The Alternative Rugby League

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Welcome all to a new rugby league dynasty - not at all unlike the Cattledogs saga (http://operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=68255) which has been running on and off in these forums for over a year now.

Except this one is entirely ficticious. It is, indeed, an alternative rugby league, played with ficticious teams, made-up players, in a completely alternative universe. Players, teams, coaches all have been modelled on certain individuals but you will do well to decipher who is what from real life.

Where this will go, how long it will last, whether it will be any good or not...who will know? Any feedback (good, bad, indifferent or otherwise) is most welcome.

Firstly, some background information for those who may not be aware of the existence of the sport of rugby league (it's not rugby union, for starters!)

Some basic information (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_League)
A glossary of terminology used in the game (and in this dynasty) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rugby_league_terms)
A basic "how-to" guide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playing_rugby_league)
The homepage of the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) (http://www.nrl.com/)

And now some vision, so that you may get at least an inkling of what the sport of rugby league is like, plucked at random from YouTube:

Video One (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCP7JaxG-OE)
Video Two (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5VXKfPlBQE)
Video Three (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsNRHwE_qeI)

I may include more information and vision later in the piece, but that should be enough for now. Besides, I'm sure you are all intelligent enough to conduct your own web-searches, should that be what you want to do!

All games in this story will be simulated using a custom-designed excel spreadsheet. Twelve seasons have already been simulated, but we will "pick up the story", as they say, in the lucky thirteenth season of the ARL. I'll spend a bit of time setting up the story and fleshing out the history and back-story of clubs and players before play begins in earnest.

If there is anything you'll like to see, let me know. This is certainly a work in progress.

I hope you enjoy!

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The Alternative Rugby League was formed in a candelstine meeting at the McCartney Hotel in downtown Calhournbar in November 1982. Eight men representing eight different centres throughout the Independent State of Arcardia 1 decided to formalise a national competition which would establish once and for all a burning question - who was the greatest rugby league team on the island?

The eight men in the room agreed to each contribute $1,000,000 over the next ten years each towards the establishment of a professional rugby league competition in Arcardia. With the recent boom in the price of gold, money was no object to any of these men. They only cared about one thing - putting their footprint on the landscape of Arcardian Rugby League.

John R. Stephenson was elected the inaugural ARL chairman, and promptly set down the following conditions for entry in the 1983 ARL Premiership:

Each team must have at least 20 players registered by March 1 1983
Each team would play a set fixture list against the other eight teams - one game at home, and one game away.
To round out the fixtures, clubs would be allowed to nominate two opponents that they wanted to play a third time, producing a season of sixteen games. ("A nice round number," Stephenson decreed. "It's four times four, after all")
The top four teams would qualify for the playoffs, with the top ranked team playing the second, and third playing fourth. The loser of first against second would have a second game, against the winner of third and fourth. The winners would meet in a championship game.
In honour of the hotel that hosted the inaugural meeting, the champions would receive the "McCartney Cup", and the accolades that come with winning a national competition.The news was met with immediate acclaim from the rugby league-mad inhabitants of the country, and sparked off immediate interest in the new competition. The country's only television station pledged to show "every game, everywhere, wherever possible". Even the Prime Minister was encouraged by the weight of public opinion to make a brief statement pledging her support for the new concept.

The eight men (we shall meet them shortly) went back to their home cities and duly made preparations for the inaugural season of the McCartney Cup.


1 Located "somewhere" in the South Pacific Ocean, Arcardia was established as a convict settlement in 1879 when Australia refused any more convicts from England. With a population of "more or less" a million, Arcardia is a cosmopolitan mix of English, French and Polynesian, with each group occupying roughly a third of the population base. After an "unfortunate" fracas between the French and the English, transportation was cancelled in 1880. Independence came in 1947, when Britain suddenly remembered they had a pesky colony in the Antipodes that they no longer had any need for. That was before they discovered the largest reserves of gold remaining in the world. Briefly invaded by the USA in 1973 under suspicion of harbouring communists, the invasion lasted twenty minutes and ended with profuse apologies after it was established there were none to be found. Okay, this is a bit of an unlikely bullshit circumstance, but so is the pretence for this whole franchise! So buckle up and keep reading!

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http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg
The first team admitted into the ARL was the creatively-named Calhournbar Crushers.

Based in the capital city and largest population centre of Arcardia, Calhournbar was a natural hotbed of rugby league action, and possessed a relatively new stadium called the National Stadium.

The first chairman of the Crushers, Peter Nicholson, was a former high school rugby athletic champion - his name is still on the honour roll of the Calhournbar Technical College as the discus and high jump champion in 1957. He also had the distinction of representing Arcardia at their first Commonwealth Games in 1958, although he literally missed the boat to Rome in 1960, sleeping in and missing the Calhournbar-to-Auckland cruise ship en route to the Olympics.

Calhournbar have enjoyed a solid history in the ARL, winning the McCartney Cup in 1984, 1990 and the most recent competition in 1994. However, most fans still rue the fact that they lost three consecuitive McCartney Cup games between 1986 and 1988, as well as the "lost opportunity of 1991", where the Crushers went 15-1 but lost the Cup game.

The Crushers have been coached since 1984 by Kevin Jackson, who has a 126-1-49 record in the regular season. With seven McCartney Cup apperances, he is by far the most experienced in this category. His 11-12 record in the finals is not nearly as impressive. He is renowned for having some of the most talented players in the ARL's history play with the Crushers, but three championships is not much reward for all the potential that the Crushers promise each season.

The only other person to coach the Crushers was Jim Ryan, who resigned after failing to make the McCartney Cup game in his first (and only) season in charge.

Season by Season:
1983 - 10-6 (3rd) - finished third in playoffs
1984 - 13-3 (1st) - McCartney Cup II Champions
1985 - 8-8 (5th)
1986 - 12-4 (1st) - lost McCartney Cup IV
1987 - 11-5 (1st) - lost McCartney Cup V
1988 - 9-7 (4th) - lost McCartney Cup VI
1989 - 10-6 (2nd) - finished third in playoffs
1990 - 12-4 (1st) - McCartney Cup VIII Champions
1991 - 15-1 (1st) - lost McCartney Cup IX
1992 - 12-4 (2nd) - finished third in playoffs
1993 - 12-4 (2nd) - finished third in playoffs
1994 - 12-1-3 (2nd) - McCartney Cup XII Champions

Coaches:
Jim Ryan (1983)
Kevin Jackson (1984-current)

Home Ground:
National Stadium (25,000 capacity)

Playing Strip:
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/CalhournbarCrushers.jpg

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http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg
The second club registered with the ARL was the rural region of Colart, located on the southern side of the main island of Arcardia. The team was named as such after the many wild horses which populate the wide plains of the region.

As the centre of the main French-speaking region of Arcardia, Colart has a strong continental flavour to their culture and history, with the team being owned by members of the Bonaparte family since it's interception. As far as the family records can prove, they are no relation to the former emperor of France, although some supporters refer to the Colts as the "Napoleons" on occasion.

The Colts have had three coaches throughout their history, each experiencing their share of success. George Young guided the Colts to the first McCartney Cup in history, before retiring after the second season. Marc Bonaparte was appointed coach by the family management structure but could only manage a second in his two seasons in charge.

Colart's fortunes were then turned over to the cantankerous Tommy Tanks, who endeared and alientated equal sections of the Arcardian footballing public, and once earned a two game suspension for punching a rival coach at a press conference. He won two McCartney Cups (including the epic McCartney Cup VI game, decided in triple-over-time) before taking enforced retirement.

Bonaparte returned for a cameo season as coach and surprisingly inspired the Colts to their best ever season - 14-2 - and another McCartney Cup, before surprisingly retiring. The team was then turned back over to George Young, roused from retirement. He continued the winning tradition, making it three McCartney Cups under three different coaches, before retiring at the end of the 1994 season. As we go to press, Colart do not have a coach and are expected to make a statement shortly.

Season-by-season
1983 - 10-1-5 (1st) - McCartney Cup I Champions
1984 - 7-9 (6th)
1985 - 11-5 (2nd) - lost McCartney Cup III
1986 - 10-6 (3rd) - finished third in playoffs
1987 - 11-5 (2nd) - finished third in playoffs
1988 - 12-4 (1st) - McCartney Cup VI Champions (triple extra time)
1989 - 10-6 (3rd) - finished fourth in playoffs
1990 - 10-6 (4th) - finished third in playoffs
1991 - 11-5 (2nd) - McCartney Cup IX Champions
1992 - 14-2 (1st) - McCartney Cup X Champions
1993 - 14-2 (1st) - McCartney Cup XI Champions
1994 - 13-3 (1st) - lost McCartney Cup XII

Coaches
George Young (1983-1984)
Marc Bonaparte (1985-1986)
Tommy Tanks (1987-1991)
Marc Bonaparte (1992)
George Young (1993-1994)
Position currently vacant

Home Ground
Le Parc De Rugby a XIII, Colart (15,000 capacity)

Playing Strip
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/ColartColts.jpg

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http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/eld.jpg
Located 200km north of Calhournbar at the end of the Presidente Marcel Highway is the town of Elderslie (population 50,000), one of the more fanatical rugby league centres in the country. It is also the only community-owned team in the ARL, with over 2000 individual shareholders contributing a set fee each year to fund their football side.

Despite the off-field stability, the Devils have been one of the most unstable sides on the grass, with eight head coaches holding the clipboard over the course of their first twelve seasons. It's not surprising then that the Devils are in possession of only one McCartney Cup, won in 1985.

Their supporters don't mind though - they know that next season will be "their season". The problem is, they've been saying that almost every year.

The longest serving coach in the Devils' history is Stan Goodman, who lasted between 1990 and 1994, before voluntarily resigning after a 0-10 start to the season. The fact that his house had been destroyed by rabid Devils fans may have had something to do with it.

Season-by-season
1983 - 8-8 (6th)
1984 - 7-9 (5th)
1985 - 13-3 (1st) - McCartney Cup III Champions
1986 - 6-10 (5th)
1987 - 9-7 (4th) - Finished fourth in playoffs
1988 - 7-9 (5th)
1989 - 2-1-13 (8th)
1990 - 2-14 (8th)
1991 - 7-2-7 (4th) - Finished fourth in playoffs
1992 - 5-11 (6th)
1993 - 9-7 (4th)
1994 - 4-12 (7th)

Coaches
Matthew Moore (1983)
Peter Connolly (1984)
Martin Moore (1985 - brother of Matthew Moore)
Chris Garvey (1986)
Travis Kitchener (1987)
Ben Dore (1988-1989)
Stanley Goodman (1990-1994)
Mike Morgan (1994)
Currently vacant

Home Ground
Fenton Road Grounds (popularly known as "Hell" - 10,000 capacity)

Playing Strip
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/ElderslieDevils.jpg

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http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/hamilton.jpg
One of the eight men who walked away from the McCartney Hotel back in 1982 was the wealthiest and biggest (literally) farmer in all of Arcardia. Every potato that was ever sold in the supermarkets of Arcardia, from Calhournbar to Colart, was a product of Donald W. Hamilton's farms, on the outskirts of the city that shared his surname.

The original Hamiltons arrived in Arcardia in 1849 from County Kerry in Ireland, and possessed a great deal of agricultural knowledge. The family shot to prominence during the Great Potato Uprising of 1916, when Aloysius Hamilton was inprisoned on suspicion of being a German spy by the British colonial masters. The subsequent potato harvest was ruined and the colony was nearly decimated by disease and famine. This set off a chain of events that resulted in the British agreeing to self-government and eventually independence in 1947.

Since then, a member of the Hamilton family has always occupied a seat in the national parliament, and even produced a Prime Minister, Sebastian Hamilton, whose tenure in office was characterised by a set of unfortunate photo opportunities, including having his leg broken during a charity rugby league game.

Donald W. Hamilton (third son of the Prime Minister) had no political ambitions of his own but instead threw his considerable weight behind the Farmers, a non-profit sporting club first founded in 1961. With cricket, netball, croquet and athletics clubs, it seemed natural that the Farmers would enter a rugby league side as well.

If financial support could equate to success on the rugby league field, the Farmers would win the McCartney Cup nearly every year. However, this has not proven to be the case, with just one apperance in their history so far. They had to win two sudden death games just to qualify for their first apperance, and they have not been back to the playoffs in the six years since.

Now 80 years of age, Donald W. Hamilton has handed over day-to-day operations of the Farmers to his nephew, Michael Hamilton Smith, who promised a revival of footballing fortunes for the "Spuddies", as the Hamiltonites are also known.

Keeping things in the family, each of the coaches in the Farmers history has been either a blood relative or married to a member of the Hamilton dynasty. Not for nothing are they known as the "family club".

Season-by-season
1983 - 9-2-5 (4th) - Finished fourth in the playoffs
1984 - 9-7 (4th) - Finished fourth in the playoffs
1985 - 4-12 (7th)
1986 - 5-1-10 (7th)
1987 - 8-8 (5th)
1988 - 4-12 (8th)
1989 - 8-1-7 (4th) - lost McCartney Cup VII
1990 - 7-1-8 (5th)
1991 - 5-11 (6th)
1992 - 6-10 (5th)
1993 - 2-14 (8th)
1994 - 6-1-9 (5th)

Coaches
Paul Ingham (1983-1985 - resigned part-way through season)
Dean Lousick (1985-1986)
Paul Ingham (1987-1990)
James Hamilton (1991)
Billy Starmer (1992-1993 - resigned with two games left in season)
Michael Hamilton Smith (1993)
Travis Baker (1994)

Home Ground
Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton (capacity 15,000)

Playing Strip
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/HamiltonBears.jpg

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http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpg
Arcardia played a critical role in World War II, with American forces based on the island between 1943 and 1944, until Douglas Macarthur realised that the island was closer to Chile and Antarctica than Japan and the Phillipines. He then solemly left, promising "I shall never return." He was as good as his word.

The legacy of the Arcardian war time experience was a brand new system of airfields constructed all over the island. The largest of these was constructed at the village of Jasperstown, slightly to the north of Calhournbar.

Jasperstown was named after the first British colonial governor Frederick A. Jasper, whose attempts to start a settlement were somewhat thwarted by repeated raids by French commandoes, none too happy to have le Anglais living on their island. Jasper was killed during these unhappy early days of British settlement, not by a rogue French whaler, but from slipping on rocks while walking his faithful companion Brim.

Jasperstown then wallowed in the midst of obscurity until 1944, when the new airport offered quick and easy access to the outside world. J-Town, as the locals call it, boomed overnight and became known as the "Gateway to Arcardia". The population swelled from 500 to 30,000 in the space of ten years.

Now with the only international airport in Arcardia, the Jets was a logical name for J-Town's rugby league side.

The early days of the Jets were cover-your-eyes awful, finishing last three times in the first five seasons. Recently they have made great improvements and featured twice in the McCartney Cup game, losing on both occasions.

Season by Season
1983 - 2-14 (8th)
1984 - 2-14 (8th)
1985 - 7-9 (6th)
1986 - 6-10 (6th)
1987 - 2-14 (8th)
1988 - 7-9 (6th)
1989 - 8-8 (5th)
1990 - 11-5 (3rd) - Finished fourth in playoffs
1991 - 10-1-5 (3rd) - Finished third in playoffs
1992 - 8-8 (4th) - Lost McCartney Cup X
1993 - 11-5 (3rd) - Lost McCartney Cup XI
1994 - 12-4 (3rd) - Finished fourth in playoffs

Coaches
Alexander Pope (1983)
Harry Taylor (1984)
Patrick King (1985-1987)
Danny Pike (1988)
Michael Smart (1989-1990)
Harry Taylor (1991-current)

Home Ground
Aerodrome Road (10,000 capacity)

Playing Strip
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/JasperstownJets.jpg

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http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/palmy.jpg
Of the eight men to walked out of the McCartney Hotel in 1982, only one of them was a qualified dentist.

That particular dentist also happened to be one of Arcardia's foremost rugby league players, having earned the distinction of being the first Arcardian to play professional rugby league in England.

Rob Riordan was a winger with arguably the fastest 100-metre time in Arcardian history (arguably only because he claimed to have done it on his property in Palmerston, and not in official competition). He signed with the Hull Kingston Rovers for a fee of five pounds per week while completing his dentistry degree, playing three games and scoring one try.

Opening his practice in Palmerston (50km east of Calhournbar, population 50,000) in 1980, Riordan picked up where he left off and quickly became involved in rugby league matters, resulting in him sitting at the table of eight in the McCartney Hotel.

With his earnings from his dentistry practice, Riordan was able to buy a share in the new Palmerston Eagles franchise, and over the course of the next ten years fulfilled most of the roles open - player, captain, coach, football manager, and eventually majority owner.

Four apperances in the first five McCartney Cup games, with two wins, was a perfect way for Riordan to start his coaching career. However, it seemed that all of the success went to his head. The following years saw Riordan run the franchise down into the ground, so much so that the Eagles were forced to declare bankruptcy at the end of the 1993 season. A glance at the books revealed that Riordan had been dirverting funds into his childrens' education expenses for years.

The ARL eventually approved the sale of the Eagles to new owners, for the princely sum of $1. Riordan narrowly avoided a jail sentence, thanks to a pardon from President Scott in early 1994. For his part, Riordan was banned from any involvement in rugby league administration for fifty years. A harsh penalty, some may say, but a precedent that the ARL does not want to see repeated.

Under new coach Pat Bowman, the Eagles finished last in 1994.

Season by Season
1983 - 10-6 (2nd) - Lost McCartney Cup I
1984 - 9-7 (3rd) - Lost McCartney Cup II
1985 - 10-6 (3rd) - Finished fourth in playoffs
1986 - 10-1-5 (2nd) - McCartney Cup IV Champions
1987 - 10-6 (3rd) - McCartney Cup V Champions
1988 - 11-5 (2nd) - Finished third in playoffs
1989 - 7-9 (6th)
1990 - 6-1-9 (6th)
1991 - 3-1-12 (8th)
1992 - 5-11 (7th)
1993 - 4-12 (6th)
1994 - 2-14 (8th)

Coaches
Rob Riordan (1983-1993)
Pat Bowman (1994-current)

Home Ground
Palmerston Park (12,000 capacity)

Playing Strip
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/PalmerstonDragons.jpg

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http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/saltern.jpg
Arcadia's second largest city is the harbour centre of Saltern. Founded in 1793 as a whaling centre by French sailors, it was initially known as Le Sud Paris (the Southern Paris). The only similairity that it shared with its rather better-known cousin was the name, with L.S.P. earning a nortious reputation as a favoured port-of-call for sailors. Not surprisingly, the shanty town had the highest birth rate in the fledging colony.

The British "invasion" of 1879 briefly saw a set of skirmishes in and around Le Sud Paris as Governor Jasper tried to enforce the control of Mother England over the whole of Arcardia. The resistance finally ended with the Great Fire of 1880, which wiped out all of the original settlement, paving the way for the rebuilding to begin.

The new city of Saltern retained none of the original charm of the original centre, and was largely scorned by sailors who instead preferred to stop in Calhournbar for their needs. The French inhabitants refused to have anything to do with the new "British" centre, withdrawing their attention to the Colart region. Thus for a long time, the future of Saltern was anything but assured.

After independence in 1947, the new government of Arcardia began a series of projects in and around the city which stimulated growth to the point where Saltern was once again a considerable population centre, of nearly 200,000 residents. It is home to the National University of Arcardia, which also had a large part in the resurrection of the city.

With such a long rivalry with the French, the Saltern-Colart rugby league games are amongst the most eagerly anticipated and problematic games on the calendar each year. In the first meeting back in 1983, the Bulldogs players were pelted with $1 coins by the Colts supporters. The Saltern crowd returned the favour in 1984 by halting their game with a crowd invasion, resulting in the arrest of 50 spectators after they broke the leg of Colart captain Pierre Duminy. The incident nearly saw both teams suspended for the 1985 season, although cooler heads soon prevailed.

The rivarly exploded back in the headlights in 1991 when Colart coach Tommy Tanks was suspended two games by ARL President John Stephenson for punching Saltern coach Charlie Grace at a post-game press conference on national television. The reasons for Tanks' outburst are still rather unclear, but may stem back to the time when both gentlemen were at Calhournbar Technical College back in 1959.

With such a strong British flavour, the team is naturally known as the Bulldogs. Their mascot, known as Winston Churchill, comes complete with cigar.

Season by Season
1983 - 8-8 (5th)
1984 - 11-5 (2nd) - finished third in playoffs
1985 - 8-8 (3rd) - finished third in playoffs
1986 - 10-6 (4th) - finished fourth in playoffs
1987 - 7-9 (6th)
1988 - 10-6 (3rd) - finished fourth in playoffs
1989 - 11-5 (1st) - McCartney Cup VII Champions
1990 - 11-5 (2nd) - Lost McCartney Cup VIII
1991 - 6-1-9 (5th)
1992 - 9-7 (3rd) - finished third in playoffs
1993 - 8-8 (5th)
1994 - 9-7 (4th) - finished third in playoffs

Coaches
David Franklin (1983-1987)
Charlie Grace (1988-1991)
David Franklin (1992-1993)
Sam Gibson (1994-current)

Home Ground
Williams Stadium (capacity 20,000)

Playing Strip
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/SalternBulldogs.jpg

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http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/thompson.jpg

The eighth and final team to join the ARL was the Thompson Tigers, based in the centre of Arcardia and roughly the same distance from Saltern, Jasperstown and Calhournbar. The Thompson region is made up of the towns of Annandale, Riverina and Mitchellton, which each share the home games of their beloved Tigers.

The Thompson River is the longest in Arcardia, running 136km for its length from the base of Mount Duperie out to the Pacific Ocean. Sugar is the major industry of the region, with no less than six sugar mills populating the district, and third only to potatoes and tourism as the major contributors to the Arcardian economy.

The history of the team has been a barren one so far, being the only team still waiting to qualify for the playoffs after twelve seasons of effort. In fact, their best position is only sixth place, achieved in 1994. Their best season in terms of wins was quite some time ago, back in 1989.

Contrary to rumour, there are no tigers in Arcardia.

Season by Season
1983 - 5-1-10 (7th)
1984 - 6-10 (7th)
1985 - 3-13 (8th)
1986 - 4-12 (8th)
1987 - 6-10 (7th)
1988 - 4-12 (7th)
1989 - 7-9 (7th)
1990 - 4-12 (7th)
1991 - 4-1-11 (7th)
1992 - 5-11 (8th)
1993 - 4-12 (7th)
1994 - 5-11 (6th)

Coaches
Jack West (1983)
Stephen Burton (1984-1987)
Jack West (1988)
Andrew McCallum (1989-1990)
Jimmy Jackson (1991)
Andrew McCallum (1992-1993 - resigned after 0-10 start)
Peter Swann (1993)
Jimmy Jackson (1994 - resigned after 0-9 start)
Tim Ryan (1994-current)

Home Grounds
Recreation Ground, Annandale (6,000 capacity)
Riverina Football Park, Riverina (5,000 capacity)
Tigers Stadium, Mitchellton (5,000 capacity)

Playing Strip
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/ThompsonTigers.jpg

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http://images.absoluteastronomy.com/images/topicimages/e/ea/earle_page.gif

Born in 1926 in Calhournbar, John Riley Stephenson was elected the inaugural president of the Arcardian Rugby League in November 1982. It was the culmination of a brilliant career which saw his life closely interlinked with that of his infant country.

Working as a potato picker on the Hamilton Plantations, the advent of World War II saw a sudden change in the mundane life of young Stephenson, as he volunteered for service as soon as he turned 16. With Arcardia officially a colony of Britain, he sailed to Canada and enrolled with the army there, but was discharged almost immediately on account of his only having one leg, the other one of which was lost in a tragic potato peeling accident in Hamilton in 1941.

Undeterred, he returned back to his island in the Pacific and worked as a journalist, firstly with the National Daily newspaper, and then as a newsreader on Radio Arcardia. It was his deep voice which announced to a delirous nation on May 5 1947:

"Le jour du destin est arrivé. Nous sommes une nation libre. The day of destiny has arrived. We are a free nation. Arcardia is independent!"

This somewhat upset the Prime Minister, who was standing by in the studios of Radio Arcardia to make the announcement himself.

Stephenson continued his journalism career and started to make several contacts within the small, sheltered world of Arcardian sports. He was a popular choice as the official team manager to the Melbourne Olympics, where Arcardia competed for the first time (its sole athlete, Mary Rice, failed to qualify in the heats of the 100m freestyle, giving Arcardia its 1:03.21 minutes of fame). Ignoring potential conflict of interest issues, Stephenson announced the race in the first live broadcast of sport on Arcardian radio:

"The race is over, but Rice is still swimming. She can't hear the marshals yelling at her. She is floundering. Oh Arcardia, this is a day to remember forever."

Stephenson was the first person to be shown on Arcardian television in 1966 (again upstaging the Prime Minister), and hosted a popular game show, Guess That Fruit! for many years out of the ATV studios in Saltern. Eventually he rose to the position of national newsreader, and was awarded the Medal of Valour by President Stein for his cool and calm demeanour on live national television during the twenty-minute invasion of Arcardia by the United States in 1973, an incident now jokingly laughed down by Arcardians as "just one of those things".

Despite never being able to play, Stephenson's first love (before his family, even) was the sport of rugby league. Introduced by British settlers in 1901 and grudgling adopted by the Francophone portion of Arcardia as a legitimate method of exacting revenge for L'invasion de 1879. With two sons who played in the Calhournbar district, but with no professional competition to pursue their career, Stephenson knew as well as anybody that a national competition was needed. He was uniquely placed, due to his many and varied positions over the course of his career, to effect such a drastic change.

It is generally accepted by all and sundry that without Stephenson's patience and diplomacy, especially when dealing with the various Colart-Saltern incidents, the Arcardian Rugby League would have imploded in a mess of finger-pointing and nastiness. The biggest crisis was the near-collapse of the Palmerston Eagles in 1993, when Rob Riordan was found with his fingers in the till of the finances. A quick word to the President from Stephenson averted the collapse of the team, and potentially the crippling of the ARL itself.

Twelve years after his initial election, and in failing health, Stephenson gave notice to each of the eight clubs that he intended to retire on his 70th birthday. "That will give me time to groom my successor, and ensure the future growth and stability of rugby league throughout this fine idyllic paradise that we call our own."

The teams responded by suggesting a new competition to be named in Stephenson's honour - a knockout competition before the start of the season proper, to be named the J.R. Stephenson Challenge Cup. While he politely declined the honour, he was outvoted 8-1 on the executive board of the ARL - the first and only time his wishes were denied.

Thus it was to be that 1995 saw the beginning of the Challenge Cup.

[Izulde]

Hmm. Eagles or Tigers... probably Tigers because I hate going to the dentist.

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Colts announce Cordouy as new coach
COLART - January 6 1995

Marcel Cordouy, a former five-eighth legend for the Colts who won two McCartney Cups, is coming home.

Colts CEO Pierre Bonaparte announced in Colart this morning that the Colts had signed Cordouy to a three-year contract with an option for a two year extension.

Cordouy, 42, played for the Colart Colts between 1983 and 1988, winning the McCartney Cup at the beginning and end of his career. He was the captain of the Colts in the McCartney Cup III game of 1985, but was replaced after their surprise loss to the Elderslie Devils.

He has a tough record to live up to - each of the three previous coaches employed in Colart have brought the McCartney Cup home to the French-speaking region. In addition, the Colts have played in the past four McCartney Cup games in a row. However, he is unfased by comparisons to his precedessors.

"I don't think that will be an issue at all. Perhaps some so-called experts may think there is pressure on me. I don't see it that way at all," Cordouy heatedly answered reporters. "We still have the nucleus of an excellent squad, and I look forward to hoisting the Coupe de McCartney in the near future."

