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GOALKICKING FOOTY LEAGUE
2000 SEASON  League #1

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Darlington 69ers	The Bills	Western Dolphins	Krusty's Klowns
Marc Verstappen	Darren Lynch	David Penney	Andrew Cropley
Darlington, SA	Parkside, SA	Adelaide, SA	Oaklands Park, SA
Keswick Krill	GTO Lions	Portside Phantoms	Standley Raiders
John Groom	Mark Braithwaite	Wayne Warnest	Terry Standley
Keswick, SA	North Plympton, SA	West Lakes, SA	Modbury, SA

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HOW THEY FINISHED

TEAM LIST HIGHLIGHTS

A short selection of the main contributors from each team to highlight the team strengths:
Darlington 69ers:  Jarman, Bizzell, Loewe, A.Lynch, Molloy, Buckley, Gehrig, McRae
At one stage the 69ers had nine straight wins - which meant a beating every other side in the competition on the run, nothing even the eventual premiers could bost!  Just two losses to mid season draft time and even then picking up what could only be classed as a favourable trade against the Lions, and yet the 69ers within weeks came crashing down the ladder.  Just what happened to them that saw just one win and seven losses for the remainder of the year? In one word "injuries" to top players!  On a few occasions the 69ers were unable to field a full squad and their season came crashing down.  To finish fifth against their achievements at mid season was nothing short of tragedy.

The Bills:  Lloyd, McKernan, Dixon, Hammil, Koutoufides, O'Loughlin, B.Holland, Lockwood, N.Thompson, Garlick
There is nothing like a little bit of arrogance to stir the sticky pot of Fantasy Footy and right from the outset the Bills made sure they were there to hand it out to opponents.  From their perhaps lucky opening win against the Lions the Bills made sure their presence was known. At one stage with just one loss to their name the Raiders were unbackable premiership favourites, yet the Bills still were making comments that they would bring the Raiders down in the end.  Amazingly that very statement rang true when the Bills beat the Raiders in the Grand Final and their coach finally tasted success after four years in the Fantasy competition and had been so unlucky on previous occasions bowing out of the finals campaign usually to injuries.

Western Dolphins:  Farmer, Tarrant, Power, Tredrea, Ottens, B.Johnson, Goodes, Mensch, S.Rocca, M.Lappin
What makes a Fantasy Footy competition so complete and fulfilling is knowing that any team would be, on its day, capable of taking out the premiership.  While the Dolphins had very little success early in the season this statement became fact when the Dolphins, essentially with the same list, turned the second half of the season around to be considered the most potent line up outside of the five. A sudden string of wins had the Phantoms worried that their spot in the finals campaign was in jeopardy - and it was! The Dolphins went about kicking big scores when a number of their erratic if capable players finally began contributing, not least of which was Farmer who kicked an oustanding fifty goals in the second half of the GFL season - an unforgettable 9 goals in the second half of a match (after being essentially benched because of poor form) perhaps the highlight of any goalkicking haul for the season and one still being talked about.  But when the finals finally arrived and the Dolphins succeeded in getting a berth they suddenly faltered and the achievement of a finals game was all they can take away for the season.

GTO LIONS:  Carey, Everritt, Fevola, Welsh, Mercuri, A.Houlihan, Robertson, Schwarz, Beinke, P.Williams 
After drafting a very capable list, a moment of madness beseiged the Lions in the opening round of the season when they omitted the previously proven M.O'Loughlin for the untried talents of B.Tuckey and went down the Bills by a matter of a few points. O'Loughlin kicked five! The Bills went the opposite way changing their selection to replace a player who ended up kicking nothing for P.Williams who bagged a couple of goals to secure the win. And to complete the irony these two players swapped guernsies when mid season draft arrived! In fact the Lions were on the back foot but were clearly dangerous when their team clicked together. Everritt bagged the equivalent of 10 goals in one outing and Carey was always a nasty prospect hanging around the goal line. But then Carey got enough jobs at Centre Half Back to render the Lions coach completely frustrated with his scoring options and the few trades they did muster clearly came out against their favour - something the Lions coach had not experienced before. But by the end of the season the Lions were getting their act back together and entered the finals with an aura of menace about them, knocking over opposition teams easily. But they fell asleep in the game against their fierce rivals Raiders in the Preliminary Final which halted a season that might well have otherwise been a climatic one! 

