WXV: London Royals

[Ringo]

Thanks Guys Had not looked forward yet.  Just wrote the review based on last round.

Will take that into consideration and as you can see for B & F only 3 real contenders.

[roo boys!]

Only 1 at Toronto :P

Just kidding, we're not a one man team....Pendles does help though haha

[Ringo]

ROUND 13 REVIEW


London Royals (22.13.145) defeated New York Revolution (18.11.119)

This week the Royals played the Revolution in what was a must win game and what a win it was. Harry O'Brien was added to our list of injured players with an ankle injury and despite rumours that he has had a falling out with the coach he will be available for selection when injury heals.
The game itself was played in geat spirit and with the intensity one would expect from Teams with final chance to make the 8. Captain Stanton suffered an injury in the second quarter but realising the importance of the game came back after half time and positioned himself at full forward whyere he kicked 2 valuable goals early given us the momentum to over run the revolution in the second half. With Stanton going forward Brent Staker reverted to a running role of the half back flank and was instrumental in providing a lot of thrust to the forawrd line. He played his best game for the Royals since returning for serious leg injuries. Vice Captain Jarrad McVeigh also lifted with Stantons injury and controlled the midfield often getting the ball out moving the ball forawrd to bothe Stanton and Brown. Brown is slowly regaining some form and showing why we has traded in this season to boost our forward line.
Ageless Ben Hudson continues to provide solid ruck form and with Bellchambers re discovering form in the reserves we will have the option of paying dual rucks for the next couple of weeks.
This week we have a danger game facing the Bejing Thunder away who caused the upset of the season in defeating the Cape Town Cobras. We will have to be at our best as the Thunder will be on a high and will have home crowd support.

The reserves also had a win defeating the Washington Rebellion (14.10.94)

Best and Fairest Points for Round 13.
5 Jarrad McVeigh
4 Brent Stanton
3 Brent STaker
2 Chris Mayne
1 Dannyle Pearce

Progressive Points Best and Fairest after Round 13
26 Brent Stanton
26 Jarrad McVeigh
24 Daniel Hannebery
15 Chris Mayne
14 Tom Bellchambers
14 Dannyle Pearce
Is a three horse race but who will prevail over the last 4 rounds.

[Ringo]

Round 15 Results

London Royals (20.11.131) defeated Wellington Warriors (16.17.113)

This week the Royals played the Warriors and had a comfortable win against the lowly placed Warriors. The game was somewhat sloppy and our Disposal efficiency was a woeful 42%.  We will need to improve this greatly for our next 2 games if we are to remain in the 8 and be a finals contender. Dan Hanneberry was head and shoulders above any other player on the field. Brent Staker was good in patches but apart from those 2 there was little to enthuse over in the scrappy game. maybe the scrappiness was caused by over confidence and the requirement that we only had to do enough to win but coach Ringo will be working them hard on the training field this week to get them in the right frame of mind for final 2 matches which are must win.

Our reserves were defeated in a close game.

Best and Fairest Points.
5, Dan Hanneberry
4. Brent Staker
3. Andrew Mackie
2. Brent Stanton
1. Jarrad McVeigh

Progressive Points
31 Dan Hanneberry
31 Jarrad McVeigh
28 Brent Stanton
18 Chris Mayne
15 Dannyle Pearce

[Ringo]

ROUND 16 Results

London Royals (20.11.131) lost to Cape Town Cobras (21.9.135)

In a very insipid display which had coach Ringo seething the Royals all but forfeited their chance at a top 8 position by going down narrowly to the Cobras, Ringo when facing the media was visibly angry in saying that was our worst performance of the season when we needed to be playing to our potential if we were to qualify for the finals. With the exception of Matthew Broadbent all players really performed poorly and had the reserves also not been beaten some of the players would find them in reserve grade this week.
After an outstanding performances last week Dan Hanneberry was held by the Cobras putting in another sub par performance. He was not alone however as fellow leadership members Captain Brent Stanton and Jarrad McVeigh all produced sub par performances.
Harry O'Brien was welcomed back to the team putting in an encouraging performance which hopefully will be built on this week,
Coach Ringo said that although we can make the finals if other results go our way, it is unlikely unless we show a 200% improvement against the Sands in the humidity of Cairo,  Let us put our best into this game and it it is to be our last game then ensure it is a game to be remembered when we gave our best.
The club is arranging a weeks tour to Cairo to take in the game so contact the club if interested, Take advantage of this offer and come along to watch the Princes as they take on the  Alexandria Hieroglyphics in the reserves. The Princes are cemented in the 8 but are taking on the 2nd place Hieroglyphics so a win will be a boost to the confidence for finals.

