Media TiFmedia presents... The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - Season 33 In Review

[DragoDelph]

lol... TIF is on the money ... "Surly" is the one word that aptly describes the Drags

What you on about old timer?

 

[Greenery]

KP RUINS RETURNS

Just as things were starting to look concerning for the Swampies after an S32 exodus of a number of experienced clubmen types, they managed one of the great recruiting coups in recent memory, surprisingly luring former and future admin Kennedy Parker out of retirement and straight into a leadership role back at the club where it all started for him.

With KP's star power at their disposal, they took full advantage of their new co-captain's cachet, bringing in a number of well respected veteran players in the form of ShaunDuggan, Kirkswan, Grav...oh and they also brought in okeydoke7. Add these names to established players like GremioPower, philreich, jackster83 & Ant Bear and all of a sudden things were looking up at the swamp. Come the season proper, the Swampies took on a considerably different complexion and proved to be one of the big improvers off the field in Season 33.

OUT: CATSNLAKERS

As we touched on above, the return of KP saw a consolidation of a list that had it's doubters, but how did they all gel?

One of the surprising names to come out of the woodwork and straight into the fray was former admin and league goalkicking bridesmaid okeydoke7, who even the most casual of Sweet FA observer knows, only gets out of bed for a full forward gig, no matter how many inactive seasons he has stacked together in recent times.

In fact, a certain TheInjuryFactory called it out at the time during an episode of Qooty Classified, much to the chagrin of host KP who rankled at the suggestion. Vice captain Catsnlakers was the full forward, he was a valued member of the leadership group, and old mate okeydoke7 was happy playing out of a forward pocket. Flash forward just 3 rounds later, and sure enough okey was slotted in at full forward as CNL sadly made way, throwing into question the selection integrity in place down at Sin City.

The end result? The promising Catsnlakers inevitably seeks greener pastures, making an off season move to the Gumbies.

SPOONRATS

While off the field the Swamprats enjoyed a season of much welcomed rejuvenation, on field it was a season to forget for the Undergrounders.

Despite managing a respectable start to the season as they hovered around the poverty line, which would see them sitting 6-7 and in 7th place as late as Rd 13, they would go on to lose the next four games straight culminating in a Rd 17 loss to the Dees at home, sealing the club's third wooden spoon in their history and their first since Season 24, ending a charmed run of form that had seen them qualify for four grand finals over that stretch and salute twice.

Silver lining to this was a handful of individual honours, as Kennedy Parker was named VC of the All-SFA side joined by his co-captain and perennial selection philreich, while okeydoke7 found himself 2nd for all time Sweet FA goals behind the inimitable Tarkyn_24.​

I can confirmed the Swamprats miss Catsnlakers.
Source: I played them last week when he wasn't there and I played them from s31-s33 when he was there. ( I can post the links to the match threads if they are required).

 

[Catsnlakers]

Pretty poor write up, though I’d imagine it was designed to bait a somewhat egotistical response from me. So you can have one.

I played far more than 3 games as a forward pocket last season. I fully expected to have to earn my position. I never once asked club leaders for any favours.

My match thread posting was just way too good. I averaged more posts per game than at any stage in my career - far more than Catsnlakers who was a good poster in his own right. I was also dropped back to the forward pocket just a week or 2 after posting 150 times in a match thread, just to give Catsnlakers yet another look at it.

His departure was unfortunate, but that’s what happens when someone realises they’re not capable of out posting their competition for a position. It’s a shame, as I thought we were forming a nice forward line partnership.

Catsnlakers has now moved to the Sweet FA graveyard, the Gumbies, in a move that will ruin his career. He will chip away for a season, maybe two, then drift off into the sunset never to be heard from again. I’ve seen it all too many times. Wasted talent. I just wish he didn’t shy away from some healthy internal competition. With a bit of spine he could’ve taken it up to me and we could’ve made each other better.

Unfortunately I couldn’t be bothered posting how good I was 150odd times just to get my posting numbers up, I loved my time at the Swampies but I have found a great home in the Gumbies, & DenieD has created a great culture which is not based on the promotion of one man, but the entire team.

 

[okeydoke7]

Unfortunately I couldn’t be bothered posting how good I was 150odd times just to get my posting numbers up, I loved my time at the Swampies but I have found a great home in the Gumbies, & DenieD has created a great culture which is not based on the promotion of one man, but the entire team.

How very vanilla.

Enjoy your season, followed by your retirement. If you ever want to make a comeback after your retirement, let me know. I see great potential in you, but it’s being flushed away even this early in your Gumbie career.

