WXV: New Delhi Tigers

[Ricochet]

Round 13

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
New Delhi Tigers	Cairo Sands	Nepal	1  v  3

PREVIEW:

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.

Late Changes
New Delhi: Tom Curren replaced by Zachary Clarke

WXV Debut
Nil

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	New Delhi Tigers					Cairo Sands
POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Daniel Rich	72		72	D1	Dylan Roberton	69		69
D2	Phil Davis	48		48	D2	Jeremy McGovern	68		68
D3	Tomas Bugg	73		73	D3	Nick Smith	68		68
D4	Sharrod Wellingham	65		65	D4	Ben Stratton	47		47
M1	Steele Sidebottom	92		92	M1	Pearce Hanley	125		125
M2	Stephen Coniglio	111		111	M2	Luke Dunstan	76		76
M3	Kieren Jack	112		112	M3	Karl Amon	59		59
M4	Mitch Wallis	75		75	M4	Mark Hutchings	47		47
R1	Stefan Martin	142		142	R1	Rory Lobb	94		94
F1	Jack Darling	63		63	F1	Paul Puopolo	103		103
F2	Tom Curren	0	DNP	0	F2	Ben Brown	78		78
F3	Jeremy Cameron	66		66	F3	Lincoln McCarthy	37		37
F4	Jeremy Howe	85		85	F4	Paul Stewart	41		41
U1 (MID )	Tom Scully	104		104	U1 (MID FWD)	Mathew Stokes	61		61
U2 (MID )	Matt Crouch	144		144	U2 (DEF )	Dale Morris	72		72
E1 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	63	DNP	0	E1 (DEF )	Sam Rowe	27	DNP	0
E2 (RUC FWD)	Zachary Clarke	92		92	E2 (FWD )	Dougal Howard	24	DNP	0
E3 (DEF )	Darcy Tucker	46	DNP	0	E3 (DEF )	Rory Thompson	41	DNP	0
C	Steele Sidebottom	92		92	CC	Pearce Hanley	125		63
VC	Stephen Coniglio	111		0	CC	Paul Puopolo	103		52
HA	Phil Davis	48		48	HA		0		0
RP		0		0	RP		0		0
NR					NR
		Total:	1484	15			Total:	1160	15

Tigers keep Finals Hopes Alive

This was a solid win for the Tiges; but I think we almost expected it? To me, they've reached that level of expectation where you're no longer surprised they can put a team to the sword, which is a credit to everyone involved at NDT. Whereas the Sands... stay tuned in a few posts time.

New Delhi Tigers (23.10.148) def Cairo Sands (18.8.116)


Best
5. Steff Martin
4. Matt Crouch
3. Kieren Jack
2. Stephen Coniglio
1. Zachary Clarke


Reserves
Mumbai Elephants (21.6.132) def Alexandria Heiroglyphics (4.11.35)

Best
Mumbai: Sebastian Ross, Nathan Krakouer, Aaron Mullett, Jarman Impey

Team of the Week

Patrick Dangerfield continues to amaze while the Michael Barlow of old has seemingly returned as they take the captaincy and vice captaincy respectively. Robbie Tarrant leads all the defenders with his good form on show while Stefan Martin also has returned to his former self to claim the ruck spot. JROO8 takes out coach of the week, but only just. In fact, Mexico City only had the single representative which shows it was a team effort to top score this week.

D: Robbie Tarrant (Rio), Jarrad McVeigh (Christchurch), Jimmy Bartel (Mexico City), Corey Enright (PNL)
M: Patrick Dangerfield [c] (Seoul), Gary Ablett (Rio), Lachie Neale (Beijing), Rory Sloane (Dublin)
R: Stefan Martin (New Delhi)
F: Michael Barlow [vc] (Pacific), Jack Riewoldt (Dublin), Dustin Martin (Dublin), Mitch Robinson (Rio)
I: Matt Crouch (New Delhi), Anthony Miles (Tokyo)

Coach: JROO8 (Mexico City)

[Ricochet]

Round 14

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
New Delhi Tigers	Rio de Janeiro Jaguars	Tata Stadium	0  v  1

PREVIEW:

New Delhi really can't afford to make any more mistakes if they are to make the finals from where they find themselves. At 11th position and 6-7, they'd have to win all 4 of their remaining games to achieve the magic 10-7 win/loss record to make the finals, but with the 5th best percentage in the comp (the top 4 have better percentages), maybe 9-8 will be enough to sneak into the eight? Either way, a win here against Rio de Janeiro (another ripping btw) would be a HUGE result and would set themselves up for a fairy-tale appearance in the finals. The Jaguars however, are BACK in town with consecutive 160+ scores and their highest score of the season last round against Beijing. There was a time during Rounds 5-10 that doubts started to linger about whether this was a false dawn over at Rio, but I'm confident that with a fit GAJ alone, this team CAN win the premiership! But they have to lock themselves in the top 4 first, and although they are easily two games clear of 4th position, a win here would make it a guarantee and set themselves up for the perfect launching pad at a premiership assault. Big game here, and although New Delhi have a shot, I can't ignore Rio's recent form. The Jags for me.