Something old, something new for Devils
ELDERSLIE - January 14 1995

The Elderslie Devils are embarking on an unprecedented experiment in the 1995 - appointing two coaches for the first time in ARL history.

The old adage "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" clearly applies to the Elderslie side, as they look to end their twelve year McCartney Cup drought.

The "something old" is represented by Travis Kitchener, who last coached the Devils in 1987 to a respectable fifth placing. The "something new, borrowed and blue" is embodied in rookie coach Angus Ryan, a former player for the Calhournbar Crushers.

Naturally, all of the attention was focused on Ryan, who played for the Crushers between 1983 and 1992.

"I hope the Devils supporters can find it in their hearts to accept an 'outsider' as their new coach," he optimistically noted. "I've seen the kind of fanatical support that the burghers of Elderslie offer up each week, but I've seen the ugly side of it too. I'm sure Stan Goodwin will be able to offer a few tips of what not to do to get the locals offside. Winning games may be a start."

Under the arrangement, Ryan will become the sole coach of the Devils in 1996, while Kitchener reverts to the role of advisor. The question is though, are immediate results expected from the unlikely duo?

"I think you'll find we'd go alright this year," Kitchener said. "Admittedly last year was a shocker, but we also made the playoffs two seasons ago. With the ARL being a really close competition, we only need a few lucky breaks to go our way."

Challenge Cup Draw Held - Crushers Favourites
SALTERN - February 15 1995

ARL President John R. Stephenson has conducted the draw for the Challenge Cup which bears his name in an open luncheon today, with representatives of all eight clubs present.

Eight balls with each of the teams' names were placed in a barrel, with the president randomly selecting who would face who in each of the matches.

The draw is as follows:

Preliminary Matches
A. Elderslie Devils v Thompson Tigers (Fenton Road Grounds)
B. Palmerston Eagles v Saltern Bulldogs (Palmerston Park)
C. Jasperstown Jets v Calhournbar Crushers (Aerodrome Road)
D. Hamilton Farmers v Colart Colts (Hamilton Stadium)

Semi Finals
E. Winner A v Winner B
F. Winner C v Winner D

Cup Final
G. Winner E v Winner F

The Calhournbar Crushers have been installed as early favourites for the competition, despite having to travel to Aerodrome Road and play a tricky game against the Jets.

"It's a tough ground, that's for sure," said Crushers fullback Ben Wellington. "I remember playing there once when an Air Arcardia 747 was coming in on the afternoon flight. I thought it was going to land on the grandstand roof!"

[Rawhide]

Nice to have you onboard Izulde...I have stuck you on the bench for the Tigers. Here's hoping you find your way on the scorer's sheet this season, although it hasn't started that well for you.

Round One Results

ELDERSLIE DEVILS 22 (Green, Ford, O'Hallaran, Grice tries, Porter 3/4 goals) beat THOMPSON TIGERS 18 (Caine, Saunders, Graham tries, Saunders 3/5 goals)
1/4 - Devils 6-0
2/4 - Devils 10-8
3/4 - Tied 16-16
Crowd - 6,309 at Fenton Road Stadium, Elderslie

SALTERN BULLDOGS 42 (Fowler 2, Lindsay 2, Wilson, Gardner, Barker tries, Harman 7/8 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 12 (Grubb, Rayner tries, Flinders 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Bulldogs 8-6
2/4 - Bulldogs 20-12
3/4 - Bulldogs 26-12
Crowd - 3,280 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

JASPERSTOWN JETS 18 (Moginie, Tyson tries, Stuart 5/6 goals) beat CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 12 (Gilmore, Wellington tries, Walsh 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Jets 6-0
2/4 - Jets 14-0
3/4 - Jets 14-12
Crowd - 9,184 at Aerodrome Road, Jasperstown

COLART COLTS 14 (Lapierre, D.Bonaparte tries, Lapierre 3/3 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 12 (D.Hamilton, Shinch tries, Cannon tries)
1/4 - Colts 6-0
2/4 - Colts 12-0
3/4 - Colts 14-0
Crowd - 10,029 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

Challenge Cup Semi-Finals
Elderslie Devils v Saltern Bulldogs
Jasperstown Jets v Colart Colts

[Rawhide]

Bulldogs Brutal In Semi-Final Triumph
ELDERSLIE - March 6 1995

The Saltern Bulldogs became the first team to advance to the John R. Stephenson Challenge Cup final with a dominant 54-8 win against the Elderslie Devils at the Fenton Road Grounds.

The result was mildly shocking for those who expected a closer contest, but for Bulldogs captain Harry Harman it was vindication for Saltern's tough pre-season work.

"Sam (Gibson, Bulldogs coach) has been working us relentlessly during the preseason," admitted the eight year veteran. "We've actually been training for this since December, starting with long runs along the Saltern Foreshore. Then there was that three-day camp at Mistletoe Mountain. I think we are in the peak of physical condition right now and we are ready to take on the competition once again."

For Devils co-coach Angus Ryan it was a case of back to the drawing board.

"Our defensive structures broke down all night long. I'm sad and disappointed for our fans. It's not every day that we have a big game at Fenton Road."

Neither side reported any injury concerns.

Saltern will now host the Challenge Cup final against the winner of the J-Town/Colart match, while the Devils will have a three-week break before the start of the season.

SALTERN 54 (Wilson, Bowman, Fowler, Brook, McDermott, Gleeson, Harman, Woodman, Kay tries, Harman 9/10 goals) beat ELDERSLIE 8 (Green, Royston tries, Porter 0/2 goals)
1/4 - Bulldogs 8-4
2/4 - Bulldogs 14-8
3/4 - Bulldogs 30-8
Crowd - 9,603 at Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie

Colts Gallop Into Cup Decider
JASPERSTOWN - March 7 1995

The Colart Colts have sent out a warning to their competitiors in the ARL this year - they're for real.

A 46-0 annilation of the Jets on their home patch should be enough to put the shudders through the other seven coaches in this year's McCartney Cup, including J-Town's Harry Taylor.

"That was quite a performance, wasn't it?" admitted the Jets coach, now in his sixth season in charge. "We were looking for a white cloth, or something, to hoist up in those last couple of minutes. I've never seen our boys get dominated in quite that manner."

For Colart, it was all about business.

"That was great," admitted Marcel Courdouy, "but it means nothing if we don't win the Cup. We have Saltern well and truly in our sights now."

No doubt the Colts will take up a battilion of fans to Williams Stadium. They have promised to be on their best behaviour.

"The Colts will win," pronounced a very confident Colart captain, Aaron Lapierre, in his heavily accented English. "But I should like to think that we will have many other good battles with the Bulldogs, and others, throughout the year. Let's not use all of our bullets in March."

Lapierre was the universal choice for man of the match following his splendid display, scoring four tries and kicking seven goals for a total of 30 points.

COLART COLTS 46 (Lapierre 4, Scuilie 2, R.Courdouy, D.Bonaparte tries, Lapierre 7/8 goals) beat JASPERSTOWN JETS 0
1/4 - Colts 12-0
2/4 - Colts 22-0
3/4 - Colts 34-0
Crowd - 8,389 at Aerodrom Road, Jasperstown

[Rawhide]

Colart In Control; Lapierre Leads The Way
SALTERN - March 14 1995

They had to do it the hard way - by winning three games away from their fortress in Colart - but the Colart Colts can lay claim to being the first team to win the John R. Stephenson Challenge Cup in the final won yesterday at Williams Stadium by 30 points to 18.

In a match which should whet the appetite of all rugby league supporters in Arcardia, the traditional rivalry between these two cities was put on the line in a fast and entertaining match.

The Colts shocked the locals and silenced the crowd as they stormed out to a 18-0 halftime lead courtesy of captain Aaron Lapierre, who appeared to play as though he had spiders on him. The crafty halfback had scored two tries by halftime and was dictating the terms of play to his Bulldogs opponents.

Lapierre made it a third try early in the second half to make it 24-0, but then things got really interesting. Two tries to the local favourites reduced the margin to 24-12, and it was game on.

At times the match threaten to spill over into the usual fisticuffs which have marked the Colts/Bulldogs rivalry, but Colart never lost their composure and went ahead 30-12 with thirteen minutes to play. Saltern managed to pull one try back but time was their true enemy, not Colart.

Aaron Lapierre was named the inaugural winner of the President's Medal as the Player of the Match in the Challenge Cup final.

Although he has already won three McCartney Cups, the 25 year old is in his first season as captain of Colart and was clearly emotional as he accepted the medal and the Challenge Cup from ARL President Stephenson.

It would appear that judging by the early indicators, the Colts are going to be very difficult to beat this year. A fourth McCartney Cup in five years is certainly not beyond them.

COLART COLTS 30 (Lapierre 3, Winston, Lucien tries, Lapierre 5/5 goals) beat SALTERN BULLDOGS 18 (Fowler, Harman, Bowman tries, Harman 3/3 goals)
1/4 - Colts 12-0
2/4 - Colts 18-0
3/4 - Colts 24-6
Crowd - 19,382 at Williams Stadium, Saltern.
President's Medal - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)

[Rawhide]

http://www.rovedaily.com.au/images/ep17_hgnelson_200x200.jpg
Tommy Tanks, the former Colart Colts coach,
now prominent Arcardian radio personality.

Music fades out....

"Hello listeners and welcome once again to another action packed half hour - or is that an hour - can't remember....of 100% pure, rugby league action!

"I tell you what, I have been counting down the days since last August, when the Calhournbar Whatsits, the Crushers, I mean, lifted that McCartney Cup and hoisted it high. And what about that Challenge Cup final the other day? I tell you what, it was a great sight to see Colart galloping to victory once again.

"Now, to breaking news, I have in front of me the annual ARL pre-season coaches poll, fresh from McCartney House itself. And listeners, it's no surprise. I say this every year, but frankly....children, turn away, for a moment....the coaches poll is a big pile of crap.

"It's crap! I know from first hand experience. When did coaches ever take this thing seriously? When have they ever been right? When have coaches - and I include myself in this category - ever use their heads and vote with it, rather than putting their opponents last on the list?

"Now, for those of you who are new to this caper, each of the eight coaches are asked to rank their opponents from 1 to 7 - they can't vote for their own team, and quite rightly so. One point for their pick to win the big McCartney, seven points for the team that comes last - quite honestly, it's a simple system. The lowest number of points 'wins' the poll.

"For what it's worth, here are the latest results. Keep in mind listeners that they have never been right - not once!

"It was a split decision in the end, but the Calhournbar Crushers are the slight favourites to win it all, slightly ahead of Colart - and Jasperstown!

"I mean, Jasperstown? Goodness me!

"No surprise to see Saltern well down the list - that is the crux of my argument, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. It is an open secret - actually, it can't be much of a secret if you're hearing it on the Tommy Tanks Hour - but Colart and Saltern will never - NEVER! - put each other at one. They will always, ALWAYS put each other last.

"So, if you take this poll on face value, even the most simple minded ignoramus will realise that Colart have been stuffed out of winning another coaches poll, thanks to those dastardly Bulldogs.

"That's not to say that Monsieur Courdouy isn't lily-white himself. I highly doubt that he would place the Dogs any higher than any Colart coach - myself included - have done in the past, and put them dead last!

"But my dear audience, we have been informed that two coaches - two of the men entrusted to our rugby league teams, the ones holding the clipboards - have voted for two absolute outsiders to win it all in 1995! If it wasn't serious, it would be laughable.

"Elderslie have been given a sympathetic vote for first position, and the Thompson Tigers - this is a team with an American import, remember, a team so devoid of history on the field that they haven't even constructed a trophy cabinet in their club house - have also been predicted by one twit to finish first!

"Ladies and gentlemen, I put it to you that the coaches poll is plain stupid. I remember once in 1990 all of the coaches got together and decided to rig it - we predicted the poor old Spuds to win it all. Poor old Big Don Hamilton up and had a heart attack on the squad! Of course, the Spuds did make it to the big one - perhaps the only time that we got it sort-of-right, when we were completely playing around!"

ARL Coaches Poll - 1995
(Number of first place votes in brackes)
14 - Calhournbar Crushers (3)
17 - Colart Colts (3)
19 - Jasperstown Jets (0)
30 - Elderslie Devils (1)
31 - Hamilton Farmers (0)
34 - Saltern Bulldogs (0)
34 - Thompson Tigers (1)
45 - Palmerston Eagles (0)

"And now, I'm joined in the box in the Tommy Tanks Tribute Hour by a man whose insight for rugby league knows no bounds. He is a former McCartney Cup winning coach, and a regular contributor to this little patch of the airwaves. Welcome Mister Martin Moore...."

http://www.currency.com.au/resources/1/!John%20Doyle.jpg
Martin Moore, 1985 McCartney
Cup winning coach for Elderslie.

"Thank you Tommy, great to be back for another cracking season!"

"Let's run the rule over this week's round of games. The season gets underway with the ding-dong of all battles, it's a replay of last season's McCartney Cup..."

"Yes Tommy, the Crushers travel over to take on Colart at Le Parc, which should be a great match-up. I think Colart should be too strong at home, especially with all of the Colts Fanatics blowing their whistles and tooting their trumpets. It will be interesting to see whether Lapierre can maintain the current form that he has shown so far this season..."

"So Colts for you?"

"Yep, Colart by eight."

"Okay, match two on the bill sees the Bulldogs licking their wounds, up against the Thompson Tigers."

"Yes. This match is to be played at Annandale, I believe, perhaps one of the more picturesque grounds in the ARL. Look, to be honest, I'm excited by the signing of this rogue American Izu...Izul....I can't even pronounce his name. I'm going to call him Izzy. The problem is, this is an unprecedented gamble from the Tigers. It could backfire worse than Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Bulldogs by twenty."

"This Izul...Iz....I can't even say it myself....Izzy is the first import into the ARL since Miguel Rodriguez, the former soccer player from Chile. And we all know how that turned out."

"Yes, intensive care after five minutes."

"Now for a game which absolutely nobody will care much about. Elderslie and the Eagles."

"Palmerston going into the depths of Hell over there at Elderslie, they shouldn't survive. Local lads by....oh, 40 points."

"Whoah! Forty? Divide that by ten, I think. Final match in round one sees the Spud Farmers from Hamilton jumping on their tractors and going up to J-Town. Who's got your attention here?"

"Jasperstown got well and truly spanked last time they played - 46-0 is just about as bad as it gets if your a Jet man. I think playing at home against Hamilton they have a real chance, but this will possibly be the closest match of the round. Can I tip a draw?"

"You're Martin Moore, you brought a McCartney Cup to Elderslie. You can do what you like."

"Okay then. Sixteen points apiece."

"That was the wizard of wisdom, Martin Moore, with his Round 1 predicitions. More after this short break...."

[Rawhide]

With the Prime Minister performing the obligatory season kickoff (an election was looming), the Elderslie Devils and Palmerston Eagles got the 1995 ARL season underway in an entertaining game at Fenton Road. Elderslie ran out deserving winners, scoring six tries to three.

ELDERSLIE DEVILS 28 (Grice 3, O'Halloran, Goff, Royston tries, Porter 4/6 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 22 (Manson, Rayner, Horn tries, Flinders 5/5 goals)
1/4 - Devils 14-0
2/4 - Devils 20-14
3/4 - Devils 28-20
Crowd - 8,092 at Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie

The Saltern Bulldogs returned to the winner's circle with an easy win against the Tigers in Annandale. The stadium was disappointingly half-full for what would be one of three matches played at the ground this season. "The message for our fans is clear - get out and support us. We need you more than you may think," demanded captain Stephen Rodgers. The match was notable for the first apperance of American import Izulde, who didn't disappoint his supporters with a desperate try in the first half.

SALTERN BULLDOGS 42 (Wilson 2, Kay, McDonald, Woodman, Gleeson, Harman tries, Harman 7/7 goals) beat THOMPSON TIGERS 10 (Izulde, Roman tries, Saunders goal)
Crowd - 3,170 at Recreation Ground, Annandale
1/4 - Bulldogs 6-0
2/4 - Bulldogs 18-10
3/4 - Bulldogs 24-10
Crowd - 3,029 at Recreation Ground, Annandale

Calhournbar confounded the recent form book with a rousing 36-18 win against the high-flying Colart Colts. The Crushers took the crowd out of the equation early to lead 18-0, before two quick Colts scores got the locals back in the game. Scores were locked with 22 minutes to play, but the Crushers found a second gear and momentarily deflated the Colts, who some pundits believe may have been expecting a walk over win on home territory. "What can I say? We were very good today, but I think we can get better," warned Crushers coach Kevin Jackson, the wearer of three McCartney Cup rings.

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 36 (Bartlet 2, King 2, Finch, Wellington tries, Walsh 6/6 goals) beat COLART COLTS 18 (D.Bonaparte, Scuilie, Lapierre tries, Lapierre 3/3 goals)
1/4 - Crushers 6-0
2/4 - Crushers 18-12
3/4 - Tied 18-18
Crowd - 12,968 at Le Parc De Rugby a XIII, Colart

In the final match of the first round, Hamilton caused a minor upset by trouncing the Jets on their home patch to the tune of 34-12 in a match most people expected J-Town to win. It was a confidence building win according to coach Travis Baker, who inherited a team which had gone 2-14 in 1993. "Hopefully we can use this result to get some momentum that we can carry forward," he said while wearing a "Potato Farmer and PROUD of it!" cap at the press conference.

HAMILTON FARMERS 34 (Strong, D.Hamilton, Johnstone, O'Donnell, Cannon, Clifton tries, P.Hamilton 5/6 goals) beat JASPERSTOWN JETS 12 (Branch, Edwards tries, Branch 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Farmers 6-0
2/4 - Farmers 18-0
3/4 - Farmers 28-6
Crowd - 8,730 at Air Arcardia Stadium (formerly Aerodrome Road), Jasperstown

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
A tough decision for judges this week, but a fine performance from the Crushers in the McCartney Cup rematch saw their halfback Dave Gilmore get the nod, slightly ahead of teammate Charlie Bartlet and Saltern five-eighth Harry Harman.

WEEK ONE STANDINGS
Saltern Bulldogs 1-0 (+32)
Hamilton Farmers 1-0 (+22)
Calhournbar Crushers 1-0 (+18)
Elderslie Devils 1-0 (+8)
Palmerston Eagles 0-1 (-8)
Colart Colts 0-1 (-18)
Jasperstown Jets 0-1 (-22)
Thompson Tigers 0-1 (-32)

NB - Teams are ranked in the following criteria:
1. Record
2. Points Differential (Points scored takeaway points conceded - this is the number in brackets)
3. Points Scored For
4. Head To Head Record
5. Coin Toss

[Rawhide]

ARL Premiership Fixtures - Round 2
Palmerston Eagles (0-1) v Thompson Tigers (0-1) at Palmerston Park
Saltern Eagles (1-0) v Elderslie Devils (1-0) at Williams Stadium
Calhournbar Crushers (1-0) v Jasperstown Jets (0-1) at the National Stadium
Hamilton Farmers (1-0) v Colart Colts (0-1) at Hamilton Stadium

Colts Grand Final Hero Retires With No Regrets
COLART - March 24

Mark Winchester has suddenly retired from the Colart Colts at the age of 26, after an eight year career which saw him experience the highs and lows of the ARL.

It was an 18-year old Winchester who scored the try that got the Colts within reach of winning the McCartney Cup in 1988, in a contest that the Naps still recall with great pride.

With one minute remaining, the Crushers were ahead 26-20 and on the attack. Angus Ryan, the Crushers halfback (and now Devils co-coach) placed a 'bomb' over towards the wing where Winchester was defending. The Colts winger caught the ball cleanly and then set off down field chased by half of the Crushers side, finally scoring in the corner. The conversion was kicked and the Colts would go on to win the game in extra time.

The last three years have not been as good to Mark Winchester though, firstly being placed on the bench and then suffering a series of injuries that finally led him to announce his retirement today. He leaves as the fifth highest try-scorer in Colts rugby league history.

"I really have no regrets," he announced as he bounced his baby daughter on his lap. "I have many great memories and friends from my time in rugby league. Who knows what the future will bring?"

Mark Winchester
Colart Colts 1987-1995
Games - 103
Tries - 70
McCartney Cup Wins - 3 (1988, 1991, 1992)

[Rawhide]

The Thompson Tigers outlasted the Palmerston Eagles in a highly entertaining game at "Palmy Park", winning on a last-minute field goal from halfback Michael Jones. The Eagles led 6-0, 12-6 and 18-12 at various intervals of the game and also had an opportunity to win with a shot at penalty goal with three minutes remaining and the score locked up. "We just weren't good enough," mused Eagles coach Pat Bowman, whose team has won just two of their last twenty games. "We would have settled for a draw, but these things happen. I just hope we pull our socks up next week, when the Bulldogs come to town."

THOMPSON TIGERS 19 (Roman, Saunders, Izulde tries, Saunders 3/4 goals, Jones field goal) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 18 (Harvey 2, Manson tries, Flinders 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Tied 6-6
2/4 - Eagles 12-6
3/4 - Eagles 18-12
Crowd - 9,468 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

By contrast, it was a dour struggle at Williams Stadium where the Bulldogs outlasted the Devils 18-8 to go 2-0 on the season. The Devils managed to restrict Saltern to two tries but their ill-discipline cost them in the end, with the penalties going 13-1 to the home side. "That standard of referring was no good today," reacted an angry Angus Ryan. "You could give a bunch of drunks from the pub thirteen extra sets of possession and they are bound to score on at least one of those. I don't know if any of our infringements were any worse than that of the Bulldogs. I think the referees need to treat both sides equally."

SALTERN BULLDOGS 18 (Mathers, Walker tries, Sinfield 5/5 goals) beat ELDERSLIE DEVILS 8 (Moran, Sykes tries, Sykes 0/2 goals)
1/4 - Bulldogs 14-4
2/4 - Bulldogs 16-4
3/4 - Bulldogs 18-8
Crowd - 18,960 at Williams Stadium, Saltern

[Young Drachma]

I love the detail. The fact that you're doing it all via excel spreadsheet is amazingly awesome.

[Rawhide]

The Calhournbar Crushers paraded the McCartney Cup around the grounds before their clash with the Jasperstown Jets, to once again thank their loyal fans at the National Stadium. This marked the first home game for the Crushing Machine (as Kevin Jackson often described them), and they duly made the Jasperstown Jets their little playtoys, winning 24-4 and keeping their tryline intact in the process. After the game, Jackson urged J-Town fans to hang in there. "I thought they were a lot better than the scoreline suggested. Put it this way - it's an improvement on their inept display last week."

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 24 (Fulcher, Bruce, Scanley, Finch tries, Wellington 4/5 goals) beat JASPERSTOWN JETS 4 (Stuart 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Tied 4-4
2/4 - Crushers 12-4
3/4 - Crushers 18-4
Crowd - 19,650 at National Stadium, Calhournbar

In the final match of the round, the Farmers and Colts engaged in a shootout in front of a healthy crowd at Hamilton Stadium. For seventy minutes it seemed as though Hamilton would tip the form book upside down and start the season 2-0, but Colart found an extra gear to come back strongly and close out the highest scoring game of the year 38 to 26.

COLART COLTS 38 (Lapierre 2, Scuilie 2, R.Bonaparte, du Pont tries, Lapierre 7/7 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 26 (Johnstone, Strong, Fodder, Clifton tries, P.Hamilton 5/5 goals)
1/4 - Farmers 16-8
2/4 - Farmers 18-14
3/4 - Colts 20-18
Crowd - 12,392 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
3 points - Ben Wellington (Crushers)
2 points - Charlie Bartlet (Crushers)
1 point - Patrick Amanae (Colts)

STANDINGS AFTER WEEK TWO
Saltern Bulldogs 2-0 (+42)
Calhournbar Crushers 2-0 (+38)
Hamilton Farmers 1-1 (+10)
Elderslie Devils 1-1 (-2)
Colart Colts 1-1 (-6)
Thompson Tigers 1-1 (-31)
Palmerston Eagles 0-2 (-9)
Jasperstown Jets 0-2 (-42)

Round Three Fixtures (Spread In Brackets)
Elderslie Devils v Thompson Tigers (-6.5)
Palmerston Eagles (-14.5) v Saltern Bulldogs
Colart Colts v Jasperstown Jets (-16.5)
Calhournbar Crushers v Hamilton Farmers (-8.5)

[Rawhide]

Thank you very much for your kind words, Dark Cloud.
Obviously, I am having a bit of fun with this - so far!

[Rawhide]

Tigers, Jets cause massive upsets
ELDERSLIE - April 5

The Thompson Tigers made a big statement today by beating the Elderslie Devils at one of the toughest away venues in the ARL - Fenton Road Grounds, or "Hell" as the visiting team usually calls it. They overcame an early ten point deficit to storm out winners and land in the top four.

Sensational new American winger Izulde capped off an incredible game by becoming the first player in Tigers history to score three tries in a single game - a hattrick, as it's known in Arcardia.

"That was a great win, and who knows where we go from here?" remarked the import as he walked onto the team bus. "One game at a time, one game at a time..."

The Thompson Tigers now have a short break before taking on the Farmers in the first of four mid-week games scheduled throughout the 1995 ARL premiership.

Police were called around to Angus Ryan's house after the Devils co-coach reported an angry mob burning an effigy of him in his front yard.

THOMPSON TIGERS 38 (Izulde 3, Graham, Howard, Rhodes, Jackson tries, Saunders 5/7 goals) beat ELDERSLIE DEVILS 16 (Porter, Jackson, O'Halloran tries, Porter 2/3 goals)
1/4 - Devils 16-6
2/4 - Tied 16-16
3/4 - Tigers 28-16
Crowd - 8,302 at Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie

Saltern continued their unbeaten start to the premiership season with a 34-12 win over the struggling Eagles at Palmerston Park.

SALTERN BULLDOGS 34 (Harman, Bowman, Lindsay, Fowler, Brook, Wilson tries, Harman 5/6 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 12 (Cross, Flinders tries, Flinders 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Bulldogs 6-0
2/4 - Bulldogs 22-6
3/4 - Bulldogs 28-6
Crowd - 8,400 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

Barely twenty hours after the Tigers caused the boilover of the season, the Jasperstown Jets trumped their achievement by travelling down to a hostile Colart field and walking away with two points. The Colts galloped out to an 18-0 lead after only five minutes in what was a horror start, but contentedly put their cue in the rack and allowed J-Town back into the contest. Jasperstown scored 32 unanswered points in the final 75 minutes of the contest.

Aided by a lopsided 15-1 penalty count - coincidentally, by the same referee who was in control of the Saltern-Elderslie match last week - the Jets dominated possession and showed a lot of character to make a game of it.

After the match, the happiest man in Arcardia was Harry Taylor. "We may have been to two McCartney Cup games in the last three years, but this result today was one of the best in my time at the club. I think this is the first time we've ever come down to Colart and come away with something more than a broken windscreen on the team bus. I'm happier than a pig in mud."

Jets captain Blake Stuart was also effusive in praise. "I've been there since the very beginning, when we used to have our backsides kicked around the countryside. In my thirteen years with J-Town, this is right up there."

JASPERSTOWN JETS 32 (Lambton 2, Nunn, Wild, Moginie tries, Stuart 6/6 goals) beat COLART COLTS 18 (Cordouy, R.Bonaparte, Winston tries, Lapierre 3/3 goals)
1/4 - Colts 18-0
2/4 - Tied 18-18
3/4 - Jets 26-18
Crowd - 13,665 at Le Parc De Rugby a XIII, Colart

The Spud Farmers came to the big city of Calhournbar with their many supporters anticipating this sequence of upsets to continue. Soon after halftime, their wish was being delivered with Hamilton holding an unlikely 14-10 lead. Some Ben Wellington magic soon after three-quarter time resumed normal transmission, although a late Farmers try reduced the defecit and made the final seconds very nervous for Crushers fans.

