Townsville Ultimate Disc League Round 3

I thought I've seen it all in Townsville Ultimate but this week's games offered up some surprises. Huge layouts, intense rallies, surprise comebacks, and even a Callahan were had in Round 3 of the Townsville Ultimate Disc League.

Game 1 - Django Unchained VS Cockwalas

Cockwalas' winning start to the season came to a crushing end last night with a devastating loss to Django Unchained after an intense, epic, and grueling game last night. Cockwalas started the first half in the exact form that saw them win their previous two games. Despite dropping the first two points, Cockwalas quickly regained their composure and organised their zone set-up. Cockwalas found the perfect cup set-up with Mitchell, Josh, and Janelle which put a huge amount of defensive pressure on Django's handlers. The Cockwalas did what they did best on offense with their signature continuation play, which was quick and fluid as usual, and they managed to take the first half 7-2.

Confidence was high in the Cockwalas camp and it looked like they were about to take down another "W". However, do not discount James' ability to rally his team with a half-time pep talk (some say the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson took motivational courses from James).

And rally them he did. Django Unchained came out guns-a-blazin' in the second half and scored five points in succession. Cockwalas were befuddled at this point in time and were unable to come up with an answer. Some would have expected Dehollander to call a time-out but to the surprise of most, he didn't. Cockwalas suffered throughout the second half and matters weren't helped by newbie handler Phangbang dropping more discs than he should and throwing away a couple of easy throws.

Whilst Phangbang and his team were being woefully wasteful on their possessions, Django Unchained fought for every disc. Rob and Rowan, and even newcomer Laurel Zaima, were putting their bodies on the line with sliding catches and lay-outs. Nittya played extremely well in the gut, making well-timed cuts to help Django advance the disc up-field during possession.

Final score: Django Unchained's organisation and patient play helped them make an incredible comeback in the second half. Cockwalas on the other hand looked unsure and were hasty on the disc when they should have been patient and were too lacklustre on turnovers they should have been quick on. 13-9 victory to Django Unchained.

Game 2 - Blue Crush VS Seagulls

Despite losing big man Damo to Tie Dynosaurs in a transfer move, Seagulls were still widely tipped to win this game. However, Blue Crush were determined to prove the pundits wrong and started the game with two quick points by smashing through Seagulls' cup defense as they struggled to adapt a zone set-up.

Seagulls captains Robert and Deanna then made a decision to switch to a more familiar man-marking defense which worked extremely well in their favour and effectively shut down Blue Crush's offense for the rest of the half. Seagulls scored seven points in a row to take down the first half 7-2.

After the half-time break, Seagulls switched back to zone defense in order to familiarise their players with it. Seagulls employed the puppy fence instead of the traditional zone defense and this proved to be very effective in upping the defensive pressure, forcing Blue Crush to drop many crucial passes.

The highlight of the match came when Seagulls' new player Todd scored on a Callahan grab. A Callahan, for those who are not aware, is when a player makes a defensive grab in the opponent's end zone, resulting in a straight point.

Blue Crush were determined to fight back and they upped the ante by putting on a hard zone which allowed them to score three points in quick succession. However, momentum was on Seagulls' side and they managed to hold their ground en route to another victory.

Final score: Although not many would be surprised by the Seagulls' 13-5 victory, the scoreline did not do Blue Crush justice and certainly did not reflect how close the game actually was.

Game 3 - Tie Dynosaurs VS Fluro Fantasy

The game that was tipped to be the most exciting game this week certainly lived up to its hype. Both teams went toe-to-toe from start to finish and it was difficult to tell both teams apart throughout the entire match. Both teams seemed to adapt to the zone well and Fluro Fantasy did well to keep up with Tie Dynosaurs despite not having captain Ash for the first five points. With Fluro Fantasy trailing by one at 3-2, Ash managed to make it to the fields to join his team.

With the addition of Ash, Fluro Fantasy began playing with more gusto and even managed to open up a slight lead. However, Tie Dynosaurs managed to clean up their act and that enabled them to take the first half 7-6.

Both teams came out after half-time looking to reach the magical 13 but it was Fluro Fantasy that looked like they had more energy and enthusiasm. Not much more can be said about Austin, who put his body on the line and pretty much layed-out for anything that looked like it was within a one-mile radius of him. Magical work from Fluro girls on the wings, both on offense and defense, helped Fluro Fantasy outscore the Dynosaurs to reach 11-8 at one point in the second half.

