Aussie Rules World Cup 1. Everything thread

[Baggieland]

The Daily Boing

United Civil States 6.8.44 def. by Baggieland 10.27.87

Baggieland’s progress to the quarter-finals looks almost guaranteed after a routine victory over the United Civil States, we now need only a draw from our remaining two games to be certain of progression. However, due to the outstanding and quite unexpected form of Sarzonia, it is highly unlikely that the Throstles will top the group, which will mean a tougher opponent in the quarter-finals.

The first two quarters of the game were a bit tight, with Baggieland leading at half-time by a slender 4.10.34 to 4.1.25 margin. The home side’s superior quality shone through in the second two quarters, however, when they kicked six goals to UCS’s two. Dunstall this time took a back seat, only scoring one goal and five behinds, as his fellow forwards picked up the slack, Buckenara, Hudson and Platten all scored three goals each.

There was a moment of drama in the third quarter when Edwards took a spectacular mark on the run, to deny UCS an attacking opportunity, however, he fell heavily and looked to have broken his arm. He will definitely miss the next game against The Jovannic, but we will have to wait and see if he takes any further part in this tournament.

[Baggieland]

Cut off for matchday 5.

[Baggieland]

Matchday 6.

Group 1.

Baggieland 16.19.115 def. The Jovannic 8.8.56
Megistos 32.21.213 def. United Civil States 5.0.30
Ko-oren 15.18.108 def. Sarzonia 8.21.69

*                         Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                 6    5  0  1  808 454 +354  20
2 Ko-oren                  5    4  0  1  661 308 +353  16
3 Baggieland               5    4  0  1  523 310 +213  16
4 Megistos                 5    2  0  3  571 385 +186   8
5 United Civil States      5    1  1  3  408 618 −210   6
6 The Jovannic             5    1  0  4  322 747 −425   4
7 Halaethaed Commune       5    0  1  4  231 702 −471   2

[Baggieland]

Matchday 6.

Group 2.

Sylestone 12.17.89 def. TJUN-ia 12.10.82
HUElavia 21.24.150 def. Mathuvan Union 0.6.6
Kelssek 22.27.159 def. United Civil Republic 3.10.28

*                           Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Sylestone                  5    5  0  0  624 320 +304  20
2 Kelssek                    5    4  0  1  611 333 +278  16
3 TJUN-ia                    5    3  0  2  678 330 +348  12
4 HUElavia                   5    3  0  2  575 320 +255  12
5 Alice Bay                  5    1  0  4  349 637 −288   4
6 Mathuvan Union             5    1  0  4  311 669 −358   4
7 United Civil Republic      6    1  0  5  331 870 −539   4

[Baggieland]

The Daily Boing

Baggieland 16.19.115 def. The Jovannic 8.8.56

Baggieland secured their place in the knock out stages of the inaugural Aussie Football World Cup disposing comfortably of The Jovannic. The Baggielandian game plan was text-book and executed perfectly, with the Throstles outscoring the opposition in each quarter. However, the big news from group one was Ko-oren’s victory over Sarzonia. That result has blown the race for top spot wide open, and as Baggieland face bottom-dwellers Halaethaed Commune in the final game, they have a real chance of securing the no. 1 spot, which will mean they can play their finals games at their spiritual home of Albion.

Daily Boing reporter
How are you feeling after the results came in for matchday 6?

Vinny
I’m stoked mate, if we can continue playing our games at Albion, the crowd will really get behind the boys.

Daily Boing reporter
What’s your reaction to the Sarzonia result?

Vinny
Well, it shows that they can be beaten, if we should meet them again.

Daily Boing reporter
Who do you think will be the greatest threat to Baggieland’s chances?

Vinny
Probably Sylestone, but we’re going to have to be careful of Ko-oren and Sarzonia as well.

Daily Boing reporter
Well, that was an in-depth interview. Where’s that Joseph guy?

[Ko-oren]

The big one!

Ko-oren 108 - 69 Sarzonia: Nice!

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Full
Ko-oren	3.6.24	4.1.25	6.2.38	2.9.21	15.18.108
Sarzonia	4.3.27	0.8.8	2.6.18	2.4.16	8.21.69

The Eagles are soaring ever higher with a possibility to take Group 1 on the very last day! Sarzonia had been unbeatable up until today, with even more convincing victories than us. On this day, however, some Sarzonian stars were shut down and couldn't get accurate shots on goal, and on the other side, the Ko-orenites were simply more focused on the middle posts.