Krusty's Klowns:  Modra, Hird, R.Smith, Vardy, McLeod, S.Grant, Daffy, Ahmat, Caracella
There was very little for the Klowns to gloat about (other than downing the Lions in every meeting) in season 2000 and after reigning supreme in previous GFL competitions found themselves in unfamiliar territory on the bottom rung of the ladder on more occasions than not. While there was some healthy goal potential in their list from the likes of Modra, Hird and Vardy there were actually very few occasions when all three of them would play together in a Klowns side, and sometimes only one of them was present. Smith and Grant added regular contributions but the team lacked the potency of a true spearhead when Modra wasn't about and in the end the Klowns just didn't have what it took to be a respectable force in 2000.  Add to this the poor preparation and often risky picks in the post season drafts and their season was always going to be hard to resurrect. Some suggest they were fortunate in having avoided the wooden spoon.

Keswick Krill:  Hudson, Heatley, Whitnall, Neitz, Rioli, Cornes, Burns, Rogers, Burton, C-Collins
Almost ridiculed at the start of the season to a degree that could have seen other coaches spit the dummy and pull out of such a vibrant League, the almost unbackable wooden spoon favourites were soon turning a few things around with some early success and other great efforts against the best the opposition could throw at them. Arguably they could feel rightly annoyed that a few more premiership points weren't sent their way in some classic encounters with quality opposition.  But early success was soon overcome because the opposition actually started to respect the side and in the past the ruthlessness of the Groom coaching factor had proven to be more than just a headache on many an occasion. The Krill kept themselves in the hunt right up until the last few remaining rounds of the season and even managed to secure some deals which on paper seemed ridiculously in their favour (eg: securing Hudson for Loewe!) and proved to be so in the latter half of the season. But alas form from the likes of Burns and Heatley was a burden as was the changing roles of some of their other players like Neitz who was more a regular defender, and finally the injuries were also a problem with C-Collins and Burton spending most of the year out of the squad. Even Rogers, a highly successful mid year recruit, spent enough games nursing his ankle to be able to assist the Krill in vyeing for a finals campaign. The Krill coach himself gave in near the end of the season and was happy to accept the wooden spoon (after all it means first pick next year) but still fought by selecting generally his best side even in the dying rounds of the premiership season. The other coaches did after all have the last laugh, quite happily handing the wooden utensil to the Krill!

Portside Phantoms:  Richardson, B.Hall, Bradshaw, C.Grant, M.White, Alessio, J.Cook, Ball, Dew
You have heard all about form and injury being detrimental to a side before and damaging hopes for a finals berth - well this statement could never be so truer than what happened to the Phantoms this year.  Glancing at the above list injuries kept Richardson, Grant, White, Alessio, Cook and Ball out for long spells; form hampered Bradshaw and Dew's regular appearance and Hall had as many games in the defence role than up forward and even then it wasn't until the second half of the season he actually started kicking goals. On a number of occasions the Phantoms were lucky enough to be able to scrounge an actual team selection together and more often than not forwent the luxury of including an emergency.... But in the first few rounds when a full compliment was there to choose from, you only need glance below to see just how potent the side was sending calls of flag favourites to be bestowed upon them in the opening rounds.  But as soon as injury set in during the Round 4 clash their season crumbled before them and it was only a matter of time before they would slowly, gradually and painfully slip out of finals contention.  Even then they managed to keep themselves in contention right until the last round when the eventual fifth place getters - also struggling at that point - provided a dull spectacle to win by a mere six points. But while many others were grateful at the Phantoms phate it only takes but a moment to realise they have third pick next year!

Standley Raiders:  Cummings, Ph.Matera, N.Holland, Fitzgerald, Mooney, Lucas, A.Rocca, Kelly, Waterhouse
From the outset the Raiders were bestowed the Kiss of Death - aka "Flag Favourites". And while the Phantoms and Bills both challenged this title on a couple of occasions during the season, the mere fact that the pre-season Goalsneak predicted their success was enough to spell out what was really thought when the team lists were drafted. The biggest coup in perhaps GFL recent history was the ability to nab perhaps the deadliest goalkicking duo in the competition - Cummings and Ph.Matera (ie: from one AFL team), on one occasion kicking all of 12 West Coast goals in a match!  There was almost a guaranteed six goal start on any opposition before the ball had even bounced, and when Cummings bagged 14 and then 10 in two separate rounds there was almost mass hysteria within the League who pondered just what this team might actually do! With consistency finally becoming part of Waterhouse's game, Nick Hollands ability to reak havoc on the forward line and A.Rocca given a regular role up forward all of a sudden opponents were struggling for breath, seeing a forfeit as a more face saving encounter than actually playing a match. It took arch rivals (dating right back to league inception in 1994) Lions to inflict the Raiders early first and only loss until after the Mid-season draft when the Raiders won/lost every alternate game until the end of the minor round which is quite funny in itself. Come finals time the Raiders were experiencing somewhat of a slump with most of their best goalkickers for the season MIA - whether that be on or off the field. They played one of their best outings against arch enemies Lions with three players kicking 16 goals between them in the Preliminary final to secure a Grand Final berth, but many believed that this was their final and the Bills thought they had just played right into their hands. In spite of a side riddled by bad form and injuries (since it seemed the Prelim final was one of those rare efforts where the side just clicks together) and the inability to field a fully strength outfit for that final clash of the year (no Cummings or Matera for instance) the Raiders were surprisingly resistant and kept the Bills at bay for most of the match.  In the end the Raiders succumbed to what appeared to be a one-sided contest on the day, although losing by less than two goals was an accomplishment in itself.

