do the hippie stomp

On what was a muggy Sat morning in Kingscliff, the Slamtown Flatball Club showed up with a large roster ready to play the Byron Bay *'Soft Hippies'.

Byron came with a near savage lineup of 8, and the SFC had 12.... which was almost too many.

There was some spectacular play on display for the many (8-10) spectators on hand. Both teams really toughed it out in the heat. Byron had to work a bit harder just to keep going, and SFC had to work a bit harder to keep everyone in rhythm.

Three games were played, each to 9 points. SFC got up in the first 2 games by margins of 2 or 3 points. In the final game it looked to be all over but the cryin' for Byron with a 5-1 scoreline against them. But to give credit where it's due... those hippies hardened up. They fought back to make it 6-6 and took the lead at 8-7 in a win by 2 game. But the SFC found just enough to close out the game and win a hard fought game by a 10-8 scoreline.

Though each game was fought hard, the series was a sweep in favour of the GC crew, the first ever sweep on neutral ground.

These games continue to bring a high standard of play, and are very much helping to develop high level ultimate in both clubs.

We look forward to wiping the floor with those hippies again in the near future.



* This name was given by JDR... I like it.

Back to Kingscliff

After a long hiatus, the GC vs. Byron rivalry is poised to write the next chapter.

Last time, the GC crew went down to Byron and played on their home turf. It was a wash, the first since we have been playing that one team has gotten with a 3 games to none margin. Coincidentally, it was the first time that we didn't play on neutral ground.

Byron are confident that they will win again, as Badman's text messages are overflowing with confidence and it seems they have a full roster ready to go.

The Slamtown squad now has a 12 man roster ready to go, and are looking for revenge.

Will Byron stamp the series with their dominance? Can the GC win back their pride?

Only time will tell, and on Sat Nov 14th in Kingscliff it will all be settled.

Overachieve

On Sat, 14 short rostered teams took to the field at The Gap Soccer Club. Clubs from all over southern Queensland, and even some from Sydney, came together on relative short notice for an incredible cause. The fact that we got an amazing tournament out of it was a bonus.

Mike Neild is one of the top ultimate players in the world, as of recently his wife has been diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disese, and the two of them have been doing what they can to cope. As Mike and Stacy told this horrifying news to friends in the ultimate community, it became very quickly evident that the ultimate community was willing to help out.

The tournament organisers did an exceptional job in masterfully raising funds, while not allowing for compromise to the tournaments levels of fun, intensity, spirit, and competitive play.

The post-tournament presentations were classy, entertaining, and very emotional. All of the speakers came from the heart, which left many in the crowd choked up at the onset.

Stacy's Allstars ended up being the tournament champions, and may have suffered a sore hand from all of the spankings they handed out over the course of the day. A team of veteran all stars were not to be challenged all day, as they played a very efficient game with some of Queenslands best ever just having a throw around some defenders.

Overlord, one of the two GC teams, were so lucky to be the last team to get spanked.... that said, we felt as though we had a great day, with a huge win over UQ Lovers on Universe point which effectively took us to the final.

Newcomers on Overlord were incredible. Joel Buikstra came up with some massive grabs. While virtual unknowns in the Brisbane Ultimate world, Tary Stratten and Troy Zernike were making it known that they are legitimate threats with or without the disc. Terri Morgan and Bree Edgar rounded out our ladies, whom played hard D up front in our zones while contributing an integral part in our dynamic offense. Mike Morgan and Kevvy Stahlman had stand out days, and though Lee O'Dwyer missed his first game to get a wave... he finished strong and lead through example all day.

We were more than happy to have gone from a 6 seed to Finalists... even if it did mean we had to get publicly spanked to end the day.

Great tournament, great cause.

I hope that this can start some trends.

Saiko defend title

With some unsettled dust blowing in what was one of the windier evenings we've seen at Pizzey Park, players took to the pitch to settle some business, and to determine a GCUL2/09 champion.

The defending champions, Saiko, had another successful season, going undefeated, but then having to forfeit their 'pre-semi/re-seed', to their nemesis 'Team Bob'.

Team Bob was back, after a season hiatus. Back in full force in fact with the addition of Adrian Gepp to an already solid lineup. Before the hiatus season, Team Bob had dominated the league winning the first two championships.... both of which I had the dis-pleasure of captaining the opposing (losing) side. There was plenty of motivation to get that monkey off of our backs.

Bob and Saiko met once this season in an epic battle, Saiko came out with the win, but only by a few points, and in that game the services of Ry Mac nor Adrian were available. Sizing things up for the Grand Finals certainly looked a closer contest, if not favoring Team Bob.

In a game to 15, without any time cap, 7:30pm struck and Saiko had 8 players .... thankfully Lee and Nandor were within the next few minutes. Saiko drew first blood, and took the early lead. But Bob had an answer for everything, and in a game where both teams were determined to zone, it was transitioning to said zones that really made the difference. By the time 10 points were played, Bob had found enough fight to level the score at 5-5. Though giving up a small lead, Saiko kept heads high and rung off three in a row to take the half.

Saiko started the second half on defence, but seemed to be steamrolling downhill as they continued to get consecutive stops and scores, taking their lead margin to +5. At 11-6 it seemed like an inevitable Saiko victory.

But Bob spoiled the party, and took that momentum right back, going on an impressive late game run of their own scoring 6 of the next seven using a suffocating zone, and a patient offensive approach.

All knotted up at 12, it seemed the momentum was in Bob's court, though Saiko had not been behind the whole game. The next two points are a bit of a blur, but they both went in Saiko's favour. With a 14-12 lead and a chance to win the game Lee O'Dwyer came from his deep coverage position in the Saiko Zone and made himself completely horizontal .... just getting in front of the intended Bob receiver and making a spectacular layout D. No stranger to glory he scooped up the disc, pump faked, and stuck a 25m OI pass down the right sideline to an in cutting Troy Zernike. Troy made the catch in the air, and touched his feet in the end zone...

Saiko had done it, successfully defended their title, and finally beat Team Bob in a Final.

Great game to all.

And a big thanks to Dale Patterson for running the league.

Grand Finals - GCUL2

This years Grand Finals have taken shape, and will showcase a rematch of the final from two seasons ago. Saiko vs. Team Bob.

But before we get into it, we'll make mention to an addition to Grand Finals night which is the 3rd place game. At 7:00pm Robina Blue will be facing off against JAWS in a 45min duel for the bronze.

The Grand Finals will begin at 7:30pm and will be played to 15.

Team Bob won the last time these teams met in the Finals, and Saiko (last years champions) won the only meeting they actually played this year. (Saiko forefitted one game to Bob)

It's shaping up to be a good one... and as always there will be free beer, soft drink and sausages for players and spectators alike.

Good luck to all

GUerilla's new logo

Liam O'toole has done it again. Another cracker design for the Griffith squad. Zone Ultimate is putting together the kit.... look for GUerilla to look, and play, sharp at AUG's.

Introducing GUerilla

On Wednesday night, the Griffith University team tried to shake off the close loss from the week before, and though they were up against one of the leagues strongest teams, they did have a few things going for them. Firstly, they had adopted a new team name, one that encapsulates the university two letter acronym, and adds an aura of strategic combat. Also, their captain Mike Morgan was back from an ankle roll, and the new look GUerilla were ready to roll.

They opened up the game strong and were up early, but the captains rubber ankles could not hold out for more than 40 min. With the captain down, Team Bob stormed back and took a lead of 8-5. With no quit in GUerilla, they stuck to the game plan and clawed their way back into the game. As the hooter went, GUerilla scored the final point, which was enough to draw with mighty Team Bob.

On the other field, JAWS opened up a 2-0 lead on Saiko early. But there was no worry as Saiko took 5 of the next 6 and saw themselves with a much more comfortable 2point lead. As the game progressed, Saiko stuck with their zone, and though JAWS struggled against it, they managed to keep finding ways to stay in the game. Late in the game Saiko still had the lead, which got up to about 4 points, but it was JAWS who had stole the momentum. Even at 14-10, Saiko couldn't close out the game. JAWS put two more on the board before hard cap, and Saiko walked away with a win that most certainly could have been stolen.

Next week marks the last games of the season. Saiko and Bob square off for the Minor Premiership, and JAWS and Blubonic Plague joust for points going into the finals. A JAWS win would move them up to third, and into a bye situation for the first round, however a Blubonic Plague win will force a rematch in the first finals round where one team will move on and the other will be eliminated. The game between Saiko and Bob will dictate the Minor Premiership, however the next week of play they will playoff again for re-seeding.

Here's the table as of now.