Due to the insipid performance the Match committee has decided to only award three players votes in the Best and Fairest.

5. Matthew Broadbent
2. Andrew Mackie
1. Chris Mayne

Progressive Votes :
31. Daniel Hanneberry
31. Jarrad McVeigh
28. Brent Stanton
19. Chris Mayne
16. Andrew Mackie

[ossie85]

Love the passion ringo!

Beijing are in good form...

[Ringo]

The London Royals again have finished in 10th place after an extremely encouraging start to the season.

Head coach Ringo has stated that for the club to go forward we have to target more depth to cover injuries and loss of form as this cost us dearly this year. We have an adequate depth in defence but still not outstanding but need depth in forwards and mids. Another Ruck is possibly required as Hudson may retire along with Johnathan Brown.

To assist us with getting the right depth the coaches have reviewed performances this year and have put all players into the following categories:

D Group Pending Delistments/Retirements but open to trade offers
Joel McDonald, Adam Selwood, Matthew Warnock, Ben Hudson, Johnathan Brown,

C Group Tradeable All offers considered
Kaiden Brand, Lachlan Dalgleish, Daniel Gorringe, Sean Gregory, Tom Sheridan, Nathan Wilson, Steven Wrigley, Quentin Lynch, Stephen Gillham, David MacKay, Josh Hill, Rhys O'Keeffe, Zac Tuohy. Nathan Wilson, tom Lonergan. Mitch Brown.

B Group Developing/Untried Players/ Willing to negotiate as some players are desiring remain at Royals
Jarryd Cachia, Ben Darrou, Peter Faulks, Joe Daniher, Troy Menzell, Andrew Moore, Dane Rampe, Dean Towers, Sam Wright, Tom Young, Rory Laird,  Matthew Broadbent

A Group Required Players Would require strong offer to move (Players in read are untouchable at this stage)
Tom Bellchambers, Brent Reilly, Andrew Mackie, Harry O'Brien, Brent Staker, Brent Stanton, Daniel Hanneberry, Jarad McVeigh, Dannyle Pearce, Chris Mayne, Ben Reid

Please PM Head coach Ringo with any offers.

[Jukes]

yeah you had a great start, but after that :/ just wish we could have played you late and Dublin early!

Few of your gun youngsters, JoeD, Menzel and Towers, didn't really get many opportunities at senior level this season, should be a good addition next season. Rate all three very highly, especially my man Joe :P

Jonno Brown pending delistment- isn't that blasphemy coming from a lions fan?

[My Chumps]

yeah you had a great start, but after that :/ just wish we could have played you late and Dublin early!

Few of your gun youngsters, JoeD, Menzel and Towers, didn't really get many opportunities at senior level this season, should be a good addition next season. Rate all three very highly, especially my man Joe :P

Jonno Brown pending delistment- isn't that blasphemy coming from a lions fan?

Pretty sure it should say pending retirment for Johnno!

Royals showed better signs this season. Hanners started getting tagged later in the season, and Stanton fell away a bit. O'Brien's issues didn't help either!

Should be boosted next season with one of the best defenders in the competition in Jared McVeigh.

[Jukes]

Brown retiring? Never knew that.

[My Chumps]

Brown retiring? Never knew that.

That's the rumour. His foot injury would take a year or more recovery and he's 32, so it's looking likely.

[Ringo]

At a very low key awards night the MVP for the year were announced:

Brent Stanton with a BOG performance in the final game came home to again claim the MVP award. He won the initial award last year so well done Brent.

Top 10 Polling Players in Award
1. Brent Stanton  33 votes
2. Dan Hannebery 31 votes
2. Jarrad McVeigh 31 votes
4. Chris Mayne 19 votes
5. Andrew Mackie 16 votes
6. Danyle Pearce 15 votes
7. Tom Bellchambers 14
8. Harry O'Brien 13
9. Brent Reilly 12
10. Matthew Broadbent 11

[ossie85]

Well done Stanton ... McVeigh unlucky

[Ringo]

Yes Oss with Stanton polling the maximum 5 and McVeigh and hanners nit polling at all both very unlucky after leading the count for most of the season.

[Ringo]

Now that we Drafting and trading almost complete time to review our off season movements:

Retirements
Joel McDonalad and Adam Selwood announced their retirement from the club and were given a send off at the clubs annual awards night recognising their service to the Royals.