Things started off equally, with Sarzonia even gaining a slight advantage in the first 20 minutes, kicking a fourth goal with seconds left before the siren. In the second, the 'Stars' were hit by a spell of extreme unluckiness. There was no trouble from Percival, Hill, or Lee to chase down the ball or from the wings to get the ball to the front, but Brown, Booker, and Sanchez missed opportunity after opportunity to score a goal - instead of 48 points off eight goals, they got 8 points of only behinds. Two near-goals were touched on the goal line, Booker hit the post once, and the rest just swung out towards the side posts.

At the same time, Chuimarran was covered so well he couldn't make a mark all quarter, but at least yBachcheos came through with five marks and two goals. yFwstedd added another goal, and yPaerhwd was successful from the goal circle on a free kick. At half time, though the teams were very similar in approach and quality, Ko-oren was leading 49-35. It would only get worse from then on. Sarzonia seized a lot of marks on midfield, and had several lucky bounces on play restarts in the middle, but - again - couldn't convert those into goals. They did score 18 points... if only Chuimarran couldn't fight off his defenders. He was unchained for the quarter, making six successful marks, setting up his teammates for three goals and scoring three himself. Two of those were on a very short distance, and the Sarzonian defence started showing cracks - even worse, they were unable to guard the areas right in front of the posts. It was hard to Winung and Sabilline to break through the goal circle area, but once through, there was no stopping the forward pockets. On 87 versus 53 with 20 left, the 'Stars' were not out of this contest. Rather, we know they can score a lot more points than that in a single quarter, but this time the Eagles were lucky in the middle of the field. Both teams were showing signs of fatigue, and the attackers broke through the defence more and more, yet their accuracy also failed at times. Chuimarran came off for yFidcawd, making an entirely Mawr front three, however that trio just couldn't break into the final 20-30 metres, instead taking pot shots without a lot of success. With nine more behinds, Ko-oren was out of reach, especially as Sarzonia couldn't get their final kicks on target. Two goals each in the final quarter saw the score get even more lopsided. The Eagles broke 100 points, making it look like a comfortable victory, and with a final victory over the United Civil States, they will take first place in the Group.

Baggieland aren't out either, and they are looking for our spot in second place.

[TJUN-ia]

We knew this game wouldn't be easy. Undefeated Sylestone versus 1-loss TJUN-ia for group domination. Everyone knew how tight this game could be...and it certainly was.

In the end, TJUN-ia had fewer opportunities to score points and that was what sealed this game. Both Jaguars and Hawthorns scored 12 goals, but Sylestone had 18 behinds to TJUN-ia's 10. That was all that separated these two teams as the final siren sounded.

Both teams shook hands afterwards, knowing that they might have to face each other again in the knockout rounds. TJUN-ia end the group stage against HUElavia tomorrow. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 2)
MD1: vs Kelssek - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) L 9.10.64 def. by 19.23.137 (6th)
MD2: vs United Civil Republic - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) W 23.28.166 def. 2.9.21 (2nd)
MD3: vs Mathuvan Union - The Archway, Cunningham Island (19,026) W 26.19.175 def. 6.0.36 (1st)
MD4: BYE (3rd)
MD5: vs Alice Bay - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) W 29.17.191 def. 7.5.47 (2nd)
MD6: vs Sylestone - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) L 12.10.82 def, by 12.18.89 (3rd)
MD7: vs HUElavia - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591)

[Sylestone]

Sylestone won their closest game yet, just 89-82 in a defensive thriller. The win has meant that they remain the only undefeated side in the Aussie Rules World Cup. After the game, players on both teams celebrated and talked about possibly the best game so far. The ground was choc-a-bloc full and the yell that went up in the third minute when Cory Brocklehurst scored a single point was massive.
After the first quarter, Sylestone were up 23-18, but that changed in the second as TJUN-ia scored 26-15, leaving the score 44-38, TJUN-ia’s way at the halfway mark. The third quarter only yielded 10 goals from each side as they played on the defence. Sylestone’s opponents tried to attempt this strategy again in the fourth quarter, but it only partially worked. With five minutes to go, TJUN-ia were leading 82-77, but Felix Armstrong performed a brilliant, curving kick from halfway that fell through the goals for six points. The crowd was cheering every move as one point separates the two teams, but Shannon Heart changes that as she scored another six before the game ended 89-82, Sylestone’s way. It was undoubtedly their hardest game yet, so they’re looking forward to the next game against Alice Bay and to see whether they can grab hold of an unbeaten record in the group stages. As Ashlyn Mead said after the game, “HUElavia and Kelssek gave us some grief, but TJUN-ia were our equals. Whoever is playing them in the quarter finals, watch out.”
Sylestone are expected to play Megistos in the quarter finals.

