British XV Round 12 Team and OOP Lodgements and Banter Discussion

[GoLions]

One more week until the byes! And also until my exams :'(

Round 12 Fixture:



Breakers vs Bunnies - The Bunnies were insane last week, getting their first 2400+ score for the year, and knocking off the Hawks! I still can't believe that they're still in the race for finals, having played an OOP ruck all year. The Breakers are still hanging on to their spot in the 8, and would not want to drop this match after going down to the Magic last week. I think this will be a really close match, and I'm gonna back the team-mascot-inspired Bunnies to get over the line!

Knights vs Magic - 14th vs 15th, with both teams basically out of the finals race. Honestly though both of these teams would be higher on the ladder, and their points scored has them 9th (Knights) and 11th (Magic), so they have been a little unlucky. The Magic delivered another one of their rare 'big games' last week, so on form should be able to get the job done. It's hard to write off a team with Pendlebury and Dangerfield in it though, so this won't be a walk in the park for the Magic, who have been very up and down this year. I think they'll get their 2nd win in a row this weekend though.

Badgers vs Steins - After their terrible showing against the Hurricanes a month ago, the Badgers have responded strongly, winning their last 4 games, including an absolute demolition of the early flag favourites, Winchester Werewolves. They still can't seem to get their selection right though, with Michael Rischitelli scoring almost 220 on the bench last week. The Steins have continued to be competitive, knocking off the Knights and the Breakers in the last two weeks, and missing out on defeating the Hawks by next to nothing 3 weeks ago. They only sit the 1 game out of the 8, so a win here would keep them in contention, especially if the Leeches go down to the Werewolves. You would have to back the 3rd-placed Badgers to win this though.

Hoods vs Werewolves - After their win against the Hedgehogs, it looked like the Hoods would be a genuine threat in finals, and almost beat the Hurricanes as well. However, the last two weeks has given them two losses, against the Rams and the Dragons, who both sit in the bottom 8. This has seen the Hoods fall to 12th, with their finals hopes slowly slipping away. This game is huge for them, and could make or break their season. The Werewolves are all of a sudden in danger of losing their top 2 spot on the ladder, following their massive loss against the Badgers, who now sit only a game behind them. Since round 3, the Werewolves have gone over 2300 only the one time, which was a 2319 in round 10. Compare that to the Hurricanes (6), Badgers (5), and Owls (4), they have been very lucky to maintain their spot on the ladder. Their depth is really being tested, and they'll be hoping a few players can stand up this week after some disappointing scores last week. However, I really like the Hoods' chances this week, and think they might be able to pull off an upset!

Giants vs Dragons - The Giants just cannot catch a break. After the injuries they already had, and losing Taylor Adams to a hamstring injury last week, their captain David Zaharakis delivers an absolutely horrid score in a match where they were a really good chance of getting the 4 points. Instead, it ended with them producing their lowest score of the season, and even the lowest score of all clubs this season. There has been some positives though, with Josh Dunkley joining fellow teammates Darcy Parish, Corey Ellis, and Jacob Hopper as Rising Star nominees, and it goes to show that the Giants have so far built very well for the future. The Dragons finally welcomed the GOAT himself, Tom Rockliff back last week, and boy did he deliver. He scored a whopping 318 points (and no that is not a typo), and now holds the record for the highest individual score this year. But, for some reason, Dragons coach kilbluff didn't even give him the captaincy! Absolute madness if you ask me. This week you would expect him to lead the Dragons though, and to a victory no less.

Hurricanes vs Rams - Ughhhhhhhh the Hurricanes STILL HAVEN'T LOST A GAME. There is a very good chance that this team goes through the entire season undefeated, but you can't say they haven't earned it. They have been extremely consistent, with quite a few big scores thrown in as well to build on that percentage. There isn't much else to say about them. The Rams have found themselves in a position where they can still pray for finals, but coming up against the Hurricanes this week is not what they would have wanted. So many things will have to go right for them so that they can even get close here, and I just can't see it happening (even though it would be simply splendid). Hurricanes comfortably.

Leeches vs Hedgies - This is a very important game. 6th vs 8th, with the Leeches only the one game behind the Hedgies. Both teams have been very good this year, with the Hedgies having that bit extra scoring power you'd have to say. But, the Leeches have posted some decent scores as well. The Leeches sit inside the 8 only by percentage, and have a number of teams right on their tail. A loss this week could see them drop a few spots in the ladder if a few other results go against them, whereas a win could see them jump up to 6th. The Hedgies had a good win against the Owls last week, and another win this week will have them knocking on the door of the top 4. This is a very hard one to pick, and in my opinion will be the closest match of the round...I'll go with the Hedgies.