Late Changes
New Delhi: Tomas Bugg & Tom Curren replaced by Jake Lloyd & Nathan Krakouer

WXV Debut
Nil

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	New Delhi Tigers					Rio de Janeiro Jaguars
POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Daniel Rich	60		60	D1	Kade Kolodjashnij	52		52
D2	Phil Davis	65		65	D2	Elliot Yeo	102		102
D3	Jeremy Howe	120		120	D3	Robbie Tarrant	85		85
D4	Tomas Bugg	0	DNP	0	D4	Brayden Maynard	60		60
M1	Steele Sidebottom	127		127	M1	Gary Jnr Ablett	74		74
M2	Stephen Coniglio	75		75	M2	Scott Thompson	82		82
M3	Kieren Jack	123		123	M3	Patrick Cripps	102		102
M4	Tom Scully	68		68	M4	Bernie Vince	70		70
R1	Stefan Martin	92		92	R1	Sam Jacobs	114		114
F1	Jack Darling	46		46	F1	Mitch Robinson	83		83
F2	Jack Martin	116		116	F2	Aaron Hall	94		94
F3	Jeremy Cameron	83		83	F3	Matthew Wright	61		61
F4	Tom Curren	0	DNP	0	F4	Mason Wood	64		64
U1 (MID )	Matt Crouch	87		87	U1 (MID )	Danyle Pearce	63		63
U2 (MID )	Sebastian Ross	110		110	U2 (DEF )	Robert Murphy	0	DNP	0
E1 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	96	0.5	48	E1 (MID )	Travis Boak	88		88
E2 (DEF )	Nathan Krakouer	78		78	E2 (FWD )	Josh Bruce	64	DNP	0
E3 (DEF )	Jarman Impey	75	DNP	0	E3 (DEF )	Andrew Mackie	116	DNP	0
C	Stephen Coniglio	75		75	C	Gary Jnr Ablett	74		74
VC	Steele Sidebottom	127		0	VC	Sam Jacobs	114		0
HA	Jack Darling	46		46	HA		0		0
RP		0		0	RP		0		0
NR					NR
		Total:	1419	15			Total:	1268	15

New Delhi keep Finals Dream Alive

This was a big win for the Tigers! Up against the 3rd team of the ladder, they came to play whereas the Jaguars didn't, and as a result they keep a previously faint chance at finals alive  :o :o

New Delhi Tigers (22.10.142) def Rio de Janeiro Jaguars (20.7.127)


Best
5. Jeremy Howe
4. Steele Sidebottom
3. Jack Martin
2. Kieren Jack
1. Stef Martin


Reserves
Mumbai Elephants (20.8.128) def Copacabana Capuchins (12.10.82)

Best
Mumbai: Travis Cloke, Sharrod Wellingham, Jarman Impey, Simon White

[Ricochet]

Round 15

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
Buenos Aires Armadillos	New Delhi Tigers	Estadio de River	4  v  0

PREVIEW:

The Dillos place in the finals is pretty much one more win away from being secure, but what would concern it more would be trying to make a sneaky claim at the top 4! They currently sit 6th and share the same 9-5 record with the 4th placed PNL and 5th placed New York. It's unlikely that they'll end up with a better percentage than either of those teams, so it just has to win pretty much the last 3 matches to give themselves a shot at the top 4. The Tigers meanwhile are coming off an inspired victory against the third placed Jaguars which has given their previously slim shot at finals a real shot in the arm! The Tigers actually have the best percentage outside the top 4 which is basically another win on their current 7-7 record. At 9th place, there is every chance that the Tigers could make the eight with a 9-8 record, and with their remaining opponents consisting of a team lower than them, a peer, and a team above them on the ladder... it's god damn interesting times at New Delhi! A big match for two teams aspiring for greater things, I'll back the Dillos at home but give New Delhi every chance.

Late Changes
Nil

WXV Debut
Nil

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	Buenos Aires Armadillos					New Delhi Tigers
POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Easton Wood	92		92	D1	Daniel Rich	65		65
D2	Joshua Wagner	84		84	D2	Phil Davis	79		79
D3	Zach Tuohy	81		81	D3	Sharrod Wellingham	82		82
D4	Shane Biggs	83		83	D4	Jeremy Howe	89		89
M1	Isaac Smith	84		84	M1	Steele Sidebottom	98		98
M2	Scott Pendlebury	108		108	M2	Stephen Coniglio	139		139
M3	Edward Curnow	79		79	M3	Kieren Jack	97		97
M4	Richard Douglas	57		57	M4	Mitch Wallis	112		112
R1	Tom Nicholls	58		58	R1	Stefan Martin	72		72
F1	Tom Hickey	104		104	F1	Jack Darling	53		53
F2	Rohan Bewick	32		32	F2	Jack Martin	74		74
F3	Shane Edwards	54		54	F3	Jeremy Cameron	128		128
F4	Jay Schulz	83		83	F4	Travis Cloke	84		84
U1 (MID )	Andrew Swallow	82		82	U1 (MID )	Tom Scully	72		72
U2 (MID )	Jack Crisp	105		105	U2 (MID )	Sebastian Ross	80		80
E1 (DEF )	Shaun Atley	67	DNP	0	E1 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	62	DNP	0
E2 (DEF )	Sam Butler	65	DNP	0	E2 (FWD )	Ben Griffiths	132	DNP	0
E3 (FWD )	Joshua Green	55	DNP	0	E3 (DEF )	Aaron Mullett	56	DNP	0
C	Scott Pendlebury	108		108	C	Stephen Coniglio	139		139
VC	Edward Curnow	79		0	VC	Kieren Jack	97		0
HA	Rohan Bewick	32		32	HA		0		0
RP		0		0	RP		0		0
NR					NR
		Total:	1326	15			Total:	1463	15

Defining New Delhi Victory

Big win for the Tigers this one! Especially since a certain upset (to be disclosed) would have made a loss here catastrophic for their finals hopes. But first Rio, now Buenos Aires... that could be the season defining moment for the Tigers when they look back at this season. The Dillos meanwhile, SHOULD be fine, but say goodbye to top 4 aspirations basically.

