Bit like most of my team, only does it when it no longer matters.
Nice to see him living and breathing the culture from his first game
A few years ago my maturity would have made me more angry, but I’m really happy for Nate to get the win over me, congratulations on the win mate, there is nobody I’d rather lose to and I’ll be barracking for you in the GF to go out in the fairytale premiership victory that you deserve.
As for our game - At half time in the Bulldogs/WCE game my boys briefly showed the old Columbus spirit to almost hit the front with even numbers to come, but Bont put on the superhero cape in the last quarter laying a record 8 tackles and score a whopping 103 points in a half to scupper my hopes. Then Amon/Hardwick/Morrison went bang bang bang to seal the deal with O’Meara being subbed out ending any miracle hopes with Sicily/Hunter putting in OK games which wasn’t enough.
Overall a disappointing year when you don’t win, but happy for the most part as I was never truly a show for a flag despite managing to consistently win in the regular rounds. My midfield was always a class below the top teams, so that is what the team needs to work on. Hopefully Setterfield returns next year whilst no Walsh/Libba in the biggest game made my team pretty limp in comparison.
Good luck to both @Stoops and @Dunlop for the Grand Final. Clearly the best two teams in the comp right now and very deserving, even with the Bench making this year less enjoyable it was a brilliant result for you both.
3 Likes
Well done @Stoops . You’ve been great this season and we were never in the game. Going to be a cracker of a grand final. Good luck to both teams… alright maybe a little extra luck to @Dunlop as it would be a great way to sign off.
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Thanks AB, you were unlucky with the LDU late withdrawal and a number of my guys went very big. Congrats on another great season.
Glad to get through to the GF again and have another showdown with Dunlop, three games against him in a short space of time now. Unless I get lucky like in the last couple of match ups against him I can’t see myself getting over the line, his team is in phenomenal form and absolutely humming, would have given 1750 a shake if not for subs.
I’ve scored well the last couple of weeks but will go into the GF missing Ziebell who has transformed the team somewhat from last year and Mitch Duncan has got himself suspended, so unless he gets off (unlikely with nothing to play for) I’m going to have to rely on some average depth to have games out of the box or get fortunate with some selections.
There is still some cause for optimism, scoring 1600+ without a mid scoring a ton, but Macrae is horribly out of form, Cripps is battling and Mitchell isn’t going great either, but hopefully they can turn that around with big games this weekend and I can reverse the result of the 2021 GF - I’ll probably need my version of a Jordan Dawson 170!
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Jack Macrae out now too, this could sadly be a bit of a fizzer
Macrae was subbed out on 51 last game and you still scored 1621, I think you’ll be fine if your replacement can better or match that score.
No pressure on Robbie Fox, Matt Cottrell and Brent Daniels to match Ziebell, Duncan and Macrae
Commiserations @Crazy_Bomber, your team gave me one almighty fright. Realistically the only difference between the teams was you were missing virtually your entire first choice mid group.
You’re a crucially important part of the league going forward, especially with Trotters departing as you’re always enterprising with your trades, you never assume it’ll be a no, which I think stops a large majority of people from asking the question. You never let your side rest of its laurels.
Best of luck this week against Speedy - you’ve got the opportunity to achieve a rare feat, something that no team has managed in this league, and win back-to-back flags. Coupled with an undefeated season last year - and it has been an incredible 2 year run - an absolute testament to the amount of effort you put into getting every ounce of performance out of your team each season, and why you rarely miss a finals campaign.
Another week another @Stoops performance worthy of the record books.
