Media TiFmedia Sweet FA Power Rankings - Season 36

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Why do you assume we are cross?

You've hit the nail on the head Horry. They're not on their list.

not the point young friendoid

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

not the point young friendoid

au contraire, mon frère

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

Well atleast we didn’t come last.

Relief would be an understatement.

 

[omgfridge]

Well after the upcoming merger Old Fury Boys will be a mid-table team

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

Well after the upcoming merger Old Fury Boys will be a mid-table team

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

#12 - Sin City Swamprats

Next club up is the sliding Sin City Swamprats, who find themselves well off the pace despite harbouring league administrator Kennedy Parker and the league's greatest ego okeydoke7 as they embark on a new era at Underground Stadium under the stewardship of jackster83 who replaces long serving skipper philreich at the reigns.

It was a horrible anus for the Rats in S35, crowned by okeydoke7 ultimately failing to salute as the 1000 goal mark eluded him all the way through until Rd 2 this season. With just two wins from their first 11 outings, the Rats found themselves in a very unfamiliar position and the activity and engagement of several of their former stars took a significant hit. Can The Jesus wind back the clock and recapture his S27 magic? Will okeydoke7 go on with it after finally cracking the thousand? It's shaping as an era defining season at the Underground as the club begins a rebuild of sorts to kick off the jackster83 era.

So let's take a closer look as TiFmedia Power Rankings review the Swampies underwhelming off season and the state of play for Season 36.

​

OFF SEASON AT A GLANCE...
Notable Moves

IN:
The Jesus
via Ophidian Old Boys

Rodney Dangerfield
via Gumbies FFC


OUT:
Grav
to Bombers

​

It was an off season that would've looked great on paper if it was still Season 27, but alas the Swampies endured a substantial net loss between seasons as they traded an up and coming young tyro and potential future leader in Grav for two washed up, dirty old hacks in The Jesus and the once great journeyman recluse Rodders. As a result the algorithm has not looked kindly upon the state of their list despite some top end talent at their disposal, and has assessed with some understandable trepidation as the club enters a new era with a change of leadership from the affable philreich to the capable but as yet untried jackster83.

​

The fact is the Swampies find themselves in the awkward position of not quite rebuilding. They still have a lot of inactivity strewn across the list but they haven't yet arrived at a decision on several club champions well below their best and past their peak. Yet the improvement could very well still come from within, with a recent 200 game milestone possibly reigniting GotTheGoodes who at his best is elite, the 1000 goal milestone a coin toss as to whether it emboldens the walking curriculum vitae or sends okeydoke7 back into his mostly cryogenic state, and will the recent news about Kern reinvigorate and inspire a quality clubman like GremioPower back to his best? Could that be the Firestarter? Only time will tell.

But the algorithm has taken all of this into account you see, and the TiFmedia Power Rankings are far less buoyant on their chances of getting the most out of their list in Season 36, and without the warm embrace of the sim to cushion their fall in recent times the jury is well and truly out on where the Swampies are at, with the season ahead posing far more questions than answers down at the Underground.

One of most successful teams of the modern era, the Swampies failed to fire a shot in Season 35 following a plucky but short-lived finals campaign in Season 34 where they just snuck inside the eight but failed to do any damage. A woeful 4 win season was ever so slightly salvaged in the last month of the season as they strung two wins together - including the highlight of the season as they pumped the Roys by 80 points in Rd 16 and then consigned the Dees to the spoon a week later with a plucky 12 point win at the Snow Dome.

Even so, despite finishing their season on a high their god awful form consigns them to the very bottom of the TiFmedia Power Rankings to kick off Season 36, their fall cushioned only by the battling Phoenix.

So that was Season 35 for the team, but what about the individuals? Not much better to be frank.

Inactive ruckman GremioPower topped the Mobbs Medal tally at the club as he finished 9th overall and the club's only representation in the top 20. Despite the spotlight with his 1000th goal in the offering and talking it up all season, okeydoke7 ultimately choked in the race for the Fred as his 51 goals left him a whopping 22 goals off the pace and consigned him to a 9th placed finish. All SFA I hear you ask?? Nah, nada. They fared reasonably in the beez it must be said, with Kennedy Parker having a quality season and enjoying the admin bump to secure a top 10 finish, while okeydoke7 & philreich joined KP in the top 25 giving the Swampies 3 selections but it dropped off steeply from there back to incoming skipper jackster83 surprisingly far back in the pack at 67th overall.