Buenos Aires Armadillos (21.7.133) lost to New Delhi Tigers (23.8.146)


Best
5. Stephen Coniglio
4. Jeremy Cameron
3. Jeremy Howe
2. Steele Sidebottom
1. Kieren Jack


Reserves
La Plata Armada (22.9.141) def Mumbai Elephants (16.6.102)

Best
Mumbai: Matt Crouch, Ben Griffiths, Simon White

Team of the Week

Shaun Burgoyne gets the honour of captain this week, an unlikely candidate, but congratulations nonetheless. A single Christchurch representative despite them top scoring while he coaches at New Delhi have no idea what they're doing as Ben Griffiths was stupidly benched. Coach of the week goes to meow meow who we reckon was overdue for one of these!

D: Shaun Burgoyne [c] (Berlin), Sam Docherty (Moscow), Corey Enright (PNL), Kade Simpson (Mexico City)
M: Callan Ward (Beijing), Stephen Hill (New York), Josh P Kennedy (Cape Town), Patrick Dangerfield (Seoul)
R: Max Gawn (Berlin)
F: Dustin Martin [vc] (Dublin), Zach Merrett (PNL), Justin Westhoff (PNL), Jeremy Cameron (New Delhi)
I: Koby Stevens (Christchurch), Stephen Coniglio (New Delhi)

Coach: meow² (Christchurch)

[Ricochet]

Round 16

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
London Royals	New Delhi Tigers	London Olympic Stadium, EurAsia	3  v  1

PREVIEW:

I feel like I say this every week, but London would still be quietly chuffed at what they've this season. I reckon when they went out and adopted this youth policy over last years' trade period, they thought they'd finish bottom four with maybe about 4 wins, maybe 3 or maybe 5. But, sitting 13th at 6-9 and with a consistently competitive-ish form line, I reckon they've done their coach proud, and they'd even almost feel like a chance in close to every game they go into, including this one. The Tigers currently sit in the most dreaded position in Worlds; 9th. That means that they're either going to make the finals, or come heart-breakingly close. But, coming back-to-back inspiring wins against Rio and Buenos Aires, they've positioned themselves beautifully, especially from a 5-7 record. It's looking like however, a 9-8 record won't cut it to make finals, so this win is CRUCIAL for them. They'd be the favourites to win this game and I'll tip them, but a repeat of their Round 11 & 12 efforts (121 & 125) might spell absolute disaster.

Late Changes
Nil

WXV Debut
Nil

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	London Royals					New Delhi Tigers
POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Dane Rampe	84		84	D1	Daniel Rich	113		113
D2	Jesse Lonergan	63		63	D2	Jeremy Howe	88		88
D3	Orazio Fantasia	73		73	D3	Phil Davis	87		87
D4	Bradley Sheppard	59		59	D4	Sharrod Wellingham	43		43
M1	Daniel Hannebery	76		76	M1	Steele Sidebottom	105		105
M2	Luke Shuey	130		130	M2	Stephen Coniglio	106		106
M3	Ben Cunnington	74		74	M3	Kieren Jack	76		76
M4	Matt Shaw	62		62	M4	Mitch Wallis	48		48
R1	Callum Sinclair	73		73	R1	Stefan Martin	162		162
F1	Tom T Lynch	68		68	F1	Jack Darling	76		76
F2	Tim Membrey	81		81	F2	Jack Martin	75		75
F3	Maverick Weller	95		95	F3	Jeremy Cameron	51		51
F4	Dean Towers	71		71	F4	Travis Cloke	24		24
U1 (MID FWD)	Lin Jong	86		86	U1 (MID )	Tom Scully	119		119
U2 (MID )	Joshua Schoenfeld	65		65	U2 (MID )	Sebastian Ross	72		72
E1 (FWD )	Chris Mayne	52	DNP	0	E1 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	89	DNP	0
E2 (FWD )	Josh Hill	36	DNP	0	E2 (RUC FWD)	Zachary Clarke	68	DNP	0
E3 (DEF )	Kyle Hartigan	49	DNP	0	E3 (DEF )	Nathan Krakouer	0	DNP	0
C	Daniel Hannebery	76		76	CC	Steele Sidebottom	105		53
VC	Luke Shuey	130		0	CC	Stephen Coniglio	106		53
HA	Bradley Sheppard	59		59	HA		0		0
RP		0		0	RP		0		0
NR					NR	Matt Crouch	101
		Total:	1295	15			Total:	1351	15

Sensational Stefan avert New Delhi Disaster

And the Tigers say "phew!". New Delhi were in all sorts of trouble heading into the final day of play, with London having a 562 point lead at one stage. Enter - Stefan Martin (162). What an individual performance. What a tense game; with the stakes so high! But alas for the Royals, Shuey couldn't do it by himself, but a HGA of 59 is pretty weird considering that score...

London Royals (20.10.130) lost to New Delhi Tigers (21.9.135)

Best
5. Stefan Martin
4. Daniel Rich
3. Tom Scully
2. Stephen Coniglio
1. Steele Sidebottom


Reserves
Imperial Princes (10.10.70) lost to Mumbai Elephants (21.7.133)

Best
Mumbai: Matt Crouch, Jake Lloyd, Ed Langdon, Jarman Impey

Team of the Week

Big Stef Martin claims the ruck throne and dons the armband. TOTW regular Tom Rockliff is his vice this week. Sam Day and Sean Dempster both were terrific... for their reserves sides. 7of the 15 players this week come from PNL and Mexico City, the last two teams standing in World Idol. Meanwhile, JROO8 picks up yet another coach of the week honour after Mexico dominated on the scoreboard once again this week.

