So the latest zone is coming out at a somewhat awkward time with an NT game just being played today and the national cup group stages finishing Sunday morning. But hey, we have a mid-season zone. Once again thanks to our RA’s eric and scruttino and if anyone out there wants to contribute, you are more than welcome to.
– dagriggstar
Written by scruttino
| Team | M | W | D | L | + | – | = | P | |
| 1 | Dribblers FC | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 7 | 31 | 27 |
| 2 | Otago United | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 16 | 22 | 24 |
| 3 | City Water Motel | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 47 | 15 | 32 | 22 |
| 4 | Númenóreans FC | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 14 | 18 | 19 |
| 5 | Cheltenham | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 36 | 13 | 23 | 18 |
| 6 | Hawthorn FC | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 9 | 16 | 18 |
| 7 | Blazing Star | 11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 18 | 7 | 17 |
| 8 | Glasston | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 21 | 4 | 14 |
| 9 | Almighty Scallywags | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 16 | 15 | 13 |
| 10 | BONDI ICEBERGS | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 11 |
| 11 | Arrested Developers | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 66 | -58 | 3 |
| 12 | Crystal Phallus FC | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 112 | -111 | 0 |
Cannyjock’s Dribblers have been pulled back slightly in recent weeks with a couple of draws, but they are still 3 in front and unbeaten, so job done so far.
Rising from mid table mediocrity and the obscurity of playoff promotion, Otago and City Water Motel have made good headway in the last 6 rounds, getting ahead while others have fallen around them.
The wheels have fallen of the Numenoreans and Blazing Star challenge, while Hawthorn and Cheltenham seem destined for the mid table. I’m a bit surprised by Glasston and Almighty Scallywags being in the playoff zone, though more by Almighty Scallywags as Glasston have been around this mark for a few seasons now.
Two of the bottom 3 were locked in due to selling up, and while not being blown away Bondi Icebergs are a bit too young to have any real impact as yet. Due to their win, albeit via a red card Arrested Developers may avoid the tag of title to spoon in a season, though it depends on the round 12 rematch. But if we go by goal difference alone Crystal Phallus, may have to take consolation with their own. A spoon and a phallus…. To spoon with a phallus….
| City Water Motel | 15-1 | Crystal Phallus FC |
| Dribblers FC | 6-0 | Glasston |
| Númenóreans FC | 9-0 | Arrested Developers |
| Cheltenham | 1-1 | Almighty Scallywags |
| Blazing Star | 1-0 | BONDI ICEBERGS |
| Hawthorn FC | 0-1 | Otago United |
scruttino
Since I still write about A-League I’ll check in and give you all a outlet for your round by round musings. Good luck to all
safieeamat
Good luck to you,scruttino.
First up AD.
eric_the_eel
good luck all! Gonna be a really interesting season! Picking Dribblers to win but no idea about the rest..
bestplaymaker2134
bloody bull’s crap i tell ya
safieeamat
Dribblers FC is the one to look out for and apart from AD and BMP the other teams are closely matched.
eric_the_eel
i won a tight game? shit everyone better watch out if this continues 🙂
overthetop3 16-07-2014 15:12
Both teams played hard my man…
| Crystal Phallus FC | 0-7 | Dribblers FC |
| Glasston | 0-1 | Númenóreans FC |
| Arrested Developers | 0-5 | Cheltenham |
| Almighty Scallywags | 1-2 | Blazing Star |
| BONDI ICEBERGS | 1-1 | Hawthorn FC |
| Otago United | 1-3 | City Water Motel |
eric_the_eel
expecting a close game!
overthetop3
Sorry about the result BPM.
