WXV: Sao Paulo Pumas

[ossie85]

Cheers for that CF :) Review points coming for both rounds!

Brewers might give you some fight at this rate.....

[CrowsFan]

Yeah playing pretty poorly at the moment. Just hoping this means I will play well come end of season instead...

[CrowsFan]

Pumas Pushed But Purrfect Start Continues

The opening two rounds of the season had been relatively straight forward for the Pumas, barely leaving 3rd gear the team came away with two easy wins, both at home. The third round saw the Pumas travel for the first time this season, flying to Germany to take on the Berlin Brewers in what most considered to be another easy win against a middle of the round side. What transpired however was not what anyone predicted.

The Brewers came out fighting much to the shock of the Pumas and it took them a little time to get in to the match, by which time the Brewers had got out to an early lead. But the Pumas showed the fighting spirit that was missing during last years finals series and started to rally. The defense began to work together and stifle to Brewer forwards who had earlier run rampant and the midfield started to get on top. In the end it was an incredible match, but the Pumas came out on top winning 160 to 154.

The game winners for the Pumas were clearly the defense, even without Beau Waters who withdrew just before the bounce, the defense held strong. Hartlett and Houli were solid as usual, whilst McMahon continued his good start to the season. The best news however was Dylan Roberton who is looking far more confident this year than he was last year when he was in and out of the side. Roberton is playing amazingly at the moment and everyone in Brazil hopes he can continue this form. Elsewhere plaudits were given to Masten and Andrew Walker who are both looking to be excellent recruits at this early stage of the season. Walker especially is standing strong, whilst his fellow forwards seem to be struggling at times. Gary Ablett and Rory Sloane are yet to hit top gear, but when they do the rest of the competition should worry.

Next week we travel to Moscox to take on the Spetsnaz. As every Puma fan knows Moscow is the only team not to taste defeat at the hands of the Pumas, so we will be going all out to get some redemtion! Go Pumas!

[Purple 77]

Great review CF :)

Will not forget this loss when we meet again...  :-X

[CrowsFan]

Mid-Season Trade Analysis

With eight rounds played and nine to go in the home and away season we are at the halfway point of the season. So what better time to analyse the trades the Pumas made before the season started than right now. So without further ado let's get started...

Trade 1 - With Toronto Wolves
Gave: Sam Fisher and Pick 53
Received: Taylor Adams and Pick 32 (on traded to New York)

Stats
Taylor Adams (M)
Games for Pumas: 1, 79.00 avg
Games for Jaguars: 3, 73.33 avg

Sam Fisher (D)
Games: 7, 82.00 avg

Summary
Adams was injured during his first match of the season for the Jaguars and missed the next couple of rounds, but has come back and played the last 3 (including one for the Pumas) and has averaged an impressive 97! Still just 19 years old this kid is going to be a star of the future. Fisher has been solid, but with the impressive form of the Puma defense he would be playing for the Jaguars anyway. So putting this down as a win for the Pumas.


Trade 2 - With New Delhi Tigers
Gave: Daniel Cross
Received: Matt Buntine and Jared Polec

Stats
Matt Buntine (D)
Games: Nil
Jared Polec (M)
Games for Pumas: Nil
Games for Jaguars: 1, 32.00 avg

Daniel Cross (M)
Games: 8, 86.50 avg

Summary
Sadly youngsters Buntine and Polec have been injured for the majority of the season and so have only managed the one game between them. Cross on the other hand has played all games this season, but has been down on his output from last season. For current form this looks to be a poor trade for the Pumas, but this trade was always made with the future in mind. Buntine and Polec when fit and injury free should be terrific players for the Pumas for years to come.


Trade 3 - With Pacific Islanders
Gave: Jarryd Blair and Pick 71
Received: Andrew Walker and Pick 26 (on traded to Tokyo)

Stats
Andrew Walker (F/M)
Games for Pumas: 8, 111.38 avg

Jarryd Blair (F/M)
Games: 8, 83.63 avg

Summary
Walker has been a revelation for the Pumas this year, and is looking like being one of the trades of the season. Averaging 111 with 5 of his 8 scores over 100 he has been a rock up forward whilst some others are floundering. Blair has been solid, but has not hit the heights of Walker. Receiving an earlier pick was just a sweetener with this trade. Massive win for Pumas here.