Highest Winning Margins in Finals
431 - Crazy Bomber vs. Allblack, 2011 SF
413 - Dunlop vs. Blummers, 2016 SF
381 - Jefferson vs. wimmera, 2021 EF
363 - You Shall Be Smoten vs. jards, 2012 EF
345 - Allblack vs. fogdog, 2019 GF
341 - Windy Dill vs. Fudge, 2017 PF
321 - Stoops vs. Allblack, 2023 PF
320 - westozziebomber vs. You Shall Be Smoten, 2016 GF
319 - fogdog vs. Windy Dill, 2013 SF
313 - fogdog vs. Dunlop, 2011 SF
Stoops 1627
| Player | Position | Total | PredSco | Difference | %tage Dif |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad | B | 34 | 68 | -34 | -50% |
| Cripps, J | F | 116 | 67 | 49 | 73% |
| Cripps, P | C | 62 | 90 | -28 | -31% |
| Crisp | CB | 99 | 82 | 17 | 21% |
| Duncan | CB | 115 | 90 | 25 | 28% |
| English | FR | 146 | 118 | 28 | 24% |
| Fisher | FC | 103 | 66 | 37 | 56% |
| Greenwood | FC | 67 | 59 | 8 | 14% |
| Macrae | C | 51 | 94 | -43 | -46% |
| Mitchell, T | C | 85 | 90 | -5 | -6% |
| Neal-Bullen | F | 58 | 72 | -14 | -19% |
| Newman | B | 125 | 97 | 28 | 29% |
| Parish | C | 96 | 107 | -11 | -10% |
| Prestia | C | 76 | 76 | 0 | 0% |
| Sinclair, J | CB | 136 | 101 | 35 | 35% |
| Smith, B | B | 96 | 82 | 14 | 17% |
| Smith, I | FC | 74 | 83 | -9 | -11% |
| Ziebell | FB | 88 | 90 | -2 | -2% |
| 1627 | 1532 | 95 | 6% |
defeated
Allblack 1306
| Player | Position | Total | PredSco | Difference | %tage Dif |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker, L | FB | 54 | 72 | -18 | -25% |
| Brayshaw, Ang | CB | 86 | 85 | 1 | 1% |
| Cameron, C | F | 63 | 64 | -1 | -2% |
| Cincotta | B | 30 | 52 | -22 | -42% |
| Dunkley, J | FC | 102 | 106 | -4 | -4% |
| Gresham | FC | 78 | 73 | 5 | 7% |
| Heppell | CB | 56 | 82 | -26 | -32% |
| Houston | B | 66 | 93 | -27 | -29% |
| Kelly, Josh | C | 85 | 98 | -13 | -13% |
| Langdon, E | C | 68 | 73 | -5 | -7% |
| McAdam | F | 77 | 56 | 21 | 38% |
| McGrath | CB | 100 | 80 | 20 | 25% |
| McVee | CB | 75 | 45 | 30 | 67% |
| Vlastuin | B | 81 | 83 | -2 | -2% |
| Witherden | B | 73 | 80 | -7 | -9% |
| Witts | R | 87 | 92 | -5 | -5% |
| Worner | C | 22 | 47 | -25 | -53% |
| Zorko | FC | 103 | 81 | 22 | 27% |
| 1306 | 1362 | -56 | -4% |
5Yr High
Jamie Cripps
Season High
Jack Sinclair (also 4th highest overall)
Fisher’s score was his equal 3rd highest ever
Macrae’s was his 2nd worst in the 5 yr period
Crazy Bomber 1431
| Player | Position | Total | PredSco | Difference | %tage Dif |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams, T | C | 67 | 77 | -10 | -13% |
| Atkins, T | CB | 103 | 79 | 24 | 30% |
| Coniglio | FC | 104 | 101 | 3 | 3% |
| Dale | B | 80 | 87 | -7 | -8% |
| Daniel | B | 89 | 91 | -2 | -2% |
| De Koning, T | FR | 33 | 67 | -34 | -51% |
| Hawkins | F | 51 | 64 | -13 | -20% |
| Hill, Brad | CB | 122 | 73 | 49 | 67% |
| Himmelberg, H | FB | 114 | 70 | 44 | 63% |
| Hunter, L | FC | 72 | 80 | -8 | -10% |
| Kelly, T | C | 100 | 98 | 2 | 2% |
| Lloyd, J | B | 78 | 91 | -13 | -14% |
| McKay, H | F | 39 | 72 | -33 | -46% |
| Membrey | F | 58 | 60 | -2 | -3% |
| Nankervis | R | 109 | 103 | 6 | 6% |