De-Listings
We had to make room on our list so we took the step to delist the following players:
Steven Wrigley who unfortunately suffered a major injury but also was not meeting our expectations.
Rhys O'Keeffe, Nathan Wilson and Peter Faulks were also de-listed as they had not developed to the extent that coaches had wanted of them.  We wish them well as they pursue their opportunities elsewhere.

Trades
We traded 3 Players during the trade Period to try and increase our forward depth.
Ben Reid to the Brewers for Shane Edwards - A virtual straight swap a defender in Reid for a Forward in Shane Edwards. Both similar ages and scoring ability.  Edwards now has a DPP which will assist our depth.
Ricky Pettard to Brewers for Brandon Matera - Although both are forwards we see a lot of upside in Brandon Matera at only 22 years old will serve the Royals for a considerable time. Did not really wish to lose Ricky but Brandon gives a little more.
Tom Sheridan to Tigers for Pick 43 - Sheridan was a fringe player so we traded for a high pick which was used to gain Darcy Gardner who will be reviewed in Drafts below.

Drafts
International Draft
Pick 9 Ben Lennon - 18 year old Medium forward who is an outstanding overhead mark and user of the ball by either hand or foot. Tracks the ball brilliantly in the air, but is just as clean and competitive at ground level. Earned All Australian honours in 2013. Graduate of the AIS AFL Academy.
Pick 30 Billy Hartung - 18 Year old midfielder Hartung turned heads at the NAB AFL Combine by running a 16.6 in the beep test to break the record held previously by Hawthorn's Bradley Hill. However, he brings more than just the ability to run all day. An Uner-18s All Australian, Hartung is quick and possesses great evasive skills, and can be relied upon to hit up a target when the ball is in his hands.
Pick 43 Darcy Garndiner - 18 year old defender - Tall defender who is rarely beaten one on one. Has the ability to shut down the opposition's most dangerous forward. Close-checker who has pushed forward on occasions with some success. Keeps things simple and is strong overhead. Earned Under-18s All Australian honours in 2013.
Pick 48 Daniel McStay  18 year old defender Athletic, tall defender with competitive nature. Has the ability to shut down opposition forwards while providing good counter-attack. Hits targets on his preferred left foot. Can also play as a lead-up forward with good effect due to his strong marking and versatility.

We used picks to upgrade Lachlan Dalgleish and Dane Rampe from the rookie list to the Senior list. Dalgleish has been showing plenty in the reserves and deserves call up to the Seniors. Dane showed what he his capable of with oustanding performances when called into Senior side to replace an injured Steve Wrigley.

Pre-Season Draft
Pick 9 Fraser Thurlow - 20 year old Ruckman - Mobile ruckman/key forward who is strong overhead and reads the game well. Has strong work ethic and is extremely competitive by nature. Produced his best in the representative game between the NEAFL and SANFL at Under-22 level with a best-on-ground performance.  Will supplement our ruck stocks with Hudson in his last season.

Rookie Draft
Pick 10 - Archie Smith - 18 year old ruckman - Exciting and athletic ruckman who comes from a basketball background. Has an impressive vertical leap which often allows him to jump over his opponents and get first hands on the ball. A strong competitor who thrives in the physicality of the contest in the air and at ground level. Sets up our rucks for a few years to come. Been compared to Dean Brogan so if correct will be a sound pick up.
Pick 27 Michael Luxford - 18 year old midfielder - A star basketballer who has represented Australia at under-age level, Luxford has very little football experience. He will complete his basketball commitments with his school and state teams in the coming months before turning his attention to building an AFL career. A speculative pick that may come off for the Royals.

Head Coach Ringo was asked for his comments on our off season movements. He said we were not very active in the Trading period preferring to show faith in the existing list but was open to offers. So although we were sad to see Pettard leave we gained 2 Strong forwards in Shane Edwards and Brandon Matera with Edwards also giving us another mid option.
I am very pleased with the International Draft where we gained 2 Defenders to strengthen our defensive stocks in McStay and Gardiner, another forward in Benn Lennon and adding a bit of pace to our midfield in Billy Hartung.  Fraser Thurlow was taken in the Pre season draft to further strengthen or Ruck Division but can also be used forward.
In the Rookie draft we took to speculative players in Archie Smith and Michael Luxford who are coming from basketball backgrounds and if they can make the transition similar to other AFL stars eg dean Brogan we will be well served.
Asked for his  views on what would be a successful season for the Royals Ringo said that a lot of teams have also recruited well so climbing up the ladder may be a little difficult but anything below 10th he would consider a failure.  He urged fans to sign up for membership and get out to the Olympic Stadium to turn it into our home fortress,