 

[Senor M]

How very vanilla.

Enjoy your season, followed by your retirement. If you ever want to make a comeback after your retirement, let me know. I see great potential in you, but it’s being flushed away even this early in your Gumbie career.

How many times have you retired okeydoke7 ?

It’s not something I often read as part of your resume.

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

@DenieD has created a great culture which is not based on the promotion of one man, but the entire team.

 

[Blaze Storm]

BREATHING FIRE

The Dragons enjoyed a bullshit season on and off the field, securing an outrageous back to back minor premiership after finishing top of the table in S32. They were the first club to achieve this feat since the Swampies in S28-29, punctuated by a 7 game winning streak to end the season.

In addition to their smoking hot form as a club, a plethora of individual accolades would ultimately come their way. From DragoDelph's victory in the EKA who was well supported by fellow rookie Braklet in giving the Dragons a different look in S33, to the scintillating Bonz comfortably winning the Fred Medal leading the league's goalkickers. It was also a banner season for the skipper serial_thrilla who managed not only an All-SFA captaincy alongside three teammates (Pie 4 Life, Bonz & T2B_) but the highly coveted Frankston Rover Award for services to spreadsheets. The Dragons did it all.

EXTINGUISHED

As we've covered off, the Dragons absolutely romped it home in the back half of the season to finish minor premiers for the second time in as many seasons, and entered the finals in sensational form having won a whopping seven games on the trot. But it wouldn't stop there, as a 12 goal Hatchy1992 & Bonz party in the Qualifying Final in Week 1 saw them demolish the Phoenix 133-95 as they booked themselves a home Preliminary Final.

So when the Roys booked their place for the contest at Ljp86's Lair, you could forgive the Dragons for believing the result was a fait accompli. But the Roys were building their own momentum, fueled by Mobbs imminent departure and the talismanic #WOSHMOBBSDING hashtag celebrating the fleeting combination of Mobbs, Wosh & Dingster who managed to find themselves all in the same place at the right time.

The two sides were inseparable over four quarters, but it would be the Roys who would eek out the most slender of leads and manage to maintain it throughout the second half to cause an upset for the ages as they won by a kick and booked themselves a spot in the decider that they would go on to win. Having enjoyed such a thoroughly dominant second half of the season, the Dragons were bitterly unlucky as they choked at the final hurdle and their flame flickered out one game shy of a Grand Final berth.

OFF THE SCALES

After coming across from the Wonders at the completion of Season 30, the enigmatic Bonz made an immediate impact, shifting the often surly Dragons' natural disposition with a touch of whimsy and Tigerturbulance style titillation. He would bring a lightness and brevity that was sorely lacking and in limited supply, and yet behind the scenes it would seem there was more than meets the eye as he quickly established himself within the Dragons' LG.

Come Season 33 and the inevitable spectre of expansion would rear it's head, and surprisingly would prove too tempting for Bonz to resist. Like Blaze Storm with a brand new waifu pillow, the Old Boys would come quick, and come hard, as Bonz swiftly and rather publicly signed for the trouser snake inspired Ophidians early in the season. One would presume the chance to play with the player who seems to have inspired much of his posting style was too good to refuse, and he once again brings a unique approach to the new franchise along with some serious qooty pedigree.

While the Dragons can replace Bonz position on the ground, it remains to be seen whether they can cover his impact on and off the field in S34 and beyond.
​

Sees a tag I'd better be in ugly Keeps reading okay.

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

GOODIE, MOBBS

Who said fairytales don't come true? When the godfather of the Roys and Qooty itself Mobbs flagged his intent to join the Old Boys expansion bid and succesfully saw it pass a vote in S33 for admission into the league for Season 34, attention quickly turned to the Roys' run home in the lead up to the finals. Momentum slowly built around the chances of a #WOSHMOBBSDING flag and most loudly from within, but with scratchy albeit winning form heading into the finals, it looked as though the Roys would be set to make up the numbers in the S34 finals. Mobbs would bid adieu to the BJO and make his way over to Spotwood campus ahead of the S34 first semester.

It was almost over before it begun, as the Roys held on for their tightest win of the season in Week 1 of the finals series, as they downed an underperforming Wazzas side by just two points. But as they ploughed their way through the series, good wins over the top four Gumbies, and the minor premier Dragons in succession saw them cruise into the most unlikely yet timely Grand Final berths in recent memory.