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 22 (Wellington 2, Fulcher tries, Wellington 5/5 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 20 (Bellamy 2, Jack tries, P.Hamilton 4/4 goals)
1/4 - Crushers 4-0
2/4 - Crushers 10-6
3/4 - Farmers 14-10
Crowd - 20,925 at National Stadium, Calhournbar

Player of the Week
3 points - Michael Jones (Thompson Tigers)
2 points - Izulde (Thompson Tigers)
1 point - Ben Bruce (Calhournbar Crushers)

Standings After Week Three
Saltern Bulldogs 3-0 (+64)
Calhournbar Crushers 3-0 (+40)
Thompson Tigers 2-1 (-9)
Hamilton Farmers 1-2 (+8)
Colart Colts 1-2 (-22)
Elderslie Devils 1-2 (-24)
Jasperstown Jets 1-2 (-28)
Palmerston Eagles 0-3 (-31)

Upcoming Fixtures

Wednesday Night Football 1
Thompson Tigers v Hamilton Farmers

Week Four Fixtures
Elderslie Devils v Colart Colts
Palmerston Eagles v Calhournbar Crushers
Thompson Tigers v Jasperstown Jets
Saltern Bulldogs v Hamilton Farmers

1 One week's fixtures is 'broken up' and played as Wednesday Night fixtures throughout the season. Each of the eight teams will play in one of four Wednesday night fixtures, which attract large audiences, both at the grounds and on the radio and television.

[Rawhide]

Wednesday Night Football
Live On 99.9FM - The Home Of Arcardian Football
http://clubs.rfu.com/Clubs/portals/valeoflune/Media/Image/ground1.jpg
The Riverina Football Ground (capacity 6000), one of the Tigers' three homes.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to 99.9FM's broadcast of the first Wednesday Night Football clash of the season - we come to you live from Riverina, where the crowd is pouring in for this highly anticipated match between the Tigers and the Farmers. My name is Jim Rotsey and we're gearing up for our twelfth season of broadcasting Wednesday Night Football. Joining me in commentary tonight is former Saltern Bulldogs coach and regular 99.9FM analyst Charlie Grace - how are we tonight Charlie?"

"Well thank you Jim, excited for this game tonight. Tigers third after three weeks - who would have thought? The Farmers are also sitting in the top four, although there are a few teams breathing down their necks."

"Let's bring you some news for tonight's game. The referee who was in appointed for this match, Robert Ray, has been stood down by direct orders from John Stephenson, after Ray was involved in two very controversial matches in the past two weeks. What's your opinion on this Charlie?"

"Well, I don't often like to speak of referees, positively or otherwise, but it's clear that the driveway in Ray's mind doesn't go right into his garage."

----

Match Summary - Thompson Tigers v Hamilton Farmers - April 5 1995

5th min - Tigers 4-0 (Leigh Graham try, attempt at conversion failed)
8th min - Farmers 6-4 (Andrew Johnstone try, Paul Hamilton goal)
22nd min - Tigers 8-4 (Izulde try, attempt at conversion failed)

Rotsey - "Where has Izulde come from? That's six tries in four games! I've seen nothing quite like it!"

36th min - Farmers 10-8 (Paul Hamilton try, attempt at conversion failed)
50th min - Farmers 16-8 (Trevor Strong try, Paul Hamilton goal)
54th min - Farmers 16-12 (Izulde try, attempt at conversion failed)

Grace - "That's three misses from the Tigers kicker so far. They may rue those missed opportunities."

58th min - Farmers 18-12 (Paul Hamilton penalty goal)

Rotsey - "A clear decision from the replacement referee here tonight, Jack Schitt. Tigers holding on for far too long after that tackle."

63rd min - Farmers 18-16 (Grant Price try, attempt at conversion failed)

Grace - "Once again the flags stay down for the kick. That's the difference between winning and losing right now for the Tigers."

79th min - Tigers receive a penalty 40 metres out from the try line.

Rotsey - "A quick consultation with Tim Ryan and the Tigers are going to take a shot a penalty goal to level the scores. We could be all locked up here at Riverina. Peter Saunders has missed with every shot so far tonight; he won't be kicking, it will be Jacob McKean, the Tigers' hooker. He places the ball on the mound....that's the siren in the background, this is the last play of the game - it's either a Hamilton win, or a tie. McKean takes two steps back and moves in...ball's on it's way....and the flags are raised! We have a draw in our first Wednesday Night game of the year!"

THOMPSON TIGERS 18 (Izulde 2, Graham, Price tries, McKean 1/1, Saunders 0/4 goals) drew with HAMILTON TIGERS 18 (P.Hamilton, Johnstone, Strong tries, P.Hamilton 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Farmers 6-4
2/4 - Farmers 10-8
3/4 - Farmers 18-12
Crowd - 5,938 at Riverina Football Ground, Riverina.

Mid-Week Competition Standings
Saltern Bulldogs 3-0 (+64)
Calhournbar Crushers 3-0 (+40)
Thompson Tigers 2-1-1 (-9)
Hamilton Farmers 1-1-2 (+8)
Colart Colts 1-2 (-22)
Elderslie Devils 1-2 (-24)
Jasperstown Jets 1-2 (-28)
Palmerston Eagles 0-3 (-31)

[Izulde]

What a magical year thus far! And it's simply awesome that I'll go down in the annals of Tigers history. :D

[Rawhide]

What's Wrong With The Colts?
Questions asked after 1-3 start to the season

The Colart Colts are in crisis mode with rumours of a player mutiny after a shocking and surprising 12-8 loss to the Elderslie Devils today.

Our reporters from the Arcardian Daily were unable to speak directly with coach Michel Courdouy but a Colts player spoke with us on the condition of anominity.

"Morale was great after the Challenge Cup win," spoke 'Player X', "but since then it's been all about wins, wins, wins. We're not on speaking terms with Michel, all he does is bark orders at us. After the Jasperstown game he smashed all of the furniture in the dressing room with a sledgehammer, and even threw a bin towards Aaron Lapierre. We are genuinely fearful of him. I think you'll find a lot of players will decide to leave the club in 1996."

In the meanwhile, what a difference a week makes in the Ryan household!

"I got a lot of messages of support after last week's game," admitted Devils co-coach Angus Ryan, "most of them condeming the hundred or so supporters camping on my front lawn. I think there will be a much more positive vibe around town this week, especially if we end up in the top four at the end of it."

ELDERSLIE DEVILS 12 (Ford, Goff, Christensen tries, Smith 0/3 goals) beat COLART COLTS 8 (Lapierre try, Lapierre 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Devils 4-0
2/4 - Devils 4-0
3/4 - Devils 8-0
Crowd - 9,211 at Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie

Defending champions Calhournbar continued their undefeated start to the season with a 30-10 win against the Palmerston Eagles.

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 30 (Michel, Finch, King, Bartlet, Wellington tries, Wellington 5/6 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 10 (Michaels, Kelly tries, Flinders 1/2 goals)
1/4 - Crushers 10-0
2/4 - Crushers 16-4
3/4 - Crushers 30-10
Crowd - 8,293 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

With one of the rising starts of the ARL playing at their home ground, the 'gate closed' sign went up outside the Tigers Stadium in Mitchellton. The fans, of course, had come to see the "Lanky Yankee" Izulde strut his stuff for the black and oranges. While he did not disappoint - two more tries to the column, if you don't mind - the Jasperstown Jets continued in their winning ways and squeaked out a close 28-22 result.

JASPERSTOWN JETS 28 (Lambton, Wild, Nunn, Stuart, Black tries, Branch 4/7 goals) beat THOMPSON TIGERS 22 (Izulde 2, Graham, King tries, Saunders 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Tigers 12-6
2/4 - Tigers 16-10
3/4 - Jets 20-16
Crowd - 5,921 at Tigers Stadium, Mitchellton

The loyal Farmers supporters made their third road-trip in as many games, this time to Saltern. Apart from the first and the last try of the game, there was absolutely nothing to smile about if you were a Spuds man, with the Bulldogs running the game to perfection. Even the Bulldogs youngsters got in on the act, with 19-year old twins Cade and Hayden Holdsworth finding their way onto the scorer's list.

SALTERN BULLDOGS 48 (Hurst, Brook, H.Holdsworth, Gleeson, McDonald, Fowler, Bowman, C.Holdsworth tries, Harman 8/8 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 10 (Shinch, Cannon tries, D.Hamilton 1/2 goals)
1/4 - Bulldogs 6-4
2/4 - Bulldogs 30-4
3/4 - Bulldogs 42-4
Crowd - 19,122 at Williams Stadium, Saltern

Player of the Week (Including Wednesday Night Football)
3 points -David Gilmore (Calhournbar Crushers)
2 points -Dan Bowman (Saltern Bulldogs)
1 point - Ben Black (Jasperstown Jets)

Standings After Week Four
Saltern Bulldogs 4-0 (+102)
Calhournbar Crushers 4-0 (+60)
Thompson Tigers 2-1-2 (-15)
Elderslie Devils 2-2 (-20)
Jasperstown Jets 2-2 (-22)
Hamilton Farmers 1-1-3 (-30)
Colart Colts 1-3 (-26)
Palmerston Eagles (-51)

Next Week's Fixtures
Calhournbar Crushers v Elderslie Devils
Jasperstown Jets v Palmerston Eagles
Hamilton Farmers v Thompson Tigers
Colart Colts v Saltern Bulldogs

[Rawhide]

The Elderslie Devils probably won't realise it, but they've given the rest of the competition a huge boost with their 22-30 loss to the Crushers today - they've provided a blue print on how to topple the defending champions.

"Just get right up and in their face," admitted co-coach Travis Kitchener. "That was our aim, just to unsettle their more experienced players. We didn't quite commit to the plan for the full 80 minutes, but I think we've given a good account of ourselves here this afternoon."

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 30 (Wellington 2, Lang, Bruce, Bartlet tries, Wellington 5/5 goals) beat ELDERSLIE DEVILS 22 (Green, Royston, Christensen, Norman tries, Porter 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Crushers 12-0
2/4 - Crushers 18-10
3/4 - Crushers 18-16
Crowd - 22,391 at National Stadium, Calhournbar

Palmerston won their first game of the year with a tough, grinding 30-18 result against the Jasperstown Jets. The Jets could have moved into the top four with a win, so it wasn't surprising that coach Harry Taylor cut such a forlorn figure on the sidelines after full-time.

PALMERSTON EAGLES 30 (Rayner 2, Lousick, Horn, Grubb tries, Flinders 5/6 goals) beat JASPERSTOWN JETS 18 (Anderson, Wild, Branch tries, Stuart 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Jets 6-0
2/4 - Eagles 18-6
3/4 - Eagles 18-12
Crowd - 6,593 at Air Arcardia Stadium, Jasperstown

The Thompson Tigers and Hamilton Farmers met for the second time this season, and the result was exactly the same as last time - a draw. Once again, the Tigers had a shot at penalty goal in the shadows of halftime to earn the share of the competition points.

HAMILTON FARMERS 14 (Cannon, Cole tries, P.Hamilton 3/5 goals) drew with THOMPSON TIGERS 14 (Turner, Jackson tries, McKean 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Farmers 2-0
2/4 - Farmers 8-6
3/4 - Farmers 14-6
Crowd - 13,291 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

By far the most anticipated match of the round was the "Stinkfest" between Colart and Saltern, made more enticing by the Colts' current struggles and the Bulldogs' powerful start to the season. Despite the rumours of player discontentment - a rumour that earned legs thanks to the rumblings of 'Player X', the Colts turned on a real performance for their home fans and ran out 32-16 winners, leaving the Crushers as the only undefeated side of 1995. Aaron Lapierre made a welcome return to form, bagging three tries and 24 points, while Garcon Courdouy - the son of the embattled coach - also found his way onto the scoresheet.

COLART COLTS 32 (Lapierre 3, Courdouy, Winston tries, Lapierre 6/7 goals) beat SALTERN BULLDOGS 16 (Harman, Buchan, Lindsay tries, Harman 2/4 goals)
1/4 - Colts 6-0
2/4 - Colts 14-4
3/4 - Colts 32-10
Crowd - 14,992 at Le Parc Du Rugby a XIII, Colart

Player of the Week
3 points - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)
2 points - Ben Wellington (Calhournbar Crushers)
1 point - Cale Horn (Palmerston Eagles)

Standings after Week 5
Calhournbar Crushers 5-0 (+68)
Saltern Bulldogs 4-1 (+86)
Thompson Tigers 2-2-2 (-15)
Colart Colts 2-3 (-10)
Elderslie Devils 2-3 (-28)
Jasperstown Jets 2-3 (-34)
Hamilton Farmers 1-2-3 (-30)
Palmerston Eagles 1-4 (-39)

Next Week's Fixtures

Wednesday Night Football
Palmerston Eagles v Elderslie Devils

Week Six
Elderslie Devils v Jasperstown Jets
Palmerston Eagles v Hamilton Farmers
Thompson Tigers v Colart Colts
Saltern Bulldogs v Calhournbar Crushers

[SirFozzie]

Good stuff. They actually aired the NRL playoffs on Spike TV this year. (it had a contract with Setanta but it was droped)

[Rawhide]

Thanks for your thoughts SirFozzie. Glad to hear you are enjoying this story. The playoffs have certainly been unpredictable this year. For those who care, the NRL Grand Final is being played this Sunday afternoon between the Melbourne Storm and the Parramatta Eels.

[Rawhide]

Wednesday Night Football
http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/14115/1161020427031860892S425x425Q85.jpg
Palmerston Park (15,000 seats), the home ground of the Eagles since 1986.

Transcript of Wednesday Night Football game between Palmerston Eagles and Elderslie Devils:

6th min - Palmerston 2-0 (Matthew Flinders penalty goal)
16th min - Elderslie 4-2 (Tom Norman try, attempt at conversion failed)
18th min - Palmerston 8-4 (Matthew Flinders try, goal)
24th min - Elderslie 10-8 (Rob Jackson try, Mick Porter goal)
30th min - Elderslie 16-8 (Mark Green try, Mick Porter goal)
34th min - Elderslie 16-14 (Marty Lousick try, Matthew Flinders goal)
39th min - Palmerston 20-16 (Sam Michaels try, Matthew Flinders goal)
44th min - Elderslie 22-20 (Mark Green try, Mick Porter goal)
64th min - Palmerston 26-22 (Marty Lousick try, Matthew Flinders goal)
70th min - Elderslie 28-26 (Ryan Royston try, Mick Porter goal)
79th min - Elderslie 34-26 (Rob Jackson try, Mick Porter goal)

ELDERSLIE DEVILS 34 (Jackson 2, Green 2, Norman, Royston tries, Porter 5/6 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 26 (Lousick 2, Flinders, Michaels tries, Flinders 4/5 goals)
1/4 - Eagles 8-4
2/4 - Eagles 20-16
3/4 - Devils 22-20
Crowd - 14,293 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

Updated Ladder
Calhournbar Crushers 5-0 (+68)
Saltern Bulldogs 4-1 (+86)
Thompson Tigers 2-2-2 (-15)
Elderslie Devils 3-3 (-20)
Colart Colts 2-3 (-10)
Jasperstown Jets 2-3 (-34)
Hamilton Farmers 1-2-3 (-30)
Palmerston Eagles 1-5 (-47)

[Rawhide]

The Jasperstown Jets travelled to Hell and came back with an important win, outlasting the Elderslie Devils by 30 points to 24. The Jets dominated the middle third of the match and held a 30-6 lead before allowing their opposition to come back.

"At the end of the day, every match is important," mused Devils co-coach Angus Ryan. "You just don't know whether those twenty minutes straight after halftime cost us a spot in the top four. We'll have to wait and see, and in the meanwhile pull our socks up and put in a better effort next week."

JASPERSTOWN JETS 30 (Moginie, Gold, Edwards, Anderson, Stuart tries, Stuart 5/5 goals) defeated ELDERSLIE DEVILS 24 (Norman, O'Halloran, Jackson, Royston tries, Porter 4/4 goals)
1/4 - Jets 12-0
2/4 - Jets 18-6
3/4 - Jets 30-6
Crowd - 8,102 at Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie

It was a contest between seventh and eighth at Palmerston Park, and both the Eagles and Farmers demonstrated exactly why they currently occupy those two places, with a stumbling performance. The Farmers were the first - and only - side to score a try, coming very late in the first half, before adding four more in the second and consigning Palmerston to last place on the ladder - "with an anchor," as Pat Bowman mused at the obligatory press conference.

HAMILTON FARMERS 32 (P.Hamilton, Shinch, Cole, Fodder, Strong tries, P.Hamilton 6/6 goals) defeated PALMERSTON EAGLES 2 (Flinders 1/1 goal)
1/4 - No score
2/4 - Farmers 6-2
3/4 - Farmers 20-6
Crowd - 5,293 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

The Thompson Tigers have had a memorable season thus far and took on the challenge of playing the Colart Colts with both hands. They shocked almost everybody in Arcardia (apart from those in the Thompson region) by skipping out to an 18-0 lead, but allowed the Colts to come storming back and eventually level the scores 24-24 with twenty minutes to play. But instead of rolling over, the Tigers found another gear and created a slice of history with a 48-30 win.

Many records were created, including Izulde continuing his freakish try-scoring efforts (three more), Saunders kicking eight goals for the Tigers (a club record), the highest Thompson Tigers score in thirteen seasons, and the highest losing score in ARL premiership history. Marcel Courdouy sat sourfaced in the post game press conference and simply promised "More tackling practice, that is the only way!", much to the annoyance of his players.

THOMPSON TIGERS 48 (Izulde 3, Hudson 2, Lynch, Smith, Saxton tries, Saunders 8/8 goals) beat COLART COLTS 30 (Lucien, Friere Lapierre, R.Bonaparte, Scuilie tries, Lapierre 5/6 goals)
1/4 - Tigers 18-0
2/4 - Tigers 18-12
3/4 - Tied 24-24
Crowd - 4,921 at Recreation Ground, Annandale

The final game of the round saw first and second go head to head for the first time this season. A week ago, it promised to be a battle of unbeaten sides - that is, until the Colts took care of the Bulldogs. Now, the Crushers were trying to establish a two-game buffer between themselves and Saltern, whose supporters packed the antiquated Williams Stadium to try and prevent such an outcome. It was a see-sawing battle which saw the lead change several times; the Bulldogs led 18-6 at one stage, and were still up 22-20 with 23 minutes to play. However, the quality of the Crushers eventually shone through as Kevin Jackson's men chalked up perhaps their most crucial win of the season thus far.

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 28 (King 2, Lang, Bruce tries, Wellington 6/6 goals) beat SALTERN BULLDOGS 22 (Woodman, Harman, Bowman, McDonald tries, Sinfield 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Tied 6-6
2/4 - Bulldogs 18-12
3/4 - Crushers 26-22
Crowd - 19,901 at Williams Stadium, Saltern

Player of the Round (Including Wednesday Night Football)
3 points - Charlie Bartlet (Calhournbar Crushers)
2 points - Izulde (Thompson Tigers)
1 point - Rob Jackson (Elderslie Devils)

Standings After Week 6
Calhournbar Crushers 6-0 (+74)
Saltern Bulldogs 4-2 (+80)
Thompson Tigers 3-2-2 (+3)
Jasperstown Jets 3-3 (-28)
Hamilton Farmers 2-2-3 (Even)
Elderslie Devils 3-4 (-26)
Colart Colts 2-4 (-28)
Palmerston Eagles 1-6 (-77)

Next Week's Fixtures

Wednesday Night Football
Saltern Bulldogs v Jasperstown Jets

Week 7
Hamilton Farmers v Elderslie Devils
Colart Colts v Palmerston Eagles
Calhournbar Crushers v Thompson Tigers
Jasperstown Jets v Saltern Bulldogs

[Rawhide]

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/doolsandlinda/img/friends/tile_hgnelson_154x85.jpg

"Welcome back to the Tommy Tanks Halfhour - your one stop shop for everything rugby league!

"Now, some breaking news out of the Bulldogs and Jets camps. They have issued a joint statement slamming the 'idiotic' scheduling that sees both teams play each other twice in the space of four days. Saltern will play host for this year's third Wednesday night game, while Jasperstown will return the favour in the Week 7 fixture. They have applied to ARL President Stephenson to have the Week 7 fixture postponed until a later date, but the mail that we are getting is that it is highly unlikely to be accepted.

"Also, we have had a rumour surfacing out of Calhournbar...is this Kevin Jackson's last season? He's had a marvellous run in charge of the Crushers, taking over in 1984, and winning three McCartneys, including last year's title. His team is undefeated and pretty well unbeatable this year. Is it the perfect time to walk away?

"Who would replace him? There's already a former Crushers player doing a fine job working for the Devils...but will they let him go?

"The other rumour is that there are two people well in the running to succeed John Riley Stephenson when he steps down early next year. One has been in and out of the rugby league spotlight over a number of years, filling a series of roles including coach and commentator. The other person is a well-known member of parliament who is still dipping her...I mean, their toes into the world of rugby league. I'll let you join the dots, my dear listeners....I can confirm that one of the candidates has promised to do away completely with the current silly scheduling issues. Less is more, my friends! I will...I mean, this candidate will make the competition better by doing less, not more! Now, I think we urgently need to go to an advertisement...."

[Rawhide]

Wednesday Night Football
http://ogaunt.com/ayso9/graphics/Real_New_Stadium.bmp
Williams Stadium in Saltern is one of the most modern facilities in Arcardia, being built for a failed attempt at
hosting the 1994 Commonwealth Games.

Edited transcript of the Wednesday Night Football match between the Saltern Bulldogs and Jasperstown Jets.

8th min - Saltern 2-0 (Harman penalty goal)
16th min - Tied 2-2 (Stuart penalty goal)
21st min - Saltern 8-2 (Pont try, Harman goal)
25th min - Saltern 14-2 (Brook try, Harman goal)
30th min - Saltern 14-8 (Stuart try, goal)
43rd min - Saltern 20-8 (Bowman try, Harman goal)
48th min - Saltern 24-8 (Hurst try, failed attempt at conversion)
57th min - Saltern 24-12 (Franklin try, failed attempt at conversion)
79th min - Saltern 26-12 (Harman penalty goal)

SALTERN BULLDOGS 26 (Pont, Brook, Bowman, Hurst tries, Harman 5/6 goals) beat JASPERSTOWN JETS 12 (Stuart, Franklin tries, Stuart 2/3 goals)
1/4 - Tied 2-2
2/4 - Bulldogs 14-8
3/4 - Bulldogs 24-12
Crowd - 18,291 at Williams Stadium

Updated Standings
Calhournbar Crushers 6-0 (+74)
Saltern Bulldogs 5-2 (+94)
Thompson Tigers 3-2-2 (+3)
Hamilton Farmers 2-2-3 (Even)
Elderslie Devils 3-4 (-26)
Jasperstown Jets 3-4 (-42)
Colart Colts 2-4 (-28)
Palmerston Eagles 1-6 (-77)

[Rawhide]

Nearing the halfway stage of the season, it was vital that teams start to develop consistency as they mount their challenge for the McCartney Cup. So far, only Calhournbar had shown the kind of consistency needed to hoist the Cup on July 12, but the history of the ARL was littered with examples of teams which had busted their gut all season only to have nothing to show for it at the end.

In 1986 and 1987, Calhournbar finished first on both occasions before being upset by Palmerston in the McCartney Cup. The Crushers also lost to Colart in 1991, after going 15-1 in the regular season.

Thus it was that Elderslie took on the Farmers after setting off in their droves and travelling halfway across Arcardia, arriving in Hamilton the night before the game and enjoying the hospitality of the many bars that line Aloysius Street. It seemed that the boozing would be the only highlight for Devils supporters, before a frantic final ten minutes saw the boys from Elderslie land a famous victory.

ELDERSLIE DEVILS 18 (Royston, Porter, Christensen tries, Porter 3/4 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 14 (Clifton, P.Hamilton try, P.Hamilton 3/3 goals)
1/4 - No score
2/4 - Farmers 6-4
3/4 - Farmers 12-4
Crowd - 13,291 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

Seventh once again played eight, but this time it was Colart playing Palmerston at Le Parc. Although the scoreline was flattering towards the Colts, they never really had control of the game, although "a win is a win is a win," as Marcel Courdouy helpfully reminded the journalists after the game.

COLART COLTS 34 (Sculie 3, D.Bonaparte 2, Lapierre tries, Lapierre 5/6 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 12 (Harvey, Horn tries, Flinders 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Colts 6-0
2/4 - Colts 12-0
3/4 - Colts 22-12
Crowd - 11,094 at Le Parc du Rugby a XIII, Colart

Ben Wellington wrote his name into the history books as the first player in ARL history to score five tries in a game as the Calhournbar Crushers lived up to their name and crushed the Thompson Tigers by 50 points to 0. His personal haul of 20 points would have been greater had he not handed over goalkicking duties to Michael Walsh. "I just don't know what happened out there," admitted the Crushers captain. "Today was one of those days, I guess, where everything just stuck..."

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 50 (Wellington 5, Lousick 2, Bruce, Fulcher tries, Walsh 7/9 goals) beat THOMPSON TIGERS 0
1/4 - Crushers 6-0
2/4 - Crushers 16-0
3/4 - Crushers 34-0
Crowd - 19,203 at National Stadium, Calhournbar

In the final match of the week, Jasperstown once again played Saltern, this time for the second time in four days. The Jets skipped out to a 16-2 lead, and then led 22-8 before the Bulldogs pulled them back - where they playing 'rope-a-dope'? Ultimately the poor discipline of both sides cost them the shot at victory - there were six penalty goals kicked in the draw, the third of the season for the ARL.

JASPERSTOWN JETS 24 (O'Loughlin 2, Stuart tries, Stuart 6/6 goals) drew with SALTERN BULLDOGS 24 (H.Holdsworth, Gleeson Bowman tries, Harman 6/6 goals)
1/4 - Jets 14-2
2/4 - Jets 22-14
3/4 - Jets 22-16
Crowd - 8,115 at Air Arcardia Stadium, Jasperstown

Player of the Week (Including Wednesday Night Football)
3 points - Ben Wellington (Calhournbar Crushers)
2 points - Pierre Scuilie (Colart Colts)
1 point - Roberte Bonaparte (Colart Colts)

Standings after Week 7
Calhournbar Crushers 7-0 (+124)
Saltern Bulldogs 5-1-2 (+94)
Elderslie Devils 4-4 (-22)
Thompson Tigers 3-2-3 (-47)
Jasperstown Jets 3-1-4 (-42)
Colart Colts 3-4 (-6)
Hamilton Farmers 2-2-4 (-4)
Palmerston Eagles 1-7 (-99)

Next Week's Fixtures

Wednesday Night Football/Arcardian Independence Day Game
Calhournbar Crushers v Colart Colts

Week 8
Hamilton Farmers v Saltern Bulldogs
Thompson Tigers v Colart Colts
Elderslie Devils v Calhournbar Crushers
Palmerston Eagles v Jasperstown Jets

[Rawhide]

Wednesday Night Football
Arcardian Independence Day Edition
http://www.globusjourneys.com/Common/Images/Destinations/aucklandnz.jpg
Calhournbar gears up to celebrate the 48th anniversary of independence
from Great Britain with a good old-fashioned rugby league derby against the Colts.

Transcript of the Independence Day Derby between Calhournbar and Colart.

