by Rik E Boy » Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:42 pm
Hogg Premier Preview 2016
The Hogg Premier League is a much different beast to what it was in earlier seasons. I used to think a league ranking of 5000 meant it was a pretty hard league but this year’s Hogg Premier should expect a top 100 ranking if last seasons effort is anything to go by
Out with the old, in with the new
Relegated from last year’s league are the unlucky Buddy Franklin and wycbloods. Both of these sides won 6 matches last year so both were very unlucky to go down. wycbloods wasn’t helped by a poor percentage in comparison with their rivals and Buddy lost that winning feeling when all the teams around them managed to scramble some late wins.
Promoted to the top flight are two excellent sides. Valleys07 and his team Delicious have been consistent performers in the Hogg for many years and they have been in excellent scoring form over the past couple of seasons. Pool Swimmers haven’t been around as long but their short Hogg record is a proud one. I expect both of these teams to make the eight.
Contenders
I believe the winner of Hogg Premier will come from one of the following six teams. Has Been always looks strong and I expect a strong showing from the Beaners this year. They will be about the place for sure. Ben Rolfsburgers are another top side who I hate playing because the guy flogs me every time. Both of these sides are top four locks. I can see the Pool Swimmers also challenging at this level along with the other promoted side Delicious.
The other two sides who could threaten are Eckys Fevolas and Squeakeroos DTC. Squeaky showed last year that they are the genuine article and they have been getting better and better. Last year Ecky was very slow out of the blocks and left his run too late. If his goal is league success in the Premier League you can expect a more consistent output from the Fevs in the early rounds.
Scramblers
The scramble for top eight spots is going to be massive this year. The scramblers represent the middle six of the league. This group will include teams with decorated Premier histories who may feel they’ve been underrated but this league is just that tough. Les’ Men are one team that should make the eight, but then again it’s hard to ignore the claims of Premier League stalwarts Captain Who? , Q Before You and Hondo SSC. Hondo and Q have mastered the art of winning games while seemingly scoring bugger all but Hondo appeared off the pace a little at times last season.
I think Hondo could miss as will one of Captain Who? or even the unthinkable, Q Before You. The Honey Badgers showed some brilliant late season form and I think they won’t be involved in a relegation dogfight unlike last season. The other team who I believe can challenge will be Longwood Lions but they will need to start much better than the past two seasons.
Pretenders
These are the bottom six teams who I reckon will be in for a tough year. It might surprise to see Cork in the Ocean in this group but this is more about my belief that they will struggle to match teams above rather than being a genuine chance at relegation. Richo Richo Man are also a bit stiff to be placed in this group but while Richo’s best is top four standard his worst is bottom six standard. Richo has a very up and down history and after a strong year last year it could be time for him to lose the extra two or three matches that turns a top four into a bottom six at this level. I don’t think Richo is a genuine relegation chance but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him miss the eight.
The following four teams are going to struggle at this level. Underdogs is probably the best of these but the aura this team once had is fading fast and they can now be viewed as one of the easier teams to play in this league. That is a scary thought as Gibbo (sharksta) has a proud Hogg history. The SHARKS were promoted last year and were one of the few promoted sides to not make much of an impact and I can see them going down. Last year they got off to a flyer but they were easy meat at the back end of the season. This leaves the two sides who have been in this league the longest, Poon Army and the REBCats. Both of these teams have struggled to keep up in recent years with the Army struggling to make inroads and the REBCats falling down the ladder a little more each season. Both of the founding clubs could be the two to go down but we would both have high hopes on the SHARKS.
The Verdict
I think that Squeakeroos DTC could have a breakthrough premiership win, possibly coming from outside the top four in order to get the job done. The other team in the Grand Final will be Has Been. I think it will be Q Before You and Les’s Men to make the top eight with Captain Who? and Hondo to miss. I reckon the SHARKS will get the spoon and the REBCats will escape yet again at the expense of Poon Army so SHARKS and Poon to go down.
Minor Round Ladder prediction
1. Has Been
2. Ben Rolfsburgers
3. Pool Swimmers
4. Delicious
5. Eckys Fevolas
6. Squeakeroos DTC
7. Q Before You
8. Les’s Men
9. Hondo SCC
10. Captain Who?
11. Honey Badgers
12. Longwood Lions
13. Richo Richo Man
14. Cork in the Ocean
15. Underdogs
16. REBCats
17. Poon Army
18. SHARKS
Regards,
REB