Here they would face and equally plucky Phoenix side making their first appearance in the decider since their recent rebrand. TedDougChris' side went into the game as the sentimental favourites, as well as sporting a healthy 2-0 zip record in Grand Finals to give them the mental edge going into the contest. After a tight first half, the Roys pulled away in the end to register a 32 point win and a famous victory, delivering an incredibly unlikely premiership for Mobbs in his final game for the Roys (for now anyway).

And so the Roys would go on to enjoy a 3-0 record in Grand Finals, with a fairytale send off for Mobbs to boot.

OUT: MOBBS

And yet soon the reality would bite, as the irreplaceable talisman of the Roys cleared out his locker for the first time in 496 Sweet FA games. The Roys spiritual leader Mobbs was out, walking away from his premiership teammates to join the newly installed expansion side, the Ophidian Old Boys as they begun preseason training at Spotswood campus.

Now while TedDougChris and his Roys would likely play down the significance of his departure, given the likelihood Mobbs will be ultimately unlikely to stray terribly far from the familiar surrounds of BJO and the lure of a frosty chudshake, it is arguably one of the greatest losses a club has endured in Sweet FA history. To lose a nearly 500 game player of your club, the heart and soul of your changerooms and the man most synonymous with your culture and your club ethos, well that's not something to be glossed over or sneezed at, that's real.

Still, Mobbs will forever be a Roy, and one suspects it will only be a matter of time before the great man returns to his spiritual homeland at the Roys.

WOSHMOBBSDING

While it's hard to find anything really ugly for a fairytale season where everything went right and then some, losing two thirds of the #WOSHMOBBSDING combination, while at the same time bringing in little of value the other way is a net loss in anyone's book, even if you did just break through for a premiership with one of the most active lists in the competition.

While Wosh remains, losing Mobbs and Dingster are holes the Roys won't easily plug, however with a list sprinkled with veterans of their own making in the beloved fitzroybowiedog, seasoned skipper TedDougChris and spearhead Mooch and those from oppo clubs like zackah & Sterge, with a handful of eager and enthusiastic 'youth' also at their disposal the Roys wouldn't be losing terribly much sleep over the state of their list, and unlike some moves that occur between seasons as players seek greener pastures, the two HOFers clearly left on good terms and with their club's blessing.
​

 

[tigs2010]

GOODIE, MOBBS

Who said fairytales don't come true? When the godfather of the Roys and Qooty itself Mobbs flagged his intent to join the Old Boys expansion bid and succesfully saw it pass a vote in S33 for admission into the league for Season 34, attention quickly turned to the Roys' run home in the lead up to the finals. Momentum slowly built around the chances of a #WOSHMOBBSDING flag and most loudly from within, but with scratchy albeit winning form heading into the finals, it looked as though the Roys would be set to make up the numbers in the S34 finals. Mobbs would bid adieu to the BJO and make his way over to Spotwood campus ahead of the S34 first semester.

It was almost over before it begun, as the Roys held on for their tightest win of the season in Week 1 of the finals series, as they downed an underperforming Wazzas side by just two points. But as they ploughed their way through the series, good wins over the top four Gumbies, and the minor premier Dragons in succession saw them cruise into the most unlikely yet timely Grand Final berths in recent memory.

Here they would face and equally plucky Phoenix side making their first appearance in the decider since their recent rebrand. TedDougChris' side went into the game as the sentimental favourites, as well as sporting a healthy 2-0 zip record in Grand Finals to give them the mental edge going into the contest. After a tight first half, the Roys pulled away in the end to register a 32 point win and a famous victory, delivering an incredibly unlikely premiership for Mobbs in his final game for the Roys (for now anyway).

And so the Roys would go on to enjoy a 3-0 record in Grand Finals, with a fairytale send off for Mobbs to boot.

OUT: MOBBS

And yet soon the reality would bite, as the irreplaceable talisman of the Roys cleared out his locker for the first time in 496 Sweet FA games. The Roys spiritual leader Mobbs was out, walking away from his premiership teammates to join the newly installed expansion side, the Ophidian Old Boys as they begun preseason training at Spotswood campus.

Now while TedDougChris and his Roys would likely play down the significance of his departure, given the likelihood Mobbs will be ultimately unlikely to stray terribly far from the familiar surrounds of BJO and the lure of a frosty chudshake, it is arguably one of the greatest losses a club has endured in Sweet FA history. To lose a nearly 500 game player of your club, the heart and soul of your changerooms and the man most synonymous with your culture and your club ethos, well that's not something to be glossed over or sneezed at, that's real.

