Week 6 Reviews

Cocaine is one hell of a drug. Which is why I'm typing this at 1 in the morning. No I'm not snorting coke but two cans of Rockstar is gonna do wonders to your nervous system. Anyone else felt that tonight was super humid? In the words of Mattie Hamilton - "it felt like a swimming pool tonight!".

Everyone loves an underdog win. And we had plenty of that tonight. Some of the other guys might have but I don't think I picked a single winner tonight. 

Game 1 - Ducks Tie Together vs # YOLO

I don't think it would be an understatement to say that Mansauce and Wes were sorely missed by #YOLO tonight. The two of them ditched Bob for "other commitments" and it was always gonna be a tough night for the yellow team. I didn't see the match but I would expect Finny to have played a ton of give-and-go with his players. That breaks #YOLO's one game losing streak. At least if they change it to #YOLT they can still use it for when they lose their third match.

Final score: Ducks Tie Together beat #YOLO 13-6

Game 2 - Robust Fawn vs Huck Buddies

Perhaps it's the absence of Phipps. Perhaps it's the fact that their players have snazzy new outfits. Whatever the reason, Huck Buddies have notched their first win of the season. This was an exciting back-and-forth match with heaps of big plays, such as James' callahan (that's two weeks in a row now) and Tasha's big dirty layout grab. I also don't think I'm exaggerating when I say their defense won the game for them.

Final score: Huck Buddies beat Robust Fawn 12-11

Game 3 - Pancakes vs The Dream Team Feat. Weise

I was very surprised when I heard Pancakes were up 7-1 at one point because I certainly did not expect that. Great work from the Dream Team to come back 12-7 but they were ultimately unable to turn the game around. The highlight of this match for me was definitely OSuv's forehand pulls.

Final score: Pancakes beat The Dream Team Feat. Weise 13-7

Game 4 - Pinky and the Brain vs Green Street Elite

This game saw two heavyweight teams go up against each another but GSE showed that they were the better side, beating out Pinky and the Brian to notch a W in this one.

Final score: Green Street Elite beat Pinky and the Brain 13-9

Game 5 - Firetrucking Red Team vs Phantasm

I think it's fair to say this is the biggest upset of the night. Nobody tipped Phantasm to win this one (except for Philly but he doesn't count) and it certainly looked that way when the teams took their fields and they only had 8 players. A lot of long puts and short plays were seen in this game and both teams had strong defensive performances. It was close from start to finish with both teams making full use of their offensive points but ultimately it was Phantasm who managed to score more break points and take this game.

Final score: Phantasm beat Firetrucking Red Team 13-10

Week 4 Reviews

Game 1 - Huck Buddies vs The Dream Team Feat. Weise

FINALLY! Phipps' notoriously powerful flicks are actually an asset rather than a liability! The Dream Team put on a cup to force errors from Huck Buddies' handlers. Dom and Tonje were placed in the cup all night and they stepped up magnificently. Once again, Eric showed his value to his team by dropping his fair share, unable to react to the pressure.

The first half was a battle, but The Dream Team managed to take it. The first point after half time went for about 20 minutes at least, with some crazy defence seen and some interesting offensive decisions being made. Huck Buddies eventually won that point, but The Dream Team steadied the ship a bit and managed to bounce the disc around Huck Buddies' cup effectively. Eventually The Dream Team took the win thanks to Grace who went on a scoring spree in the second half. Huck Buddies captain Joe managed to play on despite suffering from a knee injury so let's give him some props for that.

Final score: The Dream Team beat Huck Buddies 13-2

Game 2 - Phantasm vs Green Street Elite

I'll bet GSE captain walked into this match feeling all confident and thinking to himself "these are just like the playing conditions down in Wellington!" Well guess what, he was right. Phantasm came out struggling a little throwing in the wind and that allowed GSE to grab an early lead. However, Phantasm manged to rally under the pressure and close the gap to just one point before half-time. GSE came out in the second half with a different strategy, switching to man defense, which confused Phantasm a little; enough for GSE to race to a victory.

Final score: Green Street Elite beat Phantasm 13-8.

Game 3 - # YOLO vs Pancakes


The Bob and Mansauce connection continued this week against the "Greatest Short Stack" in the game. When they were on the field together they were unstoppable but Pancakes managed to score every time one of them took a point of which is tremendous effort. It is starting to look like #YOLO are the team to beat this semester.

Final score: #YOLO beat Pancakes and Jazzy's short stack 13-7.

Game 4 - Ducks Tie Together vs Pinky and the Brain

Both teams were missing their captains this week but it was Pinky and the Brain that managed to step up with brush the Ducks aside with a blowout victory.

Final score: Pinky and the Brain take this one 13-2.

