Originally Posted by
Hornigold
Long time reader, first time poster here.
The lack of activity on this forum is underwhelming. The players, coaching staff and spectators deserve better! Get amongst it people, the season is almost upon us!
Predictions:
Dudley
Suns
Cardiff
Azzurri
Swansea
Kotara
Cookers
Mayfield
W Bay
Bero
Dudley
NPL ressies do ZPL. Made up of NPL reserve graders and Dudley veterans. They will be experienced, clinical and too strong for most of the comp. They have lost their crowd favourite and ‘ZPL immortal’ coach, Davo, who is now solely focussing on his O35s career. They have also lost a few of their NPL rejects from the pre-COVID era who are apparently chasing fame and money in newFM or whatever that nothing league is called now. Hopefully the local flogs still remember where the oval is, so we can marvel at their mob-like behaviour after a coupla froths.
Suns
The sun is shining? Bit of a gamble here. The usual faces are back and a few old magicians have joined the ranks. The Suns have taken preseason seriously for the first time in living memory, despite the weather gods trying to break their resilience. I think this unprecedented fitness level will see them get points before the start of the second round. When it all clicks, there is no denying that they are prettiest footballers in the comp. But football is more than being pretty and everyone knows that the Suns are the best in the comp at beating themselves. Lack of depth will be an issue.
Cardiff
The kings of nothing. Full of confidence from winning whatever last year was, South Cardiff ressies will look to go back to back. This year though they will see the real ZPL and as such, get a reality check. There’s not to say there isn’t some quality in this squad, despite their coach’s best effort to stamp out any class or tactics from the players. Playing on a field that will now be conducive for football will be make or break. The film crew will be back but it’s undecided whether they’re with Optus sports or housos.
Azzurri
Homeless in Hexham. A significant delay for the squad getting their tetanus shots has meant that the Hexham azzurri bees have experienced a very disrupted preseason. However, as they showed last year, they have some immense quality in the squad despite losing their journeyman keeper to their rivals. They also showed that for the most part that their cockiness was misplaced. With their ego realigned we will see a better, more grounded azzurri than we did last year. What is yet to be known is whether azzurri fans will don the akubra, as they make Hexham home.
Swansea
Yesterday’s champions. It seems by miracle that Josh Maguire didn’t send the club broke with his wages and match day demands but he has left the club, leaving behind a walking frame and a mobility scooter. They’ll need another miracle if they are to make finals again without their marquee. In what could only be described as an ageing squad, the Swans will be relying on the long throw-in and hope some Belswans rejects cross the bridge to cover over the appearing cracks. Will this be the last we see from some of the champions?
Kotara
The back to back losers are back. After taking a year off to lick their wounds, the tigers are without their most prized possession, the whippet as he is off to seek fame and fortune. Apparently he was in such a hurry to leave that he abandoned his litter of young pups out the front of the clubhouse. Their pre-COVID coach/keeper/journeyman is now at his third ZPL club in as many years. New coach, new squad will mean they are no longer the biggest tiger in the jungle. I can’t see them becoming back to back to back losers.
Cookers
Fire in the hole is cooked. Gaining promotion via another team’s misfortune is never going to win you any fans. This coupled with the fact that their team is actually the Cookers ressies ressies tells me that unfortunately the best chant in the comp will not be heard too often. An obvious strength will be their fitness, fresh off a preseason on the track, Cookers will make teams work for their inevitable victories but that’s where the strengths finish. The best of the relegation battle.
Mayfield
Grubbiest of them all. What a fall from grace these now third rate tigers have had. Once winning minors undefeated but still failing to make the big dance, Mayfield are determined as ever to finally win a grandy with their O35s team. They’ll be very experienced but lacking in every other part of the game. Grubby non-spectacles aplenty in these games.
Warners Bay
Lol.
Bero
Bye bye Bero. If their players, field and fans weren’t so shit I’d actually be sad. The days of Danny Burt and grand finals are long gone. I can’t see them winning many games nor can I see them returning anytime soon and we will see a few records be broken here, at the expense of Bero. Would happily see them replaced by Peter Haynes FC or do a day trip up to Nelson Bay.