Owls vs Hawks - The battle for 4th! Both of these teams suffered losses last week, and both will be looking for redemption this week. The Hawks have a 2 point buffer over the Owls currently, due to the draw between the Owls and the Dragons. They were disappointing against the Bunnies last week, and seem to be struggling a bit without star midfielder Dayne Beams, and the out-of-form Sam Mitchell. The Owls had one of their poorer weeks last week against the Hedgies, and will want to come out as hard as they can this week, as a loss here will probably erase all hope of a top 4 finish with not long left in the season. I think they can beat the Hawks this week, but if Mitchell and get back into his early season form, it could get the Hawks over the line.

[GoLions]

I'll probably do the write-ups tonight after I stop studying, but figured I may as well get the thread posted while I take a small break. Some very interesting match-ups this week though! After how the Steins went last week, I'm not as confident in locking this up as a win compared to about a month or so ago :-X

Owls/Hawks, Leeches/Hedgies, Breakers/Bunnies, and Hoods/Werewolves all going to play a pretty big part in deciding our top 8 I reckon!

[iZander]

Hastings Hurricanes

Def: Brendon Goddard, Jasper Pittard, Rory Liard, Zac Williams
Mid: Joel Selwood (C), David Armitage (VC), Ben Cunnington (EVC), Nathan Jones
Ruck: Shane Mumford
Fwd: Daniel Wells, Craig Bird, Shane Edwards, Jake Stringer
Utility: Jack Newnes, Stephen Hill

Emg: Ryan Bastinac (Mid), Jackson Trengove (Def), Rory Lobb (Ruck/Fwd), Drew Petrie (Fwd)

Ps. Zac Williams 4th in the Hurricanes best and fairest, how does that happen :P

[GoLions]

Ps. Zac Williams 4th in the Hurricanes best and fairest, how does that happen :P

Whatttttttttttt :o

[iZander]

Ps. Zac Williams 4th in the Hurricanes best and fairest, how does that happen :P

Whatttttttttttt :o

Legit, check my team thread...i swear i did not tamper with it....hes making a sneaky run, Jelwood better watch out

[Nige]

We'll have Reece Conca play his first game as a Ram, gg Canes!

[iZander]

We'll have Reece Conca play his first game as a Ram, gg Canes!

And James Kelly and Goldstein rested up just for the big clash too ;)

And Chris Dawes is back for you as well...how unfair :P

Should be a good clash this week i think :D

[Nige]

We'll have Reece Conca play his first game as a Ram, gg Canes!

And James Kelly and Goldstein rested up just for the big clash too ;)

And Chris Dawes is back for you as well...how unfair :P

Should be a good clash this week i think :D

If you think I'm playing Dawes, you're having a laugh. Delisting him at year's end ahaha.

Treloar is due for a 200+ score after a couple of down weeks, I'm feeling okay about at least being competitive.

[iZander]

We'll have Reece Conca play his first game as a Ram, gg Canes!

And James Kelly and Goldstein rested up just for the big clash too ;)

And Chris Dawes is back for you as well...how unfair :P

Should be a good clash this week i think :D

If you think I'm playing Dawes, you're having a laugh. Delisting him at year's end ahaha.

Treloar is due for a 200+ score after a couple of down weeks, I'm feeling okay about at least being competitive.

Hahahaha I dare you to play him :P

Competitive for sure, I'm worried! Although purps can confirm I'm worried every week haha :P

[Nige]

We'll have Reece Conca play his first game as a Ram, gg Canes!

And James Kelly and Goldstein rested up just for the big clash too ;)

And Chris Dawes is back for you as well...how unfair :P

Should be a good clash this week i think :D

If you think I'm playing Dawes, you're having a laugh. Delisting him at year's end ahaha.

Treloar is due for a 200+ score after a couple of down weeks, I'm feeling okay about at least being competitive.

Hahahaha I dare you to play him :P

Competitive for sure, I'm worried! Although purps can confirm I'm worried every week haha :P

Only if you don't play your entire best XV. :P

[kilbluff1985]

"But, for some reason, Dragons coach kilbluff didn't even give him the captaincy! Absolute madness if you ask me"

bite me Dave

[Rusty00]

I propose a mutual agreement this week with the Hoods that we just play 11 a side, with no defenders :P

[LF]

I propose a mutual agreement this week with the Hoods that we just play 11 a side, with no defenders :P

Sometimes it's like that for me anyway haha

[LF]

Nottingham Hoods

Def: Heath Grundy,Jeremy McGovern,Shane Biggs,Andrew Walker
Mids: Dan Hannebery(C),Stephen Coniglio(VC),Jackson Macrae(EVC),Liam Shiels
Ruck: Scott Lycett
Fwds: Tom.T.Lynch,Michael Walters,Sam Gray,Jesse White
U: Rory Atkins,Aaron Young
E: Ben Griffiths,Sam Day,Lindsay Thomas,Will Schofield

And that is every player I have that is named this week
Too many injuries like usual

[Rusty00]

(Potential) Milestones Games for Round 12

Drew Petrie (Hastings) 50 games
Shane Edwards (Hastings) 50 games
Lachie Neale (Hebden Bridge) 50 games
Alex Rance (Leeds) 50 games
Shaun Grigg (Manchester) 50 games