Game 5 - Firetrucking Red Team vs Robust Fawn

Robust Fawn came out strong leading the first half all the way at 5-1 before swapping back and forth to a 7-3 half. The wind didn't seem to be affecting Christian at all and the excellent gelling of the orange side was hitting hard for red who couldn't make a connecting pass. Robust Fawn thought they had it, however the Firetrucks decided "HELL NO" and dug in to give them a run for their money. Second half saw a patient red offense that ran the orange cup around in circles. Robust Fawn managed to tie it at 11-11 for universe point but the Firetrucks were the ones who crossed the finish line for a victory.

Final score: Firetrucking Red Team beats Robust Fawn 12-11.

Round 4 Previews

Now that the league's "teaching period" is finally over, it's finally time to see which of our ten teams will perform best (or luckiest) this season. I am here to keep you up-to-date with the results around the leagues as well as provide largely unbased and hopefully unbiased previews, analyses, and commentary of the games. 


Game 1 - Huck Buddies vs The Dream Team Feat. Weise

The league managed to find another white American male to captain a side this semester, once again showing how we celebrate diversity. Josh Phipps has made tremendous improvements to his game and is now capable of throwing a dump pass without slicing off someone's head and who knows what kind of partnership he can develop with Joe? The Dream Team Feat. Weise look extremely formidable this semester especially with Riley "King" Smith in their lineup. The Dream Team likes to keep their opponents guessing by switching up their captains. Who is calling the plays? Ash? Bevo? King Smith? Or could it even be Weise? Guess we'll find out come game day.

Prediction: The Dream Team to win this one 13-7 unless Eric decides to give up his dream to become a ballerina and manages to keep his focus on the field.

Game 2 - Phantasm vs Green Street Elite

If I were playing on Phantasm I would be throwing hammers to Phil and Timmy all night long. God did not give you two six-and-a-half foot players for you to be making dump passes all night long. Although Green Street Elite are not without some aerial threats of their own. Tyson is a great presence for the team (if he is present, that is) and captain Scott can be extremely distracting if he puts his special pants on. D Finn will also be looking to dominate in the women's department.

Prediction: This match could go either way but my prediction is a 13-7 victory to Green Street Elite.


Game 3 - # YOLO vs Pancakes

To be honest I was slightly disappointed that #YOLO isn't called #Yellow. I mean did you guys seriously give up the opportunity to call yourselves that? #YOLO has experienced handlers, and Wes can be extremely tricky once he gets his motor going. Pancakes are so called because they are "The Greatest Short Stack", and if you're wondering where they got the phrase from all you have to do is look inside captain Jazzy's pants. Jokes. Pancakes certainly have enough manpower to mount a bid for the title.

Prediction: I think the experience of Bob and Mansauce will be too much for Pancakes. #YOLO to win 13-9.

Game 4 - Ducks Tie Together vs Pinky and the Brain

Can I just say how much I love Pinky and the Brain's jersey. If you guys are selling any please let me know I would like to put an order in. Aesthetics aside, this is another solid team. I heard Catherine is going to try and fight for MVP honours this season so expect her to be very dangerous on the field. And on Ducks Tie Together we have Finny and Lucas, who are rumoured to be developing a budding romance, If you need proof, just check out his Facebook profile picture. If it's Facebook official, you know it's serious. Also Matt Armstrong is a tank; I wanna see a wrestling match between him, Nils and Callum.

Prediction: I'm just gonna take a stab in the dark for this one and predict a 13-10 victory for Pinky and the Brain.

Game 5 - Firetrucking Red Team vs Robust Fawn

The Firetrucking Red Team should just make Ricky their captain and walk onto the fields every week with "Never Gonna Give You Up" as their entrance music. They have a lot of experience in Mattie Hamilton, Rob Dehollander, and Ricky, all of whom are capable of working the disc. And on the other side we have Robust Fawn who have decided to reuse their team name. Captain Kramer leads the way for the orange team (no like literally he is so fast he is the first to run down the field after every pull) and Christian will bring with him tons of experience (some say he is better than Finny, we'll see). Could this be Kramer's season? Also, can someone bring a measuring tape so we can compare the wingspans of Rob and Christian?

Prediction: Robust Fawn to win this one 13-11.

Those are the predictions for this week. Many frisbee gnomes have put their heads together to come up with the previews and predictions, let's see if they are right. See yall Wednesday night!

Introducing the Captains!

Last week was not quite the Sorting Ceremony at Hogwarts but at least everyone was put into their teams and are no longer lost souls wandering around the fields. Without further ado, let’s introduce the team captains and their respective colours.

Red Team

Not much is known about the red team… No that’s a lie. The red team has been headed by 4’5” boy wonder Mattie Hamilton for as long as I can remember. Maybe the Sorting Disc felt that there has to be some balance in the height department and so sorted 8’10” Rob Dehollander into the team. Rob Dehollander has arms that have been compared to the wingspan of a C-130 and it will be interesting to see how the red team fares this semester.

Tie Dye Team

The team with the most dazzling colours probably picked it to make up for their lack of skill on the field. Jokes. Led by Finny, the tie-dye team has always been a force to be reckoned with. To top it off, Finny’s a giant party dog so I hope this team is ready for a fun-filled semester.

