WXV Round 13: The World Divides as the Final Stretch Begins

[Purple 77]

The 2015 similar-opponents stage has begun! This has opened up several blockbuster matches in the rounds to come, and if last year was anything to go by, it will be the best 5-match period of the year!

But, the dreaded bye rounds have arrived... which means, I get to bring up this beauty from the former admin great:

Hi all!

Rolling lock out this week which means....

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ANY EDITED POSTS - NO MATTER IF BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER LOCK OUT - WILL NOT BE COUNTED. EVEN IF ONLY 10 SECONDS AFTER POST.

JUST POST AGAIN

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Round 13, AFL Round 13 + AFL Round 14 Scores from Adelaide, Gold Coast, Richmond, St. Kilda, Carlton, Collingwood

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
Beijing Thunder	Rio de Janeiro Jaguars	Beijing Olympic Park	0  v  1
Berlin Brewers	PNL Reindeers	Neutral, Bellerive, EurAsia, Europe, Europe Cup	2  v  3
Buenos Aires Armadillos	London Royals	Estadio de River	2  v  2
Cape Town Cobras	Pacific Islanders	Newlands Cricket Ground, AAP Alliance, Africonia	3  v  1
Dublin Destroyers	Christchurch Saints	Crooke Park	1  v  0
Mexico City Suns	Moscow Spetsnaz	Fireball Stadium	5  v  1
New Delhi Tigers	Cairo Sands	Nepal	1  v  3
Tokyo Samurai	Seoul Magpies	Neutral, Sydney Cricket Ground, EurAsia, Asia, Asia Cup	0  v  4
Toronto Wolves	New York Revolution	Rogers Centre, AAP Alliance, Americas	3  v  1

First off the rank, this match is my MATCH OF THE ROUND! The Thunder have positioned themselves beautifully to make the finals this year, as they will face the teams that finished in the bottom 6 last year in the last five matches. However, that group has actually improved quite a lot come to think of it, with Rio, Buenos Aires and New Delhi proving as fellow top 8 contenders... boy, this will be an exciting finish to the H&A season for the Thunder! Rio's appearance in the finals is basically a given, but the pressure remains to fend off multiple challenges from teams wishing to fill their place in the top 4, with a loss against Seoul last week perhaps opening the door for those teams. Speaking of which, I'd be pretty pissed off losing with a score of 160, and I'd expect that to come out in this performance against the Thunder. The Jaguars have probably shown to be the more finals ready team compared to the Thunder, but this match will be a ripper all the same. I think I'll back the Jags though! And just quietly, it's great to see two bottom 6 teams from last year now in the top 6!

This match has got a little more feeling to it if you ask me. Not only are Berlin & PNL official rivals and will come to Hobart to fight it out, but I remember the outcome of the last time these two teams met... in a poor semi final performance that saw Berlin produce their worst score of the season and hence lose. These two teams are also still in the World Idol, and it's very possible that the loser of this match will also find themselves eliminated in the World Idol. The Brewers finals hopes are well and truly dead, and have adopted the "flower this game, and flower you all" mentality for the rest of the season that normally sees them score well but lose at the same time. The Reindeers however, AMAZINGLY have revived their season from a truly awful start to now one of the highest scoring teams in recent months and one game out of the top 4! Wow! But the bad news is, is that they face the top 6 from last year in their final 5 matches, so you could say there will not be anymore easy games for the rest of their season. I would ABSOLUTELY love to beat PNL, and play Will Hams in the process, but really, I'm unsure either of those things will happen. This is the Reindeers game to lose; I'm delegating all pressure to them.

The Dillos have been scratching their shells in utter confusion about the result last week. They're trying to figure out the word that means that the opposition scored more points then they did... it hasn't happened in like 2 months after all. Nonetheless, the Dillos could be in a much worse position than their 8th spot on the ladder, and will benefit from having to play the bottom 6 teams from last year in their final 5 matches. The Royals have done a fine job this season; their 5 wins have matched the outputs of Berlin and New Delhi despite being the 3rd lowest scoring team so far in the season. It's highly unlikely that they'll play finals, but hey they've done a good job with their young list, whom showed last week that they could be tiring with their first sub 120 score of the season. I'd expect Buenos Aires to get the job done here, but you never know.