Still, Mobbs will forever be a Roy, and one suspects it will only be a matter of time before the great man returns to his spiritual homeland at the Roys.

WOSHMOBBSDING

While it's hard to find anything really ugly for a fairytale season where everything went right and then some, losing two thirds of the #WOSHMOBBSDING combination, while at the same time bringing in little of value the other way is a net loss in anyone's book, even if you did just break through for a premiership with one of the most active lists in the competition.

While Wosh remains, losing Mobbs and Dingster are holes the Roys won't easily plug, however with a list sprinkled with veterans of their own making in the beloved fitzroybowiedog, seasoned skipper TedDougChris and spearhead Mooch and those from oppo clubs like zackah & Sterge, with a handful of eager and enthusiastic 'youth' also at their disposal the Roys wouldn't be losing terribly much sleep over the state of their list, and unlike some moves that occur between seasons as players seek greener pastures, the two HOFers clearly left on good terms and with their club's blessing.
​

Mobbs left. You should probably include that somewhere

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

GOODIE, MOBBS

Who said fairytales don't come true? When the godfather of the Roys and Qooty itself Mobbs flagged his intent to join the Old Boys expansion bid and succesfully saw it pass a vote in S33 for admission into the league for Season 34, attention quickly turned to the Roys' run home in the lead up to the finals. Momentum slowly built around the chances of a #WOSHMOBBSDING flag and most loudly from within, but with scratchy albeit winning form heading into the finals, it looked as though the Roys would be set to make up the numbers in the S34 finals. Mobbs would bid adieu to the BJO and make his way over to Spotwood campus ahead of the S34 first semester.

It was almost over before it begun, as the Roys held on for their tightest win of the season in Week 1 of the finals series, as they downed an underperforming Wazzas side by just two points. But as they ploughed their way through the series, good wins over the top four Gumbies, and the minor premier Dragons in succession saw them cruise into the most unlikely yet timely Grand Final berths in recent memory.

Here they would face and equally plucky Phoenix side making their first appearance in the decider since their recent rebrand. TedDougChris' side went into the game as the sentimental favourites, as well as sporting a healthy 2-0 zip record in Grand Finals to give them the mental edge going into the contest. After a tight first half, the Roys pulled away in the end to register a 32 point win and a famous victory, delivering an incredibly unlikely premiership for Mobbs in his final game for the Roys (for now anyway).

And so the Roys would go on to enjoy a 3-0 record in Grand Finals, with a fairytale send off for Mobbs to boot.

OUT: MOBBS

And yet soon the reality would bite, as the irreplaceable talisman of the Roys cleared out his locker for the first time in 496 Sweet FA games. The Roys spiritual leader Mobbs was out, walking away from his premiership teammates to join the newly installed expansion side, the Ophidian Old Boys as they begun preseason training at Spotswood campus.

Now while TedDougChris and his Roys would likely play down the significance of his departure, given the likelihood Mobbs will be ultimately unlikely to stray terribly far from the familiar surrounds of BJO and the lure of a frosty chudshake, it is arguably one of the greatest losses a club has endured in Sweet FA history. To lose a nearly 500 game player of your club, the heart and soul of your changerooms and the man most synonymous with your culture and your club ethos, well that's not something to be glossed over or sneezed at, that's real.

Still, Mobbs will forever be a Roy, and one suspects it will only be a matter of time before the great man returns to his spiritual homeland at the Roys.

WOSHMOBBSDING

While it's hard to find anything really ugly for a fairytale season where everything went right and then some, losing two thirds of the #WOSHMOBBSDING combination, while at the same time bringing in little of value the other way is a net loss in anyone's book, even if you did just break through for a premiership with one of the most active lists in the competition.

While Wosh remains, losing Mobbs and Dingster are holes the Roys won't easily plug, however with a list sprinkled with veterans of their own making in the beloved fitzroybowiedog, seasoned skipper TedDougChris and spearhead Mooch and those from oppo clubs like zackah & Sterge, with a handful of eager and enthusiastic 'youth' also at their disposal the Roys wouldn't be losing terribly much sleep over the state of their list, and unlike some moves that occur between seasons as players seek greener pastures, the two HOFers clearly left on good terms and with their club's blessing.
​

Top review.

I suspect for many Sweet FA citizens, who play for other teams, the Roys are their second team. The Roys' run through the S.33 Finals is a storied one and their Premiership has been justly celebrated and will be long remembered.

