Welcome to Aussiezone 233!

Dear reader,

Wow! I bet you didn’t expect to see that Z in the top right corner light up! No this is not April Fool’s, in fact, it’s a real edition of the Australian Zone for the first time in 957 days — a monumental occasion we can all celebrate.

But hey … WELCOME BACK! It’s a new era in Australian Zone writing as we look towards the future of what may be only a few years after we said goodbye for a while. The hiatus has left us with a hole we felt we needed to close, and the time is right to bring The Zone back to the readers, even if it’s probably only a handful.

This edition we thank the valuable and very wonderful contributions from chucky06 and grinner. Please give me a hand here in thanking them for their efforts on what they’ve put together, and encouragement in getting The Zone back on its feet. It hasn’t been an easy task, but we’re committed to making it somewhat of a great tool as it once was in its glory years. In particular, I’d like to thank the previous editor Scruttino in keeping The Zone running solo up until its last entry point almost four-figures of days ago. Without him, we wouldn’t still have the login to access this site 😛

While we’ve managed to make this edition a reality, we’d also love to see more articles across the board from Australians to write in The Zone – even something as small as a note, a diary entry, a wall post to my guestbook, an idea that you would like to see in The Zone, or an article each edition or even every two editions – we welcome all of these contributions across the realm of MZ Australia.

But without further ado, please give yourself a good 10 minutes to get through all of the reading. It’s great to be back with you in your palms.

Enjoy the read!
Damo11

A-League Season 69 — First 12 Rounds in Review

Another A-League Season kicked off at the start of January. We saw four newly promoted teams from division one join the top flight to contest for the coveted A-League trophy, with four of our sides from the previous A-League season being sent back to division one to have to earn a place in the top flight again.
At the start of the season looking at sides in contention for the title, I could then narrow it down to what I thought, a three horse race. Respectively, the depth of the other sides in the A-League isn’t there to give the League a red hot crack this season without a minor miracle happening (or a sell-off). These three sides also occupied the top three positions the season just gone and in my mind were most likely to finish in these positions again. The reigning champion of the last two seasons and five-time winner Jimmy Pizza on paper went into the season a clear favourite for a third consecutive title. Second favourite and happy to be labelled the underdog at the season’s start was Flying Hellfish. Hellfish finished second last campaign narrowly, after a rebuild the season before and has seemed to have found more consistency. Third favourite and dark-horse for the title are Crimson Eagles FC. His squad is very solid on paper and quite versatile allowing him to be able to play multiple different tactics effectively which could be the difference in a tightly contested battle up top of the table.

 

Round 1

  • This saw Jimmy Pizza stamp his claim on the title by defeating Helllfish which could be very valuable points later in the season.

Round 2

  • All title contenders had wins and every team after 2 rounds had points to their name
Round 3
  • The big surprise of this round was Jimmy losing to Bindi FC 3-0
Round 4
  • Round 4 was a very closely matched round with no team winning by more than one goal.
  • Crazily, Glasston had managed to draw all four games to start the season
Round 5
  • Hellfish dropped points to Glasston (5 draws in a row for Glasston)
  • Crimson pulled off a big upset beating Jimmy 4-1
Round 6 
  • All title favourites had wins
  • Glasston also had their first win, starting the season 6 games 1 win and 5 draws. Up until then, they were in danger of being the first side to go through the season undefeated and end up in relegation.
Round 7
  • Jimmy and Hellfish both had wins but fellow title contender Crimson was defeated by Abbotsford FC

Round 8

  • No major upsets or anomalies, the season and positions on the ladder were starting to solidify at this time.
Round 9
  •  Again, no real upsets but a clear bottom 3 teams started to emerge

Round 10

  • Hellfish dropped points to Abbotsford FC who started putting a nice run of form together
  • Crimson had a huge 9-0 win over Bindi FC which came as a surprise

Round 11

  • Brisbane Roar upset title favourite, Jimmy Pizza 1-0
  • Crimson beat Flying Hellfish convincingly 5-1 escalating him into first place with both closest rivals losing.
  • Close Family had a much-needed win to help ease some of the relegation pressure but needs to find more results fast.
Round 12
  • Astonishingly, in the return fixture, three teams reversed the result of the previous round. These were Jimmy beating Brisbane, SYDclub defeating Welford and Abbotsford turning around their result against Close Family.
  • Meanwhile Hellfish and Crimson had a draw

After 12 rounds and just past the mid part of the season the below table shows the current standings. Surprisingly, I’m sure a lot of managers, Crimson Eagles FC sit on top of the ladder but have title favourites Jimmy Pizza breathing down their neck, only being behind by goal difference. While Flying Hellfish sit in striking distance waiting for any Steve G moments, only a win away in third place.

