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GOALKICKING FOOTY LEAGUE
2000 SEASON  League #2

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Brentford Bees	Coburg Cougars	Greenwith Goannas	Kropley's Krows	Youngtown Racquets
Robert Thomas	Paul Dyer	Steven Dennis	David Cropley	Ian Young
Dandenong, Vic	Coburg, Vic	Greenwith, SA	Hallett Cove, SA	Mt Martha, Vic
Noarlunga Raptors	Southern Thunder	Tennessee Titans	Waverley Wheelers	Westar Wizards
Jared Thornton	Dillon McLay	Sean Chapman	Kevin Gan	Geoff McInerney
Noarlunga, SA	Adelaide, SA	Nashville, TN, USA	Waverley, SA	East Perth, WA

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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:
Brentford Bees:  Cummings, B.Hall, R.Burns, Bizzell, Power, S.Grant, Dew, Abraham, Mensch
Coburg Cougars:  Carey, Bradshaw, Everritt, Waterhouse, A.Rocca, Croad, Molloy, Beinke, M.White
Greenwith Goannas:  Whitnall, Hird, Tredrea, C.Grant, B.Ottens, M.Lappin, Fitzgerald, Pavlich
Kropley's Krows:  S.Rocca, Jarman, M.O'Loughlin, Robertson, Rogers, C-Collins, J.Mooney, Moorcroft
Youngtown Racquets:  Lloyd, Gehrig, Dixon, Ball, McKernan, B.Harvey, P.Williams, Bewick
Noarlunga Raptors:  Richardson, Farmer, Ph.Matera, R.Smith, B.Johnson, G.Brown, Camporeale
Southern Thunder:  Loewe, N.Holland, Bell, Cornes, Green, Stoneham, Tarrant, Alessio, Koutoufides
Tennessee Titans:  Modra, Lucas, Heatley, B.Holland, Dragicevic, Buckley, Barker, N.Brown
Waverley Wheelers:  Hudson, J.Cook, Welsh, Vardy, N.Thompson, Neitz, Kolyniuk, Michael
Westar Wizards:  A.Lynch, Fevola, Schwarz, Hammil, A.Houlihan, Ahmat, Goodes, Mercuri, Perrie

FIXTURE RESULTS

ROUND 1  -  March 8
Brentford Bees 12.4.76 v Youngtown Racquets 19.6.120 - Griffin Park
Coburg Cougars 24.10.154 v Tennessee Titans 12.8.80 - Moonee Ponds
Kropley’s Krows 10.10.70 v Noarlunga Raptors 19.11.125 - Hallett Cove Oval
Waverley Wheelers 11.9.75 v Weststar Wizards 16.12.108 - Hole Stadium
Southern Thunder 11.8.74 v Greenwith Goannas 12.8.80 - Lightning Park

ROUND 2  -  March 18
Coburg Cougars 23.12.150 v Noarlunga Raptors 10.6.66 - Moonee Ponds
Youngtown Racquets 23.13.151 v Kropley’s Krows 11.4.70 - Tennis Club
Greenwith Goannas 13.7.85 v Tennessee Titans 8.6.54 - Greenwith Stadium
Weststar Wizards 20.9.129 v Southern Thunder 14.3.87 - Firetop Mountain
Waverley Wheelers 6.11.47 v Brentford Bees 8.7.55 - Hole Stadium

ROUND 3  -  March 25
Kropley’s Krows 16.5.101 v Waverley Wheelers 17.4.106 - Hallett Cove Oval
Tennessee Titans 10.6.66 v Weststar Wizards 9.10.64 - Nashville Colosseum
Brentford Bees 14.6.90 v Noarlunga Raptors 14.8.92 - Griffin Park
Southern Thunder 12.8.80 v Coburg Cougars 15.12.102 - Lightning Park
Youngtown Racquets 13.11.89 v Greenwith Goannas 26.11.167 - Tennis Club

