Hogg Division I 2023

[Rik E Boy]

Round 15

Pool Swimmers 2602
Petracca's Picnic 2249

PunknChump 2513
Q Before You 2409

The Willies 2627
PorterGuns 2314

Jims TigerRoos 2387
Professor Crow 2244

Cowpokes 2472
Coromandel Crisis 2451

Kiwikrappers 2644
wycbloods 2319

eddieslittleindians 2530
Crowmagnon 2411

ZedForce 2353
Adelaide Crows 2265

Buckets 2507
Jays Jocks 2289

Ladder


1 eddieslittleindians 15 0 33878 32122 105.47 60
2 Buckets 12 3 33520 31803 105.40 48
3 Kiwikrappers 11 4 33061 32231 102.58 44
4 Cowpokes 10 5 32749 32140 101.89 40
5 Zedforce 10 5 32401 32027 101.17 40
6 The Willies 9 6 32619 31590 103.26 36
7 Q Before You 8 7 32227 31547 102.16 32
8 PunknChump 8 7 32991 32309 102.11 32

9 Crowmagnon 7 8 32175 31697 101.51 28
10 PorterGuns 7 8 32078 32271 99.40 28
11 Pool Swimmers 6 9 32424 32527 99.68 24
12 Jays Jocks 6 9 31409 31906 98.44 24
13 wycbloods 6 9 31875 32797 97.19 24
14 Coromandel Crisis 6 9 30703 31772 96.64 24
15 Jims TigerRoos 5 10 32130 32230 99.69 20
16 Professor Crow 4 11 31221 32098 97.27 16
17 Petracca's Picnic 3 12 30323 32942 92.05 12
18 Adelaide Crows 2 13 30902 32677 94.57 8

With three games to go it’s looks like a race of 9 as PorterGuns racked up another loss to remain a game and a fair whack of percentage behind eighth ranked Punky. Crowmagnon paid the Indians tax this week as eddieslittleindians made it 15 straight to remain three clear at the top. Buckets and Kiwi both had strong wins with the Kiwi shining in a monster win over wycbloods as the krappers scored a not so crap 2644 to top the league this week.

The Willies also chimed in with a decent score to smash Porties and out of contention Pool Swimmers also carded a 2600 in the too little too late department. It was a massive win for PunknChump who made light work of top eight Q Before You to take crowmag’s spot in the top eight. I reckon the top six are all safe so there are perhaps four teams fighting it out for the last two places if Q is suddenly in the spot light.

I reckon the top three are looking good for the double chance and Cowpokes are fighting off a strong challenge from ZedForce who have been close but no cigar when it comes to top four rankings so far this season. The relegation battle is down to three after Jims TigerRoos have earned the right to stay up with a vital win over the in-danger Professor Crow. Crow still looks pretty safe to me though as Petracca’s Picnic and Adelaide Crows are cooked. Crows would need to win all three games and Cubby in second last needs two wins and both would be wondering where they would be coming from, as am I.

The dominant eddieslittleindians look untouchable this season but this week has shown that more than a few teams might be able to match them on their day. I don’t think MAY-Z would relish a clash against the Kiwi in the Prelim Final. To lose one game all year and miss out on promotion would be enough to make you hang up your Mouse!

Regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Round 16

Petracca's Picnic 2449
PunknChump 2402

Pool Swimmers 2455
PorterGuns 1706

Jims TigerRoos 2156
Q Before You 2116

The Willies 2356
Cowpokes 2265

Professor Crow 2324
wycbloods 2308

Coromandel Crisis 2130
Crowmagnon 2123

Kiwikrappers 2225
ZedForce 2224

Buckets 2310
eddieslittleindians 2283

Jays Jocks 2368
Adelaide Crows 2156

Ladder

1 eddieslittleindians 15 1 36161 34432 105.02 60
2 Buckets 13 3 35830 34086 105.12 52
3 Kiwikrappers 12 4 35286 34455 102.41 48
4 The Willies 10 6 34975 33855 103.31 40
5 Cowpokes 10 6 35014 34496 101.50 40
6 Zedforce 10 6 34625 34252 101.09 40
7 Q Before You 8 8 34343 33703 101.90 32
8 PunknChump 8 8 35393 34758 101.83 32

9 Pool Swimmers 7 9 34879 34233 101.89 28
10 Crowmagnon 7 9 34298 33827 101.39 28
11 Jays Jocks 7 9 33777 34062 99.16 28
12 PorterGuns 7 9 33784 34726 97.29 28
13 Coromandel Crisis 7 9 32833 33895 96.87 28
14 Jims TigerRoos 6 10 34286 34346 99.83 24
15 wycbloods 6 10 34186 35121 97.34 24
16 Professor Crow 5 11 33545 34406 97.50 20
17 Petracca's Picnic 4 12 32772 35344 92.72 16
18 Adelaide Crows 2 14 33058 35045 94.33 8

The indians long unbeaten run came to an end when second ranked Buckets stunned the league leaders with a 27 point victory. Better to lose now than on Prelim Final day but Buckets showed this round they are a genuine contender. Right behind Buckets, Kiwikrappers managed to secure their double chance with a one point win over Zedforce who were once again denied entry to the top four by the slenderest of margins. The Cowpokes erratic form continued while The Willies continued on wit their recent good form and Willy waltzed into a top four spot and you'd be backing them to stay there at this stage.

