Semi-Final against Dojo

So Thursday night saw the semi-finals played in BPL. Passion up against Buggers and Cobras taking on the well rested Dojo Mojo.

The Cobras got fired up in the warm-up with heaps of energy. Unfortunately at the start of the this energy was not put into focus and the disc was thrown away 2 or 3 times right outside our defending endzone. Dojo capitalised on all of the drops and went 3-0 up on the Cobras.

Cobras called a frustrated time-out to refocus in on the game and that is just what we did. We scored the next two points in a row to make it 3-2.

Cobra's were playing predominantly man, before pulling out a cup a few points to half, which seemed to work surprisingly well against the handler heavy Dojo. My memory of the first half doesn't serve me well and seeing as I probably wouldn't get the teams right. I will just say that Dojo took half 8-6.

We were disappointed with our first half efforts but knew that there was still another half to the game. We came out of half-time with a better attitude and execution. Our offence reeled in the shots and made more completions. I love playing good D and then scoring the point, when it all just falls into place, it's nice.

Fast-forward a bit and the game was starting to get down to the pointy end. Dojo had the disc on the sideline probably in line with their own brick mark. Sean might have had the disc and Dan Walls was being guarded by Abraham. Dan cut long and Abraham chased, Sean put the disc up right down the line. Abraham had caught up and got in a good position to body him out of competition. The disc was just flying overhead and Dan, as Dan does, snatched the disc out of the air almost effortlessly. That man has got some hops.

The scores were 13-12, Cobras up, when time cap went off, which made it a game to 15. Dojo scored that point and the next one to make the score 14-13. Cobras needed to score the next two points to win.

We scored the first point since we started on O and with the game coming to universe point, we needed to get the block to win the game. We came out on that last point in our cup zone. The Dojo were very patient with the disc and worked it up the field. My lungs were burning from having to run from side to side of the field chasing those god damn hammers, that I then needed to jump up on the mark to try to stop. The cup (Abraham, Isaac and myself) were starting to disintegrate as the point ran longer and longer. Fatty's hammers just kept coming out, being nearly a foot taller than all of those in the cup, it wasn't hard for him to get them over the top.

We were right on our endzone line, feeling like that winning Dojo shot was coming any second. A hammer went from right to left across the field, the recipient was Fatty. It was just a tad too high and Finn went after it, I was a few yards away and thought it wasn't going to come off for Finn. He leaped high and fast and just flicked the disc as it was about a metre away from Fatty.

Finn then dashed for the endzone. Abra picked up the disc and started shouting to Finn to keep going. He threw his OI left flick down the sideline. Coops was chasing Finn and caught up with him, incidentally clipping Finn while trying to get the D. Finn fell and called a foul. Coops contested the foul and the disc came back to Abra. The disc came back in and Dojo formed a quick zone. We kept our cool and worked the disc up towards the endzone. The winning pass went to Finn who completed the win with double happiness.

Next week is the final of Passion and Cobras. Game on at 7:30pm, 17th June at Annerley Junior Soccer Club. There will be a BBQ and Drinks down at the fields, $1 each. These will both be fundraising for the Juniors going to Heillbronn in late July for the WUJC. Please come down and support your league and the future of Brisbane Ultimate.

Premonitions coming to Fruition

So just a full round ago I declared that the Cobra's were going on a revenge rampage. Besides our bogey team, SFC. The Cobra's have started to fill out into the inflated skin they were put in by many players at the start of the season. We have turned a lacklustre start to the season into playing good frisbee when it really counts and coming into the finals, isn't a bad thing either.