ROUND 4  -  April 1
Noarlunga Raptors 10.6.66 v Greenwith Goannas 6.7.43 - Noarlunga Oval
Brentford Bees 23.5.143 v Southern Thunder 10.5.65 - Griffin Park
Tennessee Titans 16.12.108 v Waverley Wheelers 12.9.81 - Nashville Colosseum
Coburg Cougars 15.5.95 v Youngtown Racquets 17.11.113 - Moonee Ponds
Weststar Wizards 14.14.98 v Kropley’s Krows 9.7.61 - Firetop Mountain

ROUND 5  -  April 8
Brentford Bees 10.5.65 v Kropley’s Krows 11.6.72 - Griffin Park
Greenwith Goannas 16.8.104 v Waverley Wheelers 16.17.113 - Greenwith Stadium
Weststar Wizards 11.6.72 v Coburg Cougars 15.16.106 - Firetop Mountain
Tennessee Titans 14.11.95 v Noarlunga Raptors 8.5.53 - Nashville Colosseum
Youngtown Racquets 14.13.97 v Southern Thunder 6.2.38 - Tennis Club

ROUND 6  -  April 15
Youngtown Racquets 7.9.51 v Weststar Wizards 15.7.97 - Tennis Club
Waverley Wheelers 11.8.74 v Noarlunga Raptors 12.4.76 - Hole Stadium
Coburg Cougars 20.11.131 v Brentford Bees 20.5.125 - Moonee Ponds
Kropley’s Krows 13.8.86 v Greenwith Goannas 11.7.73 - Hallett Cove Oval
Southern Thunder 13.3.81 v Tennessee Titans 8.1.49 - Lightning Park

ROUND 7  -  April 22
Noarlunga Raptors 16.7.103 v Southern Thunder 4.4.28 - Noarlunga Oval
Greenwith Goannas 12.6.78 v Weststar Wizards 10.10.70 - Greenwith Stadium
Kropley’s Krows 8.5.53 v Coburg Cougars 13.4.82 - Hallett Cove Oval
Brentford Bees 10.7.67 v Tennessee Titans 21.4.130 - Griffin Park
Waverley Wheelers 14.7.91 v Youngtown Racquets 21.10.136 - Hole Stadium

ROUND 8  -  April 29
Noarlunga Raptors 11.7.73 v Youngtown Racquets 12.12.84 - Noarlunga Oval
Greenwith Goannas 7.8.50 v Coburg Cougars 14.13.97 - Greenwith Stadium
Southern Thunder 9.6.60 v Waverley Wheelers 9.10.64 - Lightning Park
Tennessee Titans 9.7.61 v Kropley’s Krows 9.3.57 - Nashville Colosseum
Weststar Wizards 13.14.92 v Brentford Bees 12.5.77 - Firetop Mountain

ROUND 9  -  May 6
Brentford Bees 8.6.54 v Greenwith Goannas 10.9.96 - Griffin Park
Coburg Cougars 21.8.134 v Waverley Wheelers 21.7.133 - Moonee Ponds
Kropley’s Krows 14.10.94 v Southern Thunder 8.9.57 - Hallett Cove Oval
Youngtown Racquets 17.5.107 v Tennessee Titans 4.4.28 - Tennis Club
Weststar Wizards 9.8.62 v Noarlunga Raptors 9.6.60 - Firetop Mountain

Midseason Draft

ROUND 10  -  May 13
Weststar Wizards 11.11.77 v Waverley Wheelers 7.4.46 - Firetop Mountain
Noarlunga Raptors 14.14.98 v Kropley’s Krows 9.3.57 - Noarlunga Oval
Greenwith Goannas 20.9.129 v Southern Thunder 11.8.74 - Greenwith Stadium
Youngtown Racquets 13.9.87 v Brentford Bees 13.14.92 - Tennis Club
Tennessee Titans 12.6.78 v Coburg Cougars 16.5.101 – Nashville Colosseum

ROUND 11  -  May 20
Brentford Bees 23.6.144 v Waverley Wheelers 10.6.66 - Griffin Park
Kropley’s Krows 10.10.70 v Youngtown Racquets 21.8.134 - Hallett Cove Oval
Tennessee Titans 10.5.65 v Greenwith Goannas 12.10.82 - Nashville Colosseum
Noarlunga Raptors 11.11.77 v Coburg Cougars 14.10.94 - Noarlunga Oval
Southern Thunder 12.5.77 v Weststar Wizards 15.10.100 - Lightning Park