In fourth, Bindi FC have had a great season so far beating a few of the big boys and having fairly consistent results. Abbotsford FC have done a great job of late after not being able to buy a win early in the campaign. Sixth place the ever consistent SYDclub, a seasoned veteran of the A-League is doing enough to maintain status. Glasston sitting in seventh place have had a tough season drawing the first five games which is now paying hurt to their points tally.

In the relegation play-off position, Brisbane Roar are only two points behind seventh place and with a few more wins can find safety. Ninth position is currently Chelsea Dream who have now lost their last four matches in a row. A few better performances are definitely needed to avoid relegation.

In the relegation places; we have Welford, Close Family and Ayreon. All three teams I feel will need to find something towards the back of the season to be playing A-League football next season but this might just be a task too far out of reach.

Team M W D L + = P Last 6
1   Crimson Eagles FC 12 8 3 1 37 15 22 27
2   Jimmy Pizza 12 9 0 3 29 15 14 27
3   Flying Hellfish 12 7 3 2 28 17 11 24
4   Bindi FC 12 6 2 4 26 21 5 20
5   Abbotsford FC 12 5 4 3 25 25 0 19
6   SYDclub 12 5 3 4 22 18 4 18
7   Glasston 12 4 5 3 21 23 -2 17
8   Brisbane Roar 12 4 3 5 21 24 -3 15
9   Chelsea Dream 12 3 1 8 22 31 -9 10
10   Welford 12 3 1 8 13 25 -12 10
11   Close family 12 2 2 8 18 30 -12 8
12   Ayreon 12 2 1 9 16 34 -18 7
My Round 13 and 14 Predictions

Round 13 – 20-02-2019 11:30

Jimmy Pizza 4-0 Welford
Brisbane Roar 2-2 Glasston
Chelsea Dream 1-3 SYDclub
Flying Hellfish 3-1 Abbotsford FC
Crimson Eagles FC 2-1 Bindi FC
Ayreon 1-0 Close family

Round 14 – 24-02-2019 14:30

Glasston 1-4 Jimmy Pizza
SYDclub 2-2 Brisbane Roar
Welford 1-1 Chelsea Dream
Bindi FC 1-3 Flying Hellfish
Close family 4-1 Crimson Eagles FC
Abbotsford FC 2-0 Ayreon

 

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The U21 Socceroos – Season 69 Confederations Cup

by grinner

U21 Confederations Cup 2019

Australia – The Road to Victory

Ok well let’s not get carried away here, but we were drawn into a group that was filled with hazards from the powerful Canadians to Panama who had a major impact on our senior squad in the last competition. To round out the tricky trio is the unknown entity that is Vietnam and Ecuador who have already shown their ability by defeating us in a friendly 1-0.

This is not going to be an easy run for us but with old hand Mrutgers09 by my side, I have every confidence in our abilities to make an impact on this tournament.

Game 1

Vietnam Vs Australia

Not the easiest of starts but not a bad way to ease into the water and the Vietnamese put up a fair amount of resistance before finally succumbing to our boys. Its was Neville Burmeister who got the ball rolling after 8 minutes but the home team played well and kept everything tight until half time with the score remaining the same. In the 57th minute Hines doubled the lead and things began to look comfortable but there was no time to settle as only 6 minutes later the Vietnamese bagged their first to keep them within reach. Burmeister was taken off and the rejuvenated front pairing of Hines and Boyce paid dividends shortly afterward as Hines took a beautiful chance to put us 2 goals to the good again. Once again though the plucky Vietnamese side came back and made the score 2-3, setting up a very tense final 10 minutes. With the home team throwing everything at us, it gave Arneil Boyce the space he needed to bag his first goal of the tournament in injury time and put the result beyond doubt.