FIXTURE RESULTS

ROUND 1  -  March 8
The Bills 14.9.93 v GTO Lions 12.17.89 - Sunhill Lock-up
Standley Raiders 22.7.139 v Krusty’s Klowns 14.2.86 - Pain Park
Portside Phantoms 16.4.160 v Keswick Krill 10.4.64 – Skull Cave
Western Dolphins 10.11.71 v Darlington 69ers 17.11.113 – The Aquarium

ROUND 2  -  March 18
GTO Lions 17.21.123 v Standley Raiders 18.10.118 – The Serengheti
Krusty’s Klowns 15.4.94 v The Bills 17.11.113 – The Big Top
Western Dolphins 10.7.67 v Portside Phantoms 18.9.117 – The Aquarium
Darlington 69ers 15.2.92 v Keswick Krill 15.5.95 – Batchelor Pad

ROUND 3  -  March 25
Portside Phantoms 15.14.104 v The Bills 14.11.95 – Skull Cave
Keswick Krill 18.12.120 v GTO Lions 19.7.121 – Sea World
Krusty’s Klowns 14.4.88 v Western Dolphins 18.16.124 – The Big Top
Standley Raiders 18.10.118 v Darlington 69ers 13.7.85 – Pain Park

ROUND 4  -  April 1
Western Dolphins 13.5.83 v Keswick Krill 8.4.52 – The Aquarium
Darlington 69ers 14.10.94 v Portside Phantoms 13.5.83 – Batchelor Pad
Standley Raiders 29.9.183 v The Bills 20.10.130 – Pain Park
Krusty’s Klowns 14.9.93 v GTO Lions 7.7.49 – The Big Top

ROUND 5  -  April 8
Keswick Krill 12.7.79 v Krusty’s Klowns 11.8.74 – Sea World
The Bills 12.9.81 v Darlington 69ers 13.13.91 – Sunhill Lock-up
Portside Phantoms 2.4.16 v Standley Raiders 11.8.74 – Skull Cave
Western Dolphins 14.8.92 v GTO Lions 21.15.141 – The Aquarium

ROUND 6  -  April 15
GTO Lions 16.10.106 v Portside Phantoms 6.5.41 – The Serengheti
The Bills 10.11.71 v Keswick Krill 9.6.60 – Sunhill Lock-up
Standley Raiders 21.10.136 v Western Dolphins 18.7.115 – Pain Park
Darlington 69ers 14.10.94 v Krusty’s Klowns 11.3.69 – Batchelor Pad

ROUND 7  -  April 22
Standley Raiders 18.7.115 v Keswick Krill 14.5.89 – Pain Park
GTO Lions 9.1.55 v Darlington 69ers 12.6.78 – The Serengheti
The Bills 22.9.141 v Western Dolphins 15.9.99 – Sunhill Lock-up
Portside Phantoms 6.3.39 v Krusty’s Klowns 9.6.60 – Skull Cave

ROUND 8  -  April 29
Darlington 69ers 13.8.86 v Western Dolphins 12.7.79 – Batchelor Pad
GTO Lions 10.7.67 v The Bills 15.13.103 – The Serengheti
Keswick Krill 6.4.40 v Portside Phantoms 7.4.46 – Sea World
Krusty’s Klowns 8.6.54 v Standley Raiders 15.8.98 – The Big Top

ROUND 9  -  May 6
Portside Phantoms 7.8.50 v Western Dolphins 10.5.65 – Skull Cave
Keswick Krill 7.6.48 v Darlington 69ers 17.5.107 – Sea World
Standley Raiders 20.15.135 v GTO Lions 17.9.111 – Pain Park
The Bills 18.6.114 v Krusty’s Klowns 12.3.75 – Sunhill Lock-up

