Okay Okay… we admit.
WE GOT IT WRONG with the SL1 Women’s competition in Season 2008.
With four rounds to go, things are looking very different to what our cheap piece of imitation glass shaped in a ball told us.
Before Round 1 we predicted the ladder at the end of Round 18 looking a lil’ somethin’ like this:
GreensboroughWaverley
Hawthorn
MCC Altona Essendon Ladies TEM Doncaster Camberwell Southern United
We predicted Greensborough to win the Premiership followed by Waverley in 2nd place. Camberwell & Southern United were to be relegated.
WU-HELL!
Could things be any different!! – At the end of Round 14, the ladder looks like this:
So! Hawthorn have just overtaken Camberwell at this late stage who certainly surprised us this year by romping away from the get-go. Buoyed by a couple of new pickups, namely one giant Dutch centre-forward, they’ve done extremely well and are poised for a top 2 finish. Greensborough is still well and truly in the mix and Essendon Ladies have surprised all by comfortably sitting in fourth spot with some great wins. The big disappointments are the two teams who played off in the Grand Final in 2007 – Waverley and MCC. Although a couple of controversial events have plagued both these teams and the games they’ve played throughout the year, it looks now that barring some almighty stuff ups by the Top 4 teams that both these teams will finish outside the four. A massive surprise and it looks like some tough questions will have to be asked at both clubs in preparation for next year.
Altona have disappointed also with them languishing at the bottom end of the ladder fighting against relegation like their men counterparts. TEM ladies have plucked some fantastic results seemingly out of thin air, while it’s been fantastic to watch the youngest team in the competition in Doncaster get some great results over more fancied opposition.
That all being said, that second relegation spot is proving impossible to lock in. Southern United are yet to pick up a win and heading back to SL2, but who just will join them looks like it could come down to Round 18. MCC are probably safe…but amazingly if Waverley drop their game to Essendon Ladies this week and the results fall against them, they find themselves back in relegation trouble. Crazy.
The Women’s competition in SL1 this year has been incredibly inconsistent, with results falling every which way. To call it now, seems foolish but we’re guessing that’s why we bought this Crystal Ball in the first place and we better get our money worth.
Looking to the 4 rounds ahead, the fixturing couldn’t be any tighter.
Altona play: TEM, Camberwell, Waverley, Doncaster
TEM play: Altona, Waverley, Doncaster, Greensborough
Doncaster play: Southern United, Essendon Ladies, TEM, Altona
So…how do we see the cards falling?
Doncaster get the best run home, and we reckon they’re probably safe as a result. It’ll be great for the Doncaster girls to stay up too and will prove to them that a young group of girls with grit and determination can match it with the best players in the State.
Altona and TEM are therefore probably going to be battling it out – and we reckon that the Camberwell game for Altona is the nail in their coffin and will see them relegated in an incredibly tight year for the Women’s SL1 Competition.
SO – on what we’ve seen this year and this amazingly inaccurate Crystal Ball…when asked about women (just ask Ben about his until recently unlucky love life and our initial predictions for Season 2008) :
Camberwell to win the Premiership.
Southern United & Altona to be relegated to SL2.
Related posts:
August 4th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
why is that dan coulson guy even coaching MCC? he coached me in juniors and he couldnt even do that successfuly. big mistake by mcc
August 4th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
if your going to attack coaches try not to do it behind an alias…I am sure Dan would be be more than happy to have you say this to his face…I seem to recall that Dan coached at TEM and didn’t coach a team that finished below second place…maybe you just weren’t good enough to make the first team???
I hate people who attack first year coaches…
August 5th, 2008 at 10:45 am
confused: don’t write stuff you have no idea about. Dan Coulson has done a fantastic job in his first year, he has managed to help change the culture of the club (which is not easy at MCC believe me), deal with a new challenge each week and work with no list of players.
Not sure why Hockey Show bother printing rubbish from people like you.
I thought this was a article on “gazing into the crystal ball”, not lets bag coaches hiding behind a fake name.
grow up.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I predicted 1st round that Southern and TEM will be demoted and I recon it was a good bet.
The crucial demotion game is TEM vs Altona, this weekend. A looser will be in heaps of doggy doo. A draw in this game will make it tuff for Altona and cement Doncaster in SL1 next year assuming they don’t self destruct against Southern on saturday. Donny can then survive with 3 points, from the remaining 3 games.
As the other end of the table don’t right off Burra. They have beaten Camberwell in both games this season and demolished Hawthorn 6-3 last weekend. Admittedly the Hawks didn’t have Claire Messent playing, but Burra rested key striker, Sarah Houghton-Sims in this game after her overseas jaunt.
Defence wins finals and the Burra girls have conceded fewer goals than any team in the competition to date…. and they will likely have Rachael Lynch back in the net for the finals.
I predict a Burra/Essendon grand final.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
who gives a beep about MCC, they’re just the poor cousin of a cricket club that have no juniors and an average culture!
the real interest is in the ‘proper’ clubs that have developed their own players and now have a chance of winning the flag.
hats off to the top four for earning their spots there and boo hoo to the middle of the road clubs who’s members spend so much time telling us how good they are on this forum. check your ladder position and then pull your heads in.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Donny has the best run home. I think that they will stay up. If they can have another win and pull a few draws then they’ll be all set.
Let’s just say – I hope they stay up!!
August 8th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
So if Donny can win 1 and draw 3 from there last 4 games you think they will stay up? way to go out on a limb.
MCC girls are happy with coulson as he is a yes man and lets them do whatever they want. He tells them they are robbed whenever they lose, and that they are superstars when they win. He lets them do whatever they want, furthering the almost is good enough culture at that club. Expects results on weekends without doing anything to help himself pre season or mid week.
August 8th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I’d say a win and a draw from Donny will keep them up! If they can win against Sux and Altona then they’ll be safe! I reckon these kids are gunna stay!
August 14th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Anonymous: you obviously know Dan then…a yes man…and the other crap you have written. You are well far from the truth champ. Don’t talk crap you don’t know about and hide behind a fake name.
Weak prick.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Also stop bagging TEM, I am proud of the club I play for and am sick of hearing tossers from other clubs bagging us for trying to be our best…
Your just jealous.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Wrong: Coulson = dud
Glad you are proud of your club, good to hear. As for being jealous of TEM, potentially being relegated from both Mens and Women in league 1, even if they stay they are both also rans in this years top flights, no offence but i doubt anyone is jealous.
ps. How unfortunate your parents christened you “the vegemite kid”.
pps. hopefully you meant “You’RE just jealous”.