WXV Round 5: Cape Town's Priority Pick Performance

[Purple 77]

Anzac Day week, meaning Tuesday & Wednesday games, meaning...

NAME 5 EMERGENCIES THIS WEEK

Round 5, AFL Round 5, ANZAC Day Weekend

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

There's a lot going quite right at Seoul. Three 150+ scores, undefeated, part-time best XV players going 160+... just wait til Danger regains his 130 average and for Josh Kelly to come back ey? Meanwhile at Christchurch, it just hasn't been. An entire starting midfield is injured; that's just rough. But still, they've won their past 3 games despite the injuries so top 8 is still a very real possibility, but winning against Seoul without those players? Impossible.

Dublin have entered rarely chartered territory - back-to-back losses - whilst slipping into an even higher rarity that is called 'the bottom 10'. Losing against Toronto is a forgivable sin, but Dublin would not have even contemplated losing to a bottom 6 fancy in Rio. Meanwhile, the Islanders continued on their brutally high-scoring ways with an arguably local-minimum score of 145. They've got to be favourites here, especially with Mitchell likely to rebound with a 60+ disposal effort. Islanders for me.

It was business as usual for New Delhi against the Suns; the team they once aspired to be are now what they were at the start of the elechet rebuild. But what are Berlin? A constant mediocre, treading 6th-10th team that have never once been thought of as a legitimate top 4 team?....... Absolutely. I really, really want this to change, but it won't this week I fear. New Delhi for me.

I've included them in the thread title for a reason, and this because it is my MATCH OF THE ROUND! Now, you might look at my claim of Cape Town playing for a priority pick this week to be a touch, well, premature. WELL! I've made it, because there are only 4 teams that have scored less than the Cobras so far this year, and Cape Town have lost to two of them. They play a third against PNL this week, and the team that sits above them on the points ladder is Tokyo, whom have scored a sizeable 160 more points than they have. Now, it's not unreasonable to suggest that, outside of this match, Cape Town can notch the odd win here and there, but I'd be surprised if they got any more than 3. So, if they lose against PNL now... I reckon they get priority pick, and are maybe even a shot for the spoon. For PNL, I think there is still plenty more opportunities to come for a win, and they'd be seeing one now against the Cobras. With the pressure to perform... I think the Cobras will get it done here.

Four weeks number 1! The Wolves would be thrilled with their undefeated start to the season, which also seems them 3rd on the points ladder. They'd be even more so to have claimed number 4 & 5 on that list, but as Tokyo showed last week, challenges will always come, and might again in the Sands this week. It's interesting to note that the Sands would have beaten the Wolves last week in a spirited performance that I didn't think they were capable of in 2017! Kudos to the Sands, but I doubt you can back it up against the Wolves here.

It was a Rocky start to the season, but the Thunder stand 3-1 and with a noticeable turn in form from within the last 2 weeks. Disaster season averted? I'd be more confident if they scored a 150+ score, but really a win against New York with any score would be just as impressive. The Revolution are not the highest scoring team of the comp (injuries forming part of the reason), but boy they would have to be the hardest team to play against, with an uncanny knack of finding the W. A really good test here for Beijing; one I think they'll pass.

The Suns (17th on the points ladder) come up against Buenos Aires (18th on the points ladder) in what promises to be a battle of respect for the two teams. Mexico City no longer have the leadership that served them so well for so long, but unexpectedly awesome starts to Polec & Geary have provided some saving grace. The Dillos meanwhile seem eager to thrust its leadership to its 2nd year players - a move that worked brilliantly for Melbourne - despite overwhelming evidence to suggest Curnow should be perma-Captain. Honestly, that's what this game will come down to, the reliability of the leaders. Buenos Aires, just.