Having really only observed a powerful Sin City side over the course of my Qooty career, I wouldn't expect the Swampies to be languishing for long, and with the admin in the sheds and some quality at the top end the makings are there for a quick bounce back into relevance, but jackster83 clearly has his work cut out to reshape the list for the next generation of Swampies as the sun slowly sets on this extremely successful group.

 

[okeydoke7]

Good write to TheInjuryFactory except for your stats on the Fred race. You’re looking at the tally which included finals, which the Rats didn’t make. The Fred race ends at the end of the home and away season.

 

[Headless]

Good write to TheInjuryFactory except for your stats on the Fred race. You’re looking at the tally which included finals, which the Rats didn’t make. The Fred race ends at the end of the home and away season.

Why didn't the Swamprats just play better?

 

[Barrybran]

Why didn't the Swamprats just play better?

Because they were more focused on making the Phoenix better

Right TheInjuryFactory?

 

[Rodney Dangerfield]

Wow I’m an official recluse now!

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

Good write to TheInjuryFactory except for your stats on the Fred race. You’re looking at the tally which included finals, which the Rats didn’t make. The Fred race ends at the end of the home and away season.

Why didn't the Swamprats just play better?

A few more goals and they might have made finals, where okey could have kicked more goals.

 

[Wosh]

Wow I’m an official recluse now!

Sorry I broke you

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

#11 - Roys FFC

Next up in the TiFmedia Power Rankings are another former heavyweight on the slide in recent seasons, the Roys, who have actually taken a step up the rungs into 11th spot.

In some respects experiencing quite a similar trajectory to the Phoenix off the field, having seen what was an absolute powerhouse full of some of the league's biggest names dismantled as many parted ways after their widely celebrated fairytale premiership win in Season 33. Mobbs, Dingster and Wosh had all since left for greener pastures and the Roys have struggled to meaningfully replace them since. Having enjoyed back to back Grand Final appearances in S33 & S34, they fell from minor premiers in S34 to 11th and out of finals completely in S35 which when coupled with a rebuilding list has seen them in a downward spiral both on and off the field.

However the return of a club champion and league legend this off season has done enough to lift them off the canvas and bring some much welcomed hope back to the BJO for Season 36.

Welcome home Mobbs.

​

OFF SEASON AT A GLANCE...
Notable Moves

IN:
Mobbs
via Ophidian Old Boys

OUT:
zackah
to Coney Island Warriors

​

The league's equal longest serving active skipper TedDougChris equals club legend and Hall of Famer fitzroybowiedog 's club record of 9 straight seasons at the helm, and this season he is well supported by another household name and Roys stalwart in multiple Fred winner and perennial 'Rillas spearhead Mooch. Despite experiencing some challenge with replacing some of the characters who have exited in recent seasons, the return of prodigal father Mobbs will no doubt go a very long way to bringing the chud back to Brunswick Junction Oval in Season 36, where he will be an uplifting influence on the morale of the entire playing group but will arguably have the greatest impact on some of the emerging new talent he spent fleeting time with in his previous stint - the likes of DERRINALPHIL, tigs2010 & even the established Zevon... as the Roys look to the next generation over the coming seasons. They've also picked up a couple of handy rookies in MrsEddieBetts and Pure Grunt who will add a splash of colour to a joint that's looked a tad drab lately.

​

Outs wise, and season 36 sees former Warrior zackah return to his spiritual home with a flag in tow to rubbish his old teammates about one expects, while the witty Lore appears to have hung up the boots in what was a bit of a surprise to me and the algorithm if we're honest.

Now just as some big names vacated their list in recent seasons, so too did their Qooty form, as the Roys never fully recovered from the agony of coming so close to back to back premierships after their bitterly disappointing loss to a rampaging Bombers side in the S34 decider. Their 9 loss, 7 win season punctuated by an 80 point savaging at the hands of the Swampies in Rd 16 with finals still on the table. In fact, they endured a woeful lack of form in the back half of the season as they lost 7 of their last 9 games to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Individually though they enjoyed some smatterings of success, with 50 gamer tigs2010 finishing an impressive equal 3rd in the Mobbs Medal for the second season running with 19 votes. Mooch finished a reasonable 6th in the Fred Medal with 54 goals after reclaiming spearhead duties from Zevon and improving the Roys Fred finish from 11th. However an All-SFA blazer did elude the Roys in Season 35, and their best finish in the beez was skipper TedDougChris with a respectable 32nd finish but it really fell away from there.