The Cobras are coming off a THRILLING against-the-odds victory against New Delhi last week which saw their final players go above in beyond both offensively and defensively to secure the 5 WXV point win. Although the Cobras won't make the finals this year, they have shown very promising signs, particularly in the last month that has seen them be the 8th highest scoring team in this time. The Islanders are in a tricky position really; sitting 10th (despite being 7th in the points ladder) but having to face the teams that finished 7th-12th from last year in their final 5, whom mostly seem to be able to around the Islanders mark. It's very important then, that they put the Cobras to the sword and continue to put pressure on the top eight as it is likely that someone will slip out eventually. Who will win? The Cobras form of late gives them every chances, but I think I like the Islanders here. Oh, one more thing, the result of this match will likely decide the Oceania Cup too!

There is a bit of a tension between these two teams you feel... is it because that Christchurch beat Dublin in the Champions League final last year? Is it because of the many (entertaining) debates these coaches have with each other? Or is it perhaps that the infamous Rockliff for Gibbs + Sandilands trade single handedly prevented Dublin from winning both the Champions League final and WXV final last year? The Destroyers have actually lost hold of their ranking as the number one team on the points ladder (by 4 WXV points) and are only 0.11% ahead of Mexico City on the H&A ladder. Sure they're still a dominant team in the WXV competition, but really, they are no longer THE dominant team of the competition like they were last year. Anyway, they're toughest draw begins now (playing the top 6 teams of last year) but have the opportunity to put the struggling Saints to the Sword for some much needed percentage over Mexico City. The Saints were finally knocked out of the World Idol last week with their 4th successive sub 130 score that has seem their be the third lowest scoring team in the past month. They now sit 7th on the ladder with multiple threats from outside the eight containing the potential to knock them out. They DESPERATELY need to get back into form, but until they do, I can't tip against the Destroyers in this one.

The Suns are in a very rich vein of form at the moment; now number 1 in the points ladder and scoring approximately 500 more SC points than the next best team in the past month! Wow! Such form know gives them the premiership favouritism, but ultimately they'll be facing a lot of challenges in the weeks ahead that will perhaps give an insight into how they'll perform come finals. The Spetsnaz have actually done exceptionally well with the hand they've been dealt, and currently sit 9th on the ladder! However, with the only ruckman on their list in Nic Naitunai going down, coupled with the fact that they'll be playing the best teams of 2015 in the next 5 weeks, I don't think they'll be participating in the finals for the first time ever. It's also interesting to note, that is was this time last year when the Spetsnaz declined dramatically, so it will be interesting to see if they can stop that from happening again. But I can't tip against the Suns against anybody at this stage.

The finals hopes of New Delhi are starting to really flicker; the loss against Cape Town last week really hurt especially when everything seemed to go against them in the last quarter. They'll likely have to win ALL of their remaining 5 games (maybe 4) to make the finals and although these games will be against the bottom 6 of last year, Rio and Buenos Aires pose significant challenges. The Sands put in a much improved effort against Berlin last week as the continue on without the likes of Beams and Adams. They won't make finals, but would be DESPERATE to avoid the spoon which they are only a game away from receiving. They need to increase their percentage, and maybe keeping games close will be enough to do so if Toronto get a flogging or two. Despite their injuries, the Sands would have actually beaten New Delhi last week so this is a HUGE opportunity or danger game depending on whose side you sit on. I'll tip the Tigers, but will watch on with interest.

The Samurai put in an absolute stinker last week (101), and will probably just try and forget it ever happened and move on. Although the Dahlhaus injury hurts, the Samurai are still capable of challenging most teams and are perhaps unlucky not to have another win or two on the board given the form they showed in the weeks leading up to last weeks disappointment. The Magpies are coming off a team-of-the-week performance last week; largely thanks to the superhuman performance of Captain Dangerfield! They needed to beat 160, and did just 1 better with 161 in what would easily be the highlight of their season and one of their best ever wins. That was also a VERY important win in terms of their finals hopes, and if they continue to display solid form against their remaining opponents are actually EVERY chance of making the finals! If they do, they'll look back to last weeks performance and say "that was a season defining win". This is a very important game again for the Magpies to win, and I'll back them to do it.