ROUND 12  -  May 27
Coburg Cougars 13.11.89 v Southern Thunder 7.7.49 - Moonee Ponds
Greenwith Goannas 11.8.74 v Youngtown Racquets 13.13.91 - Greenwith Stadium
Weststar Wizards 17.6.108 v Tennessee Titans 7.6.48 - Firetop Mountain
Waverley Wheelers 11.4.70 v Kropley’s Krows 8.3.51 - Hole Stadium
Noarlunga Raptors 11.6.72 v Brentford Bees 9.5.59 - Noarlunga Oval

ROUND 13  -  June 3
Youngtown Racquets 8.12.60 v Coburg Cougars 24.10.154 - Tennis Club
Kropley’s Krows 7.4.46 v Weststar Wizards 17.8.110 - Hallett Cove Oval
Greenwith Goannas 11.11.77 v Noarlunga Raptors 10.10.70 - Greenwith Stadium
Waverley Wheelers 18.2.110 v Tennessee Titans 11.8.74 - Hole Stadium
Southern Thunder 6.7.43 v Brentford Bees 12.5.77 - Lightning Park

ROUND 14  -  June 10
Southern Thunder 14.6.90 v Youngtown Racquets 13.5.83 - Lightning Park
Coburg Cougars 14.9.93 v Weststar Wizards 10.5.65 - Moonee Ponds
Waverley Wheelers 18.5.113 v Greenwith Goannas 17.10.112 - Hole Stadium
Kropley’s Krows 10.3.63 v Brentford Bees 8.9.57 - Hallett Cove Oval
Noarlunga Raptors 18.10.118 v Tennessee Titans 8.3.51 - Noarlunga Oval

ROUND 15  -  June 17
Brentford Bees 12.5.77 v Coburg Cougars 19.9.123 - Griffin Park
Tennessee Titans 10.3.63 v Southern Thunder 10.5.65 - Nashville Colosseum
Weststar Wizards 12.6.78 v Youngtown Racquets 5.7.37 - Firetop Mountain
Greenwith Goannas 14.3.87 v Kropley’s Krows 13.5.83 - Greenwith Stadium
Noarlunga Raptors 20.3.123 v Waverley Wheelers 8.5.53 - Noarlunga Oval

ROUND 16  -  June 24
Coburg Cougars 9.11.65 v Kropley’s Krows 11.6.72 - Moonee Ponds
Youngtown Racquets 15.10.100 v Waverley Wheelers 11.5.71 - Tennis Club
Tennessee Titans 17.7.109 v Brentford Bees 15.9.99 - Nashville Colosseum
Southern Thunder 9.9.63 v Noarlunga Raptors 11.8.74 - Lightning Park
Weststar Wizards 15.8.98 v Greenwith Goannas 13.12.90 - Firetop Mountain

ROUND 17  -  July 1
Brentford Bees 14.9.93 v Weststar Wizards 19.8.122 - Griffin Park
Coburg Cougars 23.10.148 v Greenwith Goannas 2.3.15 - Moonee Ponds
Waverley Wheelers 2.8.20 v Southern Thunder 15.7.97 - Hole Stadium
Kropley’s Krows 9.3.57 v Tennessee Titans 13.10.88 - Hallett Cove Oval
Youngtown Racquets 10.8.68 v Noarlunga Raptors 7.9.51 - Tennis Club

ROUND 18  -  July 8
Southern Thunder 11.11.77 v Kropley's Krows 9.7.61 - Lightning Park
Tennessee Titans 18.13.121 v Youngtown Racquets 18.5.113 - Nashville Colosseum
Greenwith Goannas 14.5.89 v Brentford Bees 18.6.114 - Greenwith Stadium
Noarlunga Raptors 19.11.125 v Weststar Wizards 15.11.101 - Noarlunga Oval
Waverley Wheelers 4.5.29 v Coburg Cougars 6.3.39 - Hole Stadium