| O’Meara | C | 26 | 78 | -52 | -67% |
| Sicily | B | 78 | 106 | -28 | -26% |
| Swallow | FC | 108 | 72 | 36 | 50% |
| 1431 | 1469 | -38 | -3% |
lost to
Dunlop 1651
| Player | Position | Total | PredSco | Difference | %tage Dif |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amon | C | 121 | 84 | 37 | 44% |
| Ash | CB | 89 | 85 | 4 | 5% |
| Bedford | F | 79 | 61 | 18 | 30% |
| Bontempelli | C | 140 | 115 | 25 | 22% |
| Briggs | FR | 93 | 95 | -2 | -2% |
| Cumming | B | 86 | 68 | 18 | 26% |
| Dawson, J | CB | 96 | 115 | -19 | -17% |
| Duggan | B | 112 | 95 | 17 | 18% |
| Elliott | F | 83 | 67 | 16 | 24% |
| Greene | F | 43 | 90 | -47 | -52% |
| Hardwick | B | 96 | 80 | 16 | 20% |
| Higgins, J | F | 69 | 64 | 5 | 8% |
| Morrison | FC | 94 | 75 | 19 | 25% |
| Ross, S | C | 22 | 73 | -51 | -70% |
| Rowbottom | C | 74 | 80 | -6 | -8% |
| Stewart, T | B | 133 | 93 | 40 | 43% |
| Ward, C | FC | 116 | 71 | 45 | 63% |
| Wood | FC | 105 | 91 | 14 | 15% |
| 1651 | 1502 | 149 | 10% |
Season High
Brad Hill (also 3rd highest of the 5 years)
Harry Himmelberg
Tom Stewart
5yr Low
Jaegar O’Meara
Promising for next season, Tom Atkins had only scored 4 100s prior to 6 weeks ago, but has since scored 4 in his past 6 games.
Additional PBs
Oscar Allen - 106
Sam Flanders - 125
Jesse Hogan - 188
Connor Macdonald - 104
Trent Rivers - 108
Harry Sheezel - 129
Available Players
1 Like
It’s shaping up to be a great matchup in the GF. Beat of luck to both coaches.
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The team is in!
In: Brent Daniels, Toby McLean, Robbie Fox, Rhys Stanley, Matt Cottrell
Out: Jack Ziebell, Mitch Duncan, Jack Macrae, Patrick Cripps, Dion Prestia
Always next year I guess, best of luck @Dunlop, be gentle!
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Wow. That’s the most significant “out” list I’ve ever seen!
Commiserations.
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AH ■■■■.
I haven’t processed the FAs!
FAs processed.
I’ll go through and add players onto thebench.
Erm given this clusterfark, if either Stoops or Dunlop need to change the team because there isn’t enough time prior to tonight’s game, just post here and I’ll adjust.
Sorry again fellas.
I’ve dropped the ball a bit with FAs through finals time.
Edit…
Looks like @Dunlop saved me with the bench.
Cheers.
It’s all good, Dunlop and I did it by PM this morning, helped we weren’t picking each other’s players so we both got all requests.
Thanks for the hard work all year!
3 Likes
Best of luck fellas.
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You wanted 300 out of your mob last night Stoops, and you got that with a Elliott bonus.
Crisp & Parish let me off in the last only scoring 33 between them, otherwise it would’ve been closer to 330.
Best of luck today, its basically the reverse of 2021, I’ll start favourite but you’ve still got plenty of players capable of scoring well above their predicted.
Only the 3rd repeat contest in a Grand Final after the Allblack vs. fogdog and the 5 Fudge-Crazy Bomber clashes.