Game 2

Australia Vs Ecuador

As I mentioned before, Ecuador had already beaten us 0-1 in a warm up game for this tournament so we knew going into this that was not going to be easy. Things started off well with Hines smashing home one of his first chances after 23 minutes to put us where we wanted to be but great play from the visitors meant Danny De La Rosa found the space to level on the half hour mark, and then deftly slide a second past a struggling Panetta to line our boys up for a good half time screaming at. Something must have worked in that dressing room as Hines levelled only 6 minutes into the second half and 10 minutes later Burmeister put us back in the lead.

The visitors made a swath of substitutions shortly after and it only took Guerrero 4 minutes of field time before he levelled the game once again with a stunning finish. Both teams were looking for a hero, and with 12 minutes left we got one. Pearce Hines stepped up for us once again and hammered home what turned out to be the winning goal despite intense pressure from the away side right up until the final whistle.

Game 3

 Canada Vs Australia

This was it, the game against group favourites, Canada. A win would see us through but anything else would leave us in the mire, still struggling for qualification. If there was anytime we needed the boys to step up, then this was it.

In what turned out to be a very tense and tight game, played out in the middle of the park, the heroes emerged in the forms of Mack Hunter, who bagged the vital goal and Steve Panetta who managed to keep his first clean sheet of the tournament making 11 saves for the game. Even with the incredible pressure the Canadians put onto us looking for an equalizer, our backline stood strong and we emerged winners, qualifying for the knockout stages.

Game 4

 Australia Vs Panama

At the time of printing we still have one final hurdle to cross, and finally have our time to hand out some revenge on the Panamanians. It will be another tough game and will determine who we play in the next round so tune in and cheer our boys home.

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Seniors National Cup Season 69

THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CUP CORNER

Senior National Cup
Season 68 Winner: Abbotsford FC
Season 69 Prediction: Flying Hellfish

Group 1

Team M W D L + = P
1 Crimson Eagles FC 10 8 2 0 64 2 62 26
2 Green Sheep 10 8 0 2 47 13 34 24
3 Rutgers Utd 10 7 0 3 39 16 23 21
4 BES MUDI BANDITS 10 6 2 2 33 8 25 20
5 Catanzaro FC 10 5 1 4 30 21 9 16
6 Vikings 10 2 1 7 14 32 -18 7
7 Hunter Valley FC 10 1 0 9 4 60 -56 3
8 Joachim Wiking TSS 10 0 0 10 0 79 -79 0

Crimson Eagles look comfortable at the moment on top of the table and look destined for knock-out football. Second place still has a number of teams battling it out. Green Sheep are currently in the box seat but Rutgers Utd and BES MUDI BANDITS are hot on their tail.

Group 2

Team M W D L + = P
1 Flying Hellfish 10 9 0 1 71 4 67 27
2 Darwin Saville FC 10 8 2 0 28 5 23 26
3 Gunyah 10 7 1 2 32 13 19 22
4 Harry Cool 10 5 0 5 41 16 25 15
5 Duffield United 10 4 1 5 17 22 -5 13
6 Stone Eagles 10 3 1 6 22 29 -7 10
7 BONDI ICEBERGS 10 1 1 8 11 66 -55 4
8 Rubiton F.C. 10 0 0 10 3 70 -67 0

Group two looks to be nearly wrapped up already with Gunyah the only potential chance to sneak into the fold. It would take a giant effort and require one of the top two teams to cop a few very rough results.

Group 3

Team M W D L + = P
1 Collingwood 10 7 1 2 43 16 27 22
2 Abbotsford FC 10 7 1 2 36 15 21 22
3 Glasston 10 7 1 2 34 20 14 22
4 Chelsea Dream 10 6 2 2 36 15 21 20
5 Mount Pleasant FC 10 3 2 5 16 29 -13 11
6 Elite FC 10 3 1 6 25 30 -5 10
7 SYDclub 10 3 0 7 27 25 2 9
8 Amputees FC 10 0 0 10 6 73 -67 0

Group three is still very open with any of the top four sides able to reach the finals. This group is definitely one to watch with close eyes.