Trade 4 - With Tokyo Samurai
Gave: Steven Motlop and Picks 26 and 35
Received: Jack Gunston

Stats
Jack Gunston (F)
Games for Pumas: 3, 77.67 avg
Games for Jaguars: 4, 70.25 avg

Steven Motlop (F)
Games: 8, 80.00 avg

Summary
Gunston had a slow start to the season, but in the past month has averaged an impressive 97.5 from his four games (2 each for Pumas and Jaguars). This form shows why the Pumas were chasing him so much and willing to give up two draft picks along with another young forward to bring him in. Motlop has also been impressive at his new club averaging 80. At the moment this trade looks to be an even split in my mind, perhaps slightly towards Tokyo, but this trade will be decided on in the future as they are both young future stars.


Trade 5 - With Moscow Spetsnaz
Gave: Josh Growden
Received: Pick 42 (on traded to Cairo)

Stats
Josh Growden (F/M)
Games: Nil

Summary
Growden has again played no games this year and doesn't look like he will be playing any time soon. Pick 42 was traded on to Cairo and helped bring Chris Masten to the club, so looks like this is a win for the Pumas.


Trade 6 - With Cario Sands
Gave: Jon Griffin and Pick 42
Received: Chris Masten

Stats
Chris Masten (M)
Games for Pumas: 7, 100.57 avg

Jon Griffin (R)
Games: 7, 90.14 avg

Summary
Masten has cemented his spot in the Pumas XV from the very start of the season. He's been very impressive scoring 5 centuries with a high of 146 and a low of 82. Griffin started off the season well, but unfortunately for him did his ACL in round 7 and is out for the season. For this reason it looks like Pumas win this trade as well.


Trade 7 - With London Royals
Gave: Dan Hannebery, Zach Tuohy and Pick 89
Received: Stephen Hill and Brad Sheppard

Stats
Stephen Hill (M)
Games for Pumas: 3, 85.00 avg
Games for Jaguars: 2, 74.00 avg
Brad Sheppard (M)
Games for Pumas: Nil
Games for Jaguars: 4, 53.25 avg

Dan Hannebery (M)
Games: 8, 102.75 avg
Zach Tuohy (D)
Games: 8, 64.13 avg

Summary
Both Hill and Sheppard have been rather underwhelming since moving to the Pumas and both have had issues with injuries too. On the other hand Hanners has shined since moving on and is in career best form, Tuohy is also performing solidly down back. Sadly this is a clear loss to the Pumas at the current time.


Trade 8 - With Wellington Warriors
Gave: Rory Thompson
Received: P31 (selected Mason Wood)

Stats
Mason Wood (F)
Games: Nil

Rory Thompson (D)
Games: 8, 72.63 avg

Thompson has had an impressive season after getting over the injuries he had at the Pumas, but if he had remained at the Pumas he would still just be sitting in the reserves and not contributing, so better for him that he has been traded. Wood hasn't made an appearance yet, but signs are promising that he will be a solid contributor in years to come. Considering Thompson wouldn't have made an appearance for the Pumas this season, I will call this trade a tie.


Trade 9 - With New York Revolution
Gave: Pick 32 (New York selected Marco Paparone)
Received: Shane Kersten

Stats
Shane Kersten (F)
Games: Nil

Marco Paparone (F/M)
Games: 3, 43.67 avg

Summary
Kersten hasn't made an appearance yet this year, but as a forward prospect he has been very impressive during training and will most likely be making his debut for the Jaguars in the coming weeks. New York used pick 32 to select fellow forward Marco Paparone who has already made 3 appearances. With both forwards so young it's impossible to say who has won this trade at this stage in time, so it's another trade that will be decided in the coming years.


So there you have it folks, all 9 trades that the Pumas made have been analysed. Apart from the trade with London the Pumas have come up trumps on the majority of the trades. A successful trading period in my opinion :)

[Purple 77]

Wow, what a great read CF! IMO, you didn't trade amazingly, but far from bad and there is no doubt that you came out of it a winner :) Better than me anyway  :-\

If it wasn't for damn Walker and Masten, I may have beaten you a few weeks back lol

[CrowsFan]

Yeah as you can see from my trades I was trading more for the future rather than bringing in current guns. I was banking on the fact my strongest XV is good enough to go up against the best, even though both the Armadillos and Suns brought in my guns for the present.