The GF against the Washington Generals of the comp had an air of inevitability about it. (Not that I mean disrespect to East Side as they did well to make the GF, particularly given how the Admin had stuffed them around)

Roys' skipper TedDougChris is famously morose and pessimistic. Will the Premiership see a change? Imagine an optimistic and cheerful TDC! Could this happen? The mind boggles.

 

[tigs2010]

Imagine an optimistic and cheerful TDC! Could this happen? The mind boggles.

 

[hotchilli]

GOODIE, MOBBS

Who said fairytales don't come true? When the godfather of the Roys and Qooty itself Mobbs flagged his intent to join the Old Boys expansion bid and succesfully saw it pass a vote in S33 for admission into the league for Season 34, attention quickly turned to the Roys' run home in the lead up to the finals. Momentum slowly built around the chances of a #WOSHMOBBSDING flag and most loudly from within, but with scratchy albeit winning form heading into the finals, it looked as though the Roys would be set to make up the numbers in the S34 finals. Mobbs would bid adieu to the BJO and make his way over to Spotwood campus ahead of the S34 first semester.

It was almost over before it begun, as the Roys held on for their tightest win of the season in Week 1 of the finals series, as they downed an underperforming Wazzas side by just two points. But as they ploughed their way through the series, good wins over the top four Gumbies, and the minor premier Dragons in succession saw them cruise into the most unlikely yet timely Grand Final berths in recent memory.

Here they would face and equally plucky Phoenix side making their first appearance in the decider since their recent rebrand. TedDougChris' side went into the game as the sentimental favourites, as well as sporting a healthy 2-0 zip record in Grand Finals to give them the mental edge going into the contest. After a tight first half, the Roys pulled away in the end to register a 32 point win and a famous victory, delivering an incredibly unlikely premiership for Mobbs in his final game for the Roys (for now anyway).

And so the Roys would go on to enjoy a 3-0 record in Grand Finals, with a fairytale send off for Mobbs to boot.

OUT: MOBBS

And yet soon the reality would bite, as the irreplaceable talisman of the Roys cleared out his locker for the first time in 496 Sweet FA games. The Roys spiritual leader Mobbs was out, walking away from his premiership teammates to join the newly installed expansion side, the Ophidian Old Boys as they begun preseason training at Spotswood campus.

Now while TedDougChris and his Roys would likely play down the significance of his departure, given the likelihood Mobbs will be ultimately unlikely to stray terribly far from the familiar surrounds of BJO and the lure of a frosty chudshake, it is arguably one of the greatest losses a club has endured in Sweet FA history. To lose a nearly 500 game player of your club, the heart and soul of your changerooms and the man most synonymous with your culture and your club ethos, well that's not something to be glossed over or sneezed at, that's real.

Still, Mobbs will forever be a Roy, and one suspects it will only be a matter of time before the great man returns to his spiritual homeland at the Roys.

WOSHMOBBSDING

While it's hard to find anything really ugly for a fairytale season where everything went right and then some, losing two thirds of the #WOSHMOBBSDING combination, while at the same time bringing in little of value the other way is a net loss in anyone's book, even if you did just break through for a premiership with one of the most active lists in the competition.

While Wosh remains, losing Mobbs and Dingster are holes the Roys won't easily plug, however with a list sprinkled with veterans of their own making in the beloved fitzroybowiedog, seasoned skipper TedDougChris and spearhead Mooch and those from oppo clubs like zackah & Sterge, with a handful of eager and enthusiastic 'youth' also at their disposal the Roys wouldn't be losing terribly much sleep over the state of their list, and unlike some moves that occur between seasons as players seek greener pastures, the two HOFers clearly left on good terms and with their club's blessing.
​

#WOSHREDACTEDREDCATED

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

Mobbs left. You should probably include that somewhere

Oops.

 

[Sterge]

When did moobs leave?

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

SOMETIMES YOU CAN MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN
​

The one shining light in an otherwise disastrous season for the furies was the welcome resurgence of Sweet FA journeyman U2tigers. While it was clear early on he still hadn’t found what he was looking for, with the Furies’ shtick an ill fitting suit for an otherwise dapper frontman, Bono was back to his best, showing a clear desire to recapture his best form both on and off the field despite the Furies’ mysterious ways.

The sweetest thing for Bono would have been being able to maintain that form despite the troubles at the hippodrome and through a long, painful season he would remain up and about and a feature for the Furies week in, week out, in his own right.

Come season’s end it was time to walk on, as he ran, he crawled, and he scaled the city walls to get away only to be with the Tigerturbulance–led Ophidian Old Boys in Season 34, reuniting with former Wonders teammates in haydo & Elton Johns Wig.