Group 4

Team M W D L + = P
1 Bindi FC 9 8 0 1 65 3 62 24
2 Jimmy Pizza 9 8 0 1 59 9 50 24
3 Goonaus 8 5 1 2 31 21 10 16
4 HASSELHOFF BABES 9 5 0 4 27 28 -1 15
5 Melbourne Rockstars 9 4 1 4 32 16 16 13
6 The Obscurials 9 3 0 6 29 33 -4 9
7 Ryde City FC 9 3 0 6 29 38 -9 9
8 Aussie Polo & Gents Club 9 3 0 6 13 42 -29 9
9 Skoolage United 9 0 0 9 4 99 -95 0

This group looks all over already with Bindi FC and Jimmy Pizza looking unlikely to be caught at the top with both going to proceed to the next round.

Division 1 Season 69 — Mid-Season Review

The quest to take part in the top flight always leaves a lot to be desired. But at the turning point of the season, we take a glimpse into how the three Division 1s are headed after an intriguing beginning first half of the year.
DIV 1.1
Putting aside all team bias here, I can only go on practical reports of my side BES MUDI BANDITS (I promise I’m not yelling) and say that the name change in the last off-season to restore the club to its former glory has gone to plan so far. In what has been a yo-yo at the top between BMB and Darwin Saville FC, has seen 0Fubar You make a significant impact on the top 3 in the standings. The Bandits have slipped up a couple of times this season against weaker opponents (a number of red cards have hurt the club), while Darwin Saville have had a tough past four rounds taking home only 5 points from what could’ve been a chance to hold onto the top spot for the back half of the season. In the middle, Gunyah are doing the most damage of late, tied up in a tussle with Green Sheep and The Obscurials. It’s certainly set up for a great run home with six teams still in the mix for a playoff spot.
DIV 1.2
It’s fair to say thatHarry Cool have this one wrapped up and should return to the A-Leauge once more in only just over a month’s time. Pureowen has his squad in scintillating form only dropping a handful of points from two draws in rounds 1 and 4 to Catanzaro FC and Stone Eagles — both likely challengers for playoffs, but probably too far behind to catch  the Cool in the remaining rounds based on form.  Mount Pleasant FC and Selbourne are also in the mix, making the two playoff spots a race with four teams around the mark. Look out for Round 22 when Stone Eagles vs Selbourne and Catanzaro FC vs Harry Cool could become crucial deciding matches.
DIV 1.3
In what was looking like an unstoppable season for Collingwood turned into a shock in the 13th Round as they slipped up 0-1 to 6th placed Rodborough in what we know to be a “simming” thanks to a 21-7 shot count and 54% possession rate. Aside from that game, Collingwood have stamped their authority on the league and leave only Safety Squad and Warburn F.C as candidates of trying to get to the top. Elite FC and Rodboroguh have struggled this season after coming close to promotion last year, and need a big second half of the season. The round 22 thriller is already set up between 2nd and 3rd among the top 8 all playing one another.

Under 23 National Cup Season 69

THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CUP CORNER

U23 National Cup
Season 68 Winner: The Obscurials
Season 69 Prediction: The Obscurials

Group 1

Team M W D L + = P
1 Green Sheep 9 9 0 0 71 2 69 27
2 HASSELHOFF BABES 9 6 1 2 24 18 6 19
3 Gunyah 8 5 1 2 22 17 5 16
4 Catanzaro FC 9 5 0 4 26 31 -5 15
5 Amputees FC 8 3 0 5 17 28 -11 9
6 Darwin Saville FC 9 0 1 8 13 38 -25 1
7 Joachim Wiking TSS 8 0 1 7 8 47 -39 1

Green Sheep are flying ahead of the pack without losing a game and only conceding 2 goals so far assuring their place in the knock-out stage. HASSELHOFF BABES and Gunyah are in a tight battle for the second position.