Green Team

Travelling from all the way across the ditch is kiwi Scott Adams. Seriously where did we find this guy and how did he obtain captainship that quickly? Is he really that good? Let’s hope his throwing abilities are as good as his strapping abilities because if they are I reckon the green team will make it far this season.

Yellow Team

Bob. Seriously, Bob. When are you gonna quit your job and just play Ultimate full-time? Apparently one of the more senior players in the league, Bob has not been the same ever since returning from America. Watch out for his signature “Praying Mantis Catches the Fly” play.

Purple Team

Experience: 0. Fun: 10. That’s the best way to describe the purple team with new captains Phangbang and Phil at the helm. These guys seem to be more interested in partying than playing Frisbee but let’s be honest; so is everyone else in this league. If you’re looking to party this semester, I suggest you start turning in your applications for the purple team.

Blue Team

The blue team is led by a yank from halfway across the world. Nothing is known about Joe except he’s from Maryland and has a pierced left ear. Will he be able to complete more passes than change the number of ear studs he has? Only time will tell.

White Team

When a man who is qualified to play in the masters still plays in the Townsville Ultimate Disc League, it makes you ponder a few things. Chris Ende is serious enough most of the time, but when he gets on the piss he turns into… Let’s just say he turns into something else. White team; look out for (or look after) your captain come pub crawl!

Orange Team

The orange team had the first pick of the draft this semester and it is no surprise they chose number one draft pick Christian Pitt. Hailing from the University of Pittsburgh, I heard that Christian is a division one player from ‘murica but down we have no idea what that means down under. Rumour has it that he has a permanent game face on; can we get some photos as confirmation?

Pink Team

The pink team chose this colour because they wanted to raise awareness for breast cancer this semester. Chris Palazzi really cares about cancer research and breast cancer is one area he is particularly interested in. I applaud them for dedication to the cause.

Black Team

What happened to James David!? This is going to be weird for me not seeing James captain the black team. Will O’Suv be able to fill his shoes? If he can throw as many assists as Finny can hit on Norwegians then I think it shouldn’t be a problem. The black team also has the brother of trick shot champion and American All-Star Ultimate player Brodie Smith, Riley Smith, on their side this semester.

That was the introduction to the teams and the captains. Let’s hope everyone will have their team names and jerseys sorted out by Wednesday. Until then, have a good week!

State of the Villainous Empire! Part 3

Part 1 Can be found over here!
Part 2 is this way!

Now to conclude where we currently are at:

Halibut is looking to be one of the biggest spectacles for the year. North Queensland will be sending three teams (two from Townsville, one from Cairns) which is a massive achievement! QUDA will be subsidising any QLD player that needs to travel more than 500kms to get to Brisbane. THANK YOU QUDA! In other news, the jerseys look amazing (massive props to Alysha Broit for the original design)! Just don’t stare at the centre for too long!

Nicky Smith has been extremely busy drumming up support for the Women’s Development Conference that is to be held in September this year. The goal of the conference is to improve recruitment and retention of women in Ultimate. Topics for discussion will be the possible restructure for the Women’s Season, recruitment strategies, the impact of Uni Games changing formats from mixed to Open and Womens, and barriers facing Women from regional areas. If you’re keen to help out, please contact me townsvilleultimate@gmail.com.

Semester 2 League has commenced! Thank you to all that participated in Market Day and for coming down for the first come and try night. The league will formally kick off on Wednesday the 14^th of August. I believe the pub crawl has been scheduled in for Friday the 30^th of August and that the theme is, Zombies. Not sure how the, “If you come dressed the same as someone else you’ll have to have a drink off” will work… Perhaps it’ll be amended to the “survivors that are too lazy to make a costume”… I’m sure we’ll find out one way or another!

Canberra will be hosting Mix Nationals this year and I’ve confirmed with AFDA and QUDA that Townsville will be sending a team. Unfortunately the Townsville City Council Travel Grants that we’ve received in years past have had a significant cut to its funding. What was about $150 per person for interstate national tournaments, has been reduced to $200 between four people. There are provisions for larger grants for larger groups but it’s not guaranteed. We might need to look at fundraising. Thoughts and ideas are always welcome so let Finny or I know.

2013 has been an eventful year so far and there is still plenty to come! If you want to become involved with the club have a chat with Finny or I, there is always something to be done….. muhahahhahahahahaha

Chris

 

Townsville Super Villains League Season 1

Monday night concluded the first season of TSVL. For those who are unaware, TSVL is Townsville's premier Ultimate league featuring the best players from the city. It was a chilly "winter's" night in Townsville but the players did what they had to to turn up the heat.

Bronze Medal playoffs

Sex Panthers VS Wooden Spoon All Stars No Name

The 3rd/4th place playoff was between Sex Panthers and Wooden Spoon All Stars No Name (who in the name of the Lord thought this one up?) and WSASNN added three super duper incredible players to their lineup. Joe, Eric, and Phangbang, who all missed the entire season due to lack of presence, showed up and fired the WSASNN into third place. The general consensus is that Eric should quit Ultimate and consider a career as a ballerina instead.