The battle for the top eight opened right up as well. Punky was sensationally toppled by Petracca's Picnic in a high scoring game while Q got rolled again to make them a vulnerable side in the eight as well. Pool Swimmers was the big winner amongst the teams out of the eight after they smashed PorterGuns to gain an invaluable percentage booster. All the teams down to Coromandel Crisis are still in the hunt with two games to play before finals.

The relegation battle also took a bit of a turn as Petracca's Picnic and Professor Crow both won while Adelaide Crows fate was confirmed with their 14th loss of the season. The Cub got cracking but got little reward for their efforts when he looked at the scores and saw that the Professor had passed his exams with a win over wycbloods who are treading water at this stage. The Professor should hang on but he's not home yet, especially if the Picnic can continue with last round's scoring.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Round 17

Petracca's Picnic 2271
PorterGuns 2042

PunknChump 2463
Jims TigerRoos 2421

Pool Swimmers 2521
Cowpokes 2364

Q Before You 2576
wycbloods 2414

ZedForce 2519
Professor Crow 2390

Buckets 2588
Coromandel Crisis 2119

The Willies 2509
Crowmagnon 2339

Kiwikrappers 2511
Jays Jocks 2431

eddieslittleindians 2411
Adelaide Crows 2224

Ladder

1 eddieslittleindians 16 1 38602 36656 105.31 64
2 Buckets 14 3 38418 36205 106.11 56
3 Kiwikrappers 13 4 37797 36886 102.47 52
4 The Willies 11 6 37484 36194 103.56 44
5 Zedforce 11 6 37144 36642 101.37 44
6 Cowpokes 10 7 37378 37017 100.98 40
7 Q Before You 9 8 36919 36117 102.22 36
8 PunknChump 9 8 37856 37179 101.82 36

9 Pool Swimmers 8 9 37400 36597 102.19 32
10 Crowmagnon 7 10 36637 36336 100.83 28
11 Jays Jocks 7 10 36208 36573 99.00 28
12 PorterGuns 7 10 35826 36997 96.83 28
13 Coromandel Crisis 7 10 34952 36483 95.80 28
14 Jims TigerRoos 6 11 36707 36809 99.72 24
15 wycbloods 6 11 36597 37697 97.08 24
16 Professor Crow 5 12 35935 36925 97.32 20
17 Petracca's Picnic 5 12 35043 37386 93.73 20
18 Adelaide Crows 2 15 35282 37486 94.12 8

The Adelaide Crows tenure as a Division I coach has come to an end after the Crows fell afoul of the league leaders eddieslittleindians during round 17. It was a return to form for the indians who had much less trouble with the relegated blackbirds than they did against the main challenger Buckets last week. Hardly a surprise there. While we are starting from the bottom this week Petracca's Picnic kept their escape hatch open with a solid win over a battling PorterGuns but there is still a massive percentage gap to the Professor even though they were taught a lesson by Zedforce who still aren't in the top four. Picnic needs a Professor Crow loss to avoid the drop and they'll need to bat above their average to sink the TigerRoos. Don't think Picnic can survive but they have fought back hard over the past two weeks.

Most of the top eight sides consolidated their positions during the round with only the out of form Cowpokes slipping up. Cowpokes have fritted away a top four place and can't get that back now. Zedforce are still on the outer as the top four all won with The Willies and Kiwikrappers the more consistent teams over the past month. Zed needs a Willys loss to make top four but in recent weeks Willy has really stood up. It was a big round for Punky and Q as both teams scored vital victories. Pool Swimmers are the only team who are outside the eight that can make it now but their percentage is good enough for them to take Q and especially Punky's place should they get up.

The Indians have been the best side all year but they face the Kiwi this week in what is the match of the round. A kiwi win would mean that the indians would have dropped two matches to their main two rivals on the eve of the finals. Any of the top five teams would be worthy Premier League participants though so popcorn out and lets see what happens.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Round 18

Petracca's Picnic 2536
Jims TigerRoos 2451

Cowpokes 2538
PorterGuns 2090

wycbloods 2569
PunknChump 2493

Crowmagnon 2470
Pool Swimmers 2459

ZedForce 2628
Q Before You 2533

The Willies 2536
Buckets 2531

Coromandel Crisis 2323
Adelaide Crows 2215

Kiwikrappers 2484
eddieslittleindians 2478

Jays Jocks 2602
Professor Crow 2448

Ladder

1 eddieslittleindians 16 2 41080 39140 104.96 64
2 Buckets 14 4 40949 38741 105.70 56
3 Kiwikrappers 14 4 40281 39364 102.33 56
4 The Willies 12 6 40020 38725 103.34 48
5 Zedforce 12 6 39772 39175 101.52 48
6 Cowpokes 11 7 39916 39107 102.07 44
7 Q Before You 9 9 39452 38745 101.82 36
8 PunknChump 9 9 40349 39748 101.51 36