Only trade I really regret is the DanHan one. I really wanted Sheppard since he has so much potential, and was thinking he would keep his defense status, or gain forward, never did I see him being a mid this year, but that's the breaks you get sometimes I guess ::)

Wouldn't be bad to have Cross at the moment, because I'm struggling to find someone who will score consistently at spot XV, but once Buntine and Polec are back from their injuries I think it will be a win for me...

[CrowsFan]

Halfway Season Analysis

Been a little slow on the round updates due to uni work, but found some time to get them done now so here we go :)

Round 4
Moscow Spetsnaz (20.17.137) lost to Sao Paulo Pumas (24.13.157)

The Pumas traveled to Moscow with revenge on their mind. As all loyal Puma fans knew Moscow was the only team that Sao Paulo had never defeated so they were quite apprehensive with the match. The Pumas were aggressive from the outset and never let up the pressure eventually finishing off 20 point winners, which meant that they became the first club in WXV history to defeat every other WXV club in the league.

The Pumas were lead superbly be Ablett as usual, as well as Hartlett continuing his great start to the season. But it was Sloane how was the man of the match, dominating the midfield from the get go and pumping the ball forward at any opportunity. In other news Roughead showed his first signs of recapturing his form from last year with a dominant display up forward, helped again by Andrew Walker.

Another great win by the Pumas!


Round 5
Sao Paulo Pumas (25.14.164) defeated Buenos Aires Armadillos (22.23.155)

Round 5 was the Rivalry Round, which meant that the Pumas would be taking on the Armadillo's for the third time. All fans were hoping for a similar result from the first two where the Pumas took home the Rhythm Cup. Gladly that was exactly what happened in what was easily the match of the round.

The Armadillos had looked dangerous in the previous rounds, but the Pumas stepped up when it mattered most and pulled out a big score of 164 to defeat the Armadillos by 9. Gary Ablett took home the O'Brien Medal for best afield for the second time after winning it in the first Rhythm Cup last year. Other stand out performers were Hartlett (again), Zaharakis and Walker, but perhaps the biggest performance was by Devon Smith. Smith was playing his first game of the season and showed he was determined to keep his spot by dominating up forward adding pace and flair, a truly outstanding display.

Three Rhythm Cups, three wins, can't ask for more than that!


Round 6
Tokyo Samurai (20.18.138) lost to Sao Paulo Pumas (21.21.147)

Off to Japan this round to take on the Samurai, but the same accustomed result for the Puma faithful. Despite a very disappointing display from the defense, with only late inclusion Dylan Roberton showing any desire to play well for the team. But the midfield stood up as usual, and Walker and Roughy performed admirably up forward. There's not much to write about for the moment as everything is going very smoothly over at Puma headquarters, 6 wins from 6 starts :)


Round 7
Sao Paulo Pumas (20.23.143) lost to Cape Town Cobras (22.12.144)

Heartbreak for the Pumas! A one point loss to the Cobras has seen the Pumas simultaneously lose their first game of the season and lose top spot on the ladder. After the last few rounds it was a disappointing effort by the Pumas with fatigue starting to show on some of the players. Hartlett was extremely disappointing after a great start to the season, as were Smith (after a superb game last round), Porplyzia and Duncan. Ablett, Roughy and Minson did their best to try and keep the Pumas in it, but sadly it was not enough to get the victory. A tight loss, and one which the Pumas will hopefully learn from. Taylor Adams made his debut for the club after being traded in during the off season and performed well. It looks like has a bright future ahead of him!


Round 8
Sao Paulo Pumas (25.17.167) defeated New York Revolution (17.14.116)

What a turn around by the Pumas! After suffering their first loss last week they showed that they had learned from the experience and worked hard in all areas of the ground to defeat the Revolution by a massive 51 points!!