But any club with the father of the game in their ranks is one on the up, and no doubt Mobbs will bring all of his charm and guile back with him to the BJO with his infectious approach to the game and his affection for his Roys surely only grew greater during his time at Spotswood paying penance for his complicitly in bringing an abomination to the league in the name of expansion.

And lastly... For the love of christ Roys, would someone please think of the TedDougChris and please give the poor bastard a long deserved chop out once and for all?

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

Good write to TheInjuryFactory except for your stats on the Fred race. You’re looking at the tally which included finals, which the Rats didn’t make. The Fred race ends at the end of the home and away season.

Also.. yeah nah.

Fred Medal - Season 35 | Sweet F.A+

Sweet F.A+ aims to act as a historical archive for the Sweet Football Association, the premier fantasy football league.

sweetfa.plus

9th compadre. The algorithm don't miss.

 

[Braklet]

@Mobbs affection for his Roys surely only grew greater during his time at Spotswood paying penance for his complicitly in bringing an abomination to the league in the name of expansion.

"Abominatio Est In Foedere" has a certain ring as a motto, wouldn't you say Tigerturbulance?

 

[okeydoke7]

Also.. yeah nah.

Fred Medal - Season 35 | Sweet F.A+

Sweet F.A+ aims to act as a historical archive for the Sweet Football Association, the premier fantasy football league.

sweetfa.plus

9th compadre. The algorithm don't miss.

Hate and his website will be wrong. I didn’t bother checking. I just know I was leading the Fred halfway through the season, and okeydoke7 doesn’t finish 9th.

No chance I’m wrong. I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

#10 - Fighting Furies

Another club on the rise up the TiFmedia Power Rankings in Season 36 is surprisingly the Furies, who after looking almost gone for all money in Season 34 have slowly begun to dig themselves out of merger talk with a rebuild that is quietly gaining traction while other clubs on a similar trajectory have found the task more challenging.

Now the algorithm was particularly scathing of the Furies this time last season, but with some much needed stability from their leadership group over the past season, the Furies have been surprisingly well led by co-captains James Colorado and omgfridge who have been earnestly restoring some credibility to the hippodrome with former admin NaturalDisaster one assumes offering a steady hand and sage council behind the scenes (cue the laugh track). In fact, the Furies have even managed to entice some quality their way in successive seasons after taking a hit with the formation of the Old Boys and further player losses in S34 rendering them rudderless and uncompetitive off and on the field.

This improvement off the field and stability around the club itself, coupled with an impressive run of Qooty producing a 3rd placed finish in
Season 35, has seen them lift themselves up off the canvas and start to make a slow and steady climb up the TiFmedia Power Rankings up to 10th in the standings to kick of Season 36.

​

OFF SEASON AT A GLANCE...
Notable Moves

IN:
Frothies Mcveigh
via West Coast Wonders

OUT:
Nil

​

Now the last thing the Furies could afford was to lose anymore of their wafer thin top tier talent. But in the S36 pre season the hunted became the hunters, as they not only retained the key pillars on their list, but they feasted on a vulnerable, faltering Wonders outfit haemarhoging leadership as they secured the services of the interesting fit but high quality Wonders co-captain Frothies Mcveigh.

They've also managed to pick up Gumbies list clogger Brick Loosener via free agency in a move that's mostly meh, but it happened so we should mention it.

After enjoying a much needed boost from a surprisingly active and engaged ShaunDuggan & Bombers role player Bovo in Season 35, the Furies have managed to cobble together a reasonable core to build their list around. How they gel remains to be seen, but full credit to the Furies leaders for pulling of a raft of much needed moves in 2023.

Now the Furies did spectacularly well on field in Season 35, and this has corresponded with a timely move up the TiFmedia Power Rankings as a result. Now despite a disappointing straight sets exit in the finals, not only was their top four finish with a 10 win, 6 loss record a dramatic turn around from a woeful S34, but they possibly enjoyed even greater individual success than they did as a team in Season 35.

The crowning glory of their resurgent season would have the be the S35 Mobbs Medal win for co-captain omgfridge who was joined by up and coming future leader JyeDye as the Furies finished with two players inside the top 5 for the Mobbs.

