enjoy not having that headache in my team.

[roo boys!]

He plays for Gold Coast, likely injured this week

On that, I think it's only a matter of time before Dixon gets injured again  :-X he's played 6 games in a row!

Whatever you do, don't trade him because he's "injury prone" and misses a lot of football...see Robbie Gray as exhibit A :(

Yeah huge match against Pacific this week, hoping on the returns of Douglas and Swallow however Ryder seems likely to miss again