The defense was solid with Houli and Roberton dominating, whilst Waters did well returning from injury and Hartlett continued to work hard to turn his form around. The midfield combination worked tirelessly, however Duncan put in his second poor match in a row and so needs to find some form back in the reserves. The ruck duo of Minson and Jacobs that worked so well last year again dominated proceedings, and the forward line could not stop scoring, Roughy, Walker and Gunston playing great!


Round 9
Seoul Magpies (19.15.129) lost to Sao Paulo Pumas (22.15.147)

Another strong display by the Pumas in this 18 point win over the Magpies. Apart from Ablett being the standout the weren't too many other exceptional displays, it was more of a team effort with everyone contributing towards the win. This is becoming the stock standard win for the Pumas and becoming quite tedious to write about haha :P

9 games in to the season the Pumas are sitting 2nd on the ladder with 8 wins and 1 loss. A strong start to the season, which should see us in good stead for the finals series. The only concern at the moment is trying to find who will fill the 4th forward spot, with no-one consistently scoring well. Luckily Whitecross looks to be just a couple of weeks away from returning from his ACL injury, which is exciting news for all Puma fans!

[ossie85]

Gread read CF!

What's the goal for Sao Paulo for the rest of the season?

Just to make the top 4 and have an assault on the flag? Or to finish top 2, or top of the ladder?

[CrowsFan]

Cheers os, I felt it wasn't as good as my usual updates since I'm so busy at the moment, but just had to get some done before I fall way behind!

Goal is obviously to win the whole thing, the disappointment from last season from not even making the GF after being the best team for the whole year sucked, so hopefully can go further this year. In terms of improvement last year the Pumas played 19 matches and averaged 153.37 points per round, this season we have played 9 and are averaging 155.56, with just 2 scores lower than 147, so there is more consistency there too. This is all without Whitecross who averaged 84.7 last season, so will be great to have him back fit by the time finals comes around.

Looking at my last 8 games I play London (6th), Wellington (15th), Cairo (11th), Toronto (8th), Pacific (17th), New Delhi (14th), Dublin (12th) and finally Mexico (1st). Honestly I see myself winning most of them fairly easily (Toronto could be tricky), and then of course the big game against Mexico. If I can win all those games before the Mexico clash then I should be in with a shot of taking out the minor premiership again, especially since Mexico still has to play Moscow (always tricky) and the Armadillos (battle of the oldies).

But honestly I don't really mind where I finish in the table, because no-one remembers that. I want to win the league! If injuries stay away then I don't see why that can't happen either :)

[CrowsFan]

Oh and in other news along with the Gato Grande and Gatinho awards I will be introducing 2 new awards this year. One for the best newcomer to the team (currently being fought out between Walker and Masten), and the other for the most improved player (front runner at the moment being Dylan Roberton who managed 4 games for the Pumas at an average of 41.5 in 2012, but has already played 8 at an average of 90.25 this season!)

[CrowsFan]

Round 10 - Questions Asked and Questions Answered

Sao Paulo Pumas (25.12.162) defeated London Royals (19.13.127)

Best
Sao Paulo: A Walker, R Sloane, W Minson, G Ablett jnr, Jarryd Roughead, D Zaharakis
London: B Stanton, J McVeigh, A Mackie

Before the round began questions were being asked over the form of the Pumas. Performing well, although suffering a defeat a few weeks ago, the higher ups of the WXV administration were asking questions over whether the Pumas were in dominant form and whether they could hold on to their top two placing. Well that was clearly answered in dominant fashion posting a 35 point victory over the hapless Royals.

Two changes were made to the Puma squad in the lead up to this match after their 18 point win over the Magpies last week. Firstly Jason Porplyzia replaced the injured Jack Gunston up forward. For Porplyzia it was more a case of last forward standing rather than being rewarded for solid form, but he came in none-the-less. The second change was replacing the inconsistent Sam Jacobs with exciting mid prospect Kyle Martin, who was making his debut for the Pumas without even playing for the Jaguars. He had impressed CrowsFan so much in training with his hard work that he felt warranted to stick him right in the deep end. This turned out to be an inspired choice with Martin performing exceptionally. Other standout performers were the usual cast of Walker, Minson and Ablett, with Sloane starting to rediscover some of his top form. Although the team performed well, the defense was a little behind the ball this week. Roberotn who had been very consistent so far had his worst game of the season, and McMahon was disappointing too, and could be in trouble of losing his spot with some great performances in the reserves.