ROUND 19  -  July 15
Elimination Final
Youngtown Racquets 21.9.135 d. Greenwith Goannas 4.6.30
Qualifying Final
Westar Wizards 18.6.114 d. Noarlunga Raptors 13.12.90

ROUND 20  -  July 22
Semi Finals
Coburg Cougars 16.8.104 v Westar Wizards 15.8.98
Noarlunga Raptors 17.5.107 v Youngtown Racquets 6.4.40

ROUND 21  -  July 29
Preliminary Finals
Westar Wizards 8.8.56 v Noarlunga Raptors 11.6.72

ROUND 22  -  August 5
G R A N D    F I N A L
Coburg Cougars 14.6.90 v Noarlunga Raptors 15.8.98

SEASON/TEAM REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

GFL#2 was a new league that contained many coaches who took part in 1999 (Krows, Wheelers, US Front, Goannas, etc).  It also incorporated three North American participants for the first time ever at the beginning of the season and while only one remained at the end of the year (the other two faded out of the picture) one of these other teams eventually won the premiership! All teams were drafted via scratch in the first fully 'offline' draft - previously drafts were held online via chat rooms - and this time it resulted in an error free process.  This year for the first time, drop-add drafts were also included allowing a maximum of two players from each team to be replaced after Rounds 4 & 13.  

At season's beginning the Cougars were voted the outright premiership favourites with the Wizards a close second. The Racquets were also a favoured flag contender, especially after they started showing what they were able to do while the Krows and Titans were expected to wallow in the cellar.  One coach anonymously decided to put up his own predictions, and while he did not really get the order correct, his top 5 and bottom 5 was spot on!  The following is a quick snapshot of each team's progress throughout season 2000 in the order they finished.

The Noarlunga Raptors commenced the season as the 'US Front' and drafted a lot of players who individually seemed on paper unable to provided consistent hauls to provide a competitive score - but yet between them could average out at two goals per player and rack up a decent total. In spite of standing about 4th on the ladder it seemed apparent the US Front coach was no longer interested in the competition by the mid season draft, so a new coach was appointed and he immediately went about changing the team list - almost to a point of recklessness - and with a new look and name went about keeping the team in the hunt. The Raptors remained in the top five and in the second to last round played the Racquets in what was deemed to be the match for the double chance in the finals, which the Raptors lost and thought they would have to do it the tough way. But an unlikely Racquets loss to the Titans in the final round re-shaped the top five giving the Raptors a double chance which they spent in the first week of the finals losing to the Wizards. But they bounced back against the Racquets and Wizards (which meant they only played these two teams in the last five rounds of 2000!!) to meet the Cougars in the Grand Final who must have been licking their lips - as the other two on paper appeared stronger. But in true underdog and 'Fantasy Footy unpredictability' form the Raptors upheld a defiant struggle winning by a mere 8 points and taking out the premiership.  The morale of this story proves you only have to be in the fight to win it - they got 7th pick in the initial draft! 

The Coburg Cougars wore the mantle of being premiership favourites almost as soon as the initial draft had been completed. Perhaps it was with some relief by those participating that they eventually faltered. They had 3rd pick in the initial draft and amazingly picked up (from memory) their first 8 players in the top 20 of their list, something I have never seen before. This set them up for an outstanding season which saw them lose just two games in the minor round and essentially sit on top of the table for the duration of the season - one to an equally vicious opponent in Racquets and the other in one of those ironic situations you think these Fantasy Footy comps are nothing like reality, ie: losing to the very bottom side! Then of course the team went out and smashed third placed Goannas next week by a record 133 points! The coach drew on his unsuccessful 1999 IFFL campaign and had everyone pondering when his opening two rounds amassed more than 300 points. In a memorable encounter they overcame a 10 goal haul from Cummings and beat the Bees by a few points. It seemed inevitable the flag was theirs for the taking and even when that day arrived they expressed their delight at who the opposition really was. But you would have thought this might have sent some danger signs through the camp - it didn't, and on the day that everything actually counted the Cougars were not good enough for the task. In the wash up they also left 7 goals out of their selected side - hmm.....