[Baggieland]

Cut off for matchday 6.

[Baggieland]

Matchday 7.

Group 1.

United Civil States 4.4.28 def. by Ko-oren 23.20.158
The Jovannic 22.14.146 def. Megistos 8.7.55
Halaethaed Commune 4.5.29 def. by Baggieland 26.16.172

*                         Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                  6    5  0  1  819 336 +483  20
2 Baggieland               6    5  0  1  695 339 +356  20
3 Sarzonia                 6    5  0  1  808 454 +354  20
4 Megistos                 6    2  0  4  626 531 +95    8
5 The Jovannic             6    2  0  4  468 802 −334   8
6 United Civil States      6    1  1  4  436 776 −340   6
7 Halaethaed Commune       6    0  1  5  260 874 −614   2

[Baggieland]

Matchday 7.

Group 2.

Mathuvan Union 6.6.42 def. by Kelssek 20.19.139
TJUN-ia 22.17.149 def. HUElavia 11.8.74
Alice Bay 0.4.4 def. by Sylestone 30.19.199

*                           Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Sylestone                  6    6  0  0  823 324 +499  24
2 Kelssek                    6    5  0  1  750 375 +375  20
3 TJUN-ia                    6    4  0  2  827 404 +423  16
4 HUElavia                   6    3  0  3  649 469 +180  12
5 Mathuvan Union             6    1  0  5  353 808 −455   4
6 Alice Bay                  6    1  0  5  353 836 −483   4
7 United Civil Republic      6    1  0  5  331 870 −539   4

[Baggieland]

Quarter finals

1. Ko-oren vs HUElavia @ Albion.
2. Baggieland vs TJUN-ia @ Stoney Lane.
3. Sarzonia vs Kelssek @ Bunn’s Field.
4. Megistos vs Sylestone @ Hawthorn.

* From now on, all of Baggieland's matches will be scorinated by Sylestone. Sylestone will be posting these results a couple of hours earlier due to his RL timezone. The other matches will continue to be scorinated by Baggieland at the usual time.

** If Baggieland and Sylestone both win their respective quarter final matches - they will meet in the semi final. If this scenario does happen, then that semi final will be scorinated by Kelssek.

[Baggieland]

The Daily Boing

Halaethaed Commune 4.5.29 def. by Baggieland 26.16.172

Baggieland recorded their biggest win – ever – against Halaethaed Commune. The winning margin of 143 points was enough to sneak past Sarzonia in the final table by just two points, but not enough to overtake Ko-oren who finished as group leaders. In more good news for Baggieland, x-rays confirmed that Edwards did not break his arm in the match against United Civil States and has returned to training, available to be picked for the finals.

The Throstles ran rampant against their opponents in the first quarter, scoring six goals to the Commune’s solitary goal. The away side gave a good account of themselves in the second quarter, however, scoring three goals to Baggieland’s four. Unfortunately for the visitors, the second half was a rout as they failed to score a single point in both quarters, while the home side kicked 16 goals. Dunstall again scored the most, adding a whopping nine goals to his tournament’s tally, but he was ably supported by everyone throughout the forward line.

We now know how the quarter finals will line up, and there are some very interesting match-ups in there. Sylestone have to be the happiest, as on paper, they have the easiest tie against a Megistos side who have the lowest points tally of all the quarter finalists.

Ko-oren will be fairly pleased as well with their match-up against HUElavia, but they need to be careful as it is by no means a guaranteed walk-over.

The other two quarter finals will be very interesting indeed: Baggieland vs TJUN-ia and Sarzonia vs Kelssek are both too close to call. Baggieland won five of their games and TJUN-ia won four, the Throstles will also have their home advantage even though they won’t be playing at Albion. The good citizens of Stoney Lane are cricket-crazy, but they love Aussie Rules as well and will get behind their team vociferously. We think that Baggieland will just win this one.

Finally, Sarzonia and Kelssek has to be the tightest game of them all. Both teams finished with 20 points and only tasted defeat from their respective group winners. This one should be a ripper of a game!

[TJUN-ia]

After losing a tight one to Sylstone yesterday, TJUN-ia entered a "Battle for 3rd" in Stoney lane against HUElavia. Both teams were already through to the knockouts, so today's match was just about who would play the "easier" opponents from a top-heavy Group 1.