Group 2

Team M W D L + = P
1 Goonaus 9 5 2 2 33 14 19 17
2 Hammer Time F.C. 8 3 5 0 26 8 18 14
3 Ryde City FC 8 4 2 2 23 17 6 14
4 Stone Eagles 9 4 2 3 22 17 5 14
5 Harry Cool 8 4 0 4 30 24 6 12
6 Rubiton F.C. 9 2 3 4 21 40 -19 9
7 Glasston 9 1 0 8 6 41 -35 3

Group two is incredibly close with a few big matches coming up to determine who will play knock-out football. Goal difference may play a factor in splitting the top teams with Goonaus and Hammer Time F.C. having a nice cushion over their rivals.

Group 3

Team M W D L + = P
1 Rutgers Utd 10 8 1 1 42 10 32 25
2 Duffield United 10 6 3 1 50 10 40 21
3 Crimson Eagles FC 10 6 2 2 45 8 37 20
4 Jimmy Pizza 10 5 2 3 31 11 20 17
5 Bindi FC 10 4 1 5 29 31 -2 13
6 Abbotsford FC 10 2 1 7 15 43 -28 7
7 Vikings 10 2 0 8 12 44 -32 6
8 Flying Hellfish 10 2 0 8 13 80 -67 6

Rutgers look to have secured their ascendancy at the top of the table. Duffield United and Crimson Eagles FC look to fight it out to snag the second spot on the table.

Group 4

Team M W D L + = P
1 SYDclub 10 8 2 0 56 7 49 26
2 Chelsea Dream 10 7 0 3 44 13 31 21
3 The Obscurials 10 6 1 3 57 16 41 19
4 Elite FC 10 6 1 3 41 26 15 19
5 Mount Pleasant FC 10 5 0 5 33 47 -14 15
6 BONDI ICEBERGS 10 3 2 5 25 27 -2 11
7 Hunter Valley FC 10 1 2 7 22 52 -30 5
8 Skoolage United 10 0 0 10 2 92 -90 0

SYDclub are comfortably positioned on top of the table and will qualify for the knock out while Chelsea Dream, The Obscurials and Elite FC will fight it out for the second knock out position.

 

Under 18 National Cup Season 69

THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CUP CORNER

U18 National Cup
Season 68 Winner: Rubiton F.C.
Season 69 Prediction: The Amputees FC


Group 1

Team M W D L + = P
1 SYDclub 8 7 0 1 30 10 20 21
2 Rubiton F.C. 9 6 1 2 34 8 26 19
3 Glasston 9 5 0 4 16 16 0 15
4 Rutgers Utd 8 4 1 3 21 15 6 13
5 Flying Hellfish 9 3 0 6 10 28 -18 9
6 Skoolage United 9 2 0 7 9 24 -15 6
7 Gunyah 8 2 0 6 7 26 -19 6

Group one includes reigning U18 National Cup winner Rubiton F.C. At the top, SYDclub are in a commanding position on the table with Rubiton looking almost certain to hold onto second position. 

Group 2

Team M W D L + = P
1 Green Sheep 9 8 0 1 37 5 32 24
2 Chelsea Dream 9 6 2 1 26 13 13 20
3 Duffield United 9 4 2 3 19 13 6 14
4 Harry Cool 9 4 2 3 15 13 2 14
5 Catanzaro FC 8 2 1 5 15 20 -5 7
6 Abbotsford FC 8 1 3 4 13 21 -8 6
7 Stone Eagles 8 0 0 8 2 42 -40 0

Group two, baring a few surprise results already has two clear teams on top positioned to progress. Green Sheep are very likely to top the group having only lost once.

Group 3

Team M W D L + = P
1 Elite FC 8 6 0 2 31 12 19 18
2 Collingwood 9 6 0 3 32 15 17 18
3 Jimmy Pizza 8 6 0 2 23 14 9 18
4 Bindi FC 8 4 0 4 17 17 0 12
5 HASSELHOFF BABES 9 3 2 4 16 23 -7 11
6 Hunter Valley FC 9 2 1 6 9 32 -23 7
7 Joachim Wiking TSS 9 1 1 7 15 30 -15 4

Group three is still well alive and the battle to finish in the top two positions continues. Three teams are equal on 18 points but Collingwood have played an extra match. This group still might throw up a surprise or two.