The Samurai had a MUCH improved performance last week against Toronto, where they were oh-so-close to snatching an unlikely victory. Charlie Cameron I hear offered to perform Seppuku for his failures, to which Boomz needed to have stitches in his hands for trying to take the sword off him. Moscow meanwhile, continue to perform nicely in this 125-139 range and will therefore always be a chance at winning every week. In that regard, these teams are quite alike. I just think Moscow have a bit more consistency about them, so I'll back in the Spetsnaz I reckon.

The Jags! What a win! Beating Dublin is no easy feat, and really, except for that performance against Berlin, Rio have shown very promising signs of not only being competitive this year, but might even be a sneaky chance at finals! The Royals just seem to have the same problem that they did last year; inconsistency. Each 130ish score seems to be offset by a 110+ score, and they're just not gonna do much until they fix that issue. Rio for me.

[Purple 77]

#ClusterClash02

Should be a rippa round  8)

[Nige]

This will be fun.

[GoLions]

Kate Upton Cobras

DEF: Callum Mills, Jake Carlisle, Jack Bowes, Jasper Pittard
MID: Mitch Duncan (C), Ben Cunnington, Brad Ebert, Touk Miller
RUCK: Toby Nankervis (VC)
FWD: Lewy Taylor, Tom Papley, Dean Kent, Alex Neal-Bullen
UTIL: Luke McDonald, Mark Blicavs

EMG: Kieren Jack, Aaron Mullett, Darcy Lang, David Mackay, Jaidyn Stephenson

[Nige]

Karen

Shane Savage (cc), Jeremy McGovern, Nick Vlastuin, Andrew McGrath (r)
Dayne Beams, David Zaharakis, Ricky Henderson, Sam Kerridge
Dawson Simpson
Ben Brown (cc), Mitch Robinson, Jeff Garlett, Jason Castagna
Tom Stewart, Hugh McCluggage

Mitch Honeychurch, Ben Stratton, Brandon White, Bailey Rice, Karl Amon

[iZander]

Buenos Aires Armadillos[/b]

Team Format: Traditional

D: Riley Bonner, Tom Doedee, Nicholas Coffield, Jamie MacMillan
M: Jarrod Berry, Ed Curnow, David Armitage, Trent Dumont
R: Adam Cerra
F: Cale Hooker, Shane Edwards, Oliver Florent, Darcy Parish
U: Paddy Dow, Cam Rayner
E:  Chris Masten, Mark LeCras, Andrew Brayshaw, Jy Simpkin, Will Hayward, Jimmy Webster

C: Ed Curnow
VC: Riley Bonner
RP:
NR:

[Toga]

Beijing Thunder:
D: B.Ellis, J.Aish, T.Jonas, J.Hunt
M: L.Neale (VC), O.Wines, C.Ward, D.Zorko
R: B.Grundy (C)
F: J.Caddy, K.Lambert, T.Walker, L.Breust
IC: D.Howe, T.Cutler

Emg: M.Guelfi (f), J.Thurlow (d), D.Butler (f), E.Wood (d), M.Cox (f)

[RaisyDaisy]

Huge match this week vs Jing

Oh look, we're OOP ruck and HGA against... AGAIN!!!

Seriously though, nearly 2 years of this shower haha I'm allowed to vent!  ;D

[RaisyDaisy]

Rocky doubtful this week

Probably a good thing for Jing and bad thing for us :P

[Toga]

Rocky doubtful this week

Probably a good thing for Jing and bad thing for us :P

Truth ;D ;D

[Purple 77]

Updated Team Selector for those interested (i.e. has all SC scores for every player)

https://jumpshare.com/v/u0hzDku4dHq1t5OLqIBZ

[Levi434]

Has anyone missed any of the rules we got rid of last year? Leadership groups? Rookie promoting? Loopholing? Do you feel it's taken some 'pizazz' out of the week?

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

[Toga]

Has anyone missed any of the rules we got rid of last year? Leadership groups? Rookie promoting? Loopholing? Do you feel it's taken some 'pizazz' out of the week?

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

It's a yes from me as well!

[Nige]

I haven't missed any of them.

[RaisyDaisy]

I haven't missed any of them.