Grand Finals

Demigods VS Fiery Biscuits

The grand final match saw a very stacked Demigods (seriously who comes up with these names) go up against David Dehollander's Fiery Biscuits (come on guys! really!?). To improve their odds, Dehollander and Swan both had to borrow some super awesome armsleeves to help boost their juju. This allowed David to throw some backhands of FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOM but to no avail because let's face it; is there anyone in this league who can stop the receiving abilities of Finny?

So Demigods were crowned Champions and Finny won the MVP award (did I hear someone say "fixing"?). No honestly though congratulations to them.

Fiery Biscuits won the "Most Spirited Team" award and Mark Ivan Ross "Hairy Legs with REALLY short footy shorts" Franich took home the individual accolade for that category.

The next season starts on September 2nd. Maybe the St Mary's Kids can get their names on the plague, who knows? Until then, let's not have dicks for fingers!

State of the Villainous Empire! Part 2

Part 1 Can be found over here!

Picking up from where I left off:

Three members played on teams at Nationals this year. Swan and Dee both played with Cherry Bomb whilst Matt Finn played with Slamtown. Both teams provided a great learning experience for the players involved. Hopefully next year there’ll be some more representatives out there!

After a few misfires our AGM was finally held on the 1^st of May. The minutes will be posted as soon as our Treasurer sends me the attendance list. The Committee had a reshuffle and some fresh blood was brought in for the Secretary position:

President – Chris Ende
Secretary – Josh Phipps and Phil English
Treasurer – Matthew Hamilton

Matt Finn agreed to stay on as the League Director and also took the non-elected appointment of Vice President.

This year saw the second running of the NQ Hat and the first time being hosted in Townsville. After Cairns hosted a successful and enjoyable NQ Hat last year, the pressure was on for Townsville to be at least on par. Once again Townsville Blogger David Phang (in one of his shorter entries) was on hand to record the event http://townsvilleultimate.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/north-queensland-hat-ii-2013.html

The AGM in May was the first announcement to the membership that the Townsville Super Villain League was in the process of being formed. This league is comprised of four teams and each member was drafted into a team by the captains. The aim of the league is to cater for players that have developed beyond what the beginner league can provide, to provide a training environment for teams to build structure, and provide a higher level of ultimate for players to develop in preparation for upcoming tournaments. The Grand Final for Season 1 is scheduled for Monday the 12^th of August. If you’re interested in taking part in Season 2, please contact either Matt Finn or Scott Adams.

As a General Member of the QUDA Board, I was invited to participate in the QUDA Strategic Planning Meeting that was held on July 6th in Brisbane. This meeting was highly productive and the future is looking good with QUDA making a substantial commitment to Regional Development particularly for Mackay, Charters Towers and Cairns. If there is something that you feel strongly about and would like to see some action, feel free to contact me townsvilleultimate@gmail.com. 

Some of the commitments to Regional Development from QUDA are supporting Mackay in becoming an Incorporated Club. This is an important step for regional clubs as they’re often tasked with the responsibility of running a league. Being incorporated means that the club is recognised by the law as an entity much like an individual. This protects the club’s members and often allows the club to pursue grants independently of QUDA. QUDA is also assisting with discs, coaching courses and providing material for Ultimate to be delivered in schools. Certainly exciting times lie ahead for Mackay! 

On August 10^th Charters Towers will have its Healthy Lifestyle Festival and we’ve been invited to participate in an exhibition match to raise awareness of the sport. QUDA is throwing in some money to help with the cost of fuel for the Villains that are travelling. Make sure to let me know if you’re keen to attend and put on a great spectacle for the people of Charters Towers and hopefully they’ll start asking why it isn’t in their schools! 

Part 3 will be next week so until then, may your evil plans pan out well!

Evil Genius

State of the Villainous Empire! Part 1

The year kicked off with the locals partaking in some pick up indoor ultimate at the Aitkenvale PCYC. It was great to try a different form of Ultimate but unfortunately the venue really wasn’t up to scratch. We’ll look into this again after the semester 2 league and hopefully we can find a more suitable venue.

Shortly before the semester 1 league kicked off, Duncan informed us that he was leaving for WA (I’m really concerned about this trend of President’s moving to WA….). Duncan has been with the club for many years and has been a great contributor to the sport, not only at JCU but also through his work and community engagements. You will be missed sir!

Our Regionals campaign had a somewhat slow start this year with QUDA giving people minimal notice of when (and where) it would be held. Fortunately this was offset with a generous subsidy from QUDA which was around $150 per person to attend (Thank you QUDA!). A full write up by David Phang is available on the blog http://townsvilleultimate.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/northern-regionals-2013.html

The QUDA AGM was held on the same weekend as Regionals and the QUDA committee had some fresh blood elected in.

