Ok, here is the wind up of the first games of the back end of the season (and we all know how much Liam loves the back end).
Game 1 Boomstick -vs- Empire.
At 15-1 for The Evil Empire, this one was a stone cold schooling. In fact, it was only Kat's epic point that stopped it being a total wipeout.
Empire, typically, played with control; moving the disc well between their primaries and finding their deeps regularly. Especially worthy of note was the significant improvement in Jacob's game after Big Sky 11 and the Firestarter development clinic last weekend. Everyone who ever played a tournament knows that your level ups 70% right after ... best thing you'll ever do to elevate your game. Lurch was, without doubt, more desperate to get his oversized paws on the disc than we've seen him in a long time and his vertical leap seems to have improved also. If he can maintain this level of intensity, Empire will be hard to beat this season!
Other that the Wetnose-Lurch combination, Jason was dangerous in the endzone, cutting deep and wide to give his teammates options. Another pair of stars were the Skills 360 ladies, who were making all the right cuts (but still getting ignored). Krystal certainly laid her body on the line with a HARD endzone layout that came up short, but impressed everyone who saw it. Dedication like that is pure gold!
Boomstick played a predictably solid game and their workups meant that they were threatening the endzone regularly. Unfortunately, they suffered from their trademark slippery fingers in the endzone and struggled to hold on to the plastic when it mattered most. Team captain 'Unlucky Eddie' had a couple of red faces moments when he passed directly into the waiting mitts of the Sniff Lord, but generally the deadites had a gameplan and stuck to it.
All concerned agreed that it didn't 'feel' like a 15-1 flogging and it will be interesting to see if Boomstick can keep the momentum going for their re-match against Huck next week.
Game 2 Huck vs Meow.
A perennially changing Huck surprised everyone when they not only fielded a full team this week, but actually had subs sitting on the sideline! With a clear zone offence in place, the tallest team in the league did a good job moving the plastic up the field and managed to score some early points. It was gratifying to see Jamie finally playing the position Jesus intended when he stretched him tall and skinny! Speaking of tall and skinny, barefoot bohemian 'Stretchy' Pete saw a lot of endzone action - his hyper-simian reach more than making up for the trouble he had reading the disc in flight. New recruit (and former Ultimate nay-sayer) Rohan ran like a terrier chasing a crestie on heat, cutting wildly and often before putting in some solid backhands to help offset the inevitable energy drop that has plagued Huck since day 1. Michelle represented for the ladies and showed Huck's new female recruit the ropes in style; excellent sideline leadership and support!
Ultimately, Huck faded. The uber high intensity they started with dropped off and a patient Meow pounced. Handler-cutter combos were, as expected, slick and Cephas' freakability made up for his unwillingness to run. At times, Meow's handlers expressed frustration as their cutters struggled to cope with the height and reach of the Green boys - it was always going to be speed and maneuverability that won the day for them.
The final two points after the break noticeably saw Meow lift off the gas and Huck capitalised by scoring twice before the final hooter. Lifting off is one thing neither of these teams can afford next week as Empire look to consolidate their position on the top of the table and Boomstick look for a big win to drag themselves off the bottom of the ladder.
All in all, this was a high energy week of ulti and the C.U.L.T is really starting to shape up into a competitive league.
Finally, congratulations to Jay and Jasmine who welcomed their second child into the world last night - we can't wait to see Ricardo JR down at Windarra st soon!
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