Rooster changes & the rest of season

Minor changes to the rooster so we have our masterclass team in 2 of the remaining 5 games:

Jul-16	Hampton	Home	Mark	Nosti	Dean	Victor
Jul-23	Glenhuntly	Cnr Booran & Neerim Rds	Dean	Victor	Nick	Yuri
Jul-30	Port Melb	Swallow St	Dean	Nosti	Alan	Nick
Aug-06	Mordialloc	Home	Dean	Neale	Alan	Mark
Aug-13	Parkdale	Home	Alan	Nick	Dean	Nosti

Analysis of our chances:

For those of you who care about such things, here is a basic analysis of our standing in the comp after last Sat’s game:

Mens Sets 1 (Rd 9)	Pts	%
Parkdale	58.0	178.09
Mordialloc	56.0	150.00
MCC	44.0	132.51
Port Melbourne	43.0	115.00
Albert Park	40.0	102.73
Hampton	26.0	76.82
Glenhuntly	17.0	67.74
Hampton U/C	4.0	47.83

·         Our only rival to the semis is Pt Melb as MCC seem to have lost a couple of good players which may or may not return, but we assume they will.

·         Round 7 was half way in the comp when all the teams had played each other.

·         As the comp is divided into 2-3 strong teams (MCC?), 2-3 mid (MCC?) and 3 weak, & therefore it depends on who has played whom, it makes little sense to compare standings until the end. However, it just so happens that both Pt Melb & us have similar play order in the 2^nd half of the season: both play MCC and a weaker side in the 1^st 2 matches and Parkdale & Mordi in the last 2. So, we can keep track on how we are going against Pt Melb.

·         In the last 2 rounds both of us have scored 14 points: us 7-1 MCC, 7-1 HU;   PtM 8-0 Glen, 6-2 MCC.  Unfortunately our crushing defeat against MCC was negated by a 35-34 game slim win to Pt Melb against a weaker MCC side (hotshot Mark L didn’t play), and we dropped a set against HU.

Getting-to-the-semis Strategy:

·         Any pair that drops a set against Hampton or Glenhuntly are arseholes. No negotiations or plea bargains; you are arseholes (notice that wise and always-thinking-ahead Alan has chosen these as the only 2 games he’s not playing in the comp!). If Pt Melb continue their good form we assume they will win 8-0, 8-0 against them; if they don’t then it’s a chance to claw back the 3 points they are ahead.

·         We need to crush Pt Melb when we play them (unfortunately away) to take the pressure off the tough last 2 games, so we’re putting in our best Team.

·         Wishful thinking: our nemesis MCC will continue to lose the plot and we overtake them to the semis. We’ll probably have to get 4 more points than they do against the top 2 sides (Mordi & Parkdale) to do that!

·         Deano is playing in all the remaining games J   Nick & Nosti are playing in 3 of the next 5 games J J and Yuri is going to be using his Gulag mind control technique from the side-lines….. (???)

·         Both tough matches against Mordi & Parkdale are at home, while for Pt Melb only 1 is. J

It’ll be easy and fun.

J