President - John McNaughton - president@quda.org
Secretary - Jo Ashdown - secretary@quda.org
Treasurer - Myall Hingee - treasurer@quda.org
General Members - Chris Ende, Emma Briggs

A part of my role is looking after Regional Development. At this stage that has primarily been securing funding for regional teams to attend Halibut, assisting with the establishment of Mackay as a new club, and supporting the group in Charters Towers to establish some regular pickup. In the not too distant future I hope to see a School program being rolled out and hopefully some support for players wanting to try and make the U19 team next year. If you have any ideas or concerns, feel free to contact me townsvilleultimate@gmail.com. 

Semester 1 League was the largest Townsville has seen, 173 active members across 10 teams (we wanted to push for 12 teams but with Duncan leaving we didn’t have the captaincy capacity)!  As far as results go, it was certainly a motley arrangement with the undefeated Fluro Fantasy going down to the bottom placed Purple Haze in the final round robin round. This result cost Fluro Fantasy the minor premiership and seemed to have a cascade effect as they narrowly lost to Tie Dyenosaurs in the semi-finals. It only goes to show, you gotta win them all! Congratulations go to The Seagulls for winning the final over the Tie Dyenosaurs.

Townsville had two representatives attend the U23 training camps, Dee and Matt Finn. By all accounts both played extremely well and it is encouraging to see Townsville players being considered for National Team selection. I have no doubt that Dee can make the team in 2015 if she keeps at it. Hopefully QUDA will attempt to bridge the gap between regional centres and high level ultimate player development in the coming year.

2013 was the first year that Townsville (and Queensland) sent a team to Division 2 Nationals. The team was formed with the strong core of Townsville players from Regionals and members of Firestorms Ignition, UQ Lovers and Griffith A-Team. Undoubtedly considered the underdogs by many, the team jelled together extremely quickly and we showed how strong we can be once we unleashed our inner mongrel!  A full write up by our injured correspondent David Phang (for those interested, rolling your ankle two weeks before Nationals is not a recommended training regime) is available on the blog http://townsvilleultimate.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/nationals-division-two-mens-open.html

Part 2 will be next week so until then, scheme well!

Evil Genius

North Queensland Hat II 2013

The NQ Hat II 2013 was Townsville's first major tournament in 2013 and it was a blooming success. The tournament saw players from all over the region participate with Brisbane, Cairns, Mackay, Blackwater, Charters Towers, and of course Townsville, being represented.

A successful skills clinic was held on Saturday with QUDA president John sharing his knowledge of the game with everyone. I think it was a session that was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and everyone went back that day a little better at the game.

Sunday was the day of the tournament and despite a few hiccups, actually turned out pretty well. All 6 teams played magnificently well but it was the Peppermint Pandas (under the excellent leadership of captain Aggie Dehollander) that emerged champions. Congratulations to all our MVPs who went out and kicked butt!

Enjoy some photos from the tournament!

And this last one is my favourite photo from the day. I think it perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the tournament.

A big thank you to Chris Ende for organising the tournament and running the show, to Finny who helped ensure that things ran smoothly on tournament day, to Rachael and Tyson who captured the tournament on their cameras and of course to everyone who came and played in the NQ Hat II 2013!

Townsville Ultimate Disc Grand Final and Placing Games: Return of the King.

 

“Sometimes even the best teams only make the semis” – James David, 2013.

Hello everyone! Although it only seems like a few weeks ago now that the first disc was thrown for the semester and new friendships formed, here we are in the final week of Semester 1, 2013 Townsville Ultimate Frisbee League! This week brings us the Grand Final (Seagulls vs Tie Dyenosaurs), the playoff for 3^rd/4^th as well as all the other placing games. First let’s take a look at the two finalists and the biggest threat that these teams possess.

 

The Seagulls

Throughout the whole semester, the Seagulls have been dominant. Having only dropped one game up to this point, just about every team has struggled to crack them. This is mainly due to the Seagulls Big 3. Captain Rob Dehollander first started playing frisbee in the womb, so he’s been around long enough to handle the pressure of a final. Buoyed by his recent triumph in the “World’s Longest Arms” contest, there is no doubt that Rob will have an unreal game. Secondly we come to Mark Genge, aka The Gengine. Better known as the stunt double in the Forrest Gump running scenes, he will give 100% the whole game and never seems to get tired. His white shirt is a nice shade of brown, and look for it to be even browner by the end of the game. Finally the Big 3 is completed by Deanna Finn, who seems to have taken her game to the next level after she didn’t win the female MVP last semester. She’ll probably score about 50 points, so the Tie Dyenosaurs better be ready. The rest of the Seagulls are all a threat, all the guys are aerial weapons and the girls seem to be scoring every second point.