D: Corey Enright (PNL), Jimmy Bartel (Mexico City), Kade Simpson (Mexico City), Steven May (Moscow)
M: Tom Rockliff [vc] (Mexico City), Brendon Goddard (Mexico City), Jack Steven (Berlin), Bryce Gibbs (Christchurch)
R: Stefan Martin [c] (New Delhi)
F: Zach Merrett (PNL), Jack Gunston (Dublin), Tom J Lynch (Seoul), Michael Walters (Berlin)
I: Matt Priddis (PNL), Patrick Cripps (Rio)

Coach: JROO8 (Mexico City)

[Ricochet]

Round 17

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
Beijing Thunder	New Delhi Tigers	Neutral, Traeger Park, EurAsia, Asia, Billions Cup	2  v  2

PREVIEW:

It's fitting that the two neutral games of the round are quite possibly the best. But with more at stake, Game 1 of Round 17 is my MATCH OF THE ROUND! The Thunders' season has been one of excitement; as a young improving team often generates. Sitting 7th with the same 9-7 record as 5 other teams, the Thunder have the opportunity to secure their first finals appearance since 2012 and complete the three(?)-year long rebuild under coach Toga. Their final opponent was just meant to be, really. Fellow 2015 bottom four team New Delhi sit only percentage above Beijing at 6th; with their rise being just as impressive. It was only last year this New Delhi outfit limped their way to a wooden spoon, and despite a hugely successful trading period totally transforming their 2016 prospects, looked like they may again join the other bottom 6 teams at one stage when they were 4-6 after Round 10. But their past month has been nothing short of exceptional. Four straight wins with their last three (Rio, Buenos Aires and London) requiring something special to get them over the line paints a fairy tale turnaround that's kinda of hard to resist in getting swept up with! It's a real shame that one of these teams will likely not make the finals, as both have come from such a long way back to be where they are now. Whomever loses would be bitter about it for sure, but still, they would have had a cracking season. With New Delhi outscoring Beijing by only 8 WXV points overall this year, they really couldn't be that much more even... but like I said, it's kinda impossible to resist this stunning fairy tale in the making at New Delhi, and I'll have to tip them to win this match! Oh, and one last thing, the winner out of this match also wins the Asia premiership! So much on the line, and good luck to both!

Late Changes
Nil

WXV Debut
Archie Smith

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	Beijing Thunder					New Delhi Tigers
POS	Team Format: Attack	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Sam Mayes	69		69	D1	Daniel Rich	115		115
D2	Harry Taylor	40		40	D2	Jeremy Howe	58		58
D3	James Aish	98		98	D3	Phil Davis	63		63
M1	Callan Ward	112		112	D4	Nathan Krakouer	95		95
M2	Lachie Neale	112		112	M1	Steele Sidebottom	108		108
M3	Oliver Wines	116		116	M2	Stephen Coniglio	121		121
M4	Brandon Ellis	81		81	M3	Kieren Jack	67		67
R1	Brodie Grundy	116		116	M4	Matt Crouch	89		89
F1	Dayne Zorko	92		92	R1	Archie Smith	96		96
F2	Josh Jenkins	78		78	F1	Jack Darling	81		81
F3	Christian Petracca	77		77	F2	Jack Martin	72		72
F4	Kane Lambert	43		43	F3	Jeremy Cameron	41		41
F5	Matt Jones	86		86	F4	Travis Cloke	49		49
U1 (MID )	Bradley Hill	64		64	U1 (MID )	Tom Scully	117		117
U2 (MID )	Jared Polec	106		106	U2 (MID )	Sebastian Ross	120		120
E1 (DEF )	Luke Brown	91	DNP	0	E1 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	72	DNP	0
E2 (FWD )	Jayden Hunt	84	DNP	0	E2 (RUC FWD)	Zachary Clarke	71	DNP	0
E3 (DEF )	Xavier Richards	62	DNP	0	E3 (DEF )	Sharrod Wellingham	40	DNP	0
CC	Callan Ward	112		56	CC	Steele Sidebottom	108		54
CC	Dayne Zorko	92		46	CC	Stephen Coniglio	121		61
RP		0		0	RP	Matt Crouch	89		9
		Total:	1392	15			Total:	1416	15

It's a New New Delhi

This game was always headed for both heartbreak and jubilation, with the latter going to New Delhi as they make their way towards their first ever finals series! This completes and AMAZING story of grit, determination and revival of a once amazingly bad list to now a finals contending team. Well done co-coaches Ricochet and elephants!

Beijing... argh, it hurts my heart! The Thunder have basically followed the exact same path as the Tigers, and it was amazingly fitting that these two teams clashed in Round 17 in a neutral clash (as whomever had HGA would have won) to decide whom would make finals. The Thunders' path however definitely will not deviate, as next year already promises to be even better and more exciting! Heck, congratulations to Toga too!

Beijing Thunder (22.7.139) lost to New Delhi Tigers (22.10.142)

Best
5. Daniel Rich
4. Stephen Coniglio
3. Seb Ross
2. Tom Scully
1. Steele Sidebottom


Reserves
Shanghai Storm (9.8.62) lost to Mumbai Elephants (20.10.130)

Best
Mumbai: Zachary Clarke, Jake Lloyd, Ed Langdon, Jarman Impey, Simon White

Rising Star

The final rising star nomination goes to Archie Smith who only got a game because Stefan Martin was supposedly rested. He managed to channel the ability of his predecessor to amass 96 and rob the glorious and deserving Rupert Wills of a nomination that would have made somewhere in the vicinity of 93 million Egyptians go crazy.