2023 Grand Final
Stoops vs. Dunlop
Head 2 Head: Stoops 10 – Dunlop 8
In Finals: Stoops 2 – Dunlop 1
Last Time: 2023 Qualifying Final: Stoops 1670 defeated Dunlop 1622
Last Time in Grand Finals: 2021 Grand Final: Dunlop 1467 defeated Stoops 1449
Overall Finals Record:
Stoops: 15 Matches – 9 Wins; 6 Losses
Dunlop: 28 Matches – 15 Wins; 13 Losses
Record in Grand Finals:
Stoops: 2 Matches – 1 Win; 1 Loss
Dunlop: 3 Matches – 2 Wins; 1 Loss
Average Season Score: 1509 (1st) vs. 1470 (2nd)
Average Last 4 Matches: 1595 vs. 1574
80pt+ Players: 8 vs. 12
100pt+ Players: 3 vs. 2
STOOPS
B: Brodie Smith; Robbie Fox; Nic Newman
HB: Jack Sinclair; Nathan Broad; Jack Crisp
C: Matt Cottrell; Darcy Parish; Isaac Smith
HF: Hugh Greenwood; Alex Neal-Bullen; Toby McLean
F: Jamie Cripps; Tim English; Brent Daniels
R: Rhys Stanley; Tom Mitchell; Brad Fisher
IN: Stanley; Daniels; Fox; McLean; Cottrell
OUT: P.Cripps (inj:); Duncan (susp); J.Macrae (inj); Prestia (inj); Ziebell (ret)
DUNLOP
B: Isaac Cumming; Tom Stewart; Blake Hardwick
HB: Liam Duggan; Lachie Ash; Hunter Clark
C: Jordan Dawson; Adam Cerra; Karl Amon
HF: Harry Morrison; Mason Wood; Cal Ward
F: Toby Bedford; Toby Greene; Jamie Elliott
R: Kieren Briggs; Marcus Bontempelli; James Rowbottom
IN: Cerra; Clark
Out: S.Ross (inj); Higgins
Predicted Score:
1464 (+27) vs. 1523 (-19)
2 Likes
Stoops giving incredible 3/4 time addresses, as both Sinclair & Greenwood have hit their averages after looking miles off it.
18 behinds to Brisbane allowed Sinclair to pad his stats without starring in general play, whilst Hunter Clark’s woeful fitness meant Ross didn’t trust him to play little more than half a game, and kept him benched for the last 10-15mins.
Stoops playing well. I’m leaving a fair bit for Bont, Cerra & Dawson to do. Will be interested what Toby McLean (60ps) can muster for Stoops in what may be his final AFL game.
Stoops 469 (5) vs. Dunlop 454 (6)
Predicted: 1453 vs. 1524
2 Likes
A vintage 75pt half for Isaac Smith in his final game pushes Stoops’s predicted past 1500. No weak leaks for either side in that game so far with Stewart keeping pace with Smith.
In the other game, Dawson & Duggan have started very strongly, but Jamie Cripps is jeopardising Stoops’s probable gains with a scoreless term.
An extraordinary final game 160 by Isaac Smith, has probably sewn up the Norm Smith.
Stoops 958 (11) vs. Dunlop 915 (10)
It’ll be all to play for in the last game with 11 of the remaining 15 players competing.
Before then, Stoops will be hoping Broad & ANB can match their season highs of 102 & 98 respectively and Fox can replicate his early season form.
Predicted: 1458 (+22) vs. 1564 (+22)
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Stoops has done everything he needed to do: 81 for Broad and a Rowbottom-esque 11 tackle game led ANB to his 2nd best score for the season.
If Newman maintains his form of the past 5 weeks and Fisher fires, it could yet be a famous victory for the mighty Excitement Machines.
NB> Late adjustments still pending
Stoops 1184 (14)
with Cottrell, Daniels, Fisher & Newman
vs.
Dunlop 975 (11)
with Ash, Bedford, Briggs, Cerra, Cumming & Ward
209 the lead for Stoops
Predicted: 1490 vs. 1544
EDIT: +7 for Stoops in late adjustments - 12 tackles for ANB and a season high.
2 Likes