 

 

Tie Dyenosaurs

While strong during the semester, the Tie Dyenosaurs seemingly drifted under the radar. Taking out Fluro Fantasy last week is one of the biggest upsets this semester, and if the Tie Dyenosaurs have it their way, they will keep their giant killing status again this week in the final! Finny is in career best form, having seemingly committed his life to ultimate. His give-and-go offence is always predicted, yet teams still struggle to find a way to contain this constant movement. Backed up in this offence is the handling pair of Damo and Josh Phipps, who have worked the disc fantastically in conjunction with Finny. We all know Damo is a beast of defence, sticking that big left hand up whenever he needs to. It seems as though his game is at a new level this semester as well. As for their ladies, when not busy presenting Full Moon things, Ash Gibson has been their go to. She will make the Seagulls girls work harder than normal to get the disc.

Prediction: I’ll get to that later….

 

3^rd/4^thPlayoff (Battle of Unit 95)

After being beaten 13-9 last week, both Django Unchained and Fluro Fantasy will be looking to bounce back with a win this week! Django have probably bonded the most of all the teams, with constant team activities and notorious ladies man James Weise always on the prowl. Look for him to have a big game ahead of a big weekend, isn’t that right Weise ;) James David will do what he always does, jump and throw and catch and jump again. The first two representatives from Unit 95 come from Django, in Rob Edmond and Matt Stoffels. As for Fluro, after not wanting to dominate too much, Riley Smith will make his much awaited return to the handling position. Riley is widely regarded as the best handler in Australian ultimate frisbee, so watch for him to throw a reverse backwards flick with his eyes closed on one leg left handed full-field to someone laying out for the score. Twice. After scoring over Finny twice last week, Morgan is craving more points so she’ll surely score the most for Fluro! Representing Unit 95 on Fluro, is Allan Serrrrewwwrrrrreeeeerrrryyayyy. Allan has been hampered by injury lately but taking on his housemates will surely drive him to victory.

Prediction: The result isn’t important, the friendships made and fun times on and off the field are the real winners here…actually fuck that, one of the teams will win 13-12. Unit 95 to end up fighting each other.

 

Best of the Rest

Not sure who is playing who in the other games, but here are a couple of tips on each team if you know who you are playing.

Mitey Discs - Mattie Hamilton will throw a million fakes, with Ricky the solid piece of the handling puzzle. If Isaac plays, he’ll be a weapon receiver/part-time handler. They also have the coolest shirts of all the teams.

 

Robust Fawn – If Kramer is playing, he is a speed demon. Always hungry for the disc and will do anything to get his hands on it. Zane has a lethal backhand, and I’m told for the first time in his 75 year playing career can he throw a flick. Watching Franich play frisbee is something you have to do at least once in your life.

 

Grapists – Phillip English has been leading the team, but he’s easily frustrated/left handed. Probably has the best pull in the game at the moment (don’t tell him I said that). Brandon is really fast and can easily jump back as a handler. With Chris and Bobby I think still on the sidelines, a lot of responsibility falls on the rest of the team to continue to step up!

 

Purple Haze – When they are on their game, almost unstoppable. Tyson, Liss, Bevo and Johannes present a tough challenge for any team. Tyson reportedly still has a sore finger from Melbourne, so could be in doubt for the next 3-5 years. Really solid team, biggest challenge could be some dickhead calling a spirit foul or something.

 

Cockwalas– Dave Dehollander is left handed. Phang is the secret weapon of this team, new boots, newly healed ankle and speed to burn. In conjunction with Mitch and Josh, they will be hard to handle.

 

Blue Crush – This team has a solid foundation in Timmy and Rob at the back, plus the recent addition of Scott has made this a very strong team. I’ve noticed that their girls do most of the scoring, so make sure that they are being closely watched otherwise the score could blow out quickly.

 

 

Grand Final Prediction

While all the games this week are important, the big one is the grand final. As for a winner, it’s hard to go past the seagulls. They have been way too strong for any team to handle up to this point and I don’t see that changing. Rob Dehollander is my pick for Grand Final MVP, with a final score of 13-8.

Make sure you all come down tonight at 6:30pm, the first games will start at 7pm with the final starting at 8pm. If you’re not playing in the final, bring some drinks down (no glass please!) and have a great night!

 

xoxoxo

 

 

Semifinals Preview

There has been a lot of hype surrounding this week's round of games as teams vie for a spot in the Grand Finals. A poll on the Facebook group has hinted that the league thinks Seagulls and Tie Dyenosaurs will be facing off in the Grand Finals. However, if this season is anything to go by, we can never be too sure about predictions as some teams have the ability to toss up a few surprises!

Semifinals Game 1 - Seagulls VS Django Unchained

It's light against dark in this one as the white Seagulls take on the black Django Unchained. Seagulls have shown fantastic form in the second half of the season and have not dropped a game ever since their loss to Fluro Fantasy. The fact that they have beaten most teams by a comfortable margin should also be an indication of the threat they will bring to the field. Seagulls also have a slight advantage in physical prowess with a number of tall players on their team which will certainly prove to be an obstacle to Django Unchained.

Although Django Unchained have not been as remarkable as Seagulls during the regular season, they have shown tremendous form in the first round of the play-offs. Not many players on the Django team can say they have Rob Dehollander's height or insanely long arms, but what they lack in physicality they make up for in athleticism. Daniel "Jonesy" Jakob was in good form during play-offs week and if he continues his form he will certainly bring heat to the game.