26th min - Calhournbar 4-0 (Jean Michel try, attempt at conversion failed)
31st min - Calhournbar 8-0 (Ben Wellington try, attempt at conversion failed)
36th min - Calhournbar 12-0 (Ben Wellington try, attempt at conversion failed)
53rd min - Calhournbar 12-6 (Thomas Bonaparte try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
55th min - Calhournbar 18-6 (Ben Wellington try, Sam Hooper goal)
70th min - Calhournbar 18-12 (Robert Riare try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
79th min - Calhournbar 18-16 (Aaron Lapierre try, attempt at conversion failed)

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 18 (Wellington 3, Michel tries, Hooper 1/1, Wellington 0/3 goals) beat COLART COLTS 16 (T.Bonaparte, Riare, Lapierre tries, Lapierre 2/3 goals)
1/4 - No score
2/4 - Crushers 12-0
3/4 - Crushers 18-6
Crowd - 23,192 at National Stadium, Calhournbar

Updated Standings (note: official halfway point of season)
Calhournbar Crushers 8-0 (+126)
Saltern Bulldogs 5-1-2 (+94)
Elderslie Devils 4-4 (-22)
Thompson Tigers 3-2-3 (-47)
Jasperstown Jets 3-1-4 (-42)
Hamilton Farmers 2-2-4 (-4)
Colart Colts 3-5 (-8)
Palmerston Eagles 1-7 (-99)

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Here is a news story (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26136410-401,00.html) which may appeal to the funny side of those of you who are following this post. The only thing left to establish is, would they be Elderslie fans?

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May 10 - Week 8 matches

Saltern strengthened their hold on second position with a 28-22 win at Hamilton Stadium in front of 14,293 loyal Spuds fans. They had to do it the hard way, trailing 18-6 after just nine minutes, before dominating possession in the second half and finishing over the top of the Farmers.

"That was a vital win," admitted captain Harry Harman. "We think we are still a real chance at getting top spot, but we need to take care of the teams such as Hamilton that may not necessarily be a factor later in the season."

SALTERN BULLDOGS 28 (Woodman, Kay, Bowman, Brook, Fowler tries, Harman 4/6 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 22 (Cannon, Johnstone, P.Hamilton, Cole tries, P.Hamilton 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Farmers 18-6
2/4 - Farmers 18-16
3/4 - Bulldogs 26-22
Crowd - 14,293 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

The Colart Colts were staring at the real possibility of missing the Top Four for the first time since 1984, should they lose to the Thompson Tigers at Mitchellton. Accordingly, they turned in a methodical performance and snuffed out the Tigers, who only scored two late consolation tries to give their supporters some heart.

COLART COLTS 22 (Winston, Lucien, R.Bonaparte, Riare tries, Lapierre 3/4 goals) beat THOMPSON TIGERS 12 (Izulde, Turner tries, Saunders 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Colts 6-0
2/4 - Colts 10-0
3/4 - Colts 16-0
Crowd - 4,592 at Tigers Stadium, Mitchellton

The undefeated Calhournbar Crushers bandwagon rolled into Hell on a cold Sunday afternoon, and faced one of the toughest away trips of the season. At halftime it looked as though Elderslie were on the cusp of a famous win, but the Crushers never allowed their opposition back into the game and made it 9-0 for the start of the season. Afterwards, various media outlets (including the Tommy Tanks Halfhour) speculated whether the Crushers would be the first team to go undefeated in a season.

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 26 (Fulcher 2, King, Wellington tries, Wellington 5/7 goals) beat ELDERSLIE DEVILS 10 (Grice, O'Halloran tries, Porter 1/2 goal)
1/4 - Crushers 8-6
2/4 - Crushers 14-10
3/4 - Crushers 20-10
Crowd - 9,901 at Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie

In the final match of the week, the Jasperstown Jets swooped upon the Palmerston Eagles and enjoyed a day out, racking up seven tries to one in a win against the last-placed team. "We can really start looking forward to 1996, I guess," commented Pat Bowman. "It's not much fun getting beat up like that in our home patch, but the Jets are still a pretty good side."

JASPERSTOWN JETS 38 (Branch 2, Black, Anderson, Franklin, Stuart, Lambton tries, Branch 5/8 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 4 (Kelly try, Kelly 0/1 goal)
1/4 - Jets 10-0
2/4 - Jets 14-0
3/4 - Jets 26-0
Crowd - 3,492 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

Player of the Round (including Wednesday Night Football)
3 points - Samuel Hooper (Calhournbar Crushers)
2 points - Charlie Bartlet (Calhournbar Crushers)
1 point - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)

Updated Standings
Calhournbar Crushers 9-0 (+142)
Saltern Bulldogs 6-1-2 (+100)
Jasperstown Jets 4-1-4 (-8)
Colart Colts 4-5 (+2)
Elderslie Devils 4-5 (-38)
Thompson Tigers 3-2-4 (-57)
Hamilton Farmers 2-2-5 (-10)
Palmerston Eagles 1-8 (-133)

Next Week's Games
Thompson Tigers v Palmerston Eagles
Elderslie Devils v Saltern Bulldogs
Jasperstown Jets v Calhournbar Crushers
Colart Colts v Hamilton Farmers

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Week 9 - May 17 1995

The Thompson Tigers produced a controlled 24-10 win against the struggling Palmerston Eagles at the Riverina Recreation Grounds, with try-scoring sensation Izulde finding his way on the scorer's sheet another two times this season. For the first time, he tried his luck at goal-kicking and proved himself worthy in that department too!

THOMPSON TIGERS 24 (Izulde 2, McKean, Price tries, Izulde 4/4 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 10 (Horne, Manson tries, Flinders 1/2 goals)
1/4 - Tigers 6-0
2/4 - Tigers 24-4
3/4 - Tigers 24-10
Crowd - 5,391 at Recreation Grounds, Riverina

Last week they were just unlucky; this week the Elderslie Devils had nobody but themselves to blame as they threw away a 20-6 lead to lose 24-20 to the Saltern Bulldogs. The result dropped the Devils to 4-6 and behind the Tigers and Colts in the race to make the Top Four.

SALTERN BULLDOGS 24 (Brook, Fowler, Lindsay, Woodman tries, Harman 4/4 goals) beat ELDERSLIE DEVILS 20 (Royston, Christensen, French, Green tries, Porter 2/4 goals)
1/4 - Devils 10-0
2/4 - Devils 14-6
3/4 - Devils 20-12
Crowd - 9,928 at Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie

The Jets hosted the Crushers in possibly the match of the round, with the Jets eager to test themselves against the ARL's best side. The results may have shocked even the most optimistic J-Town fan, with Jasperstown being the first side to defeat the Crushers in 1995 and at the same time shatter the notion that Calhournbar would be the first team in history to go 16-0.

"What about that for a win?" hollered Jets coach Harry Taylor. "Perhaps the best win that I've been involved with...this week anyway!"

JASPERSTOWN JETS 18 (Moginie, Branch, Stuart tries, Branch 3/4 goals) beat CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 6 (Fulcher try, Walsh 1/1 goal)
1/4 - Jets 8-6
2/4 - Jets 14-6
3/4 - Jets 14-6
Crowd - 9,811 at Air Arcardia Stadium, Jasperstown

In the final match of the round, the unlucky Hamilton Farmers - with only two wins and a handful of close losses in 1995 - added one more "could have been" to their list with a 22-18 loss to the Colts on the road. The difference was the goalkicking of Farmers skipper Paul Hamilton, who missed two relatively easy shots at goal.

COLART COLTS 22 (T.Bonaparte 2, Lucien, R.Bonaparte tries, Lapierre 3/4 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 18 (Cole 2, Johnstone, Clifton tries, P.Hamilton 2/4 goals)
1/4 - Farmers 4-0
2/4 - Farmers 14-12
3/4 - Colts 18-14
Crowd - 12,390 at Le Parc du Rugby a XIII, Colart

Player of the Round
3 points - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)
2 points - Bradley Branch (Jasperstown Jets)
1 point - Dan Bowman (Saltern Bulldogs)

Updated Standings
Calhournbar Crushers 9-1 (+130)
Saltern Bulldogs 7-1-2 (+104)
Jasperston Jets 5-1-4 (+4)
Colart Colts 5-5 (+6)
Thompson Tigers 4-2-4 (-43)
Elderslie Devils 4-6 (-42)
Hamilton Farmers 2-2-6 (-14)
Palmerston Eagles 1-9 (-147)

Next Week's Fixtures
Thompson Tigers v Elderslie Devils
Saltern Bulldogs v Palmerston Eagles
Jasperstown Jets v Colart Colts
Hamilton Farmers v Calhournbar Crushers

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Week 10 -May 18

The Thompson Tigers secured an important win and all but eliminated the Elderslie Devils from the 1995 Premiership with a 22-10 victory at Annandale. In a match dominated by penalties and penalty goals, 'that man Izulde' scored the match-sealing try. The Tigers fans stormed the field after the game, confident that their tilt towards a maiden Top Four spot is still on track.

THOMPSON TIGERS 22 (King, Graham, Izulde tries, Izulde 5/9 goals) beat ELDERSLIE DEVILS 10 (Grice, Royston tries, Smith 1/3 goals)
1/4 - Devils 6-0
2/4 - Tigers 10-6
3/4 - Tigers 16-10
Crowd - 5,628 at Annandale

The Saltern Bulldogs threw away a 18-6 lead to let the battling Palmerston Eagles share the competition points in a spiteful match played at Williams Stadium. The Dog Pound, the crew of loyal Saltern supporters based in the southern end of the stadium, roundly booed the Bulldogs off the field, given that they were expecting a far more comprehensive performance from their side. "We were completely rubbish today, and we frankly expect better from our boys," commented Mary Contrary, one of the many thousands of supporters who gave their team the raspberry off the field.

SALTERN BULLDOGS 18 (Woodman 2, O'Connor tries, Harman 3/4 goals) drew with PALMERSTON EAGLES 18 (Grossman, Rayner, Horn tries, Flinders 3/5 goals)
1/4 - Eagles 6-0
2/4 - Bulldogs 12-6
3/4 - Bulldogs 18-12
Crowd - 13,299 at Williams Stadium, Saltern

Third played fourth at the Air Arcardia Stadium, and the Jasperstown Jets were quickly and abruptly deflated by the Colart Colts, who shut out the Jets 24-0 to further seal their spot in the Top Four. The match was all about Colts captain Aaron Lapierre, who enjoyed quite a day out - scoring every point in the match and becoming the first player to score all of this team's points in a winning effort this season. With other results going against them, the Jets exited the top four.

COLART COLTS 24 (Lapierre 4 tries, Lapierre 4/5 goals) beat JASPERSTOWN JETS 0
1/4 - Colts 14-0
2/4 - Colts 14-0
3/4 - Colts 14-0
Crowd - 8,929 at Air Arcardia Stadium, Jasperstown

The Calhournbar Crushers were something off a loss for the first time in 1995 and therefore there was a bit more interest than usual shown in their clash against the Spud Farmers at Hamilton. With Hamilton holding a slender lead at halftime, the scribes in the press box were sharpening their pens in prepartion for another scathing review of an inept Crushers side - however the second half proved them all wrong, with the Calhournbar side returning to form with a 26-16 win.

After the game, Hamilton coach Travis Baker confirmed he would not be coaching the Farmers in 1996, having agreed to a buy-out of his contract with Hamilton club officials.

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 26 (King, Lang, Fulcher, Bruce tries, Walsh 5/6 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 16 (Cannon, O'Donnell, Stewart tries, P.Hamilton 2/4 goals)
1/4 - Tied 6-6
2/4 - Farmers 12-8
3/4 - Crushers 22-16
Crowd - 11,193 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

Player of the Round
3 points - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)
2 points - Izulde (Thompson Tigers)
1 point - Michael Walsh (Calhournbar Crushers)

Updated Standings
Calhournbar Crushers 10-1 (+140)
Saltern Bulldogs 7-2-2 (+104)
Colart Colts 6-5 (+30)
Thompson Tigers 5-2-4 (-31)
Jasperstown Jets 5-1-5 (-20)
Elderslie Devils 4-7 (-54)
Hamilton Farmers 2-2-7 (-24)
Palmerston Eagles 1-1-9 (-147)

Next Week's Fixtures
Colart Colts v Elderslie Devils
Calhournbar Crushers v Palmerston Eagles
Jasperstown Jets v Thompson Tigers
Hamilton Farmers v Saltern Bulldogs

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Expansion On The Table?
Race to succeed Stephenson heats up

CALHOURNBAR - It is one of the most coveted positions in all of Arcardia, and arguably the most important - even more important than the Prime Ministership.

That may explain why Sports Minister Catherine Ryan is announcing her intention to stand for the position of ARL President once the founding president of Arcardian League steps down in January 1996.

Ryan has issued the following manifesto to the eight club administrators pledging what she would like to see accomplished in the first two years of her presidency:


Expansion of the ARL Premiership to a maximum of ten teams.
Abolition of mid-week Wednesday night fixtures, replaced by "Friday Night Football" feature matches.
Limited player draft for teams who miss the Top Four each season.
Hosting rights for the McCartney Cup final venue put up for auction (at present, the winner of the first vs second match in the Final Four hosts the final)
Increased government spending to upgrade the standard of stadiums in Arcardia, particuarly in Colart, Elderslie, Jasperstown and the Thompson region.Ryan is at present the only confirmed candidate in the race to succeed Stephenson, although there are persistent rumours that Tommy Tanks may put his hat in the ring and nominate, although it is doubtful whether he has any support, even from his former employers in the Colts.

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Week 11 - June 1

They may be just about eliminated for 1995, but try telling that to the Elderslie Devils. They shocked and subdued a normally rowdy Colts home crowd to lead 16-0 at the long break, before holding off a spirited comeback from Colart. Amazing, Aaron Lapierre continued his point-scoring streak, this time scoring every one of his team's sixteen points in a four point loss.

"Some people may say that our window of opportunity is closing," commented co-coach Travis Kitchener. "Well, to us it's still ajar. And while it's ajar, we're going to try and squeeze in there."

ELDERSLIE DEVILS 20 (Royston 2, Grice, Porter tries, Porter 2/4 goals) beat COLART COLTS 16 (Lapierre 3 tries, Lapierre 2/3 goals)
1/4 - Devils 4-0
2/4 - Devils 16-0
3/4 - Devils 20-16
Crowd - 11,392 at Le Parc de Rugby a XIII, Colart

In one of the most amazing upsets of the season, the Palmerston Eagles travelled to the home ground of the defending McCartney Cup champions and taught them a lesson in how to play the game of rugby league, winning 36-16 in a match that Kevin Jackson described as "a sledgehammer to the back of the head. That's a wake-up call for everybody in this club. You can't turn up to the ground and expect an easy ride in this competition. I think that this result has proven that the competition is still ride open."

Pat Bowman couldn't hide the grin off his face, commenting that "if last place can wallop the champions by twenty points, then it's a pretty good competition".

PALMERSTON EAGLES 36 (Lousick 2, Grossman, Hogg, Horn, Cross, Kelly tries, Flinders 4/7 goals) beat CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 16 (Michel, Wellington, Bruce tries, Wellington 2/3 goals)
1/4 - Eagles 8-4
2/4 - Eagles 8-4
3/4 - Eagles 30-10
Crowd - 20,099 at National Stadium, Calhournbar

Only the foolhardy would be game to offer a prediction for the Jets/Tigers match-up at Air Arcardia Stadium, with both teams in erratic form in recent weeks. With the Colts seemingly hitting their straps at this stage of the season, it seemed certain that whoever won this match would be in the box seat to claim the fourth spot on the ladder. With the capacity of the ground temporarily increased due to interest, the largest Jasperstown crowd of 1995 saw their local lads turn in a thoroughly professional performance and win 24-12.

JASPERSTOWN JETS 24 (Branch, Gold, Stuart, Franklin tries, Stuart 4/4 goals) beat THOMPSON TIGERS 12 (Graham, Izulde tries, Saunders 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Jets 12-0
2/4 - Jets 18-6
3/4 - Jets 24-6
Crowd - 11,209 at Air Arcardia Stadium, Jasperstown

With the Hamilton Farmers seemingly out of the race for 1995, they were little contest for the Saltern Bulldogs, who had a point to prove to their fans after the debacle of last week (which, admittedly, did look a lot better now that the Eagles went on to beat Calhournbar).

SALTERN BULLDOGS 36 (Harman 2, McDonald, Bowman, Ingham, Pont tries, Harman 6/6 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 12 (Shinch, D.Hamilton tries, P.Hamilton 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Bulldogs 6-0
2/4 - Bulldogs 24-0
3/4 - Bulldogs 30-6
Crowd - 8,293 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

Player of the Round
3 points - Marty Lousick (Palmerston Eagles)
2 points - Harry Harman (Saltern Bulldogs)
1 point - Sam Michaels (Palmerston Eagles)

Updated Standings (4 weeks remaining in season)
Calhournbar Crushers 10-2 (+120)
Saltern Bulldogs 8-2-2 (+128)
Jasperstown Jets 6-1-5 (-8)
Colart Colts 6-6 (+26)
Thompson Tigers 5-2-5 (-43)
Elderslie Devils 5-7 (-50)
Hamilton Farmers 2-2-8 (-48)
Palmerston Eagles 2-1-9 (-127)

Next Week's Games
Elderslie Devils v Calhournbar Crushers
Palmerston Eagles v Jasperstown Jets
Thompson Tigers v Hamilton Farmers
Saltern Bulldogs v Colart Colts

[Rawhide]

Week 12 - June 8

With not long until the McCartney Cup playoffs began, Elderslie seemingly bowed out of the race with an insipid 16-38 loss to the Calhournbar Crushers at Fenton Road. Not that Kevin Jackson minded. "We really needed that result after last week's debacle," he said. "We've been in cruise control for much of the season and it was good to see the players challenged during the week. I'd be happy if we don't lose another game this year though," he added.

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 38 (Wellington 3, Lang 3 tires, Wellington 7/7 goals) beat ELDERSLIE DEVILS 16 (Grice, Porter, French tries, Porter 2/3 goals)
1/4 - Devils 6-0
2/4 - Crushers 20-6
3/4 - Crushers 32-6
Crowd - 8,873 at Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie

Unbeaten in the past two weeks, Palmerston put their record on the time against the streaky Jasperstown Jets. A sell-out crowd at Palmerston Park showed their appreciation to Pat Bowman and the Eagles still busting their guts out under trying circumstances. There was seemingly little in the Eagles' tank however, as the Jets quickly raced up a cricket score to further solidify their position in the Top Four. "We seem to be hitting our straps at exactly the right time of the season," said coach Harry Taylor. "There's no shame in beating up on poor old Palmerston - after all, Calhournbar and Saltern couldn't beat them." David Stuart enjoyed a day out, scoring 3 tries, 7 goals and 26 points.

JASPERSTOWN JETS 54 (Stuart 3, Franklin 2, Anderson, Black, Lambton, Wild, Moginie tries, Stuart 7/10 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 6 (Lousick try, Lousick 1/1 goal)
1/4 - Jets 4-0
2/4 - Jets 22-6
3/4 - Jets 44-6
Crowd - 11,827 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

The Tigers hosted the Farmers at Annandale and further strengthen their claims for a Top Four spot with a 30-16 win against a disinterested Hamilton side which had clearly given up for 1995. Soon after the game, Travis Baker announced he was stepping down with immediate effect, and captain Paul Hamilton was appointed as interim coach. Baker had accumulated a 32% winning record in his two seasons at the Farmers.

THOMPSON TIGERS 30 (Saunders 2, King 2, McKean tries, Saunders 5/5 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 16 (Clifton, Cole, P.Hamilton tries, P.Hamilton 2/3 goals)
1/4 - No Score
2/4 - Tigers 18-4
3/4 - Tigers 24-10
Crowd - 5,903 at Annandale

With the Tigers winning, the Saltern-Colart took on more significance, if that was possible. Traditionally always an entertaining and sometimes spiteful match, Colart needed a win in order to leap back into the Top Four, given that Jasperstown and Thompson had temporarily moved ahead of Les Chevaux. With Aaron Lapierre moving his team around the field like a conductor leads an orchestra, the Colts dominated possession and punished the Bulldogs defenders with a dominant win.

"I think we are honestly the team to beat," remarked coach Marcel Courdouy, whose early season troubles seemed to be well in the rear-vision mirror. "Our defense is what will win us the McCartney Cup." Despite the crushing loss to their rivals, Saltern could take heart from the performance of 17 year-old Billy Ringrose, who scored two tries in his very first ARL game.

COLART COLTS 42 (Lapierre 3, Winston, D.Bonaparte, Freier, Scuilie, Lapierre 7/8 goals) beat SALTERN BULLDOGS 18 (Ringrose 2, Wilson tries, Harman 3/4 goals)
1/4 - Tied 2-2
2/4 - Colts 14-8
3/4 - Colts 32-14
Crowd - 19,211 at Williams Stadium, Saltern

Player of the Round
3 points - Ben Wellington (Calhournbar Crushers)
2 points - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)
1 point - David Stuart (Jasperstown Jets)

Updated Standings
x - Calhournbar Crushers 11-2 (+142)
Saltern Bulldogs 8-2-3 (+104)
Jasperstown Jets 7-1-5 (+40)
Colart Colts 7-6 (+50)
Thompson Tigers 6-2-5 (-29)
Elderslie Devils 5-8 (-72)
e - Hamilton Farmers 2-2-9 (-62)
e - Palmerston Eagles 2-1-10 (-175)

x - Sealed position within the 1995 Top Four
e - Mathematically out of contention for the 1995 Top Four

Next Week's Fixtures
Jasperstown Jets v Elderslie Devils
Hamilton Farmers v Palmerston Eagles
Colart Colts v Thompson Tigers
Calhournbar Crushers v Saltern Bulldogs

[Rawhide]

Week 13 - June 15

Having made the Top Four just once in the past eight seasons, Elderslie were still mathematically in contention for a shot at the McCartney Cup. Thus it was that they blew the Jasperstown Jets off the park in the first half, leading 18-6. J-Town knew a bit about mathematics themselves and proceeded to score nearly at will, leading 26-22 with under twenty minutes remaining. The Devils went back to the lead with ten minutes to go and extended their lead with a penalty shot. In the final minute, though, the Jets travelled the length of the field and scored a wonderful try through centre Andrew Gold which sent the crowd at Air Arcardia Stadium, especially when David Stuart kicked the winning conversion after the final siren. The Devils equalled the highest losing score in ARL history.

JASPERSTOWN JETS 32 (Stuart 2, Franklin, Anderson, Gold tries, Stuart 6/6 goals) beat ELDERSLIE DEVILS 30 (Grice 2, Green 2, Ford tries, Flinders 5/7 goals)
1/4 - Tied 6-6
2/4 - Devils 18-6
3/4 - Jets 24-22
Crowd - 11,290 at Air Arcardia Stadium, Jasperstown

Hamilton hosted Palmerston in a match which would probably decide who would finish last in the 1995 Premiership. New coach Paul Hamilton excused himself from the playing side and saw the Eagles take a slender lead at halftime. The second half was little better as far as the Spuds were concerned, and Eagles winger Rick Grossman lifted Palmerston off the bottom of the table with the only try of the second half. After going 3-23 since the start of the 1994 season, Palmerston had suddenly gone 2-1-1 in their last four games.

PALMERSTON EAGLES 16 (Horn, Grossman tries, Flinders 4/7 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 8 (Clifton try, Cannon 2/4 goals)
1/4 - Farmers 6-0
2/4 - Eagles 8-6
3/4 - Eagles 10-8
Crowd - 7,291 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

The attention of pundits then shifted to Le Parc in Colts Country where the Thompson Tigers slammed head on into Marcel Courdouy's "Wall of Steel", as he dubbed his newly inspired defense. With Colart leading 32-0 at halftime, the Tigers fans began to sadly shift out of the stadium, seeing their team of watching Thompson play in the Top Four moving out of reach. Only one more try was added in the second half, but Il était assez for the Colart fans.

COLART COLTS 38 (Lapierre 3, D.Bonaparte, Scuilie, du Pont tries, Lapierre 7/7 goals) defeated THOMPSON TIGERS 0
1/4 - Colts 14-0
2/4 - Colts 32-0
3/4 - Colts 38-0
Crowd - 14,392 at Le Parc Du Rugby a XIII, Colart

First took on second in what some experts were predicting would be the matchup in this year's McCartney Cup. The Crushers withstood an early Bulldogs onslaught to close out victory and home field advantage throughout the Top Four series. Ben Wellington made a season first by kicking two field goals (worth one point) during the match, to cushion out the final victory margin. "Just getting ready for the Top Four," he sheepishly admitted. "You never know when it might be needed."

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 30 (Lousick, Finch, Bruce, Hooper, Gilmore tries, Walsh 4/7 goals, Wellington 2 field goals) beat SALTERN BULLDOGS 12 (McDonald, Ringrose tries, Harman 2/2 goals)
1/4 - Crushers 10-6
2/4 - Crushers 23-12
3/4 - Crushers 29-12
Crowd - 22,220 at National Stadium, Calhournbar

Player of the Round
3 points - David Gilmore (Calhournbar Crushers)
2 points - David Stuart (Jasperstown Jets)
1 point - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)

Updated Standings
x - Calhournbar Crushers 12-2 (+160)
Saltern Bulldogs 8-2-4 (+86)
Jasperstown Jets 8-1-5 (+42)
Colart Colts 8-6 (+88)
Thompson Tigers 6-2-6 (-67)
e - Elderslie Devils 5-9 (-74)
e - Palmerston Eagles 3-1-10 (-167)
e - Hamilton Farmers 2-2-10 (-70)

Next Week's Fixtures
Elderslie Devils v Hamilton Farmers
Palmerston Eagles v Colart Colts
Thompson Tigers v Calhournbar Crushers (must-win for Izulde's team)
Saltern Bulldogs v Jasperstown Jets (Jets move into second with a win)

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The internet froze when I was sending off the last round of matches, so here we go again - but without the detail of scorers this time...which is a shame....

Week 14 Fixtures
Elderslie Devils 16 lost to Hamilton Farmers 20
Palmerston Eagles 12 lost to Colart Colts 24
Thompson Tigers 22 lost to Calhournbar Crushers 48
Saltern Bulldogs 4 lost to Jasperstown Jets 36

Notes
That's all from Izulde's team in 1995, with the Crushers putting eight tries past the Tigers. The top four has been decided - but in what order?
Saltern's late season collapse continues. They have won just two of their last nine games.

Player of the Week
3 points - Samuel Hooper (Calhournbar)
2 points - Aaron Lapierre (Colart)
1 point - David Stuart (Jasperstown)

Table
Calhournbar Crushers 13-2 (+186)
Jasperstown Jets 9-1-5 (+74)
Colart Colts 9-6 (+100)
Saltern Bulldogs 8-2-5 (+54)
Thompson Tigers 6-2-7 (-93)
Elderslie Devils 5-10 (-78)
Hamilton Farmers 3-2-10 (-66)
Palmerston Eagles 3-1-11 (-179)

Final Week of Fixtures
Palmerston Eagles v Elderslie Devils
Saltern Bulldogs v Thompson Tigers
Calhournbar Crushers v Colart Colts
Hamilton Farmers v Jasperstown Jets

[Rawhide]

Despite all of the Top Four positions being known before the start of the round, there was still a great deal of interest in most of the games. That didn't really apply to the Palmerston v Elderslie match, although the Eagles were hoping to avoid winning their second wooden spoon in as many years. Unfortunately Elderslie were in no mood to accommmodate their wishes and ran out 20-10 winners.

ELDERSLIE DEVILS 20 (Jackson 2, Christensen, Royston, Goff tries, Smith 2/5 goals) beat PALMERSTON EAGLES 10 (Flinders, Grossman tries, Flinders 1/2 goals)
1/4 - Devils 8-4
2/4 - Devils 16-10
3/4 - Devils 20-10
Crowd - 8,293 at Palmerston Park, Palmerston

Saltern took on the Thompson Tigers at the Williams Stadium, desperate to find some kind of form before the beginning of the Top Four. They still harboured a hope of perhaps making it back into second position, but the early signs were not good - Thompson led 14-6 before Saltern levelled the score in the shadows of halftime. The Bulldogs then ran ragged in the second half, scoring three unanswered tries to temporarily move into second spot. A win by either Colart or Jasperstown would knock them back into the knockout game in the Top Four, however.

