WXV Grand Final: New Delhi v Seoul

[Purple 77]

(write-up will be tomorrow)

[kilblufftwo]

take us seriously now?

[GoLions]

Bad luck JB!

[Holz]

Congrats KB and SL

[JBs-Hawks]

Congrats KB! Injuries took there toll in the end

[kilblufftwo]

gg JB

[SilverLion]

GGs JB

Hitch Minge is now a premiership player :porkchamp:

[Koop]

Bad luck JB!

Congrats SL!

[ChuckStig]

Bad luck JB

[Purple 77]

NEW DELHI: 2024 WXV PREMIERS

New Delhi Tigers (23.8.146) def Seoul Magpies (22.6.138)

Best
New Delhi: Jack Sinclair, Noah Anderson, Dayne Zorko, Sam Switkowski, Zak Butters, Jordan Dawson
Seoul: Massimo D'Ambrosio, Patrick Cripps, Patrick Dangerfield, Max Gawn, Joshua Weddle

Late Changes
New Delhi: Nil
Seoul: Lawson Humphries, Charlie Dixon replaced by Zach Tuohy, Jake Waterman

WXV debut
New Delhi: Nil
Seoul: Nil

Club debut
New Delhi: Nil
Seoul: Nil

NEW DELHI are the WXV PREMIERS!
SEOUL finishes 2nd

MASSIMO D'AMBROSIO wins a FINALS CHAMPION Medal


Sam Switkowski celebrates match-winning performance

The premiership captain:
ZAK BUTTERS

The premiership coach:
KILBLUFF1985

The premiership players:
JACK SINCLAIR
MITCHELL HINGE
JAKE LLOYD
LACHLAN BRAMBLE
NOAH ANDERSON
ED LANGDON
SAM DURHAM
JASON HORNE-FRANCIS
OSCAR MCINERNEY
DAYNE ZORKO
SAM SWITKOWSKI
MITCH GEORGIADES
CALSHER DEAR
ZAK BUTTERS
JORDAN DAWSON


The team that averaged 137ppg between rounds 1-7, went on to average a whopping 153ppg from Round 8 and bulldozed all that stood in its way (with exception to BA in Round 17). New Delhi are without a doubt deserving PREMIERS and establish itself as one of WXVs biggest clubs.

Seoul will be left to wonder 'What-If' as the cost of its injuries mounted on the big day. The 2017 premiers looked vulnerable from the get-go, with its top players needing to carry its bottom 3-4. Seoul went all in on Max and it came oh so close to paying off.

How the flag was won

Squads
The New Delhi training regime was unparalleled, having access to its top 18 players by average, and 28 of its top 31. It's starting midfield averaged an eye watering 428 between them, whilst it also had a further 7 players averaging more than 80. They bat deep at India.

Seoul meanwhile, reeling from fresh injuries to Will Day and Charlie Dixon, had Steve May, Ned Moyle, Clayton Oliver and Charlie Curnow also missing from its top 17, having only a pool of 19 players to choose from.

Suffice to say, as the highest averaging player in the GF... the pressure was on Max to perform.

Match commences
Max was first up for Seoul on Friday night, and the signs were bad when it was clear the Pies were going to smash Melbourne. The ceiling was never going to be high for the would-be match winner, but he still managed 122 which is a perfectly respectable captain score... but Seoul would have loved a classic Max performance.

Meanwhile, Crisp (Seoul) and Langdon (New Delhi) cancelled each other out, and NDT would call it a win.

Saturday battle
A mixed bag from both teams as the nerves were clearly getting to the players, with fumbles abound. The combined average of the players were 1627, whilst only 1584 was produced, with the deficit spread evenly across both sides.

Massimo D'Ambrosio (134) made up for his coach killing 30 (back in Round 15 when these two teams last met) with what would end up being a best afield display, whilst NDT stalwarts Noah Anderson (128) and Jordan Dawson (102) teamed up with mastermind recruit Dayne Zorko (108) to drive the Tigers forward.

Alas, Seoul had 3 crucial sub 60 scores compared to New Delhi's 2 (Magpies were particularly lucky that the previously 95 averaging Hinge scored 59), who needed to put a bigger gap on the Tigers given its lack of firepower for Sunday.

Nonetheless, the Magpies built a 315 point lead with 3 extra players played... only Captain Zak Butters was to come for New Delhi.

Sunday afternoon
With the chase in front of them, it was Lachie Bramble first-up to start strong for NDT and... he panicked. Nothing went right for the D4, who ended up with 40, and the NDT coaching staff would have begun to lean forward at this point.

The gap now 275 points with 2 less played.

Carlton v St Kilda was next, and the Tigers Jack Sinclair was up against Cripps and EHollands. Sinclair started BEAUTIFULLY, notching up near 40 points in the first, whilst Cripps and EHollands had only fair starts. This trend continued to half time.

Enter: Cripps beast mode.

The Carlton captain had a MAMMOTH 3rd quarter, trying to will the Blues back into the contest as their season - and Seouls - was on the line. All of a sudden he eclipsed Sinclair and was on just about 100 at 3QT... but at what cost? He received a stinger on his shoulder, and was relegated to a forward role, killing his scoring in the penultimate quarter, allowing Sinclair to edge 5 points ahead him for essentially a nil-all draw. EHollans meanwhile produced a fair effort with 83.