Semifinals Game 2 - Fluro Fantasy VS Tie Dyenosaurs

In their last meeting, Fluro Fantasy narrowly beat out Tie Dyenosaurs 13-11 and although they still managed to win, it was by no means a walk in the park. Fluro Fantasy missed out on the minor premiership with a surprise loss to Purple Haze in the last round of the regular season but managed to exact revenge in their play-off game with a narrow 7-6 victory over the purple team. Captain Ash has done well to nurture Fluro Fantasy into a team capable of playing Ultimate at the top level but will they be able to handle the pressure of the semifinals and make it a double over the Dyenosaurs?

Tie Dyenosaurs are another team that have come together well. In their 13-2 loss to Django Unchained it was painfully obvious that at that time, they were a one-man team (ala Finny) but the Tie Dyenosaurs that played in the playoffs last week showed some incredible synergy and teamwork. The Dyenosaurs will be itching for a win after narrowly losing out to Fluro Fantasy in the regular season and it remains to be seen if they will make it to the Grand-finals.

Losers' Bracket

While the top four teams battle it out for a spot in the Grand Finals and ultimately, champions, the bottom six teams are at the other end of the spectrum fighting to NOT win the infamous Wooden Spoon. Rumour has it the captain of the team awarded the Wooden Spoon has to take a paddling to the ass but that rumour remains unproven. Match-ups for the losers' bracket will be announced tonight at the fields so make sure you get there early!!

Notice that the games have no predictions and that's because they are too close to be called! This is by far one of the most exciting semifinal rounds the league has had to date. If you feel like you can accurately predict the score, leave a comment or tweet @TsvUltimate on Twitter with your predictions! Let's get keen for some Ultimate and see you guys on the fields!!

North Queensland Hat Competition Details

Escape the winter cold in the south and come to sunny and warm North Queensland! A high of 25, a low of 14, it's a long weekend and there's a tournament, what more reason do you need? The NQ Hat is a one day tournament with an optional skills clinic on Saturday and optional Beach Ultimate on the Monday! Also feel free to take the rest of the week to book in for a reef or a rainforest trip.

The NQ Hat will take place on Sunday, the 9th of June at the JCU Oval 3. Townsvillains and members of the Townsville Ultimate Disc League will know where it is, but if you're not from the area, directions to the fields can be found here.

The skills clinic will be held on Saturday, the 8th of June and Beach Ultimate will take place on Monday, 10th of June. The tournament party will be held on the night of the 9th. Details of the tournament after-party are still being sorted out but we guarantee you won't be disappointed!

In order to register for the NQ Hat, you will first have to register with the Australian Flying Disc Association (AFDA) and then sign up for the competition. Tournament fees are $35 and that gets you a free tournament t-shirt, free lunch and dinner on the tournament day as well as lunch on Beach Ultimate Monday. Players who register to play are also eligible to attend a free skills clinic where they will learn from some of the best ultimate players from around the region.

Registration at AFDA can be done at http://www.afda.com 

After you have registered at AFDA, you can register for the NQ Hat here.

If you have a twitter account, follow us @TsvUltimate and spread the word about the NQ Hat with the #NQHat hashtag!

Let's get keen to play some Ultimate!!

Round 8 Review

Heartbreak and jubilation are the two words that most aptly describe this week's round of games. The much talked about game between Cockwalas and Tie Dyenosaurs certainly lived up to its hype. Django Unchained once again demonstrated just how good they are with an incredible comeback over Blue Crush. And Purple Haze showed us that miracles do happen with their win over Fluro Fantasy.

Game 1 - Django Unchained VS Blue Crush

The game started off really well in favour of Blue Crush as they utilised the speed they have on their team with some fast running and precise long throws to score point after point and to open up a huge lead against Django Unchained. Despite Django's best effort, Blue Crush were able to take a comfortable 7-3 lead at half-time.

With Blue Crush's small team size, they would always run into the risk of tiring themselves out too quickly and this was what happened against Django Unchained last night. Django, not short of players, took advantage of Blue Crush's diminished numbers and ran them hard in the second half to start their comeback.

The game ultimately went down to universe point (12-12) and both teams were slogging it out trying to score the final point for victory. Ecuadorean Miguel played his heart out and definitely put in a man of the match performance. However, it was Django Unchained that had the edge to close out the game and take down a W.

Final score: This match had plenty edge-of-the-seat stuff from start to finish and Django Unchained's manpower advantage over Blue Crush allowed them to narrowly win this game 13-12.

Game 2 - Fluro Fantasy VS Purple Haze

My oh my oh my! What a game this was! Fluro Fantasy have finally succumbed after a successful, and unbeaten, season to minnows Purple Haze. Nobody in a million years would have predicted this outcome. Purple Haze looked like a different team this week compared to last week not just in terms of field performance, but also in personnel. By my count, Purple Haze certainly looked like they had a full team on the fields this week and the addition of Tyson provided the link in the chain that Purple Haze needed.