[Ricochet]

Finals Week 1 - 1st Elimination Final

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
New Delhi Tigers	Buenos Aires Armadillos	Tata Stadium	1  v  4

PREVIEW:

Feel good story of the season much? And yet, I feel like it's been done (more on that later). 12 months ago, the New Delhi Tigers were the undoubted "winners" of the Wooden Spoon with a list that made you wince when you looked at it, despite the few gems it had. What a transformation it has been, and what a ride too! The Tigers make their first ever finals appearance and, in my eyes, complete a truly tremendous list transformation after it was ruined by its predecessor coaches at the end of 2012. I mean, just LOOK at where this team came from! At the late season charge the Tigers had to do to get here? Inspiring. The Tigers had to win all 5 of their last games to give themselves a chance; where losing any of them would have resulted in missing finals. And they did it! No matter the result, just, like, congratulations Ricophants. But it's interesting to note that, the wooden spooners before the Tigers also went on to finish 5th before finals in the Pacific Islanders! Some hope for Cairo perhaps? The Islanders lost their final however, and coming up against Buenos Aires, history is every chance to repeat itself. The Dillos' mid-season transformation, like the Reindeers, has also be phenomenal. Winless after Round 4 and 15th on the points ladder, the Dillos would unbelievably go on to win their next 7 games with average to above average scoring to set up an unlikely finals appearance from 11th on the points ladder. In Scott Pendlebury and a host of worthy contributors, the Dillos have a team & leadership that can beat anyone on its day. This is a far cry from its 2015 side whom came out the (at least short term) winners in the re-draft with Toronto, and credit has to go to the drafting & trading skills of then sole coach Vinny, and the team management of now co-coach iZander. The last time these two teams played was back in Round 15 where the Tigers won 146-133; scores both reflective of each teams form at the time. Had these two teams played each other every week this year, the Tigers would lead 12-5 including the last 5 games, so New Delhi will enter in as favourites. But you know what? I reckon this will be the upset game of the week as New Delhi has spent all their energy making finals. Oh, and these two teams also play in a Reserves Qualifying final too!

Late Changes
Nil

WXV Debut
Nil

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	New Delhi Tigers					Buenos Aires Armadillos
POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Daniel Rich	84		84	D1	Zach Tuohy	121		121
D2	Jeremy Howe	96		96	D2	Easton Wood	87		87
D3	Phil Davis	58		58	D3	Shane Biggs	85		85
D4	Nathan Krakouer	91		91	D4	Michael Hartley	56		56
M1	Steele Sidebottom	109		109	M1	Scott Pendlebury	82		82
M2	Stephen Coniglio	92		92	M2	Edward Curnow	79		79
M3	Kieren Jack	89		89	M3	Isaac Smith	106		106
M4	Matt Crouch	100		100	M4	Jack Crisp	94		94
R1	Archie Smith	90		90	R1	Tom Nicholls	66		66
F1	Jack Darling	67		67	F1	Tom Hickey	91		91
F2	Jack Martin	82		82	F2	Andrejs Everitt	0	DNP	0
F3	Jeremy Cameron	74		74	F3	Joshua Green	37		37
F4	Ed Langdon	50		50	F4	Lindsay Thomas	53		53
U1 (MID )	Tom Scully	105		105	U1 (MID )	Trent Dumont	83		83
U2 (MID )	Sebastian Ross	85		85	U2 (MID )	Andrew Swallow	88		88
E1 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	114	DNP	0	E1 (MID )	Richard Douglas	68	DNP	0
E2 (RUC FWD)	Zachary Clarke	35	DNP	0	E2 (DEF )	Shaun Atley	87	DNP	0
E3 (DEF )	Sharrod Wellingham	84	DNP	0	E3 (FWD )	John Butcher	40		40
CC	Steele Sidebottom	109		55	C	Scott Pendlebury	82		82
CC	Stephen Coniglio	92		46	VC	Edward Curnow	79		0
HA	Ed Langdon	50		50
		Total:	1423	15			Total:	1250	15

New Delhi Drink from Hollowed Armadillo Shells

First finals win! WHOO! Well done New Delhi for keeping this dream run of 6 consecutive wins; each effectively a final! Although no Tiger went above and beyond, it was a solid team performance and that was enough to account for the disappointing Armadillos, whom looked out of the running as soon as Pendlebury fell victim to the New Delhi Friday Night curse. Zach Tuohu was great for the Dillos, but that's about it really. Still, they'd be quietly satisfied at what they've achieved this year I think, with plenty to work with in the upcoming trade period. Goodbye Buenos Aires!

New Delhi Tigers (22.10.142) def Buenos Aires Armadillos (19.11.125)

Best
5. Steele Sidebottom
4. Jeremy Howe
3. Tom Scully
2. Archie Smith
1. Nathan Krakouer


Mumbai follows New Delhi lead

India have gone 2 from 2 against Argentina, with a Seniors & Reserves combo! But the result was always headed this way with 11 players taking on 5. Jake Lloyd might have earned a call up to the seniors with his 114 the highest score in the game.

Mumbai Elephants (21.6.132) def with La Plata Armada (9.9.63)

Best
Mumbai: Sharrod Wellingham, Jake Lloyd, Tomas Bugg

[Ricochet]

Finals Week 2 - 1st Semi Final

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
PNL Reindeers	New Delhi Tigers	State de France	4  v  1

PREVIEW:

The Tigers! They just keep going, and no one wants it to stop! New Delhi was in raptures last week over its first ever finals victory, and quite a comprehensive one too. That has seen the Tigers winning streak stretch out to 6 on the trot; effectively 6 victorious elimination finals in a row... it's kinda hard not to get excited about it with them! It's interesting to think that, between New Delhi and PNL from Round 8 onwards, they've only registered 4 losses between them... these two teams are literally the most successful teams from that point (sharing with Dublin). Choosing between these two likeable teams will be tough for tipsters, so I'll throw this stat at you; if PNL & New Delhi played each other each week this year, PNL would lead 9 wins, 1 draw and 7 losses, but out of the last 9 weeks, only one loss and draw. I actually kinda think PNL are the form team of the comp at the moment, so I'll tip the Reindeers in my MATCH OF THE ROUND, but I won't mind the Tigers winning either!