9 Pool Swimmers 8 10 39885 39067 102.09 32
10 Crowmagnon 8 10 39107 38795 100.80 32
11 Jays Jocks 8 10 38810 39021 99.46 32
12 Coromandel Crisis 8 10 37275 38698 96.32 32
13 wycbloods 7 11 39166 40190 97.45 28
14 PorterGuns 7 11 37916 39535 95.90 28
15 Jims TigerRoos 6 12 39158 39345 99.52 24
16 Petracca's Picnic 6 12 37579 39837 94.33 24
17 Professor Crow 5 13 38383 39527 97.11 20
18 Adelaide Crows 2 16 37497 39809 94.19 8

It was a case of as you were for the top eight and top four positions but The Willies and Kiwikrappers got the moral victories on the eve of the finals. The big result though was the remarkable escape by the Cub who somehow avoided relegation after looking a prime candidate for the majority of the second half of the season. Poor old Professor Crow will join his blackbird brethren in being relegated to Hogg Division II next season.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Finals Week One

Qualifying Finals
The Willies 2414
eddieslittleindians 2259

Buckets 2353
Kiwikrappers 2306

Elimination Finals
PunknChump 2254
ZedForce 2217

Q Before You 2298
Cowpokes 2100

The Willies have overtaken eddieslittleindians as the new premiership favourite after they belted the indians and topped the scoring in the first weekend of the finals. The indians have been pretty wonky in recent weeks with repeated losses against fellow top four sides while The Willies have been scoring very well in recent weeks. It was the recent form that won the day and Willie is now only one win away from qualifying for Hogg Premier League next season. Buckets is in the boat after winning a more tightly contested affair against the kiwi. The kiwi has fallen short but still scored well but like most coaches this week does he have coverage for Naicos? ZedForce was just short of the leading teams this season but would consider himself unlucky after getting rolled by 8th ranked Punky. The misfiring Cowpokes dropped one game too many and Q advanced as he got one step closer to getting his Premier League spot back.

regards,

REB

[zedman]

Steele, Dunkley and Houston, the trifecta of spudness.

[brod]

The Willies...STAND UP

[Rik E Boy]

Semi Finals

1st Semi Final
PunknChump 2265
eddieslittleindians 2213

2nd Semi Final
Q Before You 2307
Kiwikrappers 2032

The seventh and eighth ranked sides have won through to the Preliminary FInals in Hogg Division I as eddieslittleindians and Kiwikrappers completed a remarkable fall from grace that saw two powerful combinations cough up their season two weeks early after looking the goods for the majority of the year.

The indians were the best side in it but a loss to second ranked Buckets a few weeks ago saw the beginning of the end for the league's top scorer. History shows that the indians then dropped every remaining match against a contender to finish a mystifying 5th. The reason for Kiwi's demise last week was a lot simpler. While his trade situation was healthy the decision to trade in and captain Tom Liberatore proved fatal after the hard nosed Bulldog was KO'd and that ended the penny section for him.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Preliminary Finals

1st Preliminary Final
PunknChump 2470
Buckets 2354

2nd Preliminary Final
The Willies 2417
Q Before You 2214

Congratulations to PunknChump and The Willies who have both earned promotion to Hogg Premier League in season 2024. It's the first time both of these teams have been up in the top flight so well done lads on a fine Hogg season. Punky of course made the grand final in Divvy II last season and he's doubled up again despite finishing in 8th spot to only just scrape into the finals. After a close win in the Elimination Final he has really hit their straps and will be a worthy opponent for Willie who has been the standout team for the second half of the season. I think Willy will go on to win but in a way both teams winners as they are now Hogg Premier coaches. It's been a long journey for Willy who has been around for years with Punky a relatively new coach who has wasted little time moving up through the ranks.

Q has been a regular Premier League fixture over the years but it's back to the drawing board for him as they fell one match short. Buckets has had a better season than Q but the end result was the same with the Buckets tipped out one week short of qualifying for the big league. See you in Divvy I next seasons...as a reporter! as a reporter!

Good luck Punky and Willies in the big one this week.

regards,

REB

[brod]

Carltons team announcement hasn't done me any favours...
Cripps OUT for The Willies
Walsh IN for PunknChump

[Rik E Boy]

Grand Final

PunknChump 2573
The Willies 2543

Unlucky brod has missed out as he got the Blues. Those team changes mentioned in his post above proved to be most crucial as 8th ranked Punky, who looked a chance to miss the eight at one stage, has saluted to win the 2023 Hogg Division I title. Congratulations Punky and see you both next season.

regards,

REB