So Thursday night against Passion was a real test for the Cobra's. The first couple of points were very close with the teams trading until about 5-all at this point I thought we really had a game on our hands. Cobra's finally got a break over Passion after some hard Cobra man D caused the turn. The pull went down to Passion's end as the Cobra's eagerly chased it, only for the Trachter pull to, as always, brick. Passion set up in a horo for John to bring the disc back in. The disc was brought in and cycled around for a while when I heard an up call. I saw the disc, it must have been an outside in J-mac forehand looking for Julz in the endzone. I was on Tyson who instinctively was also running for the disc, I was a couple of metres behind him. Wetnose was right with the loping Julz all the way and bodied him out of the competition for the disc. I thought he would catch the disc as He bodied Julz out so I slowed down. Wetnose kind of fell and let the disc fall behind him only for Tyson to streak through and catch the opportunistic goal. Passion then broke the next point to be evens again at 6-all.

The next point Cobra's scored with what might have been a home-grown inside-out backhand from yours truly to a streaking Micka deep in the endzone, only to take it what seemed to be less than a metre before the line. Cobra's then took a strategic time out.

Next thing I know it may have been 7-6 Cobra's or 7-all. Trachter or Abra might have been marking Dan and the stall count was getting high, I tightened down on Gref who was acting as dump. I could see the OI forehand go up and think 'that is a fair way out into space' the disc hit the ground and rolled nicely from about halfway to 5m outside the passion endzone. Trachter picked up the disc and called a time out.

The plan was for me and first dump make an upline cut and trachter to look for the second dump. I foolishly made the cut before the disc had even been checked in. Julz now knew my plan. I didn't know whether to continue with the play or do something different, with a little bit of imagination I knew what I would do.

I could see Julz pre-empting my upline cut so when the the disc got checked in he took a couple of steps towards the front corner of the endzone. I hadn't even moved yet, so he came back a couple of steps and that is when I went. He beat me to the front corner, but didn't keep following when I went deeper into the endzone. Trachter floated one nicely around the outside of the field for me to catch it right next to the line. Cobra's took half.

The second half saw one ridiculous incident of a stall being called by a Cobra's player on Gref. the disc was sent back and it came in on 9, only for Alex Livingstone to try to cheat and move before the disc came in, a violation was called on him and it got sent back again. It got checked back in and somehow Gref called a a stall on himself? Can we get any clarification on that? Either way the disc needed to be checked in once more. It was long and tedious, but we all eventually did it and got the game going again.

Passion's newest overseas recruit Dan showed us what the fucking Squids can produce. He was making big grabs all night and got a layout D on a stray pass from me to Abra. He is a very exciting prospect for Firestorm next year, hopefully.

Fast forward. The Cobra's are up 12-10 and Passion had been mounting a bit of a comeback in previous points. The Cobra's start on defence and as the pull goes down time cap goes off. J-mac might have gotten the disc and looked up field desperately and took a shot that didn't come off. Cobra's marched the disc down the field and patiently scored in the left hand corner of the endzone, Cobra's win 13-10.

Not it is time for the Finals and Cobra's have got those katakana reading boys from the Dojo. It should be a very interesting game. Also aL's short draft league is an interesting prospect for Brisbane Ultimate. It will be very useful to be getting game time before WJUC. Hopefully it goes ahead.

Triple Threat

This blog has been void of any updates since our last game against the Buggers 2 weeks ago. Cobras got up in this game on a universe point to extend their club-record winning streak to 3.

It has been 2 weeks since the game so details aren't freely coming to mind, but the Cobras got up 3-1 early on before the Bugs had their 7th player turn up. The game then seesawed with the Cobras playing sloppy on offence, despite getting numerous blocks on defence.

The score was 8-10 at one stage and the Cobras needed a late 3 point run to win the game 11-10.

Tonight sees the Cobras up against a resurgent Passion team hungry for revenge after the Cobras started Passion's 4 game losing streak earlier this season.

If the Cobras win they are into the semi finals, if they lose then they must rely on Slamtown to beat Lovers and the net result of the Slamtown victory margin plus the Passion winning margin to be 12 or less. A Lovers-Passion double will see the season over for the Cobras. All seems a little too complicated, so just winning tonight will be the main objective and the easiest way for the Cobras to go through.

Should the Cobras go into the semi finals, they will almost certainly face up against minor premiers Dojo, who will be out to exact revenge on the Cobras team who handed them their largest loss of the season.