LEFT TO PICK UP THE PIECES
​

While we’ll go on in more detail into the carnage that decimated the Furies late in the season later in the piece, but the aftermath of losing several leaders from the league, not just the club, has left a gaping hole in the club and a mess for a pair of young, inexperienced leaders to try and patch up.

Season 34 as a result will be a season of forced change, with an S33 rookie James Colorado and a two season veteran Pickitt left to salvage their club from the wreckage as newly installed co-captains by default But this was just the latest in a string of seasons where the Furies have lost top end talent, and as a rule they have struggled to improve on a list that has been a revolving door for class in recent times.

The S34 forced changes will hit hard, especially off the back of Tigerturbulance and U2tigers ‘ planned moves to the Old Boys expansion side, and an eleventh hour defection of CrimsonViolet that few saw coming. Add this to the loss of S32 beez trophy winner Elton Johns Wig, Ned_Flanders defection to the Gumbies around the same time, and the disappearance of the unique and eclectic JackBero and the Furies have some work to do. The silver lining to it all is that it does seem to an outsider that Pickitt has matured off the back of that newfound responsibility, and the young Furies now have a chance to remould the club in their own image.

INSOLENCE LOST
​

In one of the more unsavoury seasons in recent Sweet FA history, a raft of players from both the Furies and the Bombers found themselves in hot water and ultimately banished from the league during two late season culls.

Focussing on the Furies, the impact was a heavy body blow, one that will take them seasons to recover. While an acquired taste, TJASTA was the heart and soul of a Furies side no longer featuring the mainstays of Ned_Flanders & Tigerturbulance, and the class of kdavva at his best is not easily found across the competition, with his passion and persistence with honouring the league’s history and lore a more difficult and less tangible impact to quantify but will be felt. Add to that the spammy, enthusiastic ImissFrosty and you have lost a wealth of activity just on sheer numbers alone.

 

[Greenery]

SOMETIMES YOU CAN MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN
​

The one shining light in an otherwise disastrous season for the furies was the welcome resurgence of Sweet FA journeyman U2tigers. While it was clear early on he still hadn’t found what he was looking for, with the Furies’ shtick an ill fitting suit for an otherwise dapper frontman, Bono was back to his best, showing a clear desire to recapture his best form both on and off the field despite the Furies’ mysterious ways.

The sweetest thing for Bono would have been being able to maintain that form despite the troubles at the hippodrome and through a long, painful season he would remain up and about and a feature for the Furies week in, week out, in his own right.

Come season’s end it was time to walk on, as he ran, he crawled, and he scaled the city walls to get away only to be with the Tigerturbulance–led Ophidian Old Boys in Season 34, reuniting with former Wonders teammates in haydo & Elton Johns Wig.

LEFT TO PICK UP THE PIECES
​

While we’ll go on in more detail into the carnage that decimated the Furies late in the season later in the piece, but the aftermath of losing several leaders from the league, not just the club, has left a gaping hole in the club and a mess for a pair of young, inexperienced leaders to try and patch up.

Season 34 as a result will be a season of forced change, with an S33 rookie James Colorado and a two season veteran Pickitt left to salvage their club from the wreckage as newly installed co-captains by default But this was just the latest in a string of seasons where the Furies have lost top end talent, and as a rule they have struggled to improve on a list that has been a revolving door for class in recent times.

The S33 forced changes will hit hard, especially off the back of Tigerturbulance and U2tigers ‘ planned moves to the Old Boys expansion side. Add this to the loss of S32 beez trophy winner Elton Johns Wig, Ned_Flanders defection to the Gumbies around the same time, and the disappearance of the unique and eclectic JackBero and the Furies have some work to do. The silver lining to it all is that it does seem to an outsider that Pickitt has matured off the back of that newfound responsibility, and the young Furies now have a chance to remould the club in their own image.

INSOLENCE LOST
​

In one of the more unsavoury seasons in recent Sweet FA history, a raft of players from both the Furies and the Bombers found themselves in hot water and ultimately banished from the league during two late season culls.

Focussing on the Furies, the impact was a heavy body blow, one that will take them seasons to recover. While an acquired taste, TJASTA was the heart and soul of a Furies side no longer featuring the mainstays of Ned_Flanders & Tigerturbulance, and the class of kdavva at his best is not easily found across the competition, with his passion and persistence with honouring the league’s history and lore a more difficult and less tangible impact to quantify but will be felt. Add to that the spammy, enthusiastic ImissFrosty and you have lost a wealth of activity just on sheer numbers alone.