With that said, I find it hard to believe that the scoring chances in my game against Almighty Scallywags are representative of how the two teams really match up. Unless I’m seriously mistaken about what an A-League quality defence is, my defence is a lot better than the 20 SC’s suggests, and it seems like an outlier game all-round.
eric_the_eel
Australias best striker?
damo11
Show us the stats on your defence then OTT?
overthetop3
The back seven including GK;
http://mzplayer.se/?id=0720092070
safieeamat
close game but we came out with the three points.
| Dribblers FC | 5-1 | Otago United |
| City Water Motel | 1-1 | BONDI ICEBERGS |
| Hawthorn FC | 0-0 | Almighty Scallywags |
| Blazing Star | 2-0 | Arrested Developers |
| Cheltenham | 0-3 | Glasston |
| Númenóreans FC | 12-0 | Crystal Phallus FC |
overthetop3
Oh good a GD boosting game…
*Game finishes 2-0*
‘_’
tosspot
You misunderestimated me.
safieeamat
A win against BUMP and now the hard matches will come.
| Crystal Phallus FC | 0-14 | Cheltenham |
| Glasston | 1-1 | Blazing Star |
| Arrested Developers | 0-7 | Hawthorn FC |
| Almighty Scallywags | 5-3 | City Water Motel |
| BONDI ICEBERGS | 0-2 | Dribblers FC |
| Otago United | 2-1 | Númenóreans FC |
safieeamat
see how we go against Otago.it’ll be pretty tight.
orchy
first and easy win against AD
safieeamat
well that’s one lost out of the way.
overthetop3
Both teams played hard…
eric_the_eel
pleased to win! Good start for my boys
| Númenóreans FC | 4-1 | BONDI ICEBERGS |
| Cheltenham | 2-3 | Otago United |
| Blazing Star | 11-0 | Crystal Phallus FC |
| Hawthorn FC | 1-0 | Glasston |
| City Water Motel | 7-0 | Arrested Developers |
| Dribblers FC | 3-3 | Almighty Scallywags |
eric_the_eel
if I win this one I’ll be pretty happy with Otago United’s start!
orchy
yes.. you won mate 🙂 and also congratulations for my players …
safieeamat
arrested my fall from grace by beating Bondi.
bestplaymaker2134
after two weeks living in the darkness (no internet) im back!! great results!
| Glasston | 1-5 | City Water Motel |
| Arrested Developers | 0-4 | Dribblers FC |
| Almighty Scallywags | 0-1 | Númenóreans FC |
| BONDI ICEBERGS | 0-2 | Cheltenham |
| Otago United | 0-5 | Blazing Star |
| Crystal Phallus FC | 0-10 | Hawthorn FC |
bestplaymaker2134
i call bs
overthetop3
What happened was that Darley Howard came in and wrecked shop for my team. The round 8 clash with Dribblers FC could be huge for the championship…
bestplaymaker2134
Your luck will run out by then.
maccorosso
btw I noticed a poor effort by mr Boyde Minne so far..
troyh65
Another loss though it’s hardly surprising. On a positive, I’m not being smashed. In two seasons time the team should be more experienced.
safieeamat
That was bad luck bestplayermaker SC 21-8 to you. mmmm
But my defender played out of his skin getting a rating of 11 and the same as my keeper.
eric_the_eel
That annoys me. Tactic set, scouting matches all sorted, then I go and lose 5-0. Arg!
overthetop3
Scouting matches? What are those? Are they edible?
| Númenóreans FC | 0-2 | Dribblers FC |
| Blazing Star | 2-6 | Cheltenham |
| City Water Motel | 1-1 | Hawthorn FC |
| Arrested Developers | 1-5 | Glasston |
| BONDI ICEBERGS | 3-1 | Almighty Scallywags |
| Crystal Phallus FC | 0-8 | Otago United |
maccorosso
City Water Motel X – X Hawthorn FC 2
Númenóreans FC X – X Dribblers FC 2
Blazing Star X – X Cheltenham 2
BUY MY PLAYERS X – X Otago United 2
Arrested Developers X – X Glasston 2
BONDI ICEBERGS X – X Almighty Scallywags 2
🙂
safieeamat
All away teams will win.
tosspot
I SCORED A GOAL!
bestplaymaker2134
deep breaths….in…and out….
bestplaymaker2134
http://mzplayer.se/?id=0806031081
8 goals in 93 shots.
bestplaymaker2134
do i need to buy CM to win
tosspot
My striker has 1 goal in 22 shots – 8 in 93 is a dream conversion rate.