Purple Haze started the game well and were up 3-2 before I even had a chance to look. Tyson and Johannes handled well together as a pair and Purple Haze receivers such as James, Bevo and the super awesome Meg Landis did well with under-cuts and deep cuts to provide their handlers with plenty of options. Ryan Stokes and Mike played some awesome defense to deny the opposition some crucial points. Fluro Fantasy, for the first time in the season, found themselves playing catch-up throughout the match. However, the yellow chimera still played extremely well, especially in defense, with their cup being well-organised and hardworking. Andy and Sabrina once again displayed their awesome skill on the field with Andy being solid in handling and Sabrina making some excellent runs.

A mix of emotions erupted on the field when Cara Thompson caught the disc in the end-zone for the final point. Purple Haze players were ecstatic in their celebrations whereas heartbreak was seen on the Fluro Fantasy team. No more can be said for captain Ash who played an amazing game of frisbee, leading his team well despite trailing for most of the match.

Final score: Purple Haze have achieved the most incredible upset of the season by beating Fluro Fantasy 13-10. It seems that these two teams will meet again in the first game of next week's double header. Will Purple Haze be able secure slay the giants again, or will Fluro Fantasy exact revenge? Only time will tell!

Game 3 - Cockwalas VS Tie Dyenosaurs

This was a game that both teams wanted to win badly. Cockwalas started the game extremely well and managed to score two quick points. However, a few crucial mistakes allowed Tie Dyenosaurs to tie the score at 2-2. Damo then suffered an ankle injury in a collision with Mitch which forced him out of the first half. Cockwalas took advantage of his absence and managed to race to a 6-2 lead by playing their trademark continuation frisbee. Cockwalas were also able to shut down the Dyenosaurs' long game with some tight man defense and rookie Oscar Stahl certainly put on a great show with his defensive pressure. In their rush to take the half, however, Cockwalas slipped up and allowed the Dyenosaurs to unexpectedly score five points and take the lead 7-6 at half-time.

The second half was an entirely different game as the Dyenosaurs came out looking like a different team. Damo managed to recover from his injury and we saw him link-up with Finny in their traditional give-and-go game. This allowed them to quickly work the disc up the field and tire out the Cockwalas defense. Dyenosaurs also took advantage of several mismatches to put the disc long and score. Despite a few morale-boosting plays, such as Chichi's layout grab for the score, Cockwalas made too many uncharacteristic mistakes and Tie Dyenosaurs took advantage of that to win the game.

Final score: A game that was very hyped up certainly delivered as Tie Dyenosaurs beat out Cockwalas to a 13-9 victory despite missing key players Corrie, Matt, and David. The Dyenosaurs will definitely be a team to look out for in the finals!

Game 4 - Robust Fawn VS Seagulls

Robust Fawn go into this game with a strong cross wind blowing across the field and missing key player Chris Palazzi. However, they have the ability to play with a strong gust especially with strong handlers such as Jenny and Zane. This setup allowed captain Kramer to spend more time in the stack as a receiver. The return of Alyssa also helped to lessen the effects of missing Palazzi.

When the wind died down, Seagulls managed to find their footing and were able to play some classic Seagull frisbee. Deanna did well on defense getting tons of blocks on Zane and Fran dawg managed to surprise Robert Dehollander by throwing out several footblocks to stop his throws.

This well-spirited game even had a point where both teams played with six girls and one guy and ended with a line-out style play (ala Rugby Union). There were definitely plenty of skillful plays and a lot of running seen in this game as both teams tried to go for the win.

Final score: Seagulls beat Robust Fawn 13-4 but I feel that wasn't a true reflection of the amount of skill and hard work put in by the players in orange.

Game 5 - Grapists  VS Mitey Discs

The first half looked like it was Grapists VS Mitey Discs VS the wind. Both teams came out with a strong zone D which made any long throws highly contested and more for field position rather than scoring. Both teams traded points despite the numerous times the disc went into the ground or was simply dropped. But Grapists were able to take half 7-6.

The half time banter ensued, and by the time both teams lined up at their end zones, the wind had stopped. It was zone defense against zone offense with no wind and that made for some very interesting and challenging plays! The Grapist's forced the turn and then the play that no one expected, a midway cross field hammer to the end zone from Phil to Emily for the score. I'm pretty sure the Grapist's were as stunned as the Mitey Discs when that happened!!

The game continued in high spirit and high intensity with the Mitey Disc girls making some great cuts and scoring some well deserved points. However the Grapist's stayed out in front all the way to the end to wrap up their round robin campaign with a 13-11 win.

Final score: Grapists with a narrow 13-11 victory over Mitey Discs.

That's all for this week! Get ready for for more intense frisbee action as all teams head into finals week to vie for a place in the Grand Finals. This is turning out to be one of the most amazing Ultimate seasons in the league's history!!