Word soon got out that Dixon will be a late-out for the Magpies, allowing Waterman's 86 to enter the field, and the Magpies were done at 1377. The lead 440 points with 4 tigers remaining... including Captain Butters.

Sunday night
The scene was set, the equation known. And the Tigers were nervous: Butters (C), JHF, Georgiades and Switkowski. Between them, their season averages read 489 points... but would the big stage get the better of them?

After the first quarter, it certainly looked that way. 98 points were scored - 12 behind the pace required.

But then they started clicking.

Inspired quarters to Georgiades and Switkowksi slashed the deficit at HT, whilst JHF was lifting too. If anything it was captain Butters dragging his feet!

All of a sudden, it was 3QT, and the deficit was only 50 points. From this point, it was like the Tour de France had been won, and it was just the gentle cruise that remained.

Only NDT decided it was party time.

Butters somehow ended up with 115, Switkowski (128) starred with his biggest game of the year, and JHF (94) and Georgiades (74) did what they needed to.

Mission complete.

[Purple 77]

GUADALAJARA: 2024 WXV RESERVES PREMIERS

Fittingly this was an 11 v 11 affair, meaning it was a true test of who had the best depth. Ollie Henry: take a bow. He scored his first ton (101) for 2024 in the GF, whilst the rest of his team scored sub-70. The story was much the same for Washington whose best scorer Shannon Neale (84), and the 17 pt difference to Henry ended up being THE difference between the two sides.

Guadalajara Wolves (18.6.114) def Washington Rebellion (17.10.112)

Best
Guadalajara: Oliver Henry
Washington: Lewis Melican, Shannon Neale

GUADALAJARA are the WXV RESERVES PREMIERS!
WASHINGTON finishes 2nd

Premiership players:
OLIVER HENRY
THOMAS COLE
BILLY DOWLING
JOEL FREIJAH
SAM STURT
JACK WILLIAMS
SAM BANKS
HUGO RALPHSMITH
MAX MICHALANNEY
JAKE STRINGER
RHETT BAZZO

[Purple 77]

And ze proof:

	New Delhi Tigers					Seoul Magpies
POS	Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Jack Sinclair	111		111	D1	Elliot Yeo	77		77
D2	Mitchell Hinge	59		59	D2	Samuel Collins	40		40
D3	Jake Lloyd	79		79	D3	Massimo D'Ambrosio	134		134
D4	Lachlan Bramble	40		40	D4	Lawson Humphries	47	DNP	0
M1	Noah Anderson	128		128	M1	Patrick Cripps	106		106
M2	Ed Langdon	73		73	M2	Hugh McCluggage	95		95
M3	Sam Durham	86		86	M3	Patrick Dangerfield	100		100
M4	Jason Horne-Francis	94		94	M4	Elijah Hollands	83		83
R1	Oscar McInerney	99		99	R1	Max Gawn	122		122
F1	Dayne Zorko	108		108	F1	Charlie Dixon	0	DNP	0
F2	Sam Switkowski	128		128	F2	Jye Caldwell	53		53
F3	Mitch Georgiades	74		74	F3	Archie Perkins	66		66
F4	Calsher Dear	51		51	F4	Jack Gunston	54		54
U1 (MID)	Zak Butters	115		115	U1 (MID)	Jack Crisp	70		70
U2 (MID)	Jordan Dawson	102		102	U2 (DEF)	Joshua Weddle	106		106
E1 (MID[+FWD])	Reuben Ginbey	30	0	0	E1 (MID)	Zach Tuohy	61		61
E2 (DEF)	Conor McKenna	56	0	0	E2 (FWD[+RUC])	Jake Waterman	86		86
E3 (FWD)	James Peatling	97	0	0	E3 (FWD)	Harvey Gallagher	68	0	0
E4 (RUC/FWD)	Henry Smith	0	DNP	0	E4 (DEF)	Nick Haynes	23	0	0
C	Zak Butters	115		115	C	Max Gawn	122		122
VC	Jack Sinclair	111		0	VC	Patrick Cripps	106		0
		Total:	1462	15			Total:	1375	15

Player	WXV Club	F4
Oliver Henry	Mexico City Suns	101
Thomas Cole	Mexico City Suns	66
Billy Dowling	Mexico City Suns	62
Joel Freijah	Mexico City Suns	61
Sam Sturt	Mexico City Suns	51
Jack Williams	Mexico City Suns	50
Sam Banks	Mexico City Suns	42
Hugo Ralphsmith	Mexico City Suns	40
Max Michalanney	Mexico City Suns	37
Jake Stringer	Mexico City Suns	33
Rhett Bazzo	Mexico City Suns	25
Shannon Neale	New York Revolution	84
Lewis Melican	New York Revolution	73
Cooper Sharman	New York Revolution	64
Junior Rioli	New York Revolution	63
Jack Darling	New York Revolution	46
Bradley Close	New York Revolution	44
Esava Ratugolea	New York Revolution	43
Hugh Bond	New York Revolution	43
James O'Donnell	New York Revolution	42
Harvey Johnston	New York Revolution	38
Brady Hough	New York Revolution	18

[PowerBug]

Congrats Pk!

[Purple 77]

A massive congratulations to KB and SL for a truly remarkable season, with masterful selections littered along the way.

A EurAsia crown, a World Idol... and premiership. Incredible.