Late Changes
Nil

WXV Debut
Nil

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	PNL Reindeers					New Delhi Tigers
POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Corey Enright	101		101	D1	Daniel Rich	76		76
D2	Zachary Williams	68		68	D2	Jeremy Howe	97		97
D3	Jarrod Harbrow	70		70	D3	Nathan Krakouer	52		52
D4	Billy Stretch	78		78	D4	Tomas Bugg	93		93
M1	Matt Priddis	105		105	M1	Steele Sidebottom	96		96
M2	Dylan Shiel	72		72	M2	Stephen Coniglio	114		114
M3	Nathan Jones	105		105	M3	Kieren Jack	66		66
M4	Luke Hodge	116		116	M4	Matt Crouch	95		95
R1	Sam Naismith	63		63	R1	Stefan Martin	70		70
F1	Cyril Rioli	73		73	F1	Jack Darling	67		67
F2	Justin Westhoff	74		74	F2	Jack Martin	78		78
F3	Chad Wingard	32	DNP	0	F3	Jeremy Cameron	55		55
F4	Jack Billings	46		46	F4	Ed Langdon	65		65
U1 (MID FWD)	Zachary Merrett	113		113	U1 (MID )	Tom Scully	93		93
U2 (DEF )	Thomas Sheridan	61		61	U2 (MID )	Sebastian Ross	97		97
E1 (FWD )	Jarrod Garlett	32		32	E1 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	96	DNP	0
E2 (RUC )	Matthew Lobbe	69	DNP	0	E2 (RUC FWD)	Zachary Clarke	56	DNP	0
E3 (MID )	Mitch Hallahan	51	DNP	0	E3 (DEF )	Sharrod Wellingham	25	DNP	0
CC	Matt Priddis	105		53	C	Stephen Coniglio	114		114
CC	Zachary Merrett	113		57	VC	Steele Sidebottom	96		0
HA	Jarrod Garlett	32		32
		Total:	1319	15			Total:	1328	15

Reindeer Heartbreak; Tiger Elation

I'm not going to say much, because it's all a bit raw atm I'd imagine. PNL have lost by 9 SC points in a low-scoring affair that in no way reflected their season. The Tigers continue to ride this amazing transformation into the preliminary finals, posting their 7th consecutive win. Amazing result for the Tigers, but hard to swallow for the Reindeers.

PNL Reindeers (21.6.132) lost to New Delhi Tigers (21.7.133)

Best
5. Stephen Coniglio
4. Jeremy Howe
3. Tommy Bugg
2. Seb Ross
1. Matt Crouch

Team of the Week

D: Bachar Houli (New York), Robbie Tarrant (Rio), Tom McDonald (New York), Corey Enright (PNL)
M: David Zaharakis [vc] (Rio), Patrick Cripps (Rio), Luke Hodge (PNL), Stephen Coniglio (New Delhi)
R: Stefan Martin (New Delhi)
F: Mitch Robinson [c] (Rio), Zach Merrett (PNL), Josh Kennedy (New York), Aaron Hall (Rio)
I: Scott Thompson (Rio), Matt Priddis (PNL)

Coach: Levi434 (Rio)

[Ricochet]

B&F Leaderboard - Round 17

The full count for the Home and Away Season, prior to finals.

The love for Stephen Conigs is real <3

38. Stephen Coniglio
27. Daniel Rich
25. Jeremy Howe
24. Steele Sidebottom
23. Stefan Martin
21. Kieren Jack
18. Tom Scully
13. Jack Darling
12. Thomas Bugg
12. Jack Martin
11. Sebastian Ross
9. Phil Davis
9. Jeremy Cameron
7. Mitch Wallis
4. Matt Crouch
1. Travis Cloke
1. Zac Clarke

[Ricochet]

Finals Week 3 - 2nd Preliminary Final

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
Mexico City Suns	New Delhi Tigers	Fireball Stadium	5  v  0

PREVIEW:

New Delhi! What a ride it has been! Wooden Spooners last year, preliminary finalists 12 months later! What an incredible journey and what an incredible transformation that its talented co-coaches have concocted. The year is already a roaring success, which pretty much means the Tigers are playing with no pressure and a level of freedom that makes for an infectious style of WXVs footy. I'll have to mention it again, but New Delhi are just the second team in 5 years to have made the prelims from outside the top 4 (Berlin in 2013 was the first), and when you consider that the Tigers have had to win their past 7 matches to make it here... it's just an incredible story. If they lost just one of those matches, they wouldn't be here, making club history. It's been because of Stefan Martin's 162 that finished a tight game against London. It's been because of a Steele Sidebottom & Stephen Coniglio dynamic that proved too much for Beijing. It's been because of choosing the ONLY centurion for the Tigers as captain in last week's Semi-Final against PNL to win the game. Just, what a year. But, I fear this is the end of the road for the Tigers. Had they played against Mexico City every week of the year (not including last week), Round 15 would have been their fourth a last win. It's been a helluva ride, but I just don't see the Suns losing this one.

Late Changes
Nil

WXV Debut
Nil

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	Mexico City Suns					New Delhi Tigers
POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Heath Shaw	103		103	D1	Daniel Rich	97		97
D2	Kade Simpson	97		97	D2	Jeremy Howe	130		130
D3	Matthew Broadbent	76		76	D3	Nathan Krakouer	67		67
D4	Dylan Buckley	66		66	D4	Tomas Bugg	63		63
M1	Tom Rockliff	102		102	M1	Steele Sidebottom	114		114
M2	Trent Cotchin	74		74	M2	Stephen Coniglio	89		89
M3	Brad Ebert	81		81	M3	Matt Crouch	126		126
M4	Sam Gray	91		91	M4	Tom Scully	74		74
R1	Shaun Hampson	72		72	R1	Stefan Martin	111		111
F1	Nick Riewoldt	87		87	F1	Jack Darling	105		105
F2	Brent Harvey	150		150	F2	Jack Martin	81		81
F3	Eddie Betts	97		97	F3	Jeremy Cameron	97		97
F4	Adam Cooney	75		75	F4	Ed Langdon	46		46
U1 (MID FWD)	Daniel Wells	132		132	U1 (MID )	Sebastian Ross	138		138
U2 (MID )	Ryan Davis	74		74	U2 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	108		108
E1 (MID )	George Hewett	59	DNP	0	E1 (MID )	Adam Oxley	40	DNP	0
E2 (FWD )	Tom Papley	39	DNP	0	E2 (RUC FWD)	Zachary Clarke	52	DNP	0
E3 (DEF )	Jonathon Marsh	77	DNP	0	E3 (DEF )	Phil Davis	45	DNP	0
C	Tom Rockliff	102		102	C	Steele Sidebottom	114		114
VC	Trent Cotchin	74		0	VC	Stephen Coniglio	89		0
HA	Dylan Buckley	66		66			0		0
		Total:	1545	15			Total:	1560	15