The only West Australian to take part in GFL this year was the coach of Westar Wizards and in true patriotism, ensured the prefix mirrored that of the local real life competition.  The Wizards drew the middle pick of the draft, and enlisted an array of talent capable of contributing consistently, and more importantly bringing home big hauls on the odd occasion.  Alistair Lynch proved to be their main asset while young rookie Fevola and old timer Schwarz contributed reasonable tallies on the odd occasion, and until his injury, James Cook proved also a worthwhile player.  But generally it was the fact the team could bat down to number 8 on their list that more often than not got them over the line.  They reminded you of the Australian Test side - just when you had successfully kept a few of their big names quiet there was always someone else lower down the order to take up the challenge. They were typically workmanlike in their games, generally able to win against any opposition other than the most quality and also achieved a clean sweep against the Racquets who were more fancied opposition.  By finals time they were just starting to falter, a dangerous sign for such an important time of the year, and in their last four games of the year three of those were against the Raptors - and the tally was 2-1 against. This included back to back encounters in Rounds 18 and the first week of the finals. Luck had run out with the Preliminary final and they were left to ponder what could have been.

By virtue of having Matthew Lloyd in the team the Youngtown Racquets seemed another likely contender for a pennant in their club rooms. Throughout the season they were fierce and generally an annoying opponent to come across (especially if you had just had a run in with the Cougars!) because down to number 6 on their list produced such goal-hauling names like Gehrig, Dixon and McKernan who all (from memory) hauled in bags of at least 5 on one or more occasions. But for some reason those hauls went a missing when they came up against quality opponents and over half their losses were to the only teams that finished above them at season's end - and only the Wizards beat them in each encounter. By mid season draft they had endured just two losses but more importantly had inflicted the Cougar's only loss to that point, and at one stage also challenged them in the percentage department which would have allowed them a perch on the ladder top should the Cougars suddenly falter. But just when it looked like the Racquets were striking fear into their opponents they would drop a game and by the end of the minor round were having to play the Raptors for a win just to grab a double chance in the finals. That they did but then they let their guard down in the final minor round and the Raptors leaped frog them. The double chance proved costly because the Raptors extracted some revenge in the second week of the finals and the Racquets season was suddenly over.

One of the most erratic teams of the year was the Greenwith Goannas had the distinct honour of not only holding the highest (26.11.167) score for the season but also the unflattering accolade of holding the lowest (2.3.15), which effectively sums up what their season was like - some flashes of brilliance but also some sheer forgettable moments. In fact on a quick scour through the record books this achievement appears never to have been done before!!  For the main part the Goannas were generally around third or fourth on the ladder and just when they were putting in some good form, a shocker would stunt their climb any further up the premiership table. They had perhaps the ultimate side in ability to kick hauls of goals but on some occasions they did quite the opposite. Tredrea was a particularly large disappointment and was in danger of losing his spot in the side when trades were being thrown around at mid season - to this day the Goannas should have swallowed their pride and be done with it! At one stage or another it seemed just about everyone on the list brought in a haul but rarely did this sort of form continue beyond a couple of weeks. Their end to the season was something of a tragedy, after showing so much talent and ability during the season, their last four rounds averaged less than 7 goals per outing and on one of these occasions they kicked double that.  

Sitting just out of the five the only North American representative to be left standing at the end was the Tennessee Titans who perhaps slightly exceeded expectations - if not of their own then certainly of others in the League fraternity who thought they would find the going tough in their first year. They made use of a fairly top heavy list to full potential but found when their top two or three stars were unavailable then the team generally suffered. But in spite of this the Titans upheld the ritual of training and preparing for each encounter and were the type of team that were more than capable of inflicting the odd upset here and there. They fought bitterly until the end of the minor round. In spite of having already been snuffed out of a finals berth the Titans still fought in the last minor round and succeeded in bringing down not only quality opposition (Racquets) but also in ultimately shaping the top three spots going into the finals campaign. From all accounts the Titans viewed this match like a premiership and partied well into the following week!