SALTERN BULLDOGS 36 (Ingham, Harman, Bowman, O'Connor, C.Holdsworth tries, Harman 8/8 goals) beat THOMPSON TIGERS 14 (Saunders, McKean, Jackson tries, Saunders 1/3 goals)
1/4 - Tigers 10-6
2/4 - Tied 14-14
3/4 - Bulldogs 30-14
Crowd - 17,291 at Williams Stadium, Saltern

Calhournbar geared up for the McCartney Cup playoffs with a clinical dismantling of Marcel Courdouy's Wall of Steel, posting eight tries but curiously failing to convert a single one of them. That didn't stop Courdouy claiming a moral victory - "They couldn't go through us, they had to go around us!"

"I hope we get to play them again the playoffs," remarked Kevin Jackson when told of Courdouy's remarks. "It would be a great sensation to beat them once again."

CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS 32 (Wellington 3, Michel, Finch, King, Lousick, Bruce tries, Hooper 0/8 goals) beat COLART COLTS 18 (Lapierre 2, T.Bonaparte tries, Lapierre 3/3 goals)
1/4 - Colts 6-4
2/4 - Crushers 8-6
3/4 - Crushers 20-12
Crowd - 23,192 at National Stadium, Calhournbar

The final match of the regular season was played out in the potato capital of Arcardia, the city of Hamilton, with the Farmers hosting the high-flying Jets. Jasperstown needed a win to seal second spot and a final against Calhournbar; a loss would probably see them play Colart in a knockout game. The match was never really in doubt, with the Farmers failing to even score a try in what has been a fairly forgettable season for them. The Jets, by contrast, obtained their highest ever position on the table - second - and would take on Calhournbar in the finals next week.

JASPERSTOWN JETS 22 (Stuart 2, Wild, Black tries, Stuart 3/5 goals) beat HAMILTON FARMERS 2 (P.Hamilton 1/1 goal)
1/4 - Tied 2-2
2/4 - Jets 12-2
3/4 - Jets 12-2
Crowd - 6,291 at Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton

Player of the Round
3 points - David Stuart (Jasperstown Jets)
2 points - Ben Wellington (Calhournbar Crushers)
1 point - Harry Harman (Saltern Bulldogs)

Final Competition Table - 1995 Season
Calhournbar Crushers 14-2 (+200)
Jasperstown Jets 10-1-5 (+94)
Saltern Bulldogs 9-2-5 (+76)
Colart Colts 9-7 (+86)
Thompson Tigers 6-2-8 (-115)
Elderslie Devils 6-10 (-68)
Hamilton Farmers 3-2-11 (-86)
Palmerston Eagles 3-1-12 (-189)

McCartney Cup Playoff Schedule
Match A - Calhournbar Crushers (1) v Jasperstown Jets (2)
Match B - Saltern Bulldogs (3) v Colart Colts (4)
Match C - Loser Match A v Winner Match B
McCartney Cup XIII - Winner Match A v Winner Match C

[Rawhide]

Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)

1995 has been a mixed season for the Colts halfback, who became the captain of his hometown team for the first time and led them to the inaugural John R. Stephenson Challenge Cup. A slow start to the season by the Colts, punctuated with a rumoured dressing room incident with coach Michel Courdouy, saw Colart in real danger of missing the Top Four for the first time since 1984. However, in a string of masterful displays, the Colts #7 got the show back on the road, including two games where Lapierre scored all of his side's points.

Lapierre was named player of the week in three of the fifteen weeks, and colated altogether 15 points to be named the 1995 ARL Player of the Year, slightly ahead of Calhournbar Crushers fullback Ben Wellington.

Player of the Year Final Standings
15 - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)
13 - Ben Wellington (Calhournbar Crushers)
9 - David Gilmore (Calhournbar Crushers)
9 - Charlie Bartlet (Calhournbar Crushers)
7 - David Stuart (Jasperstown Jets)

Highest Point Scorers for each club
Crushers - Ben Wellington
Jets - David Stuart
Bulldogs - Harry Harman
Colts - Aaron Lapierre
Tigers - Izulde
Devils - Rob Jackson
Farmers - NA (no players were nominated in awards)
Eagles - Marty Lousick

[Rawhide]

Golden Boot
Top Goal Kickers

62 - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)
56 - Harry Harman (Saltern Bulldogs)
47 - Ben Wellington (Calhournbar Crushers)

Silver Ball
Top Try Scorers

25 - Aaron Lapierre (Colart Colts)
23 - Ben Wellington (Calhournbar Crushers)
17 - Izulde (Thompson Tigers)

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg v http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpg

Previous Top Four History between these clubs:
1991 Preliminary Final - Calhournbar d. Jasperstown
1992 Preliminary Final - Jasperstown d. Calhournbar
1993 Preliminary Final - Jasperstown d. Calhournbar

Matches played between these clubs in 1995:
Challenge Cup - Jasperstown 18 beat Calhournbar 12
Week 2 - Calhournbar 24 beat Jasperstown 4
Week 9 - Jasperstown 18 beat Calhournbar 6

1995 Qualifying Final - National Stadium (crowd - 24,319)
6th min - Jasperstown 6-0 (Jim Moginie try, David Stuart goal)
27th min - Tied 6-6 (Joel Fulcher try, Michael Walsh goal)
34th min - Jasperstown 12-6 (Jim Moginie try, David Stuart goal)
51st min - Jasperstown 18-6 (David Stuart try, goal)
52nd min - Jasperstown 19-6 (David Stuart field goal)
62nd min - Jasperstown 19-12 (David Gilmore try, Michael Walsh goal)
76th min - Jasperstown 25-12 (Ben Black try, David Stuart goal)

JASPERSTOWN JETS QUALIFY FOR McCARTNEY CUP XIII
They will host the game for the first time in club history.
Calhournbar will host the winner of Saltern v Colart next week in the Preliminary final.

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/saltern.jpg v http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg

Previous Top Four History between these clubs:
1986 Elimination Final - Colart d. Saltern
Considering the bad blood between these teams, surprisingly this is just the second time they meet in the Top Four.

Matches Played Between These Clubs in 1995:
Challenge Cup - Colart 30 beat Saltern 18
Week 5 - Colart 32 beat Saltern 16
Week 12 - Colart 42 beat Saltern 18

1995 Elimination Final - Williams Stadium (crowd - 20,192)
3rd min - Saltern 2-0 (Harry Harman penalty goal)
11th min - Colart 6-2 (Roberte Bonaparte try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
12th min - Saltern 8-6 (Jack Hurst try, Harry Harman goal)
22nd min - Saltern 12-6 (Cade Holdsworth try, failed attempt at conversion)
30th min - Tied 12-12 (Garcon Courdouy try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
37th min - Colart 18-12 (Aaron Lapierre try, goal)
40th min - Colart 24-12 (Aaron Lapierre try, goal)
47th min - Colart 30-12 (Aaron Lapierre try, goal)
64th min - Colart 36-12 (Aaron Lapierre try, goal)
71st min - Colart 42-12 (Roberte Bonaparte try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
80th min - Colart 48-12 (Jean Scuilie try, Aaron Lapierre goal)

COLART COLTS PROGRESS TO THE PRELIMINARY FINAL
Saltern Bulldogs are eliminated for 1995.

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg v http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg

The winner of this match will play in McCartney Cup XIII against the Jasperstown Jets. The loser will have a long off-season of regrets and contemplation.

Previous Top Four History
1987 Qualifying Final - Calhournbar d. Colart
1988 McCartney Cup VI - Colart 27 beat Calhournbar 26 (triple-extra time)
1990 Preliminary Final - Calhournbar d. Colart
1991 Qualifying Final - Colart d. Calhournbar
1991 McCartney Cup IX - Colart 25 beat Calhournbar 18
1992 Qualifying Final - Colart d. Calhournbar
1993 Qualifying Final - Colart d. Calhournbar
1994 Qualifying Final - Colart d. Calhournbar
1994 McCartney Cup XII - Calhournbar 18 beat Colart 16

Results In 1995:
Week 1 - Calhournbar 36 beat Colart 18
Week 8 (WNF) - Calhournbar 18 beat Colart 16
Week 15 - Calhournbar 32 beat Colart 18

The 1995 Preliminary Final - National Stadium (Crowd - 25,391)

5th min - Colart 6-0 (Jean Scuilie try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
11th min - Tied 6-6 (Luke Lang try, Ben Wellington goal)
26th min - Colart 12-6 (Marc Freier try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
32nd min - Colart 12-10 (Charlie Bartlet try, failed attempt at conversion)
35th min - Calhournbar 16-12 (Charlie Bartlet try, Ben Wellington goal)
39th min - Colart 18-16 (Aaron Lapierre goal)
46th min - Colart 24-16 (Garcon Courdouy try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
55th min - Colart 30-16 (Tony Bonaparte try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
60th min - Colart 36-16 (John Winston try, Aaron Lapierre goal)
72nd min - Colart 36-22 (Ben Wellington try, failed attempt at conversion)

COLART COLTS QUALIFY FOR McCARTNEY CUP XIII
Calhournbar Crushers are eliminated and create a slice of unwanted history:
They are the first team in ARL history to finish first in the regular season and not qualify for the subsequent McCartney Cup.

[Izulde]

Ouch. Guess it's true what they say about how tough it is to beat a team four times in any given 16 game and playoffs season.

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/JasperstownJets.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpg
Jasperstown Jets
Coach - Harry Taylor (1984 and 1991-current)
Record - 53-2-27 in regular season (67.5%), 6-4 in playoffs (60.0%), 0-2 in McCartney Cups
Captain - David Stuart (26 years old, eight season veteran)
Playing Record - Calhournbar 1988 (15 games, appeared in McCartney Cup VI as substitute), Jasperstown 1989-current (97 games, appeared in McCartney Cup XI)

Season Results
W - Won, D - Draw, L- Loss, H- Home Game, A - Away Game

Challenge Cup Qtr Final - W 18-12 v Calhournbar (H)
Challenge Cup Semi Final - L 0-46 v Colart (H)
Week 1 - L 12-34 v Hamilton (H)
Week 2 - L 4-24 v Calhournbar (A)
Week 3 - W 32-18 v Colart (A)
Week 4 - W 28-22 v Thompson (A)
Week 5 - L 18-30 v Palmerston (H)
Week 6 - W 30-24 v Elderslie (A)
Week 7 WNF - L 12-26 v Saltern (A)
Week 7 - D 24-24 v Saltern (H)
Week 8 - W 38-4 v Palmerston (A)
Week 9 - W 18-6 v Calhournbar (H)
Week 10 - L 0-24 v Colart (H)
Week 11 - W 24-12 v Thompson (H)
Week 12 - W 54-6 v Palmerston (A)
Week 13 - W 32-30 v Elderslie (H)
Week 14 - W 36-4 v Saltern (A)
Week 15 - W 22-2 v Hamilton (A)
Qualifying Final - W 25-12 v Calhournbar (A)

[Rawhide]

Ouch. Guess it's true what they say about how tough it is to beat a team four times in any given 16 game and playoffs season.

It's a curious result, no doubt. Calhournbar had the wood all over the Colts during the season....just not in the game that mattered the most.

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/ColartColts.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg
Colart Colts
Coach - Marcel Courdouy (1995-current)
Record - 9-7 in regular season (56.5%), 2-0 in playoffs (100.0%), first McCartney Cup
Captain - Aaron Lapierre (25 years old, five season veteran)
Playing Record - Colart 1991-current (78 games, won McCartney Cups IX, X and XI)

Season Results
W - Won, D - Draw, L- Loss, H- Home Game, A - Away Game

Challenge Cup Quarter Final - W 14-12 v Hamilton (H)
Challenge Cup Semi Final - W 46-0 v Jasperstown (A)
Challenge Cup Final - W 30-18 v Saltern (A)
Week 1 - L 18-36 v Calhournbar (H)
Week 2 - W 38-26 v Hamilton (A)
Week 3 - L 18-32 v Jasperstown (H)
Week 4 - L 8-12 v Elderslie (A)
Week 5 - W 32-16 v Saltern (H)
Week 6 - L 30-48 v Thompson (A)
Week 7 - W 34-12 v Palmerston (H)
Week 8 WNF - L 16-18 v Calhournbar (A)
Week 8 - W 22-12 v Thompson (A)
Week 9 - W 22-18 v Hamilton (H)
Week 10 - W 24-0 v Jasperstown (A)
Week 11 - L 16-20 v Elderslie (A)
Week 12 - W 42-18 v Saltern (A)
Week 13 - W 38-0 v Thompson (H)
Week 14 - W 24-12 v Palmerston (A)
Week 15 - L 18-32 v Calhournbar (A)
Elimination Final - W 48-12 v Saltern (A)
Preliminary Final - W 36-22 v Calhournbar (A)

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpghttp://www.footballleaguetrophies.co.uk/acatalog/TR7087A116.pnghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg
McCartney Cup XIII
Air Arcardia Stadium - Jasperstown - July 19th 1995
http://www.cpamedia.com/history/french_pondicherry/dupleix.jpghttp://msn.foxsports.com/id/6044846_7_2.jpghttp://www.the-cheapflights-directory.co.uk/images/guide/dusseldorf.jpg
L to R - Governor William Jasper (1846-1891), first colonial governor of Arcardia and the namesake of Jasperstown; a shot of Air Arcardia Stadium, expanded to 20,000 seats especially for the McCartney Cup game; Jasperstown still possesses many heritage buildings from the early period of European settlement.

2nd minute - Jasperstown 2 Colart 0
David Stuart penalty goal

30th minute - Colart 6 Jasperstown 0
Jean Scuilie try, Aaron Lapierre goal

57th minute - Jasperstown 8 Colart 6
Kelly Nunn try, David Stuart goal

64th minute - Colart 10 Jasperstown 8
Aaron Lapierre try (failed attempt at conversion)

74th minute - Colart 12 Jasperstown 8
Aaron Lapierre penalty goal

79th minute - Colart 18 Jasperstown 8
Marc Freier try, Aaron Lapierre goal


Colart Colts
McCartney Cup XIII Champions

[Rawhide]

http://www.footballleaguetrophies.co.uk/acatalog/TR7087A116.png
McCartney Cup Honour Roll

1983 - I http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg 24 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/palmy.jpg 12
1984 - II http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg 18 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/palmy.jpg 14
1985 - III http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/eld.jpg 24 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg 22
1986 - IV http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/palmy.jpg 16 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg 12
1987 - V http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/palmy.jpg 20 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg 4
1988 - VI http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg 27 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg 26
1989 - VII http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/saltern.jpg 34 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/hamilton.jpg 8
1990 - VIII http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg 22 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/saltern.jpg 14
1991 - IX http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg 25 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg 18
1992 - X http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg 40 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpg 16
1993 - XI http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg 31 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpg 12
1994 - XII http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg 18 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg 16
1995 - XIII http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/colart.jpg 18 http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpg 8

[Rawhide]

The Coaching Merry-Go-Round Spins Round And Round

The first step for many teams towards possible McCartney Cup success in 1996 was the signing of new coaches. As is usually the case in Arcardia, there would be a lot of turnover in this department.

The usual process whenever a coach decides to resign or retire is the club president calls upon those who have held the clipboard in the past and see if they want to take on the job - whatever reason compelled them to leave in the past would be forgotten, next year was a clean slate.

Most clubs have at least one instance of a coach returning back to their old position some seasons since they received their marching orders. One notable exception was the Crushers, who have kept Kevin Jackson in charge ever since 1984.

1996 would be a momentous season for many reasons - the retirement of John Stephenson amongst them. But for the first ever time, there would be an instance of a former coach being reappointed - by another team, breaking the unwritten law amongst Arcardian rugby league teams that while signing rival players was fair, each club would not go as far as to steal other human resources - namely coaches.

With Pat Bowman (5-1-27 in two seasons) resigning at the end of the 1995 season, Palmerston set out to sign a McCartney Cup winning coach. They found their man in George Young, who previously coached the Colts in two two-year stints between 1983-84 and 1993-94, and had itchy feet to get back into the coaching game after a year of gardening.

Sam Gibson stood down as coach of Saltern, despite having the general support of fans and players. "I need to get away from rugby league for a little while," he explained, two days before signing a new contract as a television commentator for the ARL. Saltern looked back in the club directory for his replacement and signed Charlie Grace, who previously coached the Bulldogs between 1988 and 1991, winning the McCartney Cup in 1989.

Rob Ryan left the Thompson Tigers after only one season, albeit the best in the club's long and sorry history. Encouraged by the Eagles' boldness in 'poaching' a former coach from another club, the Tigers cast their net even wider....but could not find anybody willing or able to take the Tigers into the next level. They eventually promoted former player and 1995 assistant coach John Everitt to hold the clipboard.

Travis Kitchener left the Elderslie Devils as previously arranged, leaving Angus Ryan in sole command. Ryan has been given an explicit brief to improve upon a 6-10 next season, otherwise he may be looking for alternative employment.

Paul Hamilton, the caretaker coach of the Farmers, decided against pursuing a coaching career, deciding instead to continue playing. His cousin (and Farmers Chief Officer of Football Operations) Michael H. Smith would appoint himself coach, reasoning that it would be best to keep matters in the family, in the family club.

Ironically, two of the coaches carrying on in 1996 were those who many people expected may perhaps be gone by now, for varying reasons - Kevin Jackson and Marcel Courdouy.

1996 Head Coaches (coaching record in brackets)
Colart - Marcel Courdouy (11-7, 1-0 in McCartney Cups)
Jasperstown - Harry Taylor (59-2-32, 0-3)
Calhournbar - Kevin Jackson (151-1-65, 3-4)
Saltern - Charlie Grace (41-1-27, 1-1)
Thompson - John Everitt
Elderslie - Angus Ryan (6-10)
Hamilton - Michael H. Smith
Palmerston - George Young (49-1-20, 2-1)

Next update - The succession to John Stephenson, and some radical overhauls for the 1996 season.

[Rawhide]

ARL to expand to nine teams in 1996
New club just one of several radical changes under Ryan regime.
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/stockland.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/stock.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/stockland.jpg

New ARL President Catherine Ryan has shocked the Arcardian Rugby League by fast-tracking the approval of a new rugby league club into to the 1996 competition as her first act in office.

The club, which will be known simply as the Stockland Football Club, is the first addition to the ARL since its interception in 1982. The decision has upsettled a few people in Calhournbar and Saltern, as the new club is situation exactly halfway between the two cities and can expect to attract a few Crushers and Bulldogs supporters away.

The 16 game season will be maintained, with each team now playing a balanced and fair schedule, playing one home game and one away game against each other team, and receiving two weeks each year where they do not play. The Top Four system is still firmly in place.

A new change in 1996 is the advent of extra time football, with tied games to have an extra 20 minutes added. If the score is still tied after 100 minutes, the game will then continue until any score is registered. Therefore there will no longer be any ties in the ARL.

Wednesday Night Football has been abolished, with Friday Night Football (as part of the normal schedule of games) to be instituted instead. Each of the nine teams will host one Friday Night Game in the first nine weeks, with the last nine weeks to feature the best games of the round. As Stockland's new ground does not have lights, they will play their Friday Night Football game in Saltern, a short 50km drive away.

The Independence Day game (played on May 5 every year) has been retained, but has now been changed to a rematch of the previous year's McCartney Cup, rather than the usual Calhournbar-Colart derby. The Crushers have been awarded a feature Friday Night game against the Colts as compensation.

President Ryan has invited teams to start submitting bids for the right to host McCartney Cups XV (1997) and XVI (1998), with the old home ground system to go by the wayside after the 1996 season. The 1997 bidding has been restricted to teams which have never hosted a McCartney Cup game before - namely, the Tigers, Devils, Eagles, Farmers and the Stockland Football Club.

Finally, perhaps the most important change - from now on I'll only report the scores and standings from each week - no more scoring details (as it takes too long). I'll embelish stories where appropriate, but I'm scaling back on the week-by-week detail at this stage, as it is a bit hard to maintain the standard.

[Rawhide]

Jasperstown Tipped To Win Maiden Title
Jets Top Coaches Poll For First Time, yet the Colts get five first place votes.
Were it not for the usual shennanigans between Saltern and Colart, the Colts would top the poll.

Total Votes
17 - Jasperstown Jets
22 - Colart Colts
27 - Calhournbar Crushers
29 - Saltern Bulldogs
35 - Thompson Tigers
46 - Hamilton Farmers
46 - Stockland Football Club
47 - Elderslie Devils
55 - Palmerston Eagles

First Placed Votes
5 - Colart Colts
2 - Jasperstown Jets
2 - Calhournbar Crushers

Top Four Votes
8 - Jasperstown Jets
6 - Colart Colts
6 - Calhournbar Crushers
6 - Saltern Bulldogs
5 - Thompson Tigers
2 - Hamilton Farmers
2 - Elderslie Devils
1 - Stockland Football CLub
0 - Palmerston Eagles

[Rawhide]

The season is progressing at a far quicker rate this time...

1996 Challenge Cup

Qualifying Fixture - Thompson beat Elderslie 12-6

Quarter Finals
Thompson beat Stockland 40-18
Jasperstown beat Hamilton 40-16
Calhournbar beat Colart 21-12
Saltern beat Palmerston 27-18

Semi Finals
Jasperstown beat Thompson 24-12
Calhournbar beat Saltern 38-12

Final
Postponed due to possibility of Cyclone Nadia crossing Arcardia on the day of the game. (Actually, my computer crashed and I lost the result and couldn't be bothered playing it again!)
Rescheduled to be played during the season (Week 5)

Week One Scores
15/3 - Calhournbar beat Colart 28-18
17/3 - Saltern beat Palmerston 34-14
17/3 - Stockland lost to Jasperstown 0-34
17/3 - Thompson lost to Elderslie 16-32
Bye - Hamilton

Week Two Scores
22/3 - Elderslie beat Stockland 32-22
24/3 - Colart lost to Saltern 22-28
24/3 - Palmerston lost to Hamilton 8-30
24/3 - Calhournbar beat Thompson 44-18
Bye - Jasperstown

Week Three Scores
29/3 - Palmerston lost to Colart 18-30
31/3 - Hamilton lost to Jasperstown 10-24
31/3 - Saltern beat Thompson 26-18
31/3 - Stockland lost to Calhournbar 4-40
Bye - Elderslie

Week Four Scores
5/4 - Jasperstown beat Elderslie 24-12
7/4 - Colart lost to Hamilton 12-34
7/4 - Thompson beat Palmerston 18-4
7/4 - Saltern beat Stockland 20-14

Week Five Scores
12/4 - Hamilton lost to Elderslie 4-52
14/4 - Colart beat Thompson 38-0
14/4 - Calhournbar lost to Jasperstown 12-36 (Rescheduled Challenge Cup Final)
14/4 - Palmerston beat Stockland 28-22

Week Six Scores
19/4 - Stockland lost to Colart 0-46
21/4 - Elderslie lost to Calhournbar 6-44
21/4 - Thompson lost to Hamilton 8-30
21/4 - Jasperstown lost to Saltern 26-28

Current Standings after Week Six
Saltern Bulldogs 5-0 (+42)
Calhournbar Crushers 4-1 (+86)
Jasperstown Jets 4-1 (+82)
Elderslie Devils 3-2 (+24)
Hamilton Farmers 3-2 (+4)
Colart Colts 3-3 (+58)
Palmerston Eagles 1-4 (-62)
Thompson Tigers 1-5 (-96)
Stockland Football Club 0-6 (-138)

Observations
Colart have started slow once again.
Jasperstown probably unlucky not to be 5-0
Elderslie and Hamilton are significantly improved this season.
Thompson probably the most disappointing team thus far.

[Rawhide]

At the halfway stage of the season, the defending champions Colart Colts are in some danger of missing the Top Four for the first time since 1984. Not that the rest of the competition is upset about it!

Saltern drop two games to fall to 6-2, while Jasperstown and Calhournbar continue their red hot form. Stockland are still bumbling around at the bottom of the ladder.

Can the Farmers and Devils make it back into the Top Four?

Week 7 Scores
26/4 - Thompson beat Stockland 18-12
28/4 - Hamilton lost to Calhournbar 0-40
28/4 - Elderslie lost to Saltern 12-20
28/4 - Jasperstown beat Palmerston 54-6

Week 8 Scores
4/5 - Stockland lost to Hamilton 0-44
4/5 - Calhournbar beat Saltern 30-6
4/5 - Palmerston lost to Elderslie 0-48
5/5 - Colart lost to Jasperstown 10-42 (Independence Day Game)

Week 9 Scores
10/5 - Saltern lost to Hamilton 24-42
12/5 - Calhournbar beat Palmerston 12-6
12/5 - Thompson lost to Jasperstown 12-40
12/5 - Elderslie beat Colart 18-15

Current Standings
Jasperstown Jets 7-1 (+190)
Calhournbar Crushers 7-1 (+156)
Saltern Bulldogs 6-2 (+8)
Elderslie Devils 5-3 (+67)
Hamilton Farmers 5-3 (+26)
Colart Colts 3-5 (+23)
Thompson Tigers 2-6 (-118)
Palmerston Eagles 1-7 (-164)
Stockland Football Club 0-8 (-188)

[Rawhide]

Week 10 Results
17/5 - Palmerston lost to Saltern 38-18
19/5 - Jasperstown beat Stockland 78-4 (record winning margin in ARL history)
19/5 - Colart lost to Calhournbar 0-42
19/5 - Elderslie lost to Thompson 6-26

Week 11 Results
24/5 - Saltern beat Colart 30-6
26/5 - Hamilton lost to Palmerston 8-22
26/5 - Stockland lost to Elderslie 18-26
26/5 - Thompson lost to Calhournbar 0-68 (biggest win in Crushers history)

Week 12 Results
31/5 - Jasperstown beat Hamilton 28-24
2/6 - Colart beat Palmerston 22-20
2/6 - Thompson lost to Saltern 10-42
2/6 - Calhournbar beat Stockland 6-0

Current Standings
Calhournbar Crushers 10-1 (+272)
Jasperstown Jets 9-1 (+268)
Saltern Bulldogs 9-2 (+84)
Elderslie Devils 6-4 (+55)
Hamilton Farmers 5-5 (+8)
Colart Colts 4-7 (-41)
Thompson Tigers 3-8 (-198)
Palmerston Eagles 2-9 (-172)
Stockland Football Club 0-11 (-276)

Observations
Calhournbar have not conceded a point since Week 9
The top three positions already appear to be decided.
Colart are in a lot of trouble, although they have a relatively easy schedule in the next three weeks.

[Rawhide]

Week 13 Scores
7/6 - Hamilton beat Colart 40-30
9/6 - Elderslie lost to Jasperstown 18-36 in extra time (tied 18-18 at full-time)
9/6 - Palmerston beat Thompson 34-22 in extra time (tied 20-20 at full-time)
9/6 - Stockland lost to Saltern 0-24

Week 14 Scores
14/6 - Elderslie lost to Hamilton 24-32
16/6 - Thompson lost to Colart 20-56
16/6 - Jasperstown lost to Calhournbar 14-20
16/6 - Stockland lost to Palmerston 12-42

Week 15 Scores
21/6 - Hamilton beat Thompson 16-6
23/6 - Calhournbar beat Elderslie 38-10
23/6 - Colart beat Stockland 26-10
23/6 - Saltern lost to Jasperstown 18-22

Current Standings
Calhournbar Crushers 12-1 (+306)
Jasperstown Jets 11-2 (+284)
Saltern Bulldogs 10-3 (+104)
Hamilton Farmers 8-5 (+36)
Elderslie Devils 6-7 (+1)
Colart Colts 6-8 (+1)
Palmerston Eagles 4-9 (-130)
Thompson Tigers 3-11 (-256)
Stockland Football Club 0-14 (-346)

Observations
Palmerston record their best season since 1993.
Calhournbar, Jasperstown and Saltern all sealed in the Top Four.
Hamilton have a tenacious grip on the fourth position and only need to win one of their last three games to seal their first playoff spot since 1989, much to the delight of the Spud Farmers fans.