However, you should never let your guard down, especially against the Dynosaurs, as anything can happen. And it was just that; Fluro Fantasy thought they were going to cruise to a victory but the Dynosaurs scored three quickfire points to draw the game at 11-11.

At 11-11, Fluro Fantasy stopped being complacent and started playing better Frisbee by looking for those 100% passes and high percentage hucks and managed to take the lead once more.

Even though Fluro Fantasy are a point away from victory, Tie Dynosaurs can still turn the tide. And things were certainly looking that way until Andy Gosbee managed to break away from Finny on a deep cut. Ash spotted his cutter and hucks a long bomb. All seemed over with deep player Finny 20m away; however, never discount the speed Finny has in those chicken legs. Sprinting his guts out, Finny managed to chase the disc down and get fingertips on it to tip it away from its path. Everyone thought that was the end of that play, but not Andy; he took two steps forward and grabbed the dropping disc with a one-handed lay-out for the winning point and possibly the best layout ever seen in Townsville Ultimate Disc League. The crowd went nuts at that play and that grab definitely wins the play of the day.

Final score: In a match that could have swung either way, it was Fluro Fantasy that showed more grit and mettle to take it 13-11.

Game 4 - Mitey Discs VS Purple Haze

Credits to Purple Haze captain Swan for employing her mind games in this match. When Mattie walked up to her for the toss, she cried: "oh we don't have a lot of players tonight so we won't be able to sub much and our players will probably have to play a lot!" Mitey Discs captain Mattie, in spirit of the game, decided to play with four males and three females throughout the entire game even though they would have fared better with five males and two females.

Even though they weren't playing with their best lineup, Mitey Discs started the game fairly enough. The first few points were all Mitey Discs as they broke through Purple Haze's zone defense to score and boxed in Purple Haze with their own zone defense to limit the Haze's scoring. Mitey Discs were high on confidence at this point and probably fully expected to win.

Purple Haze then introduced a surprise player, Tyson Buhagiar, from Charters Towers. Tyson is rock-solid as a handler and lightning quick as a cutter, plus he has a big physical presence to boot. Tyson helped Purple Haze reorganise itself into the formidable team they were supposed to be and helping them score a few points in succession to bring the score to 10-8 in their favour.

Mattie then decided to switch up his handlers and put himself in a receiver's role to get his middle poppers moving. An extremely bold move by the Reds' captain but one that proved effectively as Mitey Discs took the next four points "boom-boom-boom-boom" to bring the score to 12-10. Victory was just a point away for the Reds at this point and it looked like all hope was lost for Purple Haze!

What happened next went on to shock the players, the spectators, and the pundits alike. Swan worked her charm on her team and what happened next was pure, unadulterated, classic Purple Haze frisbee. Purple Haze were unstoppable as they took the next three points to take the game from right under Mitey Discs's nose!

Final score: Purple Haze with a late rally to win the game 13-12. Easily the most exciting match this week, this is exactly what Ultimate is all about! 10/10 for heart, 10/10 for intensity, 10/10 for spirit and definitely 10/10 for fun!

Game 5 - Robust Fawn VS Grapists

With the return of Chris Palazzi, Robust Fawn added another experienced player to their team. However, Grapists are not without their own key players. Captain Chris Ende is himself an experienced player and excels well as both a handler and a cutter. Brandon Gatzke is good on the disc and extremely fast off it. Big man Phil English is also an adept handler and his ability to read the game is amazing.

Both teams adapted well to the idea of playing zone. The disc was swung brilliantly by the handlers on both sides and cutters were making good cuts into open spaces as well.

Robust Fawn, perhaps with their two experienced players, managed to get the upper hand early in the game. Grapists conceded an early lead to allow Robust Fawn to take the half.

Grapists clawed their way back in the second half and the game got a little physical with a few collisions throughout. However, great spirit was observed as the players would help each other off the ground after a collision. A spirited Grapists performance late in the second half forced Robust Fawn to really work for their last few points.

Final score: Robust Fawn hangs on to emerge 13-11 victors in a game that was somewhat physical. However, great spirit was shown by both teams. Grapists definitely surprised us with their 11 points scored and I have a feeling they might be the league's dark horse this season.

This week featured extremely well-fought and close games. Some teams adapted well to the zone and some teams took a little more time to get their zone going. It is now up to the captains to decide which strategy works best for them. Next week promises an even more exciting round of games with teams possibly mixing up zone with man.