If any team should wear the mantle of relying heavily on their no.1 spearhead then the Brentford Bees would be it. Having first pick in the draft they nabbed Cummings, who within the first half a dozen rounds had looked promising - including a haul of 14. But it seemed whenever Cummings did manage to bring home a bagload of six-pointers the rest of the team could not kick more than 10 goals and this was no more proven than in their one goal loss against the Cougars when Cummings kicked 10 himself. The Bees lacked the support needed to add to a spearhead's tally and were rarely able to push the 10 goal barrier without including the contribution of Cummings.  But like all the teams in the competition they had their moments which included the scalps of three of the top five eventual finalists. But alas they also had losses against every other side in the competition - something which even the wooden spooners didn't have hanging over their heads because they bowed out in both encounters against the Krows.  Any team which finishes outside the finals could claim that their season was one of disappointment but with the enviable first pick in the initial draft I am sure the Bees would be feeling the disappointment the most.  

In their second year of GFL, much bigger things were expected from the Waverley Wheelers but their side was riddled with form and injury problems that simply plagued any success they were able to draw from their 2000 campaign.  At mid season draft the Wheelers were wallowing out of the top five and needing something special to gain lost momentum and decided to bite their tongue and take on an aggressive trading stance that saw some big names exit their side. Ironically enough the names that replaced them seemed to neither improve their standings nor make things worse and the Wheelers ended the year on what they would undoubtedly see as a note of frustration. Perhaps things might have been different if James Cook returned from injury but in hindsight the Wizards must have used some of their magic to see that he was out of the game forever.  I'm probably wearing this statement thin now, but again the Wheelers did have some moments in their season they would be happy to take away with them. Having perhaps a small rivarly with the Goannas the Wheelers managed to beat them on both outings, including a Round 14 one point victory that still had them securely in the finals race. Even til that point, apart from one schellacking they received from the Bees they had not been beaten by more than about five goals since the start of the season, including a nail-biting one point loss to the Cougars right before the mid-season draft, and their highest score for the season. But that Round 14 win was to be the last for the Wheelers and the team was unable to chalk up another one and were almost in danger of adding a wooden trophy to their cabinet.  Unfortunately, a team on paper can be different from the reality of Fantasy Footy!

Starting off the season as the Prairie Fire, it was probably no wonder that the North American coach walked out on the club after just a few rounds of footy given it had yet to win a game and didn't chalk up its first win until round 6 - long after the proverbial horse had bolted. Given there was no commitment from the former owner the team was handed over to a newcomer at mid season draft and the new coach went about trying to restructure the list to at least be competitive.  They achieved this somewhat and picked up four wins from their last five outings which at least ensured the wooden spoon was going to go to someone else.  This was probably sealed in the last match of the round against the Krows, which in effect was the battle of the wooden spooners. A win gave that accolade to the Krows. The Thunder did look fairly woeful on paper and this was supported by the fact that until Round 14 they had just one win to their credit.  But even the few names that could provide entertainment to their supporters was enough in the last remaining rounds of the season to give them the edge and bring home the premiership points - one of these was against the much more fancied Racquets.

From the outset of the season Kropley's Krows were always going to find it tough to break into the year with winning form.  The eventual wooden spooners perhaps could be criticised for one thing and that was in effect a lack of commitment at either of the post-season drafts in trading out injuries and form and bettering their prospects of running up the ladder. They were immediately on the back foot in drafting, albeit unluckily given the inflexibility of taking names from a target list, a number of players carrying injury or bad form.  There were many an occasion throughout the year that the Krows were unable to field a full compliment of players and you just can't win games when this sort of problem hampers your selection choices.  The Krows opted to just take one or two picks at the post-season drafts and while these were arguably the best picks available to any team in Rogers and Robertson who did wonders to their list, it was a matter of not enough at the available time to do something to improve their standing.  In the end it came right down to the wire in determining who would get the wooden spoon and their last round clash with the Thunder decided this unenviable title.  It almost was an anti-climax that they should finish in the cellar. Yet despite these negatives there were still two major positives to take out of the season that nearly every other team in the league could not even boast, and that was they were not beaten by every side in the competition and of course they inflicted a loss on the Cougars - at a time when the two were literally at opposite ends of the spectrum!  

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