safieeamat
no complain…
| Dribblers FC | 4-0 | Blazing Star |
| Cheltenham | 1-1 | City Water Motel |
| Hawthorn FC | 3-1 | Númenóreans FC |
| Glasston | 2-1 | BONDI ICEBERGS |
| Almighty Scallywags | 12-0 | Crystal Phallus FC |
| Otago United | 11-0 | Arrested Developers |
safieeamat
we are in a free fall now, two loses in a row.
| City Water Motel | 4-1 | Blazing Star |
| Númenóreans FC | 2-1 | Cheltenham |
| Hawthorn FC | 0-2 | Dribblers FC |
| Crystal Phallus FC | 0-5 | BONDI ICEBERGS |
| Arrested Developers | 1-7 | Almighty Scallywags |
| Otago United | 4-0 | Glasston |
orchy
City Water Motel – Blazing Star 1
Númenóreans FC – Cheltenham 2
Hawthorn FC – Dribblers FC 2
BUY MY PLAYERS – BONDI ICEBERGS 2
Arrested Developers – Almighty Scallywags 2
Otago United – Glasston 1
tosspot
Now that’s a red card boost if I’ve ever seen one…
bestplaymaker2134
plays first competiitve match against AD
wins first competitive match against AD
time to retire
bestplaymaker2134
oh great fckin red card, got no replacements damn it
tosspot
Actually, we played last time you made A-League. I won 10-0 and 10-1.
bestplaymaker2134
oh yeah. whatever mate.
bestplaymaker2134
TWO FCKIN RED CARDS!?!?
maccorosso
buy Justin Hilton deadline 8.00 tomorrow morning
bestplaymaker2134
I’d rather use my youths
tosspot
Haydock is for sale…
safieeamat
Close game and a good win, left it til 95th mins to score the winning goal.
overthetop3
‘_’
| Dribblers FC | 2-2 | City Water Motel |
| Blazing Star | 0-0 | Númenóreans FC |
| Cheltenham | 3-0 | Hawthorn FC |
| Glasston | 12-0 | Crystal Phallus FC |
| BONDI ICEBERGS | 9-0 | Arrested Developers |
| Almighty Scallywags | 0-1 | Otago United |
safieeamat
Bus trip to face OTT3 and his Blazing Star. Good luck
bestplaymaker2134
another fuckin red card. i hate you all.
safieeamat
share the point with Blazing Star from what was a goalless draw.
safieeamat
wow it won’t get any easier, our next match is against CWM..
| Númenóreans FC | 1-5 | City Water Motel |
| Dribblers FC | 1-1 | Cheltenham |
| Blazing Star | 0-2 | Hawthorn FC |
| Arrested Developers | 6-0 | Crystal Phallus FC |
| Glasston | 1-1 | Almighty Scallywags |
| BONDI ICEBERGS | 0-6 | Otago United |
damo11
Battle of the Believers at the bottom the table in the MOTR.
bestplaymaker2134
argghhh WHY CANT I WIN!?!? IM GETTING THE SHOTS IN!!!
tosspot
Red card after 34 mins ruined the match… ends 6-0 for AD’s first win of the season.
tosspot
@bpm: shit strikers?
bestplaymaker2134
HOW IS HE SHIT!?
http://mzplayer.se/?id=0820002354
tosspot
Dumb as a post.
eric_the_eel
2nd place! 8 wins from 11! wtf Otago?