In terms of points, this was our closest win yet and goes to show how good HUElavia is in comparison to the other 3 teams we beat in the group. Though it speaks for itself that you can consider winning by 75 points "a close one". TJUN-ia scored double the amount of goals of HUElavia and looked convincing throughout this fixture. For the 4th and final time in the group stage, the siren signalled "The Call".

The Jaguars are here to win it all,
For TJUN-ia, we'll play for all!
Our flag is raised, Orange and Blue,
And we all know just what to do!
We'll fight, fight, fight and we'll win, win, win
Until the flag is ours to win!
So come aboard and sing, sing, sing
FOR THE JAGUARS ARE HERE TO WIN!

Now it is time for what many have been waiting for - inter-group knockouts. 7 dominant teams and one not-so-dominant one will now compete to see who actually is good or not. As luck would have it, our Quarterfinal is at Stoney Lane once again. We will take on the 2nd placed team in Group 1 - the hosts, Baggieland. The Throstles have been admirable hosts thus far, but they want nothing more than to win this tournament on home soil. No matter the winner on Copper's Field, this matchup will certainly be an interesting one. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE
MD1: vs Kelssek - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) L 9.10.64 def. by 19.23.137 (6th)
MD2: vs United Civil Republic - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) W 23.28.166 def. 2.9.21 (2nd)
MD3: vs Mathuvan Union - The Archway, Cunningham Island (19,026) W 26.19.175 def. 6.0.36 (1st)
MD4: BYE (3rd)
MD5: vs Alice Bay - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) W 29.17.191 def. 7.5.47 (2nd)
MD6: vs Sylestone - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) L 12.10.82 def, by 12.18.89 (3rd)
MD7: vs HUElavia - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591) W 22.17.149 def. 11.8.74
QF: vs Baggieland - Cooper’s Field, Stoney Lane (62,591)

[Sylestone]

Sylestone 199-4 Alice Bay:
The Hawthorns knew that a win against Alice Bay would mean that they would secure top spot in Group 2 and an undefeated record. And they did it, with conviction, too. Alice Bay never stood a chance. The score at the end of the first quarter was already 56-3 Sylestone's way and the mismatch was confirmed. The result of this was the entire Alice Bay section left and the already mediocre crowd was left with solely Sylestonean supporters, with an addition of the occasional neutral. The second quarter was not quite as bad, but the effects were once again tremendous. Sylestone scored another 29 points and Alcie Bay nil. Halfway, a 2500-strong crowd dropped to 500. The remaining few Sylestonean supporters were rewarded as their side scored 11 six-pointers and nine behinds to take the score up to a whopping 160-4 with still a quarter to go. Only 39 were scored in the final quarter, but the thrashing ensured Sylestone to remain the team to beat.

Preview: Megistos vs Sylestone
Megistos:
Megistos have only won two games in their group, albeit both were convincing and by more than 150 points. These two teams they beat were Halaethaed Commune and the United Civil States, who came seventh and sixth respectively in Group 1. They even had a shock loss to The Jovannic, who came fifth and only ended up behind Megistos due to their terrible goal difference. However, Megistos are not to be underestimated and will put up a fight.

Sylestone:
We all know. 24 points from six games mean a perfect 6-0-0 win-loss rate. They have taken on and beaten, HUElavia, Kelssek and TJUN-ia, the other quarterfinalists in their group. They are a strong outfit and are expected to win. To not will be humiliating.

The winner of this clash will face either Baggieland or TJUN-ia in the semifinal, something Sylestone will be looking forward to.

Percentages:
Sylestone win: 93%
Megistos: 7%

[Sylestone]

Baggieland 18.14.122 def. TJUN-ia 6.24.60

[Baggieland]

Cut off for matchday 7.

[Baggieland]

Quarter finals.

Baggieland 18.14.122 def. TJUN-ia 6.24.60

Ko-oren 16.11.107 def. HUElavia 12.12.84

Sarzonia 24.12.156 def. Kelssek 6.9.45

Megistos 4.2.26 def. by Sylestone 35.17.227

[Baggieland]

Semi finals.

Ko-oren vs Sarzonia @ Albion.

Baggieland vs Sylestone @ Hawthorn.

* For everyone's information, Kelssek hasn't been around for the last four days or so. Therefore the semi final between Baggieland and Sylestone will now be scorinated by Zwangzug.

[Baggieland]

The Daily Boing

Baggieland 18.14.122 def. TJUN-ia 6.24.60

Baggieland marched into the semi finals with a more comfortable victory than expected over TJUN-ia. The first two quarters were very even with the score going into the half time break Baggieland 5.7.37, TJUN-ia 5.10.40. The second half was a different matter though as the hosts kicked 13 goals to the visitors one. The away side will be kicking themselves as they scored 14 behinds in the second period, if they had been more accurate they might have won this game and Baggieland know they were lucky.

The semi finals have now been decided with Baggieland having to face the only unbeaten team left in the tournament – Sylestone, who disposed of Megistos in their quarter final all too easily. This one will be a mighty test for both sides.

The other semi will see Ko-oren, who just made it past HUElavia, face Sarzonia, who outclassed Kelssek in their respective quarter final games.

[TJUN-ia]

Baggieland 18.14.122 def. TJUN-ia 6.24.60

And there we have it. In a game at Stoney Lane, umpired by people from Sylestone to avoid host nation bias, the Jaguars finally fell. All that momentum he was was snuffed out in an instant and thus we must settle for 6th or something like that.

The Jaguars came to win it all but in the end, they couldn't get it done. But mark my words - we will be back next time and we won't be taking it easy any longer...

[Sarzonia]

Sarzonia faded on their last matchday of qualifying for the inaugural Aussie Rules Football World Cup. Instead of carrying an undefeated record into the knockout rounds, they faced a Kelssek side that finished second in Group 2.

The Stars played their six matches consecutively, so they got a critical day of rest before facing Kelssek. That time off seemed to pay dividends as the Stars walloped Kelssek 156-45. They will face groupmates Ko-oren in a rematch of Sarzonia's final group stage contest, which saw the Ko-orenites knock Sarzonia from the ranks of the unbeaten.

"That rest was just what the doctor ordered," manager Katie Sampson told reporters. "We were a step slower against Ko-oren and we seemed to get our mojo back against Kelssek."

It may be premature for rivalries to form in a sport that has only had one single competition, but having a second meeting between Sarzonia and Ko-oren might well lay the groundwork for a rivalry. Obviously, the stakes in a semifinal match are far greater than they were in the final group stage match for the Stars.

In the other quarterfinals, Ko-oren defeated HUElavia 107-84, host nation Baggieland defeated TJUN-ia 122-60, and undefeated Group 2 champions Sylestone thrashed Megistos 227-26, improving to 7-0.

Joseph Lee still wasn't 100 percent sure what he was watching in the sports bar in Albion where he was watching the Stars play Kelssek. After the match reached full time, a Ko-orenite supporter approached Lee and asked him, "how the fuck did you win that match?"

It was a familiar question for Lee. All too familiar, in fact. It set him up for his usual joke.

"How the fuck should I know?"

[Sylestone]

Sylestone 227-26 Megistos:
After the game against TJUN-ia, Sylestone looked as though they were on a downhill run, only winning by a meagre seven points. However, a 195-point win against Alice Bay, and even better, a 201-point win against Megistos in the quarterfinal meant that they now just seem to be peaking. Despite not playing too well in the first two quarters, with the scores being 37-12 and 25-8 respectively, the second half was different. Being a quarterfinal, people stayed in their seats and Sylestonean supporters were making a huge racket every time The Hawthorns scored. 62-20 was dominating, but it was no match for what was to come.
The third quarter: Sylestone 100-0 Megistos. The tired Megistians effectively fell asleep as Sylestone's full- and half-forwards ran all over them. The fourth quarter wasn't much better, with a scoreline of 65-6. A whopping 201-point win has brought Sylestone into a highly anticipated clash with hosts Baggieland in the semifinal. Should be a good one.

Preview: Baggieland vs Sylestone
Baggieland:
Baggieland, like Sylestone, look to be starting to peak. They had an MD4 loss to Sarzonia, but save that, they've not put a foot wrong. They even beat Group 1 winners Ko-oren. They came through their quarterfinal clash strong against TJUN-ia a side Sylestone struggled against, so it should be interesting to see whether they can make the final.
Sylestone:
Still the only unbeaten team in the Aussie Rules World Cup, Sylestone is predicted to have a slight edge over Baggieland in their forthcoming clash. It won't be much, though as both sides look evenly matched. Can they do it? Only time will tell.

Predictions:
Sylestone: 53%
Baggieland: 47%

[Baggieland]

Cut off for quarter finals.

[Baggieland]

Semi finals.

Ko-oren 13.8.86 def. by Sarzonia 16.14.110

The game between Baggieland and Sylestone seems to have a break in play as we wait for the umpires from Zwangzug to resume play. Just minutes to go now.