Suns Set. Tigers Rise

Ohhhhhhh SH!T! Ohhhh mercy me! IT! JUST! KEEPS! GOING! New Delhi have had to muster up a fierce score in beating the reigning premiers in what is now officially THE GREATEST TURNAROUND of a team in WXVs history, undeniably. The Tigers just kept whippin out century after century, and the Suns were straining to keep up and had to rely on Captain Rockliff to put in 120+ to grab hold of the advantage. But the 7 centurion force that was the New Delhi Tigers REFUSE to let this winning streak stop and will progress to the Grand freaking Final! They won the Wooden Spoon last year!!!! For the Suns, they're in the exact same boat as Holz; a feeling of great frustration and disappointment in falling at the last hurdle to Round 23 after a season of waiting. But they'd no more than anyone, it's who's better on the day that wins. Commisserations to the Suns, but OMG well done NDT!

Mexico City Suns (24.11.155) lost to New Delhi Tigers (25.6.156)

Best
5. Jeremy Howe
4. Seb Ross
3. Matt Crouch
2. Stef Martin
1. Steele Sidebottom


Copacabana start New Delhi Mind Games

How much will our future senior Grand Finalists take out of this match? Not a god damn thing. But Capuchins had a mammoth 13 players take the field against the Elephant's 10, but only Rioli (106) and Maynard (85) might have got their coaches attention for next week.

Mumbai Elephants (18.6.114) lost to Copacabana Capuchins (23.11.149)

Best
Mumbai: Jarman Impey, Simon White

Team of the Week

D: Jeremy Howe (New Delhi), Tom Cutler (Rio), Heath Shaw (Mexico City), Daniel Rich (New Delhi)
M: Patrick Cripps [c] (Rio), Seb Ross (New Delhi), Adam Treloar (Dublin), Nick Dal Santo (Dublin)
R: Stefan Martin (New Delhi)
F: Brent Harvey [vc] (Mexico City), Mitch Robinson (Rio), Aaron Hall (Rio), Jack Darling (New Delhi)
I: Daniel Wells (Mexico City), Matt Crouch (New Delhi)

Coach: elechet (New Delhi)

[Ricochet]

Congrats on Stephen Coniglio and Tom Scully on making the AA 40 man squad :D

[elephants]

Congrats on Stephen Coniglio and Tom Scully on making the AA 40 man squad :D

Better yet, neither have hit their prime!

[Ricochet]

Finals Week 4 - Grand Final

Home Team	Away Team	Venue	Head-to-Head
Rio de Janeiro Jaguars	New Delhi Tigers	Melbourne Cricket Ground	1  v  1

PREVIEW:

What the Tigers are doing right now, is unprecedented. There is nothing that could have prepared us to witness such an incredible transformation take place before our very eyes, that could very well end in taking the most sought after achievement of our beloved competition. The 2015 New Delhi season was arguably the single worst ever recorded season by a WXV club in our five year history. The Tigers posted ONE win for the ENTIRE year, and averaged 108 points per game! 108! Simon White played 13 games for New Delhi last year, with an average of 50. His teammate (now Coaches Award recipient) Daniel Talia played 14 games at an average of 49. How can I possibly be writing up a New Delhi preview in the Grand Final in just the very next year? It baffles beyond belief! This is such a magnificent coaching achievement, that it could seriously be the best EVER achievement in WXVs History, and perhaps even across ALL XVs competitions. The Coach of the Year voting process was just a formality. 2016 started like every other year with a Round 1 loss, but a 30-40 WXV point improvement already on the year before. New Delhi's first 7 weeks were quite solid, with one HUGE score against Tokyo offset by a classic 2015 score against PNL the week after. Rounds 8 & 9 were massive for the Tigers too, but again that was met by a 3-week down period, at the end of which saw the Tigers 5-7 and destined for a much improved mid-table finish. But what happened next is still happening. New Delhi have won 8 games in a row with each win more impressive than the last because had they lost ANY of those games, they wouldn't be where they are today! But it was last week that proved to be the Tigers greatest EVER win; a 156-155 preliminary final victory against the two-time premiers Mexico City. This team symbolises everything we'd like WXVs to be, and they thoroughly deserve their chance at taking the ultimate glory and capping off the best XVs story ever.