scruttino
Thanks, Damo. Forgot this. Usually happens once or twice a season 🙂
Almighty Scallywags – 1/3 – Nathan Kidman
Bondi Icebergs – 1/3 – Richie Daroca
Blazing Star – 4/7 – Joseph Stenholm, Ben Digiuseppe, Agustin Ferdinand, Gabino Barroso
Crystal Phallus – 2/3 – William Overman, Jemmett Hart
City Water Motel – 2/3 – Antoni Milan, George Nica
Cheltenham – 4/8 – Byrne James, Daniel Rutledge, Sabastian Norman, Dan Coburn
Glasston – 5/8 – Sylwester Naujasodis, Nuralp Adiyaman, Dede Dos Santos, Neale Christini, Kazimierz Cisek
Hawthorn FC – 4/8 – Ethan Gissane, Tomas Abraham, Alim Oymen, Preston Haeberle
Numenoreans FC – 2/6 – Nick Hanlen, Peter Bower
Otago United – 2/2 – Braedan Best, Amos Fazey
Competitions
| Name | Team | Points |
| Eusebiu Doroftei | Dribblers FC | 22 |
| George Nica | City Water Motel | 15 |
| Isidoro Barea | Otago United | 13 |
| Kazimierz Cisek | Glasston | 12 |
| Boyde Minne | Almighty Scallywags | 11 |
| Matthews Stevens | Cheltenham | 11 |
| Sedat Turkoglu | Bondi Icebergs | 10 |
| Santos Cordarrell | Bondi Icebergs | 9 |
| Boyde Whelpton | City Water Motel | 9 |
| Sebastian Barling | Dribblers FC | 9 |
| Braedan Best | Otago United | 9 |
| Chen Xi Quan | Hawthorn FC | 9 |
| Nelson Willis | Hawthorn FC | 9 |
It’s the strikers table so far, with the first defender coming in at 6th. Doroftei has a good lead, with a decent team feeding him the ball, so unless he stops scoring he’ll stay there. City Water Motel have been the surprise packet of the season and Nica is a big reason as to why. Interestingly both teams occupying the playoff relegation berths have strikers in the top 5, so they are trying.
| Player | Team | GP | G | YC | RC | |
| 1 | George Nica | City | 11 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Eusebiu Doroftei | DFC | 11 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Boyde Minne | AS | 11 | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | Isidoro Barea | OTA | 11 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Sabastian Norman | Chm | 11 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Kazimierz Cisek | GLN | 11 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Chen Xi Quan | Hawk | 9 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Santos Cordarrell | BIG | 11 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Tomás da Cunha | xXx | 11 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Daniel Rutledge | Chm | 11 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Nathan Pike | xXx | 11 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | Agustin Ferdinand | Blaz | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | Benney Lamb | GLN | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Ernest Christian | OTA | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | Damian Batterham | Blaz | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Keefe Tongs | OTA | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Boyde Whelpton | City | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Carman Awage | DFC | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Darley Howard | Blaz | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Alberto Baxter | City | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
We have a new leader in George Nica. 2 of the top 3 are new to the league and 4 of the top ten. Things are definitely different and better for it, the times they are a changing.
| Goalkeepers (Goals Against) | Clubs | Clean Sheets |
| Bjorn Coleman – (7) | Dribblers FC | 7 |
| Bleyd Renney – (16) | Otago United | 6 |
| Nelson Willis – (9) | Hawthorn FC | 5 |
| Nick Hanlen – (14) | Numenoreans FC | 5 |
| Jared Borserio – (18) | Blazing Star | 5 |
| Randle Maciver – (13) | Cheltenham | 4 |
| Artie Lowes – (16) | Almighty Scallywags | 2 |
| Richie Daroca – (20) | Bondi Icebergs | 2 |
| Dale Barling – (21) | Glasston | 2 |
| Adolfo Telfer – (15) | City Water Motel | 1 |
| Alekos Petaloudas – (66) | Arrested Developers | 1 |
Could still be anyone’s, Coleman was building a lead but has been pegged back in recent weeks, still he doesn’t let in many. So still remains the favourite.
| Team | Total Points |
| Dribblers FC | 49 |
| City Water Motel | 48 |
| Otago United | 44 |
| Hawthorn FC | 41 |
| Cheltenham | 40 |
| Glasston | 38 |
| Almighty Scallywags | 36 |
| Blazing Star | 33 |
| Numenoreans FC | 32 |
| Bondi Icebergs | 28 |
| Arrested Developers | 7 |
| Crystal Phallus FC | 0 |
No runaway leaders and a nice tight contest. Just the way you want it to be at the halfway mark.