[Rawhide]

Week 16 Scores
28/6 - Calhournbar beat Hamilton 36-6
30/6 - Stockland lost to Thompson 20-56
30/6 - Saltern beat Elderslie 24-10
30/6 - Palmerston beat Jasperstown 24-20

Week 17 Scores
5/7 - Saltern lost to Calhournbar 22-24
7/7 - Hamilton lost to Stockland 6-12 (first win in Stockland's history! And about time!)
7/7 - Elderslie lost to Palmerston 6-26 (this result seals the Farmers in the Top Four)
7/7 - Jasperstown beat Colart 26-6 (Colts first losing season since 1984 confirmed)

Week 18 Scores
12/7 - Jasperstown lost to Thompson 6-28
14/7 - Hamilton lost to Saltern 28-30
14/7 - Palmerston lost to Calhournbar 6-54
14/7 - Colart lost to Elderslie 10-42

Final Standings for 1996 ARL Premiership
Calhournbar Crushers 15-1 (+386)
Jasperstown Jets 12-4 (+278)
Saltern Bulldogs 12-4 (+114)
Hamilton Farmers 8-8 (-2)
Elderslie Devils 7-9 (-1)
Colart Colts 6-10 (-83)
Palmerston Eagles 5-11 (-154)
Thompson Tigers 5-11 (-198)
Stockland Football Club 1-15 (-376)

Top Four Playoffs
Match A - Calhournbar Crushers v Jasperstown Jets
Match B - Saltern Bulldogs v Hamilton Farmers
Match C - Loser Match A v Winner Match B
McCartney Cup XIV - Winner Match A v Winner Match C

Observations
Hamilton are back in the Top Four for the first time since 1989. They have lost their last three games though (including a shock result against the Stockland Football Club)
Calhournbar tie the best ever season result in ARL history, having also gone 15-1 in 1991 (they lost the McCartney Cup that year though!)
Saltern Bulldogs win the most games in the club's history (they went 11-5 win 1984, 1989 and 1990).
The Jets tie the mark for most wins in the club's history (12-4 in 1994)

Coming Up Next...the Top Four Playoffs

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg v http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpg

Previous Top Four History between these clubs:
1991 Preliminary Final - Calhournbar d. Jasperstown
1992 Preliminary Final - Jasperstown d. Calhournbar
1993 Preliminary Final - Jasperstown d. Calhournbar
1995 Qualifying Final - Jasperstown d. Calhournbar


Matches played between these clubs in 1996:
Week 5 - Calhournbar lost to Jasperstown 12-36
Week 12 - Jasperstown lost to Calhournbar 14-20


1996 Qualifying Final - National Stadium (crowd - 24,319)
3rd min - Calhournbar 2-0
7th min - Jasperstown 6-2
21st min - Jasperstown 12-2
23rd min - Jasperstown 12-8
32nd min - Tied 12-12
36th min - Jasperstown 18-12
38th min - Jasperstown 24-12
44th min - Jasperstown 26-12
55th min - Jasperstown 26-18
62nd min - Jasperstown 26-20
70th min - Jasperstown 32-20
75th min - Jasperstown 32-26



LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE - JASPERSTOWN JETS QUALIFY FOR McCARTNEY CUP XIV

Calhournbar will host the winner of Saltern v Hamilton next week in the Preliminary final.

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/saltern.jpg v http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/hamilton.jpg

Previous Top-Four Meetings between these clubs:
1989 McCartney Cup VII - Saltern d. Hamilton

Meetings in 1996
Week 9 - Saltern lost to Hamilton 24-42
Week 18 - Hamilton lost to Saltern 28-30

1996 Elimination Semi-Final - July 21 1996 (Williams Stadium)
5th min - Saltern 2-0
19th min - Saltern 4-0
40th min - Tied 4-4
54th min - Hamilton 8-4
58th min - Saltern 10-8
78th min - Hamilton 14-10

The Spud Farmers have won! Saltern are eliminated!
Next Week - Calhournbar Crushers v Hamilton Farmers

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg v http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/hamilton.jpg

Previous Top Four Meetings Between These Clubs
1983 Elimination Final - Calhournbar d. Hamilton
1989 Preliminary Final - Hamilton d. Calhournbar

Meetings In 1996
Week 7 - Hamilton lost to Calhournbar 0-40
Week 16 - Calhournbar beat Hamilton 36-6

The 1996 Preliminary Final - National Stadium
11th min - Calhournbar 6-0
19th min - Calhournbar 12-0
24th min - Calhournbar 18-0
31st min - Calhournbar 24-0
55th min - Calhournbar 24-6
65th min - Calhournbar 30-6
70th min - Calhournbar 36-6
76th min - Calhournbar 36-10

The Crushers return to the McCartney Cup.
Gallant Hamilton bow out beaten but unbowed.

McCartney Cup XIV - Jasperstown Jets v Calhournbar Crushers

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/JasperstownJets.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpg
Jasperstown Jets
Coach - Harry Taylor (1984 and 1991-current)
Record - 65-2-31 in regular season (67.3%), 7-5 in playoffs (58.2%), 0-3 in McCartney Cups
Captain - David Stuart (27 years old, nine season veteran)
Playing Record - Calhournbar 1988 (15 games, appeared in McCartney Cup VI as substitute), Jasperstown 1989-current (114 games, appeared in McCartney Cups XI and XIII)

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/CalhournbarCrushers.jpghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg

Calhournbar Crushers
Coach - Kevin Jackson (1984-current)
Record - 155-1-58 in regular season (72.7%), 12-15 in playoffs (44.4%), 3-4 in McCartney Cups
Captain - Ben Wellington (eleven season veteran)
Playing Record - Calhournbar 1986-current (201 games), won McCartney Cup in 1990 and 1994

[Rawhide]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/imagesCAR3VV4W.jpghttp://www.footballleaguetrophies.co.uk/acatalog/TR7087A116.pnghttp://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj305/jonathon2900/calh.jpg
McCartney Cup XIV
Air Arcardia Stadium - Jasperstown - August 4th 1996

5th min - Crushers 6-0
7th min - Crushers 12-0
23rd min - Crushers 18-0
35th min - Crushers 24-0
40th min - Crushers 30-0
45th min - Crushers 34-0
51st min - Crushers 38-0
59th min - Crushers 44-0
62nd min - Crushers 50-0
Jasperstown - CRUSHED



Calhournbar Crushers
McCartney Cup XIV Champions

[Rawhide]

1997 Season
In one post!

Following McCartney Cup XIV in Jasperstown, with the Jets being, well..."Crushed" by Calhournbar, ARL President Catherine Ryan announced that there would be further changes to the structure of the ARL competition in 1997.

Despite their off-field woes, the addition of the Stockland Football Club in 1996 proved a boon for the ARL, setting a streak of attendance and merchandise records. Accordingly, the clubs resolved to add three more teams for the 1997 season - taking the ARL competition to 12 teams overall.

With the increase of teams, the Top Four system was changed to a Top Six (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_six_play-offs)

The 16 game schedule would be maintained, with teams being bracketed into three groups of four teams each; they would play teams within their group twice (6 games), the other teams once (8 games). After 14 weeks, a further two games would be scheduled, with Teams 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 playing once against each other.

The three new teams would be located in strategic areas for the ARL; the Westlands Whalers were the most distant team, playing right on the western coast of Arcardia and more than an hour's drive from the next closest team, Saltern; the Binghampton Blue Socks were located between Elderslie and Stockland, while the Charlotteville Spiders would be delicately placed somewhat in Colart territory.

With the policy now to move the McCartney Cup Game around the country, President Ryan announced that the 1997 game would be played in Hamilton, and the 1998 game at Stockland.

Once again, there would be massive changes in the coaching ranks, not least because of the addition of the three new teams.

Kevin Jackson finally retired after his fourth McCartney Cup win, to be replaced by Ben Wellington, who retired as a player after captaining the Crushers to victory.

Marcel Courdouy resigned before he could be sacked as coach of Colart, paving the way for the return of Tommy Tanks back to the coach's seat at the Colts.

Ed Poole stood down after guiding Stockland through their first season, and was replaced by former Saltern coach Sam Gibson.

Andrew McCallum, previously a two-time coach of the Thompson Tigers, was revealed as coach of the Whalers. Former Jasperstown Jets coach Michael Smart was a study in blue as the expansion Blue Socks announced him as their first coach. Marcel Courdouy didn't wait long for a position to open up, with the Spiders eager to sign the McCartney Cup winning coach to their team.

The new season structure, with more places open for the McCartney Cup playoffs, resulted in some shocking developments on the table - the team finishing third was just two wins ahead of the team finishing tenth. Aided by a favourable draw which saw them play each other and the weaker teams more often, expansion teams Westlands and Charlotteville made the Top Six in their first season of trying:

1997 Standings
Calhournbar Crushers 13-3
Jasperstown Jets 12-4
Westland Whalers 9-7
Colart Colts 9-7
Charlotteville Spiders 9-7
Saltern Bulldogs 8-8
Elderslie Devils 7-9
Palmerston Eagles 7-9
Stockland Football Club 7-9
Hamilton Farmers 7-9
Binghampton Blue Socks 6-10
Thompson Tigers 2-14

McCartney Cup Playoffs
Knockout Final 3 v 6 - Saltern d. Westlands
Knockout Final 4 v 5 - Colart d. Charlotteville
Qualifying Final - Calhournbar d. Jasperstown
Elimination Final - Colart d. Saltern
Preliminary Final - Jasperstown d. Colart

McCartney Cup XV - Hamilton Stadium, Hamilton
Calhournbar Crushers d. Jasperstown Jets 24-4

Thus it was that the Crushers went back-to-back, winning their third title in four seasons. The Jets, on the other hand, had lost four McCartney Cup games in five seasons.

[Rawhide]

1998 Season

Coaching Changes
Colart Colts - Tommy Tanks (72-38 in six seasons) replaced by William Kay (rookie)
Hamilton Farmers - David H. Smith (15-18 in two seasons) replaced by Paul Hamilton
Thompson Tigers - John Everitt (7-25 in two seasons) replaced by Jake Walsh (rookie)
Binghampton Blue Socks (mid-season) - Michael Smart (25-35 in four seasons) replaced by Joe Johnson (interim)

The Thompson Tigers broke a 15-season drought by qualifying for their first ever McCartney Cup playoffs!

Standings
Jasperstown Jets 11-5
Colart Colts 11-5
Saltern Bulldogs 10-6
Calhournbar Crushers 10-6
Thompson Tigers 9-7
Charlotteville Spiders 9-7
Elderslie Devils 9-7
Palmerston Eagles 8-8
Stockland Football Club 7-9
Hamilton Farmers 6-10
Westland Whalers 5-11
Binghampton Blue Socks 1-15

Quarter Finals
Charlotteville d. Saltern
Calhournbar d. Thompson
Qualifying Finals
Colart d. Jasperstown
Calhournbar d. Charlotteville
Preliminary Final
Calhournbar d. Jasperstown

McCartney Cup XVI - Stockland Stadium
Calhournbar 19 Colart 12

Ben Wellington becomes the first coach since Rob Riordan to win back-to-back titles.

[Rawhide]

1999 Season
The Decade of the Colts and Crushers (9 McCartney Cups between them), but who will win the 10th of the decade?

Coaching Changes
Charlotteville Spiders - Marcel Courdouy (37-33 in four seasons) replaced by Bill Dawson (rookie)
Elderslie Devils - Angus Ryan (29-35 in four seasons) replaced by Marcel Courdouy (37-33 in four season)
Calhournbar Crushers - Ben Wellington (29-9 in two seasons) replaced by Angus Ryan (29-35 in four season)
Binghampton Blue Socks - Joe Johnson (1-4 in one season) confirmed.
Jasperstown Jets (mid-season) - Harry Taylor (96-2-80 in ten seasons) resigned after a 0-5 start to the season, replaced by David Stuart (rookie)
Saltern Bulldogs (mid-season) - Charlie Grace (73-2-53 in nine seasons) resigned after a 1-5 start to the season, replaced by David Franklin (62-56 in six seasons). The Bulldogs proceed on a 10-0 run to storm into the Top Six playoffs.

Season Standings
Calhournbar Crushers 12-4
Stockland Football Club 11-5
Saltern Bulldogs 11-5
Thompson Tigers 10-6
Colart Colts 10-6
Charlotteville Spiders 9-7
Westland Whalers 8-8
Palmerston Eagles 8-8
Jasperstown Jets 5-11
Elderslie Devils 5-11
Binghampton Blue Socks 5-11
Hamilton Farmers 2-14

Knockout Finals
Saltern d. Charlotteville
Thompson d. Colart
Qualifying Finals
Stockland d. Calhournbar
Thompson d. Saltern
Preliminary Final
Calhournbar d. Thompson

McCartney Cup XVII - Fenton Road Grounds, Elderslie
Stockland d. Calhournbar

The Stockland Football Club become the first expansion team to win a McCartney Cup, in their fourth season of trying.

[Rawhide]

2000 Season

Westland, Palmerston and Binghampton all change their coaches during the off-season, with Chris Moore, Alan Slade and Peter Klein (respectively) all getting the chance to coach. From the 1995 season, there are only three survivors in the coaching ranks, albeit with different clubs - Angus Ryan, Sam Gibson and Marcel Courdouy.

Two teams made welcome returns back to the Top Six after historically long playoff droughts. Another proud franchise had a historically bad season, and had its very future in the ARL called into question.

Season Standings
Elderslie Devils 13-3 - First apperance since 1993
Calhournbar Crushers 11-5
Saltern Bulldogs 11-5
Stockland Football Club 10-6
Palmerston Eagles 10-6 - First apperance since 1988
Jasperstown Jets 9-7
Westland Whalers 9-7
Colart Colts 8-8
Charlotteville Spiders 7-9
Binghampton Blue Socks 4-12
Thompson Tigers 4-12
Hamilton Farmers 0-16

Knockout Semi-Finals
Saltern d. Jasperstown
Stockland d. Palmerston
Qualifying Finals
Calhournbar d. Elderslie
Saltern d. Stockland
Preliminary Final
Saltern d. Elderslie

McCartney Cup XVIII - Palmerston Park
Calhournbar d. Saltern

Angus Ryan wins his first McCartney Cup for the team he used to play for, while the Bulldogs finish on the wrong side of the scoreboard in their first McCartney Cup game in ten years.

[Rawhide]

2001 Season

Coaching Changes
Colart Colts - William Kay (30-21 in three seasons) replaced by Jean-Paul Bonaparte (rookie)
Charlotteville Spiders - Bill Dawson (16-17 in two seasons) replaced by David Shea (rookie)
Hamilton Farmers - Paul Hamilton (9-42 in four seasons) replaced by David H. Smith (16-18 in two seasons)

Hamilton improve markedly on their 2000 record, while the Thompson Tigers complete one of the biggest turn-arounds in the ARL history, rocketing from eleventh to first in the space of a season. But can they win the McCartney?

Standings
Thompson Tigers 12-4
Saltern Bulldogs 12-4
Calhournbar Crushers 12-4
Elderslie Devils 11-5
Jasperstown Jets 9-7
Palmerston Eagles 9-7
Colart Colts 7-9
Stockland Football Club 6-10
Westland Whalers 6-10
Hamilton Farmers 5-11
Binghampton Blue Socks 5-11
Charlotteville Spiders 2-14

Knockout Finals
Calhournbar d. Palmerston
Elderslie d. Jasperstown
Qualifying Finals
Saltern d. Thompson
Elderslie d. Calhournbar - for the first time since 1989, neither the Crushers nor the Colts will play in the McCartney Cup game.
Preliminary Final
Elderslie d. Thompson - Devils back in the McCartney for the first time in 16 years.

McCartney Cup XIX - National Stadium, Calhournbar
Saltern d. Elderslie

Longtime Bulldogs coach David Franklin, now in his third stint at Saltern, finally raises a McCartney Cup; Devils coach Marcel Courdouy already has his, having won with Colart in 1995.

[Izulde]

Argh! I'm glad Thompson's made a couple payoff appearances, but the futility still frustrates.

[Rawhide]

Haha, I can well understand how you feel.

As you may have guessed, I've slightly changed the way I simulate the games - instead of sitting around for nearly a day to get a season completed, I've simply pro-rated each of the team's relative strengths, and then run it through another excel formula to work out who would win a head-to-head match-up - without giving a final score.

To give you an idea, the Thompson Tigers are currently rated "3", the Saltern Bulldogs are "6". Together their score is 9...therefore, in matches between the two clubs, the Bulldogs can be expected to win 66% of the time.

At the end of each season, the rating of each team can increase, decrease, or stay static. It can only change in increments of 1, therefore the Tigers could be rated 2 or 4 the following season, but not 7.

A team cannot be rated lower than 1, but if a team wins less two games or less in two years (i.e. goes 2-30) it could be wound up or relocated. This nearly happened to Hamilton in the game, but I kind of like having a team with Mr Potato Head as their mascot, so they stayed.

The way the draw works now, if you finish in the Top Six in any given season, the following season you play those teams in 10 of your 16 games. If you finish outside the Top Six, you play 10 games against "weaker" opponents. Therefore, teams can now have big drops in form (Jasperstown 11-5 in 1998, 5-11 in 1999), and huge increases in improvement (Thompson 4-12 in 2000, 12-4 in 2001)


I've also changed the formula slightly for how I hire and fire coaches (although they have nothing to do with how their team performs, it's still kind of interesting to have them around), starting with 2001....each coach will be given a four season contract, which can be extended or shortened in the following way:

Winning a McCartney Cup - Add three seasons
Making a McCartney Cup final - Add two seaosns
Making the Top Six - Add one season
Missing the Top Six - No change (they've simply used up one of their four seasons)
Winning three or less games - Subtract one season
Finishing last - Subtract two seasons

Coaches have a 50% chance of retiring after their tenth full season, or each season after their third McCartney Cup win.


Mid-season firing can still be activated in the following ways:
Your team made the Top Six last season and you lost your first eight games.
Your team missed the Top Six last season and you lost your first ten games.

Coaches who are fired have a 50% chance of retiring, or they stay in the Coaching Pool, where they compete for open jobs. Teams have a 33% chance of reappointing a former coach to an open position, a 33% chance of hiring a rookie, and a 33% chance of hiring from the coaching pool.

Let me know if you would like to have yourself added as a coach in the future - you can even develop a backstory for yourself if you like!

FYI, here are the relative strengths of each team at the end of 2000:
6 - Saltern Bulldogs
5 - Calhournbar Crushers, Elderslie Devils
4 - Jasperstown Jets, Colart Colts, Stockland Football Club
3 - Thompson Tigers, Palmerston Eagles
2 - Westland Farmers, Binghampton Blue Socks
1 - Hamilton Farmers, Charlotteville Spiders

Based on scheduling, look for Stockland (6-10) and Colart (7-9) to be big improvers in 2002, while Thompson (12-4) and Palmerston (9-7) may possibly drop back out of the Top Six.

[Rawhide]

2002 Season

No coaching changes.

Season Results
Elderslie Devils 13-3
Calhournbar Crushers 12-4
Palmerston Eagles 11-5
Stockland Football Club 11-5
Saltern Bulldogs 11-5
Colart Colts 10-6
Binghampton Blue Socks 8-8
Charlotteville Spiders 5-11
Thompson Tigers 5-11
Westland Whalers 5-11
Jasperstown Jets 4-12
Hamilton Farmers 2-14

Knockout Finals
Palmerston beat Colart (their first playoff win since 1987)
Stockland beat Saltern
Qualifying Finals
Calhournbar d. Elderslie
Stockland d. Palmerston
Preliminary Final
Elderslie d. Stockland

McCartney Cup XX - Binghampton
Elderslie d. Calhournbar

The Devils win their second McCartney Cup, and first since 1985.

[Rawhide]

2003 Season

Coaching Changes
David Franklin retired for good after his eleventh season with the Saltern Bulldogs. He coached between 1983-1987, 1992-1993 and 1999-2002, winning the McCartney Cup in 2001. His record was 105-65 in the regular season, and 7-8 in the playoffs. His replacement is rookie coach John Conway.

The Hamilton Farmers have swapped coaches after going 2-14 in 2002, calling upon former coach Paul Ingham to again lead the team. Ingham has seven years of experience, having coached between 1983-1985 and 1987-1990, taking the Farmers to the McCartney Cup game in 1989. He has a 48-57 record, and is 2-3 in the playoffs. Since 1992, the Farmers have gone 48-127. Ingham replaced David H. Smith, who had a record of 22-42.

Several coaches find themselves on the hot seat, with David Shea (Charlotteville), Chris Moore (Westlands), Peter Klein (Binghampton) and David Stuart (Jasperstown) all needing good seasons to hold onto their jobs.

Final Standings
Stockland Football Club 13-3
Thompson Tigers 12-4
Calhournbar Crushers 12-4
Elderslie Devils 10-6
Saltern Bulldogs 9-7
Hamilton Farmers 7-9
Westland Whalers 7-9
Charlotteville Spiders 7-9
Palmerston Eagles 6-10
Jasperstown Jets 6-10
Binghampton Blue Socks 4-12
Colart Colts 3-13

Knockout Finals
Calhournbar d. Hamilton - Farmers first playoff apperance since 1996
Elderslie d. Saltern
Semi Finals
Thompson d. Stockland - Tigers qualify for their first McCartney Cup!
Elderslie d. Calhournbar
Preliminary Final
Elderslie d. Stockland

McCartney Cup XXI - Charlotteville
Elderslie d. Thompson

The Devils win back-to-back McCartney Cups

[Rawhide]

2004 Season

Coaching Changes-a-plenty

Elderslie Devils - Marcel Courdouy took retirement after winning the third McCartney Cup of his career.
1995 - Colart - 10-6 - Won McCartney Cup v Jasperstown
1996 - Colart - 6-10 - 6th
1997 - Charlotteville - 9-7 - Knockout Finalist
1998 - Charlotteville - 9-7 - Knockout Finalist
1999 - Elderslie - 5-11 - 10th
2000 - Elderslie - 13-3 - Preliminary Finalist
2001 - Elderslie - 11-5 - Lost McCartney Cup to the Bulldogs
2002 - Elderslie - 13-3 - Won McCartney Cup v Calhournbar
2003 - Elderslie - 10-6 - Won McCartney Cup v Thompson
Total Career Record - 98-66
His replacement will be former Devils stalwart Mick Porter, who was assistant coach in 2003.

Jasperstown Jets - David Stuart was let go after the Jets failed to make the playoffs for the second season in a row. He took over midway in 1999 from Harry Taylor, going 33-44 during his time at J-Town. Stuart's replacement is Michael Smart, who coached the Jets in 1989-1990 and the Blue Socks between 1997-1998.

Colart Colts - Jean-Paul Bonaparte was sacked after the Colts crashed to last place in 2003. He had gone 20-29 in three seasons but missed the playoffs twice. Shane Jackson is the rookie replacement.

Charlotteville Spiders - David Shea was let go, despite the Spiders improving in each season he coached (2-14, 5-11, 7-9). Shea has now retired with a 14-34 record. Calhournbar assistant coach Hamish Landsdowne gets his first head coaching gig.

Westlands Whalers - Chris Moore had four goes at getting the Whalers back into the playoffs but came up short each time. Like the Spiders, the Whalers have opted for an assistant coach, with Saltern's Craig Todd getting the nod.

Binghampton Blue Socks - Peter Klein went 21-43 during four seasons at the troubled franchise. Joe Page is the new head coach.

Change to the Top Six
The ARL has slightly modified the Top Six system, with the following effects:

* In Week One, First will play Sixth, Second will play Fifth, Third will play Fourth.
* Of the three losers, the two teams with the lowest record will be eliminated from week one.
* In Week Two, there shall be two preliminary finals - The Highest Winner will play the Highest Loser from week one, while the other two Week One winners will play each other.
* The winners of the Week Two games will meet in the McCartney Cup

Final Standings
Three of the rookie coaches make an immediate impact on their new clubs

Saltern Bulldogs 13-3
Westland Whalers 10-6
Charlotteville Spiders 10-6
Thompson Tigers 9-7
Stockland Football Club 9-7
Binghampton Blue Socks 9-7
Elderslie Devils 8-8
Calhournbar Crushers 7-9
Palmerston Eagles 6-10
Colart Colts 5-11
Hamilton Farmers 5-11
Jasperstown Jets 5-11

Qualifying Finals
Saltern (1) beat Binghampton (6)
Westlands (2) beat Stockland (5)
Charlotteville (3) beat Thompson (4) - As the highest placed loser, the Tigers get a second chance
Preliminary Finals
Saltern beat Thompson
Charlotteville beat Westlands

McCartney Cup XXII - Thompson
Saltern beat Charlotteville

Hamish Landsdowne fails to become the first rookie coach since Ben Wellington (1997 Crushers) to win a McCartney Cup.

Changes Afoot
The ARL will expand to 16 teams for the 2006 Premiership (season after next)
If you'd like to "own" a team, fire off the name in this thread.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I've also changed the formula slightly for how I hire and fire coaches ... each coach will be given a four season contract, which can be extended or shortened in the following way ...

Ooh, I really like how you decided to handle the coach thing. That's going to be, ahem, appropriated for use in one particular tabletop project of mine (if I ever get back to it that is).

It really addresses it in the way I wanted to but never quite got the clarity/simplicity of the process quite right enough to suit me because I was putting too many elements into the mix I think. Not quite an epiphany level revelation for me but a pretty darned good light bulb moment nonetheless.

[Rawhide]

2005 Season

Coaching Changes
Sam Gibson retires after ten seasons of coaching - two with Saltern, eight with Stockland - winning one McCartney Cup in 1999 with the "Football Club" and going 99-74 in that time. William Kay is his replacement. He went 30-22 with Colart between 1998-2000, going to a McCartney Cup game in his first season.

In preparation for expansion in 2006, the ARL decreed that teams would play a 19-game schedule in 2005, before a 22-game season in 2006.

Season Standings
Saltern Bulldogs 17-2
Calhournbar Crushers 15-4
Thompson Tigers 13-6
Elderslie Devils 12-7
Jasperstown Jets 11-8
Stockland Football Club 10-9
Charlotteville Spiders 9-10
Colart Colts 9-10
Palmerston Eagles 5-14
Hamilton Farmers 5-14
Westland Whalers 5-14
Binghampton Blue Socks 3-16

Qualifying Finals
Saltern (1) beat Stockland (6)
Calhournbar (2) beat Jasperstown (5)
Thompson (3) beat Elderslie (4)

Preliminary Finals
Saltern beat Elderslie
Calhournbar beat Thompson

McCartney Cup XXIII - Westland
Saltern beat Calhournbar

John Conway writes himself into the history books with a second successive McCartney Cup for the Bulldogs, the fourth in their history and the third in five seasons. Angus Ryan, Calhournbar Crushers coach, has finished his tenth season and may not be back despite having plenty of security in his job. "The season is getting too long, I don't know if I could stay that interested the whole time," he shrugged.

[Rawhide]

Thank you for your kind words, Jon. The formula is going to be slightly tweaked as we move into a 16-team, 22-game season. Glad I could contribute towards your light bulb moment!

[Rawhide]

2006 Pre-Season

Coaching Changes

Alan Slade left Palmerston after six seasons at the top. He collected a respectable 48-55 record with three playoff trips during his time there. Stepping into his shoes will be Mark Lang, a rookie coach.