Group 4 

Team M W D L + = P
1 Amputees FC 9 8 1 0 39 3 36 25
2 Crimson Eagles FC 9 7 0 2 34 11 23 21
3 The Obscurials 9 6 1 2 36 9 27 19
4 BONDI ICEBERGS 8 3 0 5 20 15 5 9
5 Goonaus 8 2 1 5 16 35 -19 7
6 Mount Pleasant FC 9 1 2 6 10 44 -34 4
7 Vikings 8 0 1 7 0 38 -38 0

This group has been dominated by Amputees FC, only dropping points once in 9 games. The other promotion position is still well and truly up for grabs between Crimson Eagles FC and The Obscurials. These two teams meet in two rounds time with the result likely to determine who progresses into the knockout stages.

AIHL Season 51 — Mid-season review

by damo11

After reaching veteran status of “Long time hockey coach, no-time winner”, I’ve learned to accept that there’s only ever going to be a handful of competitors each season that have a chance of winning the AIHL. Unfortunately, that number has now slimmed down to a sole representative in scruttino’s The Jugular Vein.

After already winning last season’s titles with the only blemish on the undefeated season being two draws, this team is on track to become the greatest we’ve seen in Australian hockey history. Currently ranked 109th in the world, they’re as good a chance as any to go undefeated again this season, and reach their 5th consecutive title, all above 62 points for the season. Added to that, the club hasn’t finished lower than 3rd in a decade of MZ years.

But anyway, enough about the admiration for that team, here’s a little snapshot of where things are at this season:

Team M W D L + = P Last 6
1   The Jugular Vein 13 13 0 0 68 10 58 39
2   Finlandia HC 13 10 1 2 62 9 53 31
3   Ice Aussies Pucks 13 9 0 4 59 25 34 27
4  Polar Bear Club 13 8 1 4 57 16 41 25
5   Harry Cold 13 8 0 5 62 30 32 24
6   Dunedin Thunderbirds HC 13 6 1 6 30 35 -5 19
7   Black Mamba HC 13 6 0 7 37 54 -17 18
8   Kangaroo Crusaders 13 5 0 8 24 47 -23 15
9   Caboonbah 13 4 2 7 27 43 -16 14
10   Auckland Anvils 13 4 1 8 20 36 -16 13
11   Pollywaffle 13 2 0 11 21 97 -76 6
12   Telita 13 0 0 13 0 65 -65 0

Despite the season we’ve had, there’s Telita who are nowhere to be seen as the standard of the AIHL has always been quite poor in depth. Finlandia have proven again they’re up there with the best in the competition but agonisingly short each time of taking down The Jugular Vein at the turning point of the season losing 0-4 and 2-1.  Although it’s unlikely to create a landmark score in the season to define placings, Round 22 is set up for a great clash between Polar Bear Club and Finlandia HC.

Ice Aussies Pucks have come out from nowhere really in the past few seasons winning the inevitable div 2 and div 1 in successive seasons before 8th last year and already leapfrogging into 3rd place. They’ll also go on to face 5th placed Harry Cold in the final round and will look to avenge their opening round defeat which could end up costing them 2nd place.

Overall, we need more competitors in the AIHL, now more than ever. If you fancy your chances, why not start with a few youth and see how you go? It’s pretty simple and there’s guides around we’ll share over the coming issues of the Aussie Zone.

MZ FLASHBACKS — 100 Tips to Win in MZ

by damo11

Remember back in the day when there were screens like that? I’m talking 2003 here when a few of us first started playing MZ. Yes, we feel like fossils, but that’s what the theme is here for MZ Flashbacks. What we do is regurgitate content that you may have forgotten, sometimes relevant, sometimes effective in today’s game. Other times it’s just interesting to see where the game has gone.

In saying that, this article below is from five years ago with an interesting guide on 100 Tips to Win in MZ. What’s more interesting is that dantergrande actually had the will to continue writing for 100 points.

That’s probably enough from me, but enjoy the nostalgia that comes with the read!

Continue reading MZ FLASHBACKS — 100 Tips to Win in MZ