| Arrested Developers | Player Points |
| Tamarlz Hieremans | 3 |
| Subin Late | 2 |
| Arty Hauschildt | 1 |
| Kirk Hilton | 1 |
| 7 |
| Almighty Scallywags | Player Points |
| Boyde Minne | 11 |
| Iwan Sobania | 7 |
| Earnest Tebby | 6 |
| Henry Brask | 3 |
| Dello Pernambucano | 4 |
| Nathan Kidman | 2 |
| Dacosta Tupman | 1 |
| Patric Linqvist | 1 |
| Artie Lowes | 1 |
| 36 |
| Blazing Star | Player Points |
| Tommie Wellens | 6 |
| Jared Borserio | 6 |
| Joseph Stenholm | 5 |
| Agustin Ferdinand | 4 |
| Brye Coldicutt | 3 |
| Danny Brandie | 3 |
| Gabino Barroso | 2 |
| Damian Batterham | 2 |
| Darley Howard | 1 |
| Ben Digiuseppe | 1 |
| 33 |
| Bondi Icebergs | Player Points |
| Sedat Turkoglu | 10 |
| Santos Cordarrell | 9 |
| Ryan Picini | 3 |
| Neil Bonham | 2 |
| Sam Playford | 2 |
| Richie Daroca | 1 |
| Umit Erel | 1 |
| 28 |
| Cheltenham | Player Points |
| Matthews Stevens | 11 |
| Sabastian Norman | 7 |
| Benny Mewburn | 6 |
| Daniel Rutledge | 4 |
| No. 6 Bennett James | 3 |
| Dan Coburn | 3 |
| No. 8 Byrne James | 2 |
| Cliff Stebbing | 2 |
| Randle Maciver | 2 |
| 40 |
| City Water Motel | Player Points |
| George Nica | 15 |
| Boyde Whelpton | 9 |
| Barnabas Edwards | 5 |
| Justin Hilton | 4 |
| Antoni Milan | 4 |
| Cevat Direm | 3 |
| Donovan Ashby | 2 |
| Emilio Miranda | 2 |
| Honorato Oliviero | 2 |
| Adolfo Telfer | 1 |
| Alberto Baxter | 1 |
| 48 |
| Crystal Phallus FC | Player Points |
| No points accrued |
| Dribblers FC | Player Points |
| Eusebiu Doroftei | 22 |
| Sebastian Barling | 9 |
| Marco Tilk | 6 |
| Dustin Martin | 5 |
| Jeremy Alves | 3 |
| Hugo Souza | 3 |
| Luiz Ramalho | 1 |
| 49 |
| Glasston | Player Points |
| Kazimierz Cisek | 12 |
| Ray Hines | 5 |
| Keith Callaghan | 5 |
| Dede Dos Santos | 5 |
| Dale Barling | 3 |
| Neale Christini | 3 |
| Nuraip Adiyaman | 2 |
| Benney Lamb | 2 |
| Dale Gilding | 1 |
| 38 |
| Hawthorn FC | Player Points |
| Chen Xi Quan | 9 |
| Nelson Willis | 9 |
| Preston Haeberle | 6 |
| Lowrey Holdsworth | 5 |
| Tamas Abraham | 5 |
| Alexander Paynter | 5 |
| Connor Monck | 1 |
| Alim Oymen | 1 |
| 41 |
| Numenoreans FC | Player Points |
| Everett Erwin | 5 |
| Tomas Da Cunha | 5 |
| Nathan Pike | 5 |
| Durmuq Neval | 4 |
| Dalton Slattery | 3 |
| Ian Kayrooz | 3 |
| Nick Hanlen | 3 |
| Christopher Auger | 2 |
| Phillip Locke | 1 |
| Randle Pinkerton | 1 |
| 32 |
| Otago United | Player Points |
| Isidoro Barea | 13 |
| Braedan Best | 9 |
| Mateo Arraya | 6 |
| Bruno Frasquito | 5 |
| Keefe Tongs | 4 |
| Adelino Valladares | 3 |
| Arthur Haslem | 2 |
| Ernest Christian | 2 |
| 44 |
In the thick of it
Well and truly. Currently writing my 12,000-15,000 word honours thesis on music festivals and regional development, the first draft is due late September. Working together with Eric and Playmaker as the national team football coach is in the group stages and will come down to a John Woo faceoff Travolta vs Cage style to determine who qualifies for the U/21 world cup. One day a week I’m still recording music for my next album and things are going well, it’s just taking a while. Both for me to record the music in between study and my mate to master the songs in between taking care of his kids as a stay at home dad. But life is good, though my elongated spine is playing up a bit from being hunched over a desk to write or reading a book for too long each day. I really should stretch it out more often. Lots is going on, busy, busy, busy….
Cheers, Matt
AIHL Midseason – 3 Things
Written by eric_the_eel
1: Being patient is harder than it looks
After being in the top 3 for the last 8 seasons, Polar Bear Club have finally had enough of not winning and have sold up. After selling his football team we were hopeful that damo11 would spend more time with Ice Hockey and continue the close battle at the top, but it was not to be, and the Polar Bear Club disbanded. Damo11 is left with some retirees and about 6 million made from sales, and one would expect it to be some time before he is able to challenge the top teams once again. However he didn’t leave before securing a 1-1 draw against Dunedin Thunderbirds HC, a result which has gone a long way towards deciding the title race.
2: The big matches decide the title
With the Thunderbirds already 2 points behind Warringah Wizards, the round 10 clash between the AIHL’s 2 powerhouses took on extra meaning – with the winner taking a giant step towards the title. The match had it all, with stunning goals, amazing saves, and key checks during the game. After a close Period 1, the Wizards stormed out to a 4-1 lead with their 4th line centre rampant during Period 2. The Dunedin Thunderbirds staged a roaring comeback in the 3rd period led by their Slovakian National Team centre, however it was too little too late. This has effectively sealed the title for nav, and it will take a simming at some stage to let eric_the_eel’s team back in.
3: Where are all the teams?
You’d think the chance of being in the top league within 2-3 seasons would be a drawcard enough; however it seems that Aussie managers are still refusing to spend 10 minutes a day building up an ice hockey team. The latest stats from mzstats.net have the total number of active users sitting at 20. That’s 10 in the AIHL, 6 in division 1, 2 in division 2, and 2 in division 3. The stats make for grim reading, especially when looking at a graph of users in ice hockey for Australia over the last year.
I put a challenge out to all you uses reading this now. Click on the link at the top right of your managerzone page, the one that says manage your ice hockey team. Fire your seniors, get some youths, set a tactic, put everyone on the training field on power, shooting, or checking, get some coaches, send some challenges (I’m always keen!) and spend 15-20 minutes a week on it. Within 2-3 seasons, your team will be looking solid and you can help us raise the database of users up!
Challenge accepted? It better be…
Eric_the_eel
Written by dagriggstar
Just a quick note this has been written before the final games of the group stages, but in all likeliness will be read after the final games of the group stages. But the standings are unlikely to change (two groups still mathematically undecided) between now and then. Anyway lets get into it.
Group 1
| 1 | Happy Little Vegemites | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 6 | 44 | 24 |
| 2 | Ayreon | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 14 | 15 | 21 |
| 3 | Dunder Mifflin FC | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 11 | 25 | 18 |
| 4 | Wollongong Wolves | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 28 | -14 | 9 |
| 5 | South Beach | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 34 | -28 | 6 |
| 6 | PINKBULL 19 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 47 | -42 | 3 |
Div 1.3 represent ! With no A-leaguers in the group the two div 1.3 sides Happy Little Vegemites and Ayreon will go through. Also shout-out for the impressive performance from Wollongong Wolves and their manager mckechnie91trent for finishing 4th in the group, an good result for a div 4 side.
Group 2
| 1 | Hawthorn FC | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 4 | 48 | 27 |
| 2 | Skoolage United | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 11 | 43 | 18 |
| 3 | Melbourne Rockstars | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 47 | 20 | 27 | 15 |
| 4 | Joachim Wiking | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 20 | 13 | 15 |
| 5 | Crystal Phallus FC | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 72 | -63 | 6 |
| 6 | Gunyah | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 71 | -68 | 0 |
Two A-league sides here, but one is Crystal Phallus. The other, Hawthorn FC, continues their impressive rise through the ranks going undefeated. The story of 2nd place has been interesting, Skoolage United the early front-runner but lost to Melbourne Rockstars to leave those sides level on points. But in the second last game Joachim Wiking managed to keep their minute chances alive by defeating the Rockstars, leaving the final day scenario as
– Joachim Wiking need to win by 15 against Skoolage United and win by 15 more than Melbourne Rockstars presumed win
– Melbourne Rockstars need Joachim Wiking to defeat Skoolage United and makeup 16 in goal difference
– Skoolage United need to not lose by an enormous amount
So yeah, minute chances abound.
Group 3
| 1 | Calabria F.C | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4 | 24 | 21 |
| 2 | Crimson Eagles FC | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 10 | 21 | 15 |
| 3 | Brooklyn Youth FC | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Darwin Saville FC | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 7 |
| 5 | Dead Dodos | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 49 | -46 | 0 |
A surprise draw between Brooklyn Youth FC and Darwin Saville robbed Brooklyn of potentially snatching 2nd spot in the final round. For those keeping count, from the first 3 groups 5 (of 6) are teams from div 1.3 to progress to the knockout stages and the only side to fail from div 1.3 was in this group (That has 3 teams from this division).
Group 4
| 1 | Otago United | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 6 | 17 | 16 |
| 2 | Cheltenham | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 5 | 21 | 15 |
| 3 | Glasston | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 12 |
| 4 | City Water Motel | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 5 | AMICI | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 55 | -53 | 0 |
A truly incredible group, 4 A-league teams and poor div 2 side AMICI who have been absolutely smashed. Interestingly, Otago and Cheltenham make it through, with City Water Motels league form not carrying into the national cup. How often would the 3rd placed team in the A-league (As I type this) be eliminated at the group stage of the national cup ?
Group 5
| 1 | Jokers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 7 | 24 | 18 |
| 2 | Númenóreans FC | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 18 |
| 3 | White City Eagles | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 10 |
| 4 | Duffield United | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 7 |
| 5 | Kangaroos | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 37 | -33 | 0 |
Jokers and Numenoreans make it through comfortably, although the div 1 side finished ahead of the groups A-leaguer, strong performance from Jokers.
Group 6
| 1 | BONDI ICEBERGS | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 4 | 47 | 22 |
| 2 | Central And Lower Coast | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 28 | 11 | 17 | 15 |
| 3 | HASSELHOFF BABES | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 26 | 10 | 16 | 10 |
| 4 | Brisbane Roar FC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 28 | -13 | 6 |
| 5 | OzForce TNT | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 68 | -67 | 0 |
Oh man, the only way this group could be more controversial and opinionated would be if we had tosspot in there. Bondi Icebergs strolled through to first place, with Central and Lower Coast picking up 2nd place. The hoff would have to be extremely disappointed in his side not putting up much of a fight, especially considering the closeness between his side and Central and Lower Coast in div 1.2 this season (tied on points for 3rd and 4th spot as of round 11).
Group 7
| 1 | SYDclub | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 5 | 20 | 19 |
| 2 | The Smoking Tree | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 6 | 25 | 18 |
| 3 | Red Devils United | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | Dewrang Lions | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 19 | -11 | 6 |
| 5 | Pukatika | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 37 | -34 | 0 |
Another group with a bunch of div 1.3 teams hiding in it, but this time SYDclub of div 1.2 take out top spot. Guess top of 1.2 is better than top of 1.3 hey. Red Devils United to feel a little hard done by, as a result of the group draw two sides (Skoolage United and Happy Little Vegemites) they are ahead of in div 1.3 make it through while they do not.
Group 8
| 1 | Dribblers FC | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 1 | 38 | 21 |
| 2 | Warringah Navigators | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 15 | 18 | 15 |
| 3 | Blazing Star | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 11 | 16 | 12 |
| 4 | Telita | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 35 | -20 | 6 |
| 5 | Rangers – Real Madrid | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 53 | -52 | 0 |
The only group to truly come down to the final round of the group stage (Group 2 doesn’t really count), Blazing Star head into the final round knowing a 3 goal win against cellar dweller Rangers-Real Madrid will put them into second spot, ahead of Warringah Navigators, who have a bye.
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