The Wolves weren't that far away from Dublin last week... even if Dublin had an off-game. The Wolves just need to win one more game, and they'll probably avoid the spoon which, despite meaning you'll get the #1 pick, is something no one wants to receive. They just need to keep trying and keeping believing that they can do it, with only maybe one or two more realistic chances left at another victory. It'll probably won't happen here though, with New York looking to take advantage of their (2015 7th-12th placed teams) remaining draw and solidify their spot in the top 4. They'd be pretty happy with how the season has panned out overall, despite valuable ruckman Kurt Tippett going down for the next 6 weeks... they'll desperately need him to come back for finals, and that race to be fit starts now. The Revolution should win here, and they'd want a percentage boost just in case they need it.

[Purple 77]

Remember, back to 3 emergencies this week, and it is a ROLLING LOCKOUT!

Oh, and another thing:

YOU CAN'T EDIT POSTS.

[Holz]

The Destroyers have actually lost hold of their ranking as the number one team on the points ladder (by 4 WXV points)




We lost 86 points from the Sloane incident. Still think we are the elite but Mexico is right up there with Rocky.

[Holz]

Backs:  A.Rance, G.Birchall, H.Grundy, J.Weitering
Mids: J.Selwood CC, R.Sloane, A.Treloar, N. Dal Santo
Ruck: T.Goldstein
Fwds: D.Martin, L.Franklin,J.Gunston, J.Riewoldt
Interchange: O.Mcdonald, N.Jetta

L.Hansen S.Collins , C.Byrne, B.Crocker (F/M),


reminders:
Loophole Omac is Hansen scores well drop Jetta
Loophole Collins if collins scores good ill drop Omac

Bold are guys playing this week, I am not locking in anyone who isnt bold at any point during this week it is simply so i can strucutre my team clearly.

[Ricochet]

2 games outside the 8, but with a better % than 8th. Realllllly need this one sorry Cairo

#notsorry

[meow meow]

Clearly I'm on another level compared to the other 5 in my group. They stand no chance.

[Holz]

Clearly I'm on another level compared to the other 5 in my group. They stand no chance.

agreed you certainly are on another level.

The bunny of the group, really cant afford to drop this one.

[meow meow]

The rolling lockout and loopholing is tough to navigate for some of us. Can we have 8 emergencies this week?

[Holz]

The rolling lockout and loopholing is tough to navigate for some of us. Can we have 8 emergencies this week?

I assume your joking.

4 seems fair but with 8 you could loophole half your team.

[RaisyDaisy]

The rolling lockout and loopholing is tough to navigate for some of us. Can we have 8 emergencies this week?

Thinly veiled brag about your depth? :P

8 works for us too!  :D

[meow meow]

The rolling lockout and loopholing is tough to navigate for some of us. Can we have 8 emergencies this week?

Thinly veiled brag about your depth? :P

8 works for us too!  :D

More like selection dilemmas! Do I loop Cox and Roughead? Do I do a double loop in the backline? Andrews and Wilson play this week, Gilbert and Lever play next week. Then there's Reid who can be looped with forwards or defenders. Only have Corey Ellis forward next week so maybe that's the go, but who do I make emergency this week? Dickson or Langford or Garlett? Do I loop Heartless or Blakely or Trengove in the mids or save that tactic for the other lines?

Luckily I play Dublin so I don't need to worry about it too much, the result will be the same no matter what I do.

[Holz]

The rolling lockout and loopholing is tough to navigate for some of us. Can we have 8 emergencies this week?

Thinly veiled brag about your depth? :P

8 works for us too!  :D

I think its more about the lack of Quality in the starting 15.

In saying that with NDS Roughy Yarran Murphy potentially missing im playing alot of young guys.



Amazingly I could have

Weits 18
Omac 20
Byrne 21
Collins 21
Treloar 23
Gunston 24
Martin

could have playing this week. 7/15 24 or under with 4 21 or under.

Hopefully Matt kennedy gets a gig soon.

[meow meow]

CHRISTCHURCH SAINTS

B: Boyd (C), McVeigh, Wilson, Gilbert
M: Mitchell, Hartlett, Griffen, Blakely
R: cox
F: Breust, Stringer, Montagna, Reid
I: Trengove, Gibbs (VC)

E: Dickson, Roughead, Andrews

[meow meow]

Holz should be disqualified this week for naming 4 emergencies. Clearly cheating.

[Nige]

2 games outside the 8, but with a better % than 8th. Realllllly need this one sorry Cairo

#notsorry

Mate, you will be sorry.

Don't forget your roots.

The success of Beijing and New Delhi can only be attributed to brilliant mentoring that Toga and Rico received during their brief stints at the Cairo Sands Football Club.