Paul Ingham retired from coaching after Hamilton finished tenth. He did manage to eek out a playoff apperance for the poor old Farmers during his most recent time, while he took them all the way to a McCartney Cup game back in 1989. Ingham is the most successful coach for the Farmers, with his 67-94 record accounting for over half of the wins in Hamilton's history. The new coach will be Kyle Stephens.

Angus Ryan retired as predicted after Calhournbar's McCartney Cup loss, walking away with a successful record over eleven seasons (including four at the Devils) - 118-75. The surprise choice as replacement is Peter Klein, who was last seen at Binghampton between 2000-2003.

In the meanwhile, ARL officials are still scouting suitable locations for their expansion teams.
The offer still stands - if you'd like your very own ARL team, reply to this thread. You have an hour!

[Rawhide]

2006 Season

The ARL launched into a new era with the launch of four new teams:

Kierea Cannons - coached by Steve Parker
Roechester Rockets - Harry Tucker
University Scholars - a new team based on the campus of the National University of Arcardia, and coached by Justin Orr
St Patricks Shamrocks - coached by former Palmerston guide Alan Slade.

16 teams, 22 games, only the top six would survive to fight the playoffs.
All of the expansion teams enjoyed success in their first season, aided no doubt by playing six games against other expansion teams, as well as avoiding last year's Top Six for all but six of their games.


Season Standings
Saltern Bulldogs 20-2
Calhournbar Crushers 18-4
Thompson Tigers 14-8
Stockland Football Club 14-8
Charlotteville Spiders 13-9
University Scholars 12-10
Jasperstown Jets 12-10
Elderslie Devils 11-11
Westland Whalers 11-11
St Patricks Shamrocks 10-12
Kierea Cannons 9-13
Roechester Rockets 9-13
Hamilton Farmers 9-13
Colart Colts 7-15
Binghampton Blue Socks 5-17
Palmerston Eagles 2-20

Qualifying Round
Saltern (1) d. University (6)
Charlotteville (5) d. Calhournbar (2)
Stockland (4) d. Thompson (3)
The two lowest ranked losers were eliminated - hence the Tigers are gone.
Second-placed Crushers must now play Saltern for a spot in the McCartney Cup.

Preliminary Finals
Calhournbar d. Saltern
Stockland d. Charlotteville

McCartney Cup XXIV - Westlands
Calhournbar d. Stockland

Peter Klein wins a McCartney Cup in his first season with the Crushers.

[Rawhide]

2007 Season - 25th Anniversary

The ARL decided to revert to the old Top Six system, after three seasons of trials with a modifed system. It was decided not to introduce a Top 8, as officials felt that that would be too high a number for the playoffs.

Coaching Changes
Colart Colts - Shane Jackson (21-36 in three seasons) got the red slip after taking the Colts to 14th. Colart now has not made the playoffs since 2002. Their new coach is a throwback to the past - kind of - with Billy Tanks, son of former Colts coach Tommy Tanks, getting his first coaching appointment.

Jasperstown Jets - Another great 1990s franchise down on their luck, releasing Michael Smart after three mixed seasons. Some J-Town fans are furious as Smart took them to the Top Six in 2005, and was just on the verge of repeating the trip in 2006. Former Whalers coach Chris Moore is the new head coach for the Jets.

Binghampton Blue Socks - Joe Page got the sack after a promising start in 2004, taking the Blue Socks to their only playoff apperance. That feels like a lifetime ago, as they went 5-17 last season. James Peden was appointed to be their new coach, but suddenly quit after the Blue Socks started the season 0-18...not exactly the way to endear yourself to the fans. Mike Brown finished off the season surprisingly well for the woeful Binghampton, going 3-1 and avoiding last place.

Palmerston Eagles (mid-season) - No joy for Eagles fans, as they fire Mark Lang just one-and-a-half seasons what was supposed to be a four year contract. Lang registered an awesome 2-33 record in his short time at Palmerston, and was replaced by assistant Greg Peachey, who saw just one win for the Eagles in the second-worst season in ARL history.

Season Standings
Saltern Bulldogs 16-6
Calhournbar Crushers 14-8
Elderslie Devils 14-8
Charlotteville Spiders 14-8
Colart Colts 14-8
Thompson Tigers 13-9
Stockland Football Club 13-9
Jasperstown Jets 13-9
Kierea Cannons 12-10
Roechester Rockets 11-11
Westlands Whalers 11-11
St Patricks Shamrocks 11-11
University Scholars 8-14
Hamilton Farmers 8-14
Binghampton Blue Socks 3-19
Palmerston Eagles 1-21

Knockout Finals
Elderslie d. Thompson
Charlotteville d. Colart

Qualifying Finals
Saltern d. Calhournbar
Elderslie d. Charlotteville

Preliminary Final
Calhournbar d. Elderslie

McCartney Cup XXV - Saltern
Saltern d. Calhournbar

The Bulldogs win their fifth McCartney Cup in history, with the 25th season appropriately featuring two of the ARL's more successful sides facing in the championship decider.

[Rawhide]

Champions of the ARL

1983 - Colart Colts (George Young)
1984 - Calhournbar Crushers (Kevin Jackson)
1985 - Elderslie Devils (Martin Moore)
1986 - Palmerston Eagles (Rob Riordan)
1987 - Palmerston Eagles (Rob Riordan)
1988 - Colart Colts (Tommy Tanks)
1989 - Saltern Bulldogs (Charlie Grace)
1990 - Calhournbar Crushers (Kevin Jackson)
1991 - Colart Colts (Tommy Tanks)
1992 - Colart Colts (Marc Bonaparte)
1993 - Colart Colts (George Young)
1994 - Calhournbar Crushers (Kevin Jackson)
1995 - Colart Colts (Marcel Courdouy)
1996 - Calhournbar Crushers (Kevin Jackson)
1997 - Calhournbar Crushers (Ben Wellington)
1998 - Calhournbar Crushers (Ben Wellington)
1999 - Stockland Football Club (Sam Gibson)
2000 - Calhournbar Crushers (Angus Ryan)
2001 - Saltern Bulldogs (David Franklin)
2002 - Elderslie Devils (Marcel Courdouy)
2003 - Elderslie Devils (Marcel Courdouy)
2004 - Saltern Bulldogs (John Conway)
2005 - Saltern Bulldogs (John Conway)
2006 - Calhournbar Crushers (Peter Klein)
2007 - Saltern Bulldogs (John Conway)

Most Championships
8 - Calhournbar Crushers
6 - Colart Colts
5 - Saltern Bulldogs
3 - Elderslie Devils
2 - Palmerston Eagles
1 - Stockland Football Club

[Rawhide]

Taking a bit of a break today, with the National Rugby League (Australia) grand final being played tomorrow.

In the meanwhile, here are some delights from Youtube for you to enjoy:

Referee gets knocked out in a game
YouTube - Tony De La Heras get's KO'd. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_PGq6Q5fKk)

Funny moments in league
YouTube - funniest rugby league moments - Gus Gould steals Laurie Daley's chair!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCN7FYYzaz8)

Worst ever goalkicks!
YouTube - 5 worst kicks ever in the NRL!! Hilarious (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2q8w9b3q1M)

An ancient Australian TV report of the greatest grand final in NRL history
YouTube - Canberra Raiders 1989 Grand Final (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGpfea1rN6c)

Enjoy!

[kobe360x]

just caught up with this, this really great!

[Rawhide]

Thank you Kobe.

Just finished in the last hour:

Storm withstand Eels fightback - NRL Premiership - Fox Sports (http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26163407-5018866,00.html)

[Rawhide]

2008 Season

Coaching Changes
Hamilton - Kyle Stephens was sacked after two more seasons in the cellar for the Farmers, even though his 17-27 record was in fact quite good compared to that of some of his predecessors. David H. Smith returns for his third term as coach.

Thompson - Jake Walsh retired as the most successful coach in the Tigers history, winning more games for Thompson than all of their other coaches combined. Overall his record was 105-84, including one McCartney Cup game and four apperances in the preliminary final. Bill Dawson (Charlotteville 1999-2000) is the new head coach.

Binghampton - Mike Brown was not confirmed as head coach after finishing off the 2007 season. Bill Beck becomes the Blue Socks' seventh season in twelve seasons.

Palmerston - James Berry becomes the new face of the team after a disastrous 1-21 campaign.

Westlands - Craig Todd is released after an unremarkable four seasons. David Shea, who coached Charlotteville between 2001 and 2003, is the new mentor for the Whalers.

Change Is In The Air
ARL to introduce two-division competition

This will be the last 16-team season, with the ARL to move into a new era in 2009, newly elected ARL president Jack Schitt announced today.

Two new clubs will be added to the ARL, and will compete in the new Second Division along with the two bottom teams from the 2008 competition. The other 14 teams will apply for inclusion in the new Premier Division for 2009.

Both leagues will have nine teams, a 16 game schedule and feature a Top Four playoff. The Premier Division will compete for the McCartney Cup, while the Second Division will play for a yet-to-be-named shield. Promotion and relegation will occur between each league, similar to what happens in soccer competitions all over the globe.

"We are confident that the new-look competition will continue to entertain and satisfy the needs of the public," mumbled Schitt in today's press conference.

Season Standings
Charlotteville Spiders 17-5
Saltern Bulldogs 16-6
Thompson Tigers 16-6
Kierea Cannons 14-8
Elderslie Devils 12-10
Hamilton Farmers 12-10
St Patricks Shamrocks 12-10
Jasperstown Jets 12-10
Stockland Football Club 11-11
Roechester Rockets 10-12
Calhournbar Crushers 10-12
Colart Colts 9-13
Binghampton Blue Socks 8-14
Westland Whalers 8-14
University Scholars 7-15
Palmerston Eagles 2-20

Knockout Finals
Thompson d. Hamilton
Kierea d. Elderslie
Qualifying Finals
Saltern d. Charlotteville
Thompson d. Kierea
Preliminary Final
Thompson d. Charlotteville

McCartney Cup XXVI - Jasperstown
Saltern d. Thompson

The Tigers unlucky once again, losing their second McCartney Cup final.
The Bulldogs have now won four titles in the past five years, with John Conway tying the record of titles won with Kevin Jackson (Calhournbar 1984-1996).

Competition Structure - 2009
It was decided that the last three seasons should be taken into account when dividing the competition, with the 2008 season being given double weighing. Teams were then sorted into two divisions, with the nine most successful teams between 2006-2008 going into the Premier Division, and the bottom seven teams joining the Second Division. The number in brackets is the score each team received (2006 wins + 2007 wins + 2008 wins x 2)

Premier Division - McCartney Cup
Saltern Bulldogs (68)
Charlotteville Spiders (61)
Thompson Tigers (59)
Calhournbar Crushers (52)
Elderslie Devils (49)
Jasperstown Jets (49)
Stockland Football Club (49)
Kierea Cannons (49)
St Patricks Shamrocks (45)

Second Division - Stephenson Shield
Hamilton Farmers (41)
Roechester Rockets (40)
Colart Colts (39)
Westlands Whalers (38)
University Scholars (34)
Binghampton Blue Socks (24)
Palmerston Eagles (7)
Two teams TBA

If you would like to adopt one of the two new ARL teams, let me know in this thread.

From now on I'll only update the coaching changes within the Premier Division, as I anticipate there will be lots of turnover within the Second Division. Furthermore, coaching win-loss records will only include Premier League statistics.

For the record, new changes to my "coaching formula"
McCartney Cup win - Add three seasons
McCartney Cup loss - Add two seasons
McCartney Cup playoffs (3rd or 4th) - Add one season
8th in Premier Division - Subtract one season
9th in Premier Division - Subtract two seasons
Promoted into Premier Division - Add two seasons
Bottom three in Second Division - Subtract two seasons.

Coming up - a bit of a historical recount for each team, before launching into a new era for the ARL.

[Rawhide]

Saltern Bulldogs
Joined ARL - 1983 (Original Eight member)
McCartney Cup Wins - 1989, 2001, 2004-05, 2007-08
McCartney Cup Losses - 1990, 2000
Best Season - 2006 (20-2)
Worst Season - 1987 (7-9)
Coaches
David Franklin (1983-87, 1992-93, 1999-2002) - 112-73 - 2001 McCartney Cup
Charlie Grace (1988-91, 1996-99) - 73-53 - 1989 McCartney Cup
Sam Gibson (1994-95) - 20-15
John Conway (2003-current) - 102-28 - 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 McCartney Cups

Colart Colts
Joined ARL - 1983 (Original Eight member)
McCartney Cup Wins - 1983, 1988, 1991-93, 1995
McCartney Cup Losses - 1985, 1994, 1998
Best Season - 1992, 1993 (14-2)
Worst Season - 2003 (3-13)
Coaches
George Young (1983-84, 1993-94) - 49-20 - 1983, 1993 McCartney Cups
Marc Bonaparte (1985-86, 1992) - 39-15 - 1992 McCartney Cup
Tommy Tanks (1987-91, 1997) - 70-38 - 1988, 1991 McCartney Cups
Marcel Courdouy (1995-1996) - 18-17 - 1995 McCartney Cup
William Kay (1998-2000) - 30-21
Jean-Paul Bonaparte (2001-03) - 20-28
Shane Jackson (2004-06) - 21-36
Bill Tanks (2007-current) - 23-22

Calhournbar Crushers
Joined ARL - 1983 (Original Eight member)
McCartney Cup Wins - 1984, 1990, 1994, 1996-98, 2000, 2006
McCartney Cup Losses - 1986-88, 1991, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2007
Best Season - 1991, 1996 (15-1)
Worst Season - 2004 (7-9)
Coaches
Jim Ryan (1983) - 11-7
Kevin Jackson (1984-96) - 168-67 - 1984, 1990, 1994, 1996 McCartney Cups
Ben Wellington (1997-98) - 29-9 - 1997, 1998 McCartney Cups
Angus Ryan - (1999-2005) - 89-40 - 2000 McCartney Cup
Peter Klein (2006-current) - 46-26 - 2006 McCartney Cup

Palmerston Eagles
Joined ARL - 1983 (Original Eight member)
McCartney Cup Wins - 1986-87
McCartney Cup Losses - 1983-84
Best Season - 1988, 2002 (11-5)
Worst Season - 2007 (1-21)
Coaches
Rob Riordan (1983-93) - 94-96 - 1986, 1987 McCartney Cups
Pat Bowman - (1994-95) - 5-26
George Young (1996-99) - 28-36
Alan Slade (2000-05) - 48-55
Mark Lang (2006-07) - 2-33
Greg Peachey (2007) - 1-8
James Berry (2008-current) - 2-20

Hamilton Farmers
Joined ARL - 1983 (Original Eight member)
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - 1989
Best Season - 1983 (10-6)
Worst Season - 2000 (0-16)
Coaches
Paul Ingham (1983-85, 1987-90, 2003-05) - 67-94
Dean Lousick (1985-86) - 8-15
James Ford (1991) - 5-11
Bill Starmer (1992-93) - 8-22
Blake Stone (1993) - 0-2
Travis Baker (1994-95) - 9-19
Paul Hamilton (1995, 1998-2000) - 9-42
David H. Smith (1996-97, 2001-02, 2008-current) - 34-52
Kyle Stephens (2006-07) - 17-27

Elderslie Devils
Joined ARL - 1983 (Original Eight member)
McCartney Cup Wins - 1985, 2002-03
McCartney Cup Losses - 2001
Best Season - 1985, 2000, 2002 (13-3)
Worst Season - 1990 (2-14)
Coaches
Matthew Moore (1983) - 8-8
Peter Connolly (1984) - 7-9
Martin Moore (1985) - 15-4 - 1985 McCartney Cup
Chris Garvey (1986) - 6-10
Travis Kitchener (1987, 1995) - 15-18
Ben Dore (1988-89) - 9-14
Stanley Goodman (1990-94) - 24-52
Mike Morgan (1994) - 4-2
Angus Ryan (1995-98) - 29-35
Marcel Courdouy (1999-2003) - 61-32 - 2002, 2003 McCartney Cups
Mick Porter (2004-current) - 59-48

[Rawhide]

Thompson Tigers
Joined ARL - 1983 (Original Eight member)
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - 2003, 2008
Best Season - 2001, 2003 (12-4), 2008 (16-6)
Worst Season - 1997 (2-14)
Coaches
Jack West (1983, 1988) - 9-22
Stephen Burton (1984-87) - 19-45
Andrew McCallum (1989-90, 1992-93) - 16-42
Jimmy Jackson (1991, 1994) - 4-20
Peter Swann (1993) - 4-2
Tim Ryan (1994-95) - 11-10
John Everitt (1996-97) - 7-25
Jake Walsh (1998-2007) - 105-84
Bill Dawson (2008-current) - 19-7

Jasperstown Jets
Joined ARL - 1983 (Original Eight member)
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - 1992-93, 1995-97
Best Season - 1994, 1996, 1997 (12-4)
Worst Season - 1983, 1984, 1987 (2-14)
Coaches
Alexander Pope (1983) - 2-14
Harry Taylor (1984, 1991-1999) - 97-70
Patrick King (1985-87) - 15-33
Danny Pike (1988) - 7-9
Michael Smart (1989-90, 2004-06) - 47-44
David Stuart (1999-2003) - 33-44
Chris Moore (2007-current) - 25-19

Stockland Football Club
Joined ARL - 1996
McCartney Cup Wins - 1999
McCartney Cup Losses - 2006
Best Season - 2003 (13-3)
Worst Season - 1996 (1-15)
Coaches
Ed Poole (1996) - 1-15
Sam Gibson (1997-2004) - 79-59
William Kay (2005-current) - 50-39

Charlotteville Spiders
Joined ARL - 1997
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - 2004
Best Season - 2008 (17-5)
Worst Season - 2001 (2-14)
Coaches
Marcel Courdouy (1997-98) - 17-16
Bill Dawson (1999-2000) - 16-16
David Shea (2001-2003) - 14-34
Hamish Landsdowne (2004-current) - 67-43

Westlands Whalers
Joined ARL - 1997
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - none
Best Season - 2004 (10-6)
Worst Season - 2005 (5-14)
Coaches
Andrew McCallum (1997-99) - 22-27
Chris Moore (2000-03) - 27-37
Craig Todd (2004-07) - 38-43
David Shea (2008-current) - 8-14

Binghampton Blue Socks
Joined ARL - 1997
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - none
Best Season - 2004 (9-7)
Worst Season - 1998 (1-15)
Coaches
Michael Smart (1997-98) - 9-21
Joe Johnson (1998-99) - 6-15
Peter Klein (2000-03) - 21-43
Joe Page (2004-06) - 17-41
James Peden (2007) - 0-18
Mike Brown (2007) - 3-1
Bill Beck (2008) - 8-14

University Scholars
Joined ARL - 2006
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - none
Best Season - 2006 (12-10)
Worst Season - 2008 (7-15)
Coaches
Justin Orr (2006-current) - 27-40

St Patricks Shamrocks
Joined ARL - 2006
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - none
Best Season - 2008 (12-10)
Worst Season - 2006 (10-12)
Coaches
Alan Slade (2006-current) - 33-33

Kierea Cannons
Joined ARL - 2006
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - none
Best Season - 2008 (14-8)
Worst Season - 2006 (9-13)
Coaches
Steve Parker (2006-current) - 36-32

Roechester Rockets
Joined ARL - 2006
McCartney Cup Wins - none
McCartney Cup Losses - none
Best Season - 2007 (11-11)
Worst Season - 2006 (9-13)
Coaches
Harry Tucker (2006-current) - 30-36

[Rawhide]

2009 Season

Premier Division coaching changes
John Conway retired on top, after winning his fourth McCartney Cup. Patrick Grace is the new Bulldogs coach; his father was Charlie Grace, a former McCartney Cup-winning coach in his own right.

2009 Second Division Standings
Westlands 13-3
Hamilton 11-5
Cordeaux 10-6
Colart 10-6
Scarborough 8-8
Roechester 6-10
Palmerston 5-11
University 5-11
Binghampton 4-12

Playoffs
Hamilton d. Westlands
Courdeaux d. Colart
Westlands d. Courdeaux
Stephenson Shield I
Westlands d. Hamilton


2009 Premier Division Standings
Thompson 13-3
Charlotteville 12-4
Jasperstown 10-6
St Patricks 9-7
Calhournbar 7-9
Saltern 7-9
Kierea 6-10
Elderslie 5-11
Stockland 3-13

Playoffs
Thompson d. Charlotteville
St Patricks d. Jasperstown
Charlotteville d. St Patricks

McCartney Cup XXVII
Thompson d. Charlotteville

At long last...the Thompson Tigers win the McCartney Shield!
This leaves only Jasperstown and Hamilton as the only Original Eight never to have won.

Promoted to 2010 ARL Premier Division - Westlands
Relegated to 2010 ARL Second Division - Stockland

[Izulde]

I'll take one of the new teams and come up with a team name and background for myself and all that. :D

[kobe360x]

looks like no one can change the Eagles

[Rawhide]

Izulde - Go for it. I've already added two teams as you may have seen but can easily kick one of them out and add yours in.

Kobe - Yes, they are pretty ordinary. Even in Second Division

[Rawhide]

2010 Season

Premier League Coaching Changes
Elderslie weren't happy to continue with Mick Porter at the top, with the Devils going close to dropping to the Second Division. Porter went 64-59 in six seasons at the Fenton Road Grounds, twice taking them to the finals. Angus Ryan has come out of retirement to go back to work for his old club, who he coached between 1995 and 1998.

Second Division Standings
Colart 14-2
Hamilton 12-4
Courdeaux 10-6
University 10-6
Binghampton 9-7
Stockland 6-10
Roechester 6-10
Scarborough 3-13
Palmerston 2-14

Playoffs
Hamilton d. Colart
Courdeaux d. University
Courdeaux d. Colart
Stephenson Shield II
Hamilton d. Courdeaux

2010 Premier Division
Thompson 11-5
Calhournbar 11-5
Saltern 10-6
Charlotteville 9-7
St Patricks 9-7
Kierea 9-7
Westland 7-9
Jasperstown 3-13
Elderslie 3-13

Playoffs
Calhournbar d. Thompson
Charlotteville d. Saltern
Thompson d. Charlotteville

McCartney Cup XXVIII
Calhournbar d. Thompson

The Tigers just fail to go back to back, as the Crushers muscle in and bag another title.

Promoted to Premier Division 2011 - Hamilton
Relegated to Second Division 2011 - Elderslie

[Rawhide]

2011 Season

Two Premier League teams made coaching changes, with Sam Sullivan replacing Alan Slade at St Patricks. Slade was the first coach in the Shamrocks history, going 52-48 during his time and keeping St Pats in the Premier League without really challenging the big guns.

Chris Moore paid the price for a poor season at Jasperstown, being shown the door after five seasons with the Jets. He took J-Town to a playoff spot in 2009 but crashed to 3-13 last season, just surviving relegation by the barest of margins. 62-year old Michael Smart will return "as a favour" for one last season with the clipboard, while the Jets search for a permament replacement in 2012. They are making a big assumption that they will still be in the Premier League by then.

A third division started play this season, with ten clubs being structured into two parallel divisions of five teams each. The teams are well-established, having actually been participants in the various regional competitions that are scattered throughout Arcardia. The two division winners played off in a championship game, with the winner assured promotion into the Second Division. The loser would play a qualification game against the eighth-placed Second Division team.

Third Division A
Brentwood 12-4
Bulyee 10-6
Golden Bay 8-8
Riverina 7-9
Port Zodiac 3-13

Third Division B
Northlands 13-3
Yorktown 10-6
Camden 8-8
Beaumont 6-10
Mitchellton 3-13

Third Division Championship Game
Brentwood d. Northlands
Brentwood promoted to 2011 Second Division
Northland qualifies for Qualification Match

Second Division Standings
University 13-3
Colart 11-5
Cordeaux 11-5
Stockland 10-6
Roechester 8-8
Elderslie 6-10
Palmerston 6-10
Binghampton 5-11
Scarborough 2-14

Playoffs
Colart d. University
Cordeaux d. Stockland
Cordeaux d. University

Stephenson Shield III
Cordeaux d. Colart

The Cordeaux Football Club are promoted into the Premier League in 2012. It will be their first season in the top flight.

Qualification Match (8th in Second Division v Third Division Runner-up)
Binghampton d. Northlands - Binghampton remains in Second Division

Premier League Standings
Westland 12-4
Saltern 10-6
Hamilton 10-6
St Patricks 9-7
Charlotteville 9-7
Thompson 8-8
Kierea 5-11
Calhournbar 5-11
Jasperstown 4-12

Playoffs
Saltern d. Westlands
Hamilton d. St Patricks
Westlands d. Hamilton

McCartney Cup XXIX
Saltern d. Westlands

The Bulldogs return to form and win their first McCartney Cup since 2008. It is their seventh title in history, and the first for Patrick Grace who follows in the footsteps of his father who won the Bulldogs' first in 1989. After starting in the second division in 2009, the Whalers appeared in their first McCartney Cup game in their fifteen year history. Hamilton narrowly missed out on becoming the first ever team to play in the Second Division one season and in the McCartney Cup game the next, finishing third.

Season Summary

McCartney Cup Champions - Saltern
Runners-up - Westland
Relegated to Second Division - Jasperstown
Promoted to Premier Division - Cordeaux
Relegated to Third Division - Scarborough
Promoted to Second Division - Northland

[Rawhide]

2012 Season - Cancelled!

With 26 teams across three divisions, the ARL finally reached critical mass in the 2011 off-season. The competition was cancelled just a week before the scheduled kickoff with four clubs unable to register full squads of players, while another seven clubs were declared insolvent.

The remaining 15 clubs voted 13-2 to vote the ARL out of existence, and President Jack Schmitt resigned as the third and final president of the ARL.

In place of the old ARL, it was resolved that a new commission be appointed to run the game, starting in 2013, with a new ten team competition to compete once again for the McCartney Cup.

All of the ten third division teams from 2011 voluntarily voted themselves out of existence, being as they were located too close to better credentialed teams.

Binghampton and Scarborough went into administration and were officially wound up on June 30 2012 after no buyers were found to take over the sides.

The Westland Whalers also fell over just a week later, for exactly the same reasons. History would record their final game as being a McCartney Cup final loss.

With only ten places open for the 2013 season, it was thought that powerhouses Saltern, Calhournbar and Colart would be assured of spots in the new season, and it was confirmed in August that they had been offered the first three franchises in the new competition, which still didn't have an official name, or even an administrator.

Jasperstown, Elderslie, Hamilton and Thompson were added in the second round of admissions in September, leaving three spots to be filled a further meeting, which would be held on October 19th 2012. It would be a historical day no matter what the outcome; three teams would be admitted back into the competition, while a new figurehead would accept the new position of "Commissioner" in the new competition.

[Rawhide]

The final composition of the Arcardian Rugby League Alliance (ARLA) was announced on live television by David Hamilton Smith, acting as a spokesman for the ten owners:

Saltern Bulldogs
Calhournbar Crushers
Colart Colts
Jasperstown Jets
Thompson Tigers
Elderslie Devils
Hamilton Farmers
Kierea Cannons
Roechester Eagles
Charlotteville Saints

Courdeaux, Stockland and University refused offers from other clubs to merge, preferring to go it alone. They were shocked when their applications were knocked back on the grounds of unsuitability. "If they thought we were unsuitable, they shouldn't have allowed us in the competition in the first place," growled Garcon Courdouy, whose Courdeaux side won promotion to the old Premier Division in 2011, only to have their dream denied by the "pen pushers of the ARLA aristrocity"

All three teams applied to the Arcardian High Court to appeal the decision, but were dismissed after it was ruled that by sumitting a bid in the first place, team owners knew the risk that they may not actually be accepted into the new competition.