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

Oh yeah, u2

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

SNAKES & LADDERS
​

Having learned precisely what not to do from the failed S29 bids, haydo invoked the carnival inspired, vaudevillian ringmaster Tigerturbulance to head up his last ditch bid for his expansion dream in a rather transparent but ultimately successful effort to get his Lizards over the line once and for all.

A well run, very public, extremely accommodative bid ensued and with what had become a fairly transformative committee clearly ripe for the picking, the timing could not have been better for the quirky Ophidians and their unique concept to win over a new breed of Sweet FA leaders, many of whom had directly come from the failed prior bids and had made no secret of their desire to see expansion happen on their watch.

Adding a previous expansionist like The Jesus, the Bombers pair of TL15 & Coach, the expansion sympathetic U2tigers, eclectic types like BRAB & Bonz, as well as the brashness and maturity of guys like Elton Johns Wig and Ned_Flanders and the enthusiasm of a Callums_Guns type and the list looked comparatively strong on paper.

The throw in the gravity of a Mobbs endorsement as the great man himself joined the fray late in the piece, and the Old Boys had done more than enough to sail through the voting process with an 8-4 majority from the clubs seeing them earn the right to a 13th Sweet FA license, becoming the first expansion side to join the competition since the Coney Island Warriors all the way back in S18.

ALTERNATE ARRANGEMENTS​

While riding high throughout the bid process and following voting period, cracks started to appear towards the end of S33, as the untimely exit of bid members Tony Lynn 15 and TheCoach16 dealt a body blow to a squad that had promised to bat deep, while some pretty severe mid season drop offs from some of the bids most vocal proponents and spokespeople started to provoke questions from certain corners of the competition.

Add to this the fact that the rookie recruitment seemed to consist of wives, girlfriends and a whole raft of players new to the website let alone the league, and rightfully questions were asked as to just how much of what the Ophidians had promised would actually be delivered.

Were these signings legit? Or had some of the Old Boys each whipped up themselves an alt? Was Mrs Turbo for real? It’s probably still a tad early to tell, but the jury is still out on some of those signings, and you know what, to be fair to Turbo and Co, there’s not a club in the competition who hasn’t topped up with rookies who’ve failed.

Time will tell whether the league has enough genuinely increasing interest and engagement to sustain the premise of expansion, but for the Old Boys, the concern will no longer be theirs.

TO KENNEDY PARKER
​

Off the back of questions and scrutiny over their list management, the Ophidians responded with a rather comical response during the off season, with their ‘To Kennedy Parker’ episode offering a good s****** during a fairly ho hum off season.

No fewer than 19 Old Boys would go on to post their melt, most enjoyably almost exclusively all of whom were already well and truly established and entrenched in the league, and very few of the actual targets of the ridicule and scrutiny in the first place. Oh, and of the few randos that actually did bob up and post it, half of them have hardly been sighted again since either.

It was a reasonable dummy spit to being rightfully challenged on the validity of some of their unknown, no name sign ups, and enjoyable to watch from afar. I’m sure KP would have enjoyed it from way up high in his ivory tower where he has clearly had zero f**ks to give about whether their list turns up to play or not. I mean, he’s got manangatang for that, right?

 

[Greenery]

SNAKES & LADDERS
​

Having learned precisely what not to do from the failed S29 bids, haydo invoked the carnival inspired, vaudevillian ringmaster Tigerturbulance to head up his last ditch bid for his expansion dream in a rather transparent but ultimately successful effort to get his Lizards over the line once and for all.

A well run, very public, extremely accommodative bid ensued and with what had become a fairly transformative committee clearly ripe for the picking, the timing could not have been better for the quirky Ophidians and their unique concept to win over a new breed of Sweet FA leaders, many of whom had directly come from the failed prior bids and had made no secret of their desire to see expansion happen on their watch.

Adding a previous expansionist like The Jesus, the Bombers pair of TL15 & Coach, the expansion sympathetic U2tigers, eclectic types like BRAB & Bonz, as well as the brashness and maturity of guys like Elton Johns Wig and Ned_Flanders and the enthusiasm of a Callums_Guns type and the list looked comparatively strong on paper.

The throw in the gravity of a Mobbs endorsement as the great man himself joined the fray late in the piece, and the Old Boys had done more than enough to sail through the voting process with an 8-4 majority from the clubs seeing them earn the right to a 13th Sweet FA license, becoming the first expansion side to join the competition since the Coney Island Warriors all the way back in S18.

ALTERNATE ARRANGEMENTS​

While riding high throughout the bid process and following voting period, cracks started to appear towards the end of S33, as the untimely exit of bid members Tony Lynn 15 and TheCoach16 dealt a body blow to a squad that had promised to bat deep, while some pretty severe mid season drop offs from some of the bids most vocal proponents and spokespeople started to provoke questions from certain corners of the competition.

Add to this the fact that the rookie recruitment seemed to consist of wives, girlfriends and a whole raft of players new to the website let alone the league, and rightfully questions were asked as to just how much of what the Ophidians had promised would actually be delivered.

Were these signings legit? Or had some of the Old Boys each whipped up themselves an alt? Was Mrs Turbo for real? It’s probably still a tad early to tell, but the jury is still out on some of those signings, and you know what, to be fair to Turbo and Co, there’s not a club in the competition who hasn’t topped up with rookies who’ve failed.

Time will tell whether the league has enough genuinely increasing interest and engagement to sustain the premise of expansion, but for the Old Boys, the concern will no longer be theirs.

TO KENNEDY PARKER
​

Off the back of questions and scrutiny over their list management, the Ophidians responded with a rather comical response during the off season, with their ‘To Kennedy Parker’ episode offering a good s****** during a fairly ho hum off season.

No fewer than 19 Old Boys would go on to post their melt, most enjoyably almost exclusively all of whom were already well and truly established and entrenched in the league, and very few of the actual targets of the ridicule and scrutiny in the first place. Oh, and of the few randos that actually did bob up and post it, half of them have hardly been sighted again since either.

It was a reasonable dummy spit to being rightfully challenged on the validity of some of their unknown, no name sign ups, and enjoyable to watch from afar. I’m sure KP would have enjoyed it from way up high in his ivory tower where he has clearly had zero f**ks to give about whether their list turns up to play or not. I mean, he’s got manangatang for that, right?

KP seems heavily invested mate, not sure why you think otherwise.

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

KP seems heavily invested mate, not sure why you think otherwise.

Firstly, not entirely sure if serious.

Secondly, I was directly referring to Kennedy Parker 's concern levels for whether listed players contribute or not.

zero f**ks to give about whether their list turns up to play or not.

KP has expanded list sizes to allow for and encourage inactives to clog lists, and in fact bizarrely prescribes a penalty for not reaching maximum squad limit throughout the season.

He has loosened the sign up rules and as good as removed almost all meaningful punishments for squad management, naming ineligible players et al and the captains signed it off because he removed their penalties in the process.

Which makes it even more enjoyable that his own club still found a way to lose premiership points, but that's one for another day.

 

[Kennedy Parker]

Firstly, not entirely sure if serious.

Secondly, I was directly referring to Kennedy Parker 's concern levels for whether listed players contribute or not.



KP has expanded list sizes to allow for and encourage inactives to clog lists, and in fact bizarrely prescribes a penalty for not reaching maximum squad limit throughout the season.

He has loosened the sign up rules and as good as removed almost all meaningful punishments for squad management, naming ineligible players and the captains signed it off because he removed their penalties in the process.

Which makes it even more enjoyable that his own club still found a way to lose premiership points, but that's one for another day.

That penalty is for exceeding the maximum squad limit which was already in place for many seasons. I am not going to stand idly by and be accused on INTRODUCING penalties.

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

That penalty is for exceeding the maximum squad limit which was already in place for many seasons. I am not going to stand idly by and be accused on INTRODUCING penalties.

Might need a little touch up then?

Failing to satisfy the maximum squad list requirement in season (30 eligible players) as per 4A

 

[Mrs Turbo]

Was @Mrs Turbo for real? It’s probably still a tad early to tell

Just curious TheInjuryFactory - if currently after a praccy match and 3 played games, a couple hundred posts etc it's still a tad early too early to tell - When will it be time?

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

Just curious TheInjuryFactory - if currently after a praccy match and 3 played games, a couple hundred posts etc it's still a tad early too early to tell - When will it be time?

Mate I've posted 20000 shit posts, 5 times more than anyone in the last 5 seasons. You'll know when the purple circle let you know.

 

[Mrs Turbo]

Mate I've posted 20000 s**t posts, 5 times more than anyone in the last 5 seasons. You'll know when the purple circle let you know.

I hear ya - but I just want to know if I'm 'for real' or not in this imaginary world LOL