You wouldn't have said that these two teams have a rivalry, but this game will begin a rivalry that will last for years. Only twice have these two teams gone head-to-head, with the last encounter recorded back in Round 14 where the Tigers defeated Rio 142-127 at home. These teams are the only teams in the competition that have played every single week possible (barring EurAsia v AAP) and had they played against each other in each one of those weeks, they would be tied at 10-10! However, since GAJ went down, 7 weeks have gone by and it would have been in the Semi Finals were Rio would have beaten New Delhi. The Jaguars were the 3rd highest scoring team of the H&A season compared to New Delhi whom were 8th on the points ladder. However, since GAJ went down, New Delhi have averaged 142 ppg with a high score of 156 (scored last week), compared to Rio's average of 135 ppg, with its last two scores of 150 & 149 bumping it up considerably. This game will be a ripper, coz I just don't know who is gonna win! Both teams are in good recent form with perhaps the absence of GAJ tipping the scales towards the slightly more recently consistently Tigers. But, hosted at the magnificent MCG, none of that matters. I just have a feeling that the Tigers might run out of puff, so I'll officially tip the Jaguars, but I'll be extremely happy for whomever wins the Grand Final! I'm already extremely happy because the both of you have ended the Dublin/Mexico City streak of 4 straight years! Good luck to both, and may the best team on the day win

Late Changes
Nil

WXV Debut
Nil

Club debut
Nil



RESULT:

	Rio de Janeiro Jaguars					New Delhi Tigers
POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ	POS	Team Format: Traditional	SCO	PEN	ADJ
D1	Kade Kolodjashnij	85		85	D1	Daniel Rich	90		90
D2	Robbie Tarrant	69		69	D2	Jeremy Howe	109		109
D3	Andrew Mackie	69		69	D3	Nathan Krakouer	53		53
D4	Tom Cutler	80		80	D4	Tomas Bugg	44		44
M1	Patrick Cripps	140		140	M1	Steele Sidebottom	111		111
M2	Bernie Vince	46		46	M2	Stephen Coniglio	62		62
M3	David Zaharakis	89		89	M3	Matt Crouch	120		120
M4	Scott Thompson	96		96	M4	Tom Scully	103		103
R1	Sam Jacobs	51		51	R1	Stefan Martin	98		98
F1	Aaron Hall	104		104	F1	Jack Darling	91		91
F2	Mitch Robinson	69		69	F2	Jack Martin	93		93
F3	Matthew Wright	110		110	F3	Jeremy Cameron	30		30
F4	Brendan Whitecross	65		65	F4	Travis Cloke	63		63
U1 (MID )	Danyle Pearce	111		111	U1 (MID )	Sebastian Ross	84		84
U2 (MID )	Travis Boak	76		76	U2 (MID )	Jake Lloyd	95		95
E1 (DEF MID)	Elliot Yeo	29	DNP	0	E1 (MID )	Kieren Jack	114	DNP	0
E2 (MID FWD)	Lewis Taylor	54	DNP	0	E2 (DEF )	Phil Davis	74	DNP	0
E3 (FWD )	Daniel Rioli	48	DNP	0	E3 (MID FWD)	Ed Langdon	30	DNP	0
C	Patrick Cripps	140		140	C	Steele Sidebottom	111		111
VC	Sam Jacobs	51		0	VC	Stephen Coniglio	62		0
		Total:	1400	15			Total:	1357	15

Rio de Janeiro Jaguars: 2016 PREMIERS

The RIO DE JANEIRO JAGUARS are the 2016 World XVs PREMIERS!

It is both team and coach's first ever premiership, continuing on Brazil's elite standard set with a premiership in 2013.

NEW DELHI finishes 2nd; cutting short an 8-win streak and being 1 win away from the best possible 1-season turnaround. From Wooden Spooners to the runner-up team will be something I'll always remember as one of the best fantasy stories I've ever seen

The game as it happened:
- New Delhi was bold at the selection table; leaving out Kieren Jack from the starting 15 and bringing in Travis Cloke in a bid to bring in a game changer.
- There were four centurions each in this game, with Rio's Matthew Wright & Danyle Pearce going well above their averages to prove the difference.
- New Delhi's Jeremy Cameron had an absolute stinker, with Stephen Coniglio's 62 also hurting massively for New Delhi
- New Delhi had more 90+ scorers (9) than the Jaguars (5), but had more sub-60 scorers (3-2).
- This was the lowest scoring grand final in Worlds history, with the individual scores ranking 9th and 10th out of the 10 GF scores. But it was still a ripper.
- New Delhi's midfield tried its hardest, compared to Rio's sole centurion in Patrick Cripps.
- Travis Boak played game 94 as the most experienced player in the GF, compared to Tom Cutler's 11 as the least experienced.

Rio de Janeiro Jaguars (22.8.140) def New Delhi Tigers (21.10.136)

Best
5. Jeremy Howe
4. Matt Crouch
3. Steele Sidebottom
2. Stef Martin
1. Jack Martin

[Ricochet]

New Delhi B&F 2016

We have a draw!  :o

In what was a truly amazing finals effort, Jeremy Howe has stormed home to equal Stephen Coniglio on 43 votes for the year.

Coniglio had a massive 13pt lead over Howe prior to finals but simply couldn't hold off the fast finishing Howe.

Congrats Stephen and Jeremy!


Full Leaderboard below:

[Ricochet]

Tiggies in the Media

ZAC CLARKE

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-30/dockers-ruckman-zac-clarke-weighing-up-a-fresh-start

FREMANTLE free agent Zac Clarke is weighing up whether to extend his career with the Dockers or seek a fresh start at one of several rival clubs pursuing him.

AFL.com.au understands most of Clarke's suitors are based in his home state of Victoria, but he has also attracted interest from two other clubs.

Clarke faces minor surgery at the end of this season, having carried knee problems through most of the year, but is confident this will help him regain the athleticism he showed in his strong first half of 2015.

TRAVIS CLOKE

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-08-30/veteran-forward-travis-cloke-requests-a-trade-from-collingwood

TRAVIS Cloke has officially requested a trade from Collingwood.

Collingwood football boss Neil Balme said the club would help to facilitate a trade if a suitable deal could be struck.

"He's contracted to us (in 2017), but he's suggested that he wants to find out whether there's somewhere else for him to play," Balme told AFL.com.au.

It is understood the Western Bulldogs, whose recruiting team was spotted assessing Cloke's performance against Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday, Richmond and North Melbourne are interested in the spearhead's services.

[Ricochet]

.