2018 Grand Final Thread

[Jukes]

Fixtures
Grand Final: Wisconsin Cockerels vs Houston Bombers (neutral venue)

Ladder
1. Wisconsin 15-2
2. Las Vegas 12-5
3. Boston 12-5
4. Brooklyn 11-6
5. Houston 9-8
6. Anaheim 9-8
------------------------
7. Chicago 9-8
8. Carolina 8-9
9. San Francisco 6-11
10. Quito 5-12
11. Ottawa 5-12
12. Colorado 1-16

Full Lockout of all players will occur at the start of Richmond vs Essendon at 19:50 EST on Friday the 17th of August.

Full Fixture List: http://forum.fanfooty.com.au/index.php/topic,111023.0.html
Full Team Lists: http://forum.fanfooty.com.au/index.php/topic,108020.0.html

Team Submission
D: A. Player, B. Player, C. Player, D. Player
M: E. Player (c) or (cc), F. Player (vc) or (cc), G. Player, H. Player, I. Player, J. Player
R: K. Player
F: L. Player (evc), M. Player, N. Player, O. Player
U: P. Player, Q. Player, R. Player
Emg: S. Player, T. Player, U. Player, V. Player (sub)

Finals Format
Finals Week One (AFL Round 19)
1st Elimination Final: 4th vs 5th
2nd Elimination Final: 3rd vs 6th
Qualifying Final: 1st vs 2nd

Finals Week Two (AFL Round 20)
1st Semi Final: QF Loser vs Lowest Ranked EF Winner
2nd Semi Final: QF Winner vs Highest Ranked EF Winner

Finals Week Three (AFL Round 21)
Preliminary Final: SF2 Loser vs SF1 Winner

Finals Week Four (AFL Round 22)
Grand Final: SF2 Winner vs PF Winner

[powersuperkents]

Wisconsin Cockerels

B: Alex Witherden, Dane Rampe, Adam Saad, Steven May
M: Jack Macrae (C), Gary Ablett Jnr. (VC), Mitch Duncan, Lachie Whitfield, Jaeger O'Meara, Dayne Zorko
R: Max Gawn (EVC)
F: Jack Billings, Charlie Curnow, Hayden Crozier, Jarrad Waite
U: Touk Miller, Caleb Daniel, Luke Shuey

E: Sean Darcy (R), Liam Duggan (D), Mark LeCras (F), Bayley Fritsch (sub)

[Jukes]

Rip Houston, what happened

[fanTCfool]

Jay taking a quick break, he'll be back to name his team next week I reckon  :P

[Jukes]

I reckon he got confused by the semi-final loss and didn't realise he had the double chance so decided to go on the post-season holiday.

[Jay]

I reckon he got confused by the semi-final loss and didn't realise he had the double chance so decided to go on the post-season holiday.

Can confirm this is exactly what happened :'( boys have already had their Mad Monday!

Really sorry guys

[powersuperkents]

I reckon he got confused by the semi-final loss and didn't realise he had the double chance so decided to go on the post-season holiday.

Can confirm this is exactly what happened :'( boys have already had their Mad Monday!

Really sorry guys

Well the good news is that it looks like you are going to win this match...  :'(

Ffs, I'm sick of these spuds in my side

[Jukes]

So prior to any West Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide, and North Melbourne scores:

Wisconsin: 1363 add Gawn, Waite, Shuey, and Fritsch*
*Assuming those four players outscore Witherden's 13. I reckon it's a safe bet.

Houston: 1355 add Sloane (VC), Greenwood, Ziebell, and Macmillan

It's a close game thanks to the counter-balancing of Witherden's injury and having a 32-point less captain score vs having an OOP ruckman and no sub. Gawn has scored well (so far), Fritsch not so much and Shuey in the middle. Waite has been good to half time.

As for Houston, Sloane, Greenwood, and Macmillan have been alright. Ziebell very poor - he'll have to lift big time.

Houston's side
D: Jack Crisp, Zach Tuohy, Alex Rance, Kade Simpson
M: Dayne Beams (C), Rory Sloane (VC),  Hugh Greenwood, Mitch Robinson, Jack Ziebell, Marc Murphy
R: Dawson Simpson Will Hoskin-Elliott (OOP)
F: Shane Edwards, Isaac Heeney, Michael Walters, Kane Lambert Jack Riewoldt
U: David Zaharakis, Jack Riewoldt Jamie Macmillan, Kyle Langford

E: Jamie Macmillan (def), Will Hoskin-Elliot (mid), Cale Hooker (fwd), Stephen Hill (mid)(sub)

[powersuperkents]

I'm at breaking point... this is way too effing close  :-\  :)

[Jukes]

So after the West Coast and Melbourne scores are added on,

Wisconsin: 1685 add Waite
Houston: 1355 add Sloane (VC), Greenwood, Ziebell, and Macmillan

Will be very close...I'll update scores again when it hits 3/4 time in the Crows-Roos game

[Jukes]

So with one quarter left to go,

Wisconsin: 1743 (one in play)
Houston: 1656 (four and a half in play)

So Waite + 87 vs Sloane (VC), Greenwood, Ziebell, and Macmillan.

[powersuperkents]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POq2AznJO1Q

;D

[Jukes]

Final Scores

Wisconsin Cockerels 18.12.120 defeated Houston Bombers 18.8.116
(Real: 1799 vs 1738)

Both teams probably deserved to win and lose this one. Wisconsin were the best team all year (by far, aside from the huge loss to Houston one round) but Houston were probably the better team on the day, cruelled by not having a sub or a real ruckman because of...schedule-related confusion? But I feel the 60 SC-point loss is enough to say that the sub and ruckman PROBABLY wouldn't have mattered too much, and Wisconsin were unlucky to C/VC Macrae and Ablett and not Gawn and of course they had an early injury to Witherden.

Basically, Houston were probably favourites to win most of the round up until the Melbourne-West Coast match. Gawn's 156 completely turned the tide of the game, supplemented by solid scores by Shuey and Fritsch. Houston had a deficit to chase down, and they just couldn't do it as Ziebell and Macmillan were poor, Greenwood went nowhere in the last quarter, and Sloane was solid but not great - but the real difference maker was Jarrad Waite, who had 10 marks and 3 goals for 119 SC with a lot of action in the last quarter to both bring North Melbourne back into their game and wrap it up for Wisconsin - which would make BOG pretty hard to call between Gawn, Waite, and also Houston captain Beams, who's 144 was a big reason the Bombers were in a good spot heading into today. Since I hold 100% power over this and it's pretty irrelevant...I'm going to give it a tie between Gawn and Waite.

Best
Wisconsin: Gawn, Waite, Ablett, Macrae, Crozier
Houston: Beams, Simpson, Sloane, Zaharakis

Wisconsin win the premiership and will pick 12th in the draft.
Houston will pick 11th in the draft.
Grand Final MVP: Max Gawn and Jarrad Waite

[powersuperkents]

Grand Final MVP: Max Gawn and Jarrad Waite

Good game Jay - I was on the edge of my seat the entire way through

I love those two!!  :)

Thanks Jukes & Nige for another good season running the comp

Now to prepare for season 2019  ;D

[nas]

Congrats Wisconsin Cockerels. You guys have been around the finals for a while & to finally get the Cup is a great. Well done.

Commiserations Houston Bombers, well done on making it to the Grannie.

Thanks Jukes & Nige for running the comp & hope that we sort out a couple of coaches for next season & beyond.