We’ve reached the mid-season checkpoint of 2017 . It's the time of year we review where teams are at. It's the time of year where the playoff fortunes of the 10 AFLO teams start to become clearer.
For the Men's competition we have the Rebels, Swans and Eagles who are playing like premiership contenders, while the final two playoff spots are up for grabs. Don’t write off the 1-3 Wildcats and Dingos just yet; they're both still within touch of the Top Five.
For the Women’s competition, the Roos are miles ahead at 4-0, with three of their four wins coming at more than 130-points.
Here’s where the teams are at post Canada Day Weekend.
*
MEN'S COMPETITION
Rebels 5-0 | The 2016 Premiers have started the season in strong form, as predicted, and have accounted for most teams with ease. Their 18-point win over the Eagles was their best performance, played in tough, hard conditions. The Eagles look like their biggest threat at this stage of the season. Tersigni leads the Rebels up forward with 14 goals.
Swans 3-1 | Hard to say too much about the Swans thus far; two wins have come from forfeits. They beat an undermanned Roos team but also lost to the Roos at Humber. Still a lot of football left for the Swannies to prove themselves and the good news: they’re sitting in second place.
Eagles 3-1 | The Eagles were a bit of an unknown at the start of the season. But the more they play, they better they get. They matched up well against the Rebels, losing by three goals. They’ve found a good mix of Aussies and Canadians this season which should see them get close to the Grand Final.They have the best AFLO attack, scoring 459 points, with Falcioni kicking 14 goals and Casey 13 so far.
Roos 3-1 | The Roos suffered a heavy defeat in round one by 91 points against the Swans. It looked like a long year ahead, but they’ve managed to get some old heads back at the club and have won three on the trot. Goals have come from Harris 9, Studham 7, Moore and Rigney with five each. Their best win was against the Dingos by 42 points. The next three games will tell us a bit more about the real Roos and whether or not they're a true Top Four unit.
Blues 2-3 | The Blues started the season with three losses: to the Gargoyles, Wildcats and Roos.They’ve since turned a corner with impressive back-to-back wins over the Demons and Dingos.They have a tough run coming up in the second half of the seasons and are still yet to play, Swans, Rebels or Eagles.Will need a few more wins to hold on to fifth spot.
Hawks 2-3 | The Hawks have produced an inconsistent run so far. During the games they’ve won, they have looked sharp. They defeated the Demons by 65 points and the Dingos by 79 points (which included 31 scoring shots to 7).But their season has also included a forfeit, a 42-point loss to the Rebels, and a 78-point loss to the Eagles. Shuttleworth has 12 goals for the season.
Gargoyles 2-3 | The Gargoyles have lost their past two matches but are able to hold onto a 2-3 record, which puts them in contention for a playoffs spot. They were able to dominate the Demons (by 67) and the Blues (by 22), but struggled against the Rebels (lost by 128) and were on the receiving end of the Demons' first win in two seasons.Matthews has been the focal point up forward and leads the AFLO in goals with 15 majors.
Dingos 1-3 | With one against Guelph, the Dingos have struggled for consistency in 2017. They were beaten by the Hawks by 79 points, failed to fire against the Roos and lost a close one against the Blues by 17 points.They have a tough run ahead with Demons, Swans, Rebels and will need to win two of those to stay in the playoff hunt.
Wildcats 1-3 | The Wildcats, along with Dingos and Demons, face a handful of must win matches in the second half of the season. With losses to the Eagles (by 60) and Rebels (by 50) – plus a forfeit – it makes that 34-point win against the Blues an important one. They have a make-up match to fit in and are only one game outside the top five. Don't write off the Wildcats just yet.
Demons 1-3 | The Demons won their first game of football in two seasons when they dismantled the Gargoyles by 24 points in round five. They were competitive against the Blues and largely effective against the Hawks for most of the match. They suffered a disappointing 188-point loss against the Eagles, but, one gets the feeling another win is just around the corner.
Full AFLO Men's ladder here.
WOMEN'S COMPETITION
Roos 4-0 | The rampant and undefeated Roos have dominated the competition from the get-go. They’ve racked up 606 points and given up a paltry 38 points. Their percentage is a whopping 1594. It’s the size of the wins that has us believe the Roos are coasting to a Grand Final appearance in 2017: the Wildcats by 138-points, the Blues by 172-points (44 scoring shots to two) and two wins over the Demons (61-points and 197-points). Kirwan has 28 goals and the Roos own 10 of the first 12 AFLO goal kicking spots.
Demons 2-2 | The Demons have been the only team to get close to the Roos with a 61-point loss, but also own a 197-point loss to them as well. They had a commanding win over the Blues by 57-points, and own a forfeit win over the Wildcats.
Blues 2-2 | The other 2-2 team, the Blues, suffered a 172-point against the Roos. They’ve beaten the Wildcats twice by 19-points and 14-points but lost to the Demons but 57-points.
Wildcats 0-4 | The Wildcats have some work to do in the second half of the season as they strive to capture their first win. They’ve produced two competitive games against the Blues, which could have gone either way. They lost to the Roos by 138-points and gave up a forfeit to the Demons.
Full AFLO Women's ladder here.
[top image via Rob Colburn]
Last Modified on 14/09/2017 13:28