Mid-Season Draft

ROUND 10  -  May 13
GTO Lions 12.4.76 v Keswick Krill 7.8.50 – The Serengheti
Western Dolphins 10.10.70 v Krusty’s Klowns 8.10.58 – The Aquarium
Darlington 69ers 22.8.140 v Standley Raiders 15.11.101 – Batchelor Pad
The Bills 8.6.54 v Portside Phantoms 14.9.93 – Sunhill Lock-up

ROUND 11  -  May 20
The Bills 17.6.108 v Standley Raiders 21.7.133 – Sunhill Lock-up
Keswick Krill 17.13.115 v Western Dolphins 12.9.81 – Sea World
Portside Phantoms 11.7.73 v Darlington 69ers 17.11.113 – Skull Cave
GTO Lions 12.16.88 v Krusty’s Klowns 14.8.92 – The Serengheti

ROUND 12  -  May 27
GTO Lions 17.5.107 v Western Dolphins 12.7.79 – The Serengheti
Standley Raiders 6.13.49 v Portside Phantoms 10.7.67 – Pain Park
Darlington 69ers 10.9.69 v The Bills 12.11.83 – Batchelor Pad
Krusty’s Klowns 13.9.87 v Keswick Krill 13.6.84 – The Big Top

ROUND 13  -  June 3
Western Dolphins 6.7.43 v Standley Raiders 9.4.58 – The Aquarium
Keswick Krill 9.6.60 v The Bills 19.11.125 – Sea World
Krusty’s Klowns 14.6.90 v Darlington 69ers 13.6.84 – The Big Top
Portside Phantoms 14.4.88 v GTO Lions 14.9.93 – Skull Cave

ROUND 14  -  June 10
Darlington 69ers 12.2.74 v GTO Lions 20.8.128 – Batchelor Pad
Keswick Krill 19.11.125 v Standley Raiders 13.9.87 – Sea World
Western Dolphins 21.7.133 v The Bills 13.10.88 – The Aquarium
Krusty’s Klowns 9.7.61 v Portside Phantoms 9.10.64 – The Big Top

ROUND 15  -  June 17
Portside Phantoms 12.6.78 v Keswick Krill 12.4.76 – Skull Cave 
The Bills 11.7.73 v GTO Lions 11.8.74 - Sunhill Lock-up
Western Dolphins 21.6.132 v Darlington 69ers 12.5.77 – The Aquarium 
Standley Raiders 16.2.98 v Krusty’s Klowns 5.4.34 - Pain Park

ROUND 16  -  June 24
Western Dolphins 14.12.96 v Portside Phantoms 14.5.89 – The Aquarium
GTO Lions 14.8.92 v Standley Raiders 8.9.57 – The Serengheti
Darlington 69ers 11.6.72 v Keswick Krill 15.10.100 – Batchelor Pad
Krusty’s Klowns 7.6.48 v The Bills 19.14.128 – The Big Top

ROUND 17  -  July 1
Krusty’s Klowns 9.7.61 v Western Dolphins 10.8.68 – The Big Top
Portside Phantoms 16.11.107 v The Bills 19.9.123 – Skull Cave
Keswick Krill 3.7.25 v GTO Lions 18.7.115 – Sea World
Standley Raiders 13.12.90 v Darlington 69ers 13.8.86 – Pain Park

ROUND 18  -  July 8
Darlington 69ers 9.9.63 v Portside Phantoms 9.3.57 – Batchelor Pad
Standley Raiders 14.12.96 v The Bills 21.9.135 – Pain Park
Western Dolphins 19.9.123 v Keswick Krill 18.12.120 – The Aquarium
Krusty’s Klowns 17.7.109 v GTO Lions 10.8.68 – The Big Top

ROUND 19  -  July 15
ELIMINATION FINAL
Western Dolphins 9.10.64 d. Darlington 69ers 8.6.54
QUALIFYING FINAL
The Bills 27.8.170 v GTO Lions 16.18.114

ROUND 20  -  July 22
1ST SEMI FINAL
The Bills 15.10.100 v Standley Raiders 8.7.55
2ND SEMI FINAL
GTO Lions 16.4.100 v Western Dolphins 15.7.97

ROUND 21  -  July 29
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Standley Raiders 20.8.128 v GTO Lions 5.7.37

ROUND 22  -  AUGUST 5
G R A N D     F I N A L
The Bills 15.11.101 v Standley Raiders 14.8.92

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