Reserves
Rio de Janeiro Jaguars (22.16.148) lost to Imperial Princes (27.13.175)

Best
Rio de Janeiro: M Duncan, S White, S Hill, S Jacobs, R Harwood, M Wallis
Imperial: R Laird, Z Tuohy, D Pearce, D Rampe, J Winderlich

Despite going down in this high scoring match there were some great performances by the players. Duncan is pushing for a recall after his BOG display, whilst White and Harwood are working hard to get a spot in the starting defense, and with McMahon and Roberton misfiring there could be a spot opening up. Jacobs responded well to being dropped by performing admirably and Stephen Hill impressed during his first game back from injury.

Some great performances all round from the boys from Brazil, and everyone is looking forward to the clash next week against the struggling Wellington Warriors.

[ossie85]

Performing well, although suffering a defeat a few weeks ago, the higher ups of the WXV administration were asking questions over whether the Pumas were in dominant form and whether they could hold on to their top two placing.

Glad I could inspire :P

[CrowsFan]

Performing well, although suffering a defeat a few weeks ago, the higher ups of the WXV administration were asking questions over whether the Pumas were in dominant form and whether they could hold on to their top two placing.

Glad I could inspire :P

We needed a kick from someone, so glad it came from the top :)

[CrowsFan]

Round 11 - Warriors Surrender as Pumas Pounce on First Place

Sao Paulo Pumas (23.23.161) defeated Wellington Warriors (18.9.117)

Best
Sao Paulo: G Ablett jnr, A Walker, B Houli, J Gunston
Wellington: M Murphy, S Dempster, N Foley

After last round 35 point win over the Royals it was hard to see how it could get any better for the Pumas. Round 11 showed it could get better however after posting a 44 point win over the hapless Wellington Warriors, which thrust the Pumas back to the summit of the ladder after Mexico City went down to Moscow. Just the one change was made this round with Jack Gunston returning to the lineup after overcoming his injury, which saw Jason Porplyzia back out of the side. It's been a disappointing year for Porps so far and he needs to find some form fast if he wants to play some part in the upcoming finals series.

Regarding the game itself there was not much to fault in terms of performance from a rampant Puma side. Hartlett and Houli were impressive down back, the midfield solid without being spectacular, lead as usual by Gary Ablett, whilst the forward line is starting to show that deadly form from last year with solid performances by all four. However there were a few disappointments. Roberton and McMahon backed up their poor performances from round 10 with equally disappointing performances again, and with the imminent return of Beau Waters from injury and the impressive form of Ryan Harwood in the reserves their spots in the team could be under threat for the time being. Kyle Martin backed up him impressive debut with a solid return, but youngster Taylor Adams had an ordinary game by his standards. Inconsistency is to be expected from someone who is still only 19 though, however a brief spell from the senior side may be needed to revitalise him for the finals.

Overall another spectacular performance by the Pumas. A bye round this week as representative footy is played, before returning the following week for a home match against dark horses Cairo Sands. Speaking of the representative football a special congratulations to Gary Ablett and Will Minson for being selected to play for the AAP Alliance!


Reserves
Rio de Janeiro Jaguars (14.13.97) defeated Wellington Warriors (9.6.60)

Best
Rio de Janeiro: R Harwood, S Hill, S Jacobs
Wellington: J Patfull

Ryan Harwood is pushing for a senior spot with a best on ground performance in this 37 point win over Wellington. Two solid games in a row has certainly put his name in the mind of the head coach when decided on the team lineup for the next round. Stephen Hill and Sam Jacobs were the others to impress as they too are trying to force their way back in to the senior side. All this competition for places can only be a good thing for the Pumas and shows that we have some solid depth in case injuries or suspension occur. This win sees the Jaguars retain 6th spot in the reserves league, but hopefully a few more wins can push us in to the top 4.

In one final piece of club news, great news in fact, as Brendan Whitecross made his return from his ACL tear last season this week with a practice match in Sao Paulo. Whitecross got through the game unscathed and will now aim at building up his match fitness in the hope he can be back and firing come finals. Great news for the Pumas!