All-SFA wise, the joint skippers fridge and James Colorado were rewarded for their toil behind the scenes and on gameday with both near unanimous selections for the S35 All-SFA side. A feat made all the more significant when considering their most recent All-SFA selection prior was former skipper Tigerturbulance all the way back in Season 30, a staggering drought which is quite possibly be a league record. Both skippers were recognised with top 30 finishes in the beez, with the various nods a clear endorsement of their leadership both on and off the field.

Prized recruit and All-SFA life member ShaunDuggan had a reasonable season in front of the sticks, with his 52 goals securing him a 7th placed finish that was possibly unders considering the strength of the club's finish but a good outing nonetheless.

Things are looking up at the hippodrome this season, as it looks like they've finally dragged themselves out of the dumpster both culturally and metaphorically.

 

[damicky]

#10 - Fighting Furies

Another club on the rise up the TiFmedia Power Rankings in Season 36 is surprisingly the Furies, who after looking almost gone for all money in Season 34 have slowly begun to dig themselves out of merger talk with a rebuild that is quietly gaining traction while other clubs on a similar trajectory have found the task more challenging.

Now the algorithm was particularly scathing of the Furies this time last season, but with some much needed stability from their leadership group over the past season, the Furies have been surprisingly well led by co-captains James Colorado and omgfridge who have been earnestly restoring some credibility to the hippodrome with former admin NaturalDisaster one assumes offering a steady hand and sage council behind the scenes (cue the laugh track). In fact, the Furies have even managed to entice some quality their way in successive seasons after taking a hit with the formation of the Old Boys and further player losses in S34 rendering them rudderless and uncompetitive off and on the field.

This improvement off the field and stability around the club itself, coupled with an impressive run of Qooty producing a 3rd placed finish in
Season 35, has seen them lift themselves up off the canvas and start to make a slow and steady climb up the TiFmedia Power Rankings up to 10th in the standings to kick of Season 36.

​

OFF SEASON AT A GLANCE...
Notable Moves

IN:
Frothies Mcveigh
via West Coast Wonders

OUT:
Nil

​

Now the last thing the Furies could afford was to lose anymore of their wafer thin top tier talent. But in the S36 pre season the hunted became the hunters, as they not only retained the key pillars on their list, but they feasted on a vulnerable, faltering Wonders outfit haemarhoging leadership as they secured the services of the interesting fit but high quality Wonders co-captain Frothies Mcveigh.

They've also managed to pick up Gumbies list clogger Brick Loosener via free agency in a move that's mostly meh, but it happened so we should mention it.

After enjoying a much needed boost from a surprisingly active and engaged ShaunDuggan & Bombers role player Bovo in Season 35, the Furies have managed to cobble together a reasonable core to build their list around. How they gel remains to be seen, but full credit to the Furies leaders for pulling of a raft of much needed moves in 2023.

Now the Furies did spectacularly well on field in Season 35, and this has corresponded with a timely move up the TiFmedia Power Rankings as a result. Now despite a disappointing straight sets exit in the finals, not only was their top four finish with a 10 win, 6 loss record a dramatic turn around from a woeful S34, but they possibly enjoyed even greater individual success than they did as a team in Season 35.

The crowning glory of their resurgent season would have the be the S35 Mobbs Medal win for co-captain omgfridge who was joined by up and coming future leader JyeDye as the Furies finished with two players inside the top 5 for the Mobbs.

All-SFA wise, the joint skippers fridge and James Colorado were rewarded for their toil behind the scenes and on gameday with both near unanimous selections for the S35 All-SFA side. A feat made all the more significant when considering their most recent All-SFA selection prior was former skipper Tigerturbulance all the way back in Season 30, a staggering drought which is quite possibly be a league record. Both skippers were recognised with top 30 finishes in the beez, with the various nods a clear endorsement of their leadership both on and off the field.

Prized recruit and All-SFA life member ShaunDuggan had a reasonable season in front of the sticks, with his 52 goals securing him a 7th placed finish that was possibly unders considering the strength of the club's finish but a good outing nonetheless.

Things are looking up at the hippodrome this season, as it looks like they've finally dragged themselves out of the dumpster both culturally and metaphorically.

James Colorado won’t be happy with a Top 10 result

He was aiming much lower

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

The suspense is killing me.

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

Few scared clubs sniffing around early.

 

[damicky]

Few scared clubs sniffing around early.

I think The Warriors are fairly confident

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

I think The Warriors are fairly confident

Not sure why! Freo will win a flag before them.

 

[damicky]

Not sure why! Freo will win a flag before them.

You don't think TIF would be biased

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

I think The Warriors are fairly confident

 

[TheInjuryFactory]

#9 - Baghdad Bombers

The wait is over BLUEALLTHRU, rest easy my friend. Next up that means of course that we have the sliding Baghdad Bombers, who have dropped a slot back to 9th in the TiFmedia Power Rankings for Season 36 as another club undergoing somewhat of a rebuild. With brash skippers BLUEALLTHRU & VeinGlorious handing over the reigns to Bombers stalwart and consummate clubman Pugsley, the people's pug looks set to usher in a new era at Abdu Prison.

Season 35 saw a mass exodus out of Baghdad as S34 Deestroy Medallist Ligma and her Simp Daddy Robertio left for the greener pastures of the newly commissioned Spostwood Oval, while reliable clubman Bovo and emerging leader CursingFijian also left for the Furies & Warriors respectively, with very little coming back the other way. But the Bombers consolidated, and saw some improvement from within with eventual Fred Medallist gab213 and Sun Ra stepping up play expanded roles within the club, as star veterans VeinGlorious & KohPhi were reduced to the odd cameo at best.

Time will tell as to whether they can recapture their once overwhelming dominance of the Sweet FA narrative and relative psyche of the league, but for the most part their Qooty has done all the talking in recent seasons as they will once again be relying on a quality season on field to arrest their slide down the TiFmedia Power Rankings.

​

OFF SEASON AT A GLANCE...
Notable Moves

IN:
Grav
via Sin City Swamprats

OUT:
Nil

​

So as we touched on, the Bombers have leaked a fair amount of activity and quality contribution out the Abdu Prison gates without a whole lot coming back their way, but in the S36 pre season they managed to snag a surprisingly quality pick up in Sin City's Grav, who had all the hallmarks of a future leader down at the Underground Stadium after returning to the Swampies after an eight season sabbatical. One can only assume the powerbrokers at Sin City will be howling once they lower their mirrors and realise he's gone. In fact, the Bombers have come away with a marginal list net gain as a result, given they retained all active established players on their list for the first time in several seasons.

As we touched on earlier, there's also been a change of leadership over the off season, with Pugsley taking over the captaincy from an absent @Vein Glorious and our man BLUEALLTHRU for reasons largely unknown. Not much else has changed list wise worth mentioning, besides the usual revolving door of Bombers rookies who overwhelmingly amount to very little as a general rule of thumb. It's always been a numbers game at Baghdad for as long as anyone can remember, and so the glut of no name uppity types continues.

What's wrong with Jabba73 and/or Kilroy I hear you ask? No offence meant to the pug, but one would have thought the next skipper at Baghdad would have come from these two, so one can only assume their teammates just aren't big fans. Is Kilroy 's refined music taste just too niche for the Khe Sanh types? and maybe it's why they make Jabba73 do all the busy work in committee? Oh no.

Anyway...

On the field has been a happier hunting ground for the Bombres in recent seasons, and Season 35 saw them finish in 5th spot after a 9 win, 7 loss record and secure themselves a home Elimination Final. Their season was set up by a run of four straight wins to start the season off the back of their unlikely premiership in S34, and from there they would weather a 3 game losing streak of the bye to finish just a game outside of top 4 and claiming a second chance. They would eventually fall to the minor premier Warriors in the Semi Final after dispatching the Gumbies in the EF a week prior.

The highlight of the season for Baghdad however had to be the dazzling form of full forward gab213, who completed one of the most dominant Fred Medal victories in Sweet FA history, amassing a whopping 73 goals during the home and away season to secure the crown by 10 goals with some pretty significant daylight to his competitors. In fact, his dominance was so great that it was duly recognised by the admin Kennedy Parker who awarded him the TFLUA-Tiger Medal for his efforts.

They were well represented in the All-SFA side too, with outgoing skipper BLUEALLTHRU, incoming skipper Pugsley and of course gab213 all eanring blazers for their trouble in recognition of a successful season of Qooty at Abdu. A perennial Mobbs Medal performer, Pugsley managed a top 5 finish in the midfielders award proving his wares in the middle once again.

The jury is still well and truly out on what the Bombers can become in Season 36 and beyond, as the past few seasons have seen the forces of change alter the complexion of the side dramatically, and they have yet to fully recover from their losses since the abrupt end to the Tony Lynn 15 era.

Over to you Pugsley. Good boy.