The Palmerston Eagles and Roechester Rockets combined to apply for a licence in the ARLA, reasoning that neither of them stood a chance standing alone. Charlotteville and St Patricks decided along the same lines of reason, and ended up being accepted as the tenth and final member of the ARLA competition.

The ten owners elevated Jake Walsh to the position of commissioner for a five-year term. Walsh's previous involvement in the former ARL was as the coach of the Thompson Tigers between 1998 and 2007.

[Rawhide]

So, after a season where the footballs fell quite and the McCartney Cup gathered dust quietly in the Bulldogs' board room, March 2013 heralded the start of a brand new competition, the ARLA, with ten teams fighting for the 30th McCartney Cup.

There were some new faces, and old faces in different places, in a shake-up necessitated by the change in competition structure.

David Shea found himself without a team when the Whalers folded just a season after playing in the McCartney Cup final, but soon signed with the new Roechester Eagles. Angus Ryan came out of retirement to head up the Crushers, who had not retained Peter Klein in the coaches' chair. Klein did have two McCartney Cup wins to point to but would go through 2013 without coaching a side.

The Charlotteville Saints had two promising young coaches at their disposal when St Pats merged with the Spiders. In the end, it was the Shamrocks' Sam Sullivan who was confirmed as the Saints' inaugural head coach; the other candidate, Hamish Landsdowne, was snapped up by the Colart Colts who were preparing to compete for the McCartney Cup for the first time since 2008.

The Elderslie Devils rehired Mick Porter on a season-by-season contract (rather than the usual four season contract). Porter had previously captained and coached the Devils in the old ARL.

The Hamilton Farmers' coach David H. Smith stood down after he was hired by Commissioner Jake Walsh to assist him with running the ARLA competition. Hamilton hired a young (29-year old) relatively unknown coach Luke Allan to coach the Farmers. Allan had previously played two games in the old second division for Colart. His appointment came completely out of the blue and gave rise to speculation that Allan was really Smith's proxy at Hamilton.

The Jasperstown Jets, perhaps the most fortunate of all of the ten ARLA teams just on the basis of recent results, revealed 2011 assistant coach Jim Proud as their new coach, replacing Michael Smart whose third stint at J-Town ended in disaster with the Jets relegated at the end of 2011. Yet they fight on in the ARLA...

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------------
x - Thompson Tigers 13-5 Bill Dawson
x - Calhournbar Crushers 13-5 Angus Ryan
x - Charlotteville Saints 12-6 Sam Sullivan
x - Jasperstown Jets 11-7 Jim Proud
Saltern Bulldogs 11-7 Patrick Grace
Colart Colts 9-9 Hamish Landsdowne
Kierea Cannons 7-11 Steve Parker
Roechester Eagles 7-11 David Shea
Hamilton Farmers 4-14 Luke Allan
Elderslie Devils 3-15 Mick Porter



Semi Finals
Calhournbar d. Thompson
Jasperstown d. Charlotteville
Preliminary Final
Thompson d. Jasperstown

McCartney Cup XXX
Calhournbar Crushers d. Thompson Tigers

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2014

Three coaches found themselves in the unemployment line at the conclusion of the 2014 season; Patrick Grace, just two seasons removed from a McCartney Cup win, was given his marching orders despite narrowly missing the finals with the Bulldogs in 2014. His replacement is Oliver Crane. Over at Elderslie, Mick Porter was shown the door after a dismal 3-15 season. Ryan Tucker was given his first coaching appointment. Foundation Kierea Cannons coach Steve Parker resigned after an indifferent 7-11 season where the Cannons were rarely in the running. Harry Wilkins is the new man in charge.

Two of the past three McCartney Cup winning coaches - Peter Klein and Patrick Grace - are currently unemployed, and odds-on to be recruited in the near future.

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------------
x - Thompson Tigers 14-4 Bill Dawson
x - Charlotteville Saints 12-6 Sam Sullivan
x - Jasperstown Jets 12-6 Jim Proud
x - Calhournbar Crushers 12-6 Angus Ryan
Colart Colts 10-8 Hamish Landsdowne
Saltern Bulldogs 9-9 Oliver Crane
Roechester Eagles 8-10 David Shea
Kierea Cannons 7-11 Harry Wilkinson
Elderslie Devils 4-14 Ryan Tucker
Hamilton Farmers 2-16 Luke Allan

Semi Finals
Charlotteville d. Thompson
Calhournbar d. Jasperstown
Preliminary Final
Thompson d. Calhournbar

McCartney Cup XXXI
Thompson Tigers d. Charlotteville Saints

The Tigers win their second McCartney Cup!
The Saints just fail to become the quickest 'new' team to win a championship.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2015

Nobody was surprised when Luke Allan was shown the door at Hamilton - his 6-30 record in two seasons did not compare well with the other coaches to have graced the Farmers hallways - and that's saying something! Not even the highly-credentialed Peter Klein or Patrick Grace would saddle up with the Potato Heads...eventually they cajolled former Kierea coach Steve Parker into the role, and even then he nearly didn't survive the season.

Angus Ryan retired once again from coaching after two seasons with the Crushers. He has now coached for a total of thirteen seasons (9 with Calhournbar for 2 McCartney Cups; 4 seasons with the Devils). Former Crushers forward Charlie Bartlet becomes just the sixth coach in franchise history.

The competition this year was characterised by two very good sides, and three awful teams.

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------------
x - Thompson Tigers 16-2 Bill Dawson
x - Colart Colts 15-3 Hamish Landsdowne
x - Kierea Cannons 11-7 Harry Wilkinson
x - Saltern Bulldogs 11-7 Oliver Crane
Charlotteville Saints 11-7 Sam Sullivan
Calhournbar Crushers 10-8 Charlie Bartlet
Jasperstown Jets 9-9 Jim Proud
Hamilton Farmers 3-15 Steve Parker
Roechester Eagles 3-15 David Shea (0-10), Chris Moore (3-5)
Elderslie Devils 1-17 Ryan Tucker (0-10), Ben Marrs (1-7)

Semi Finals
Thompson d. Colart
Kierea d. Saltern
Preliminary Final
Colart d. Kierea

McCartney Cup XXXII
Thompson Tigers d. Colart Colts

The Tigers put the seal on a great season and go back-to-back. There is speculation that Bill Dawson will step aside shortly after his third McCartney Cup success.
The Colts fall short in their first McCartney Cup game in eighteen seasons. They haven't won one since 1995.
Sam Sullivan is under considerable pressure at Charlotteville following their failure to qualify for the finals with arguably the ARLA's second-best squad. Although, all will be forgiven if the Saints can win the big one in 2016.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2016

Bill Dawson retired two weeks after the Tigers' McCartney Cup triumph, surprising nobody and leaving behind a remarkable record; in only seven seasons, he had won three McCartney Cups, lost another three and never had a losing season - his regular season record was 91-33. Only two other coaches in history had won more McCartney Cups - Kevin Jackson and John Conway.

After lauding his contributions and declaring Dawson the best coach in franchise history, the Thompson Tigers proceeded to look for their next Dawson. They didn't have to turn far, promoting assistant coach Andrew Latham into the biggest boots in the ARLA.

Changes were in the air at two other clubs, but for opposite reasons. Shane Jackson replaced Chris Moore (who replaced David Shea) at Roechester, while Dugald McGrath was handed the task of elevating the Devils off the cellar of the ARLA.

Before the start of the season, the Hamilton Farmers and Elderslie Devils gave official notice to the ARLA that they requried emergency assistance in the form of advance funding in order to complete the 2016 ARLA season. Commissioner Jake Walsh duly complied although he stated that in future insolvent teams may be suspended from the ARLA for an unspecified period of time, or lose competition points in future seasons.

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------------
x - Thompson Tigers 15-3 Andrew Latham
x - Charlotteville Saints 14-4 Sam Sullivan
x - Saltern Bulldogs 13-5 Oliver Crane
x - Calhournbar Crushers 9-9 Charlie Bartlet
Kierea Cannons 9-9 Harry Wilkinson
Jasperstown Jets 9-9 Jim Proud
Colart Colts 7-11 Hamish Landsdowne
Roechester Eagles 5-13 Shane Jackson
Hamilton Farmers 5-13 Steve Parker
Elderslie Devils 4-14 Dugald McGrath

Semi Finals
Thompson d. Charlotteville
Calhournbar d. Saltern
Preliminary Final
Charlotteville d. Calhournbar

McCartney Cup XXXIII
Thompson Tigers d. Charlotteville Saints

The Tigers confirm their status as the dominant team of this era, as the following table should indicate. Andrew Latham joins a select club of men to have won a championship in his first season as coach.

[Rawhide]

Year Champions Runners-up
--------------------------------------------------
1983 COLART COLTS Palmerston Eagles
1984 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Palmerston Eagles
1985 ELDERSLIE DEVILS Colart Colts
1986 PALMERSTON EAGLES Calhournbar Crushers
1987 PALMERSTON EAGLES Calhournbar Crushers
1988 COLART COLTS Calhournbar Crushers
1989 SALTERN BULLDOGS Hamilton Farmers
1990 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Saltern Bulldogs
1991 COLART COLTS Calhournbar Crushers
1992 COLART COLTS Jasperstown Jets
1993 COLART COLTS Jasperstown Jets
1994 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Colart Colts
1995 COLART COLTS Jasperstown Jets
1996 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Jasperstown Jets
1997 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Jasperstown Jets
1998 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Colart Colts
1999 STOCKLAND FC Calhournbar Crushers
2000 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Saltern Bulldogs
2001 SALTERN BULLDOGS Elderslie Devils
2002 ELDERSLIE DEVILS Calhournbar Crushers
2003 ELDERSLIE DEVILS Thompson Tigers
2004 SALTERN BULLDOGS Charlotteville Spiders
2005 SALTERN BULLDOGS Calhournbar Crushers
2006 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Stockland FC
2007 SALTERN BULLDOGS Calhournbar Crushers
2008 SALTERN BULLDOGS Thompson Tigers
2009 THOMPSON TIGERS Charlotteville Spiders
2010 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Thompson Tigers
2011 SALTERN BULLDOGS Westlands Whalers
2012 *** Season cancelled ***
2013 CALHOURNBAR CRUSHERS Thompson Tigers
2014 THOMPSON TIGERS Charlotteville Saints
2015 THOMPSON TIGERS Colart Colts
2016 THOMPSON TIGERS Charlotteville Saints

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2017

Hamilton and Elderslie both limped into the new season with their front office intact, and their playing roster slightly improved, although still comfortably amongst the worst in recent years. The big movers in the playing market were the Jasperstown Jets - still looking for that first championship - while the Tigers and Saints weakened slightly, yet were still the two red-hot favourites for the 34th McCartney Cup.

There were no coaching changes in the off-season, although Hamish Landsdowne could count himself lucky to survive after the Colts lost eleven of their first twelve games.

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------------
x - Thompson Tigers 16-2 Andrew Latham
x - Charlotteville Saints 14-4 Sam Sullivan
x - Jasperstown Jets 13-5 Jim Proud
x - Saltern Bulldogs 10-8 Oliver Crane
Calhournbar Crushers 9-9 Charlie Bartlet
Roechester Eagles 9-9 Shane Jackson
Kierea Cannons 9-9 Harry Wilkinson
Colart Colts 6-12 Hamish Landsdowne
Hamilton Farmers 2-16 Steve Parker
Elderslie Devils 2-16 Dugald McGrath

Semi Finals
Thompson d. Charlotteville
Jasperstown d. Saltern
Preliminary Final
Jasperstown d. Charlotteville

McCartney Cup XXXIV
Jasperstown Jets d. Thompson Tigers

"PROUD OF JIM" was the headline in the Jasperstown Misleader on the morning after the Jets' first McCartney Cup win. 50,000 fans crowded Governor Jasper Square at 3am in the morning to welcome the new champions back to their home city. Head Coach Jim Proud crowd-surfed his way to the stage and delivered a post-game celebration speech consisting of only six words - "Ding dong, the witch is dead!"

The Thompson Tigers failed by the narrowest of margins to become the first team to win four straight McCartney Cup titles. Coach Andrew Latham shrugged and simply said "We'll get them next year".

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2018

It seemed it was no longer good enough to simply make the finals - the Saltern Bulldogs exercised a clause in Oliver Crane's contract and put him officially on the hot seat after losing a third consecuitive final. The Bulldogs have now not won a playoff game since the 2011 McCartney Cup - the last game played under the auspices of the old ARL. Also on the hot seat are Hamish Landsdowne (Colart) and Harry Wilkinson (Kierea), and (surprisingly), Sam Sullivan from Charlotteville, following the Saints' dismal exit the season before..

The Steve Parker era wheezed to an end at Hamilton, with a dismal 10-44 record in three seasons. Dugald McGrath also found his time up at Elderslie, with the Devils finishing last for the third season in a row. What would Marcel Courdouy think?

Hamilton unveiled Peter Klein as their new head coach, with the former Binghampton and Calhournbar mentor getting his toes back in the coaching pond. The Devils opted for another rookie coach, giving Alec Frost his first gig.

The 35th season of the ARL/ARLA was historically the closest on record, at least in the race for the top four positions. The Saints made history with the best regular season record in recent years, whilst the mighty Thompson Tigers fail to make the top four.

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------------
x - Charlotteville Saints 17-1 Sam Sullivan
x - Jasperstown Jets 11-7 Jim Proud
x - Roechester Eagles 10-8 Shane Jackson
x - Saltern Bulldogs 10-8 Oliver Crane
Kierea Cannons 10-8 Harry Wilkinson
Thompson Tigers 10-8 Andrew Latham
Calhournbar Crushers 10-8 Charlie Bartlet
Colart Colts 6-12 Hamish Landsdowne (0-4), Alain Dupee (6-8)
Hamilton Farmers 3-15 Peter Klein
Elderslie Devils 3-15 Alec Frost

Semi Finals
Jasperstown d. Charlotteville
Roechester d. Saltern
Preliminary Final
Charlotteville d. Roechester

McCartney Cup XXXV
Jasperstown d. Charlotteville

The Jets prove that last year was no fluke, beating the one-loss Saints twice in two games to claim their second championship. The Eagles record their best season since their establishment in 2013, and went within a whisker of causing the upset of the season in the preliminary final.

The finals saw the sensational sacking of Oliver Crane after the Bulldogs once again went "one-and-done" in their exit out of the finals. There is constant speculation that despite taking the Saints to the McCartney Cup game once again that Sam Sullivan will be asked to resign, especially after making the comment "I've squeezed all the juice out of these lemons" after the McCartney Cup game.

Watch this space...

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2019

Oliver Crane (53-37 in five seasons) from the Bulldogs paid the price for four successive exits from the playoffs, and was replaced by Jasperstown assistant coach James Payne.

Sam Sullivan (80-28 in six seasons, 3-8 in playoffs) resigned as the Saints coach the day after the McCartney Cup loss, slamming club officials for not offering their total support during his six seasons in charge. He will be replaced by Hamish Landsdowne, who previously coached Colart.

Alain Dupee was confirmed as the full-time coach of the Colts after taking over from Hamish Landsdowne early in the 2018 season. The Colts have only made the finals once in the past six seasons.

Harry Wilkinson (46-44 in five seasons) left the Kierea Cannons after a disappointing end to the 2018 season. He will be replaced by Bulldogs assistant coach Rob Cohen.

Coaches on the hot seat in 2019 - Charlie Bartlet (Calhournbar), Peter Klein (Hamilton), Alec Frost (Elderslie), Shane Jackson (Roechester)

Update of Rules
I have tightened the rules for contract rewards in the playoffs - call it the "Sullivan Rule", if you like - coaches finishing in the Top Five (as it will now be) must win a playoff game to have their contract extended by the usual year. If a team loses twice in the playoffs without winning (as it is now possible for teams finishing one to three to do) a year is clipped off the coach's contract. A team that wins 16 or more games in the year must win the McCartney Cup, otherwise a season is clipped off the contract as well. Hence, Sullivan walked the plank after going 17-1 but losing the big one.

At the other end of the scale, a coach is rewarded with another year if he can double his team's winning record from the previous season (even if it's from one win to two wins!). Also, previously the two bottom teams' coaches had a year clipped; now, it will only be the tenth placed side.

The top five rewards teams finishing first to third - they are not instantly eliminated if they lose their first game. Teams four and five must win three elimination matches just to play in the McCartney Cup game. One team nearly pulled it off this year...

TEAM Record Coach
----------------------------------------------------
x - Charlotteville Saints 14-4 Hamish Landsdowne
x - Jasperstown Jets 12-6 Jim Proud
x - Saltern Bulldogs 11-7 James Payne
x - Kierea Cannons 10-8 Rob Cohen
x - Thompson Tigers 9-9 Andrew Latham
Calhournbar Crushers 9-9 Charlie Bartlet
Colart Colts 8-10 Alain Dupee
Roechester Eagles 7-11 Shane Jackson
Elderslie Devils 7-11 Alec Frost
Hamilton Farmers 3-15 Peter Klein

Semi Finals Week One
Saltern d. Jasperstown
Kierea d. Thompson
Semi Finals Week Two
Saltern d. Charlotteville
Kierea d. Jasperstown
Preliminary Final
Charlotteville d. Kierea

McCartney Cup XXXVI
Saltern d. Charlotteville

Two coaches in their first season with their respective clubs guide their teams to the McCartney Cup, but only one could win - James Payne won more semi-finals this year than the Bulldogs had managed in the previous ten years.

Charlotteville lose their fourth McCartney Cup game in the space of six years, the second worst such streak (Jasperstown somehow lost five in six seasons in the 1990s)

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2020

Alec Frost was the toast of Elderslie after finally lifting the Devils off the foot of the table and increasing their win total from 3 to 7. He had his contract extended until 2021, although he remains on the hotseat if the Devils fall to last place again.

Peter Klein left the Hamilton Farmers after only winning six games in two seasons. His coaching career now appears to be over. His replacement is Charlie Bartlet, who left the Crushers after five seasons and one playoff apperance. His record was 47-43 during that time. Bartlet's replacement at the Crushers is former Colts coach Bill Tanks, who last coached in 2008. He has a two year contract.

Jim Proud had a year clipped off his contract after the Jets crashed and burned out of the finals in 2019. His job remains extremely safe however, with the contract presently due not to expire until 2023.

Shane Jackson is currently on the hotseat, and needed the Eagles to win a playoff game, or win 14 games, to keep his job. Good luck with that!

The off-season moves saw the Bulldogs slip away, while the Farmers and Devils improve a little more. Many pundits were predicting this to be one of the most unpredictable contests in years, and then went ahead anyway and predicted a Jets-Tigers finale.

TEAM Record Coach
----------------------------------------------------
x - Calhournbar Crushers 13-5 Bill Tanks
x - Thompson Tigers 11-7 Andrew Latham
x - Kierea Cannons 11-7 Rob Cohen
x - Saltern Bulldogs 10-8 James Payne
x - Colart Colts 10-8 Alain Dupee
Charlotteville Saints 9-9 Hamish Landsdowne
Jasperstown Jets 8-10 Jim Proud
Roechester Eagles 7-11 Shane Jackson
Hamilton Farmers 6-12 Charlie Bartlet
Elderslie Devils 5-13 Alec Frost

Semi Finals Week One
Kierea d. Thompson
Colart d. Saltern
Semi Finals Week Two
Calhournbar d. Kierea
Colart d. Thompson
Preliminary Final
Colart d. Kierea - become the first team from fifth spot to play in a McCartney Cup game.

McCartney Cup XXXVII
Calhournbar Crushers d. Colart Colts

Bill Tanks wins a McCartney Cup against his old team, as the Crushers break the longest drought in their history (only seven seasons, mind you!). It has now been a quarter of a century since Colart has celebrated a McCartney Cup win, with only three apperances in that time.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2021

Shane Jackson left the Roechester Eagles and walked straight into the vacant position at Elderslie. The new eagles coach is rookie Mark Maule.

For the first time in many, many seasons, a new team plummeted to the depths of the table - and the defending champions at that!

TEAM Record Coach
----------------------------------------
x - Colart Colts 14-4 Alain Dupee
x - Thompson Tigers 12-6 Andrew Latham
x - Saltern Bulldogs 11-7 James Payne
x - Roechester Eagles 10-8 Mark Maule
x - Kierea Cannons 10-8 Rob Cohen
Jasperstown Jets 9-9 Jim Proud
Charlotteville Saints 8-10 Hamish Landsdowne
Elderslie Devils 7-11 Shane Jackson
Calhournbar Crushers 5-13 Bill Tanks
Hamilton Farmers 4-14 Charlie Bartlet

Semi Finals Week One
Saltern d. Thompson
Roechester d. Kierea
Semi Finals Week Two
Saltern d. Colart
Thompson d. Roechester
Preliminary Final
Colart d. Thompson

McCartney Cup XXXVIII
Colart d. Saltern

Finally, the Colts' drought is over!

[kobe360x]

Great rookie season by Mark Maule

[Rawhide]

Yeah, he did quite well - for Roechester, anyway!

ARLA 2022

No coaching changes, although Hamish Landsdowne was docked a year after the Saints "progressed" from 17, to 14, to 9 to 8 wins - all under his watch. Jim Proud's seat is also slightly warming up - he needs to win at least four games or not finish last to survive this season. With the strength of the squad he has, the Jets should definitely finish in the top three - underachievement could see him exit before his contract is up.

The coach under the most pressure heading into this season though was Andrew Latham of the Thompson Tigers, a result of several disappointing playoff results.

In the end, the first coach to exit was not one of the three gentlemen listed above, but James Payne, who stood down after the Bulldogs lost their first seven games of the year and the coach reputedly lost the trust and respect of the players. Bill Tanks also resigned before he could be sacked, overseeing the worst ever season in the Crushers' history. In fact, Calhournbar had gone 6-24 since winning the McCartney Cup two seasons ago.

For the Crushers and Bulldogs, the season was a complete disaster.

TEAM Record Coach
---------------------------------------------
x - Colart Colts 15-3 Alain Dupee
x - Jasperstown Jets 14-4 Jim Proud
x - Roechester Eagles 13-5 Mark Maule
x - Charlotteville Saints 11-7 Hamish Landsdowne
x - Thompson Tigers 10-8 Andrew Latham
Hamilton Farmers 9-9 Charlie Bartlet
Kierea Cannons 9-9 Rob Cohen
Elderslie Devils 6-12 Shane Jackson
Saltern Bulldogs 2-16 James Payne (0-7), Daly North (2-9)
Calhournbar Crushers 1-17 Bill Tanks (1-13), Paul Howard (0-4)

Semi Finals Week One
Roechester d. Jasperstown
Thompson d. Charlotteville
Semi Finals Week Two
Roechester d. Colart -
Jasperstown d. Thompson
Preliminary Final
Jasperstown d. Colart

McCartney Cup XXXIX
Jasperstown d. Roechester

The Jets win their third McCartney Cup. Not bad for a coach who was on the hot seat!
The Eagles appear in their first McCartney Cup final (as the Roechester Eagles - Palmerston were last in the decider in 1987).
The Colts crash and burn, with a year clipped off Alain Dupee's contract.
Andrew Latham barely survives at Thompson; had they lost in the finals to Charlotteville, he would have been sacked.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2023

Three teams made coaching changes for the 2023 season; two teams which really needed a new start, and one which was farewelling its most successful coach.

Saltern pulled the plug on Daly North's aspirations for holding the full-time job when it dismissed him during the off-season. North was warming the seat after James Payne fell on his sword and posted the Bulldogs' only two wins of a shocking 2022, but it wasn't enough. Rookie coach Ben Ryan is charged with the mission of restoring the bite into the Bulldogs.

Over at Calhournbar, Paul Howard had even less time than North to get accustomed to his new surroundings. Rookie coach Kieren Phelps, an assistant coach at the upstart Eagles, gets his first job with one of the ARLA's more iconic clubs.

Jasperstown farewelled Jim Proud, who decided to retire after winning his third McCartney Cup in ten seasons with the Jets. He holds many J-Town records, including most games coached (180), most wins (108), most playoff wins (9), as well as the first three McCartneys for the Jets.


TEAM Record Coach
---------------------------------------------
x - Thompson Tigers 13-5 Andrew Latham
x - Kierea Cannons 12-6 Rob Cohen
x - Roechester Eagles 12-6 Mark Maule
x - Jasperstown Jets 12-6 John Boyle
x - Colart Colts 11-7 Alain Dupee
Saltern Bulldogs 8-10 Ben Ryan
Elderslie Devils 6-12 Shane Jackson
Hamilton Farmers 6-12 Charlie Bartlet
Charlotteville Saints 6-12 Hamish Landsdowne
Calhournbar Crushers 4-14 Kieren Phelps

Semi Finals Week One
Roechester d. Kierea
Colart d. Jasperstown
Semi Finals Week Two
Thompson d. Roechester
Kierea d. Colart
Preliminary Final
Roechester d. Kierea

McCartney Cup XL
Thompson Tigers d. Roechester Eagles

Latham bags his second McCartney to go with the one he won in 2016, and buys some valuable breathing space with the win.
Mark Maule again takes his team to the title decider but couldn't get them over the line. Will next year be the year?
Kierea - always the bridesmaids, never the blushing bride!
Ben Ryan and Kieren Phelps are rewarded for boosting the winning ratio of their respective clubs, with two extra seasons each.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2024

Hamish Landsdowne left the Charlotteville Saints after guiding the team to ninth position in his fifth season. His time at the club had largely been a failure, despite making the McCartney Cup game in his first season. The Saints sprunge somewhat of a surprise by appointing Daly North as his successor. North's experience in the ARLA amounted to 11 games as caretaker coach of the Bulldogs in 2022.

The window of opportunity appeared to shut on the Cannons, with many experienced and skilful players either retiring or signing for other clubs, resulting in a much weaker squad.

TEAM Record Coach
-----------------------------------------------
x - Thompson Tigers 13-5 Andrew Latham
x - Roechester Eagles 13-5 Mark Maule
x - Jasperstown Jets 12-6 John Boyle
x - Elderslie Devils 11-7 Shane Jackson
x - Charlotteville Saints 10-8 Daly North
Hamilton Farmers 9-9 Charlie Bartlet
Colart Colts 8-10 Alain Dupee
Saltern Bulldogs 7-11 Ben Ryan
Kierea Cannons 6-12 Rob Cohen
Calhournbar Crushers 1-17 Kieren Phelps

Semi Finals Week One
Jasperstown d. Roechester
Elderslie d. Charlotteville
Semi Finals Week Two
Jasperstown d. Thompson
Roechester d. Elderslie
Semi Finals Week Three
Roechester d. Thompson

McCartney Cup XLI
Jasperstown d. Roechester

Jasperstown win their fourth title in the space of eight seasons. It is the first title for coach John Boyle.
The Eagles lose their third straight McCartney Cup in a row, while the Crushers spend another season rooted to the bottom of the table.
The Devils make their first playoff apperance since 2008...the team with the longest drought now are the hapless Hamilton Farmers (2011).

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2025

Demonstrating that there is no loyalty in professional sports - unless you are winning - the Hamilton Farmers dispensed with Charlie Bartlet despite a 9-9 season (equal with the Farmers' best season since 2011). Barlet lasted five seasons and posted a 34-56 record - which sounds dismal until you realise his three predecessors (Luke Allan, Steve Parker and Peter Klein) went 22-104 before Bartlet's arrival at the Potato Heads. Bartlet leaves as the third longest-serving Farmers coach (90 games, after Paul Ingham's 157 games and David H. Smith's 102 games. But unlike the other two gentlemen, Bartlet's record was in one continuous stretch).

Curiously, Bartlet's replacement is former Devils coach Alec Frost, whose record of 15-39 in three seasons at Fenton Road does not fill Hamilton supporters with much confidence.

Rob Cohen also found his office out of bounds when Kierea gave him his marching orders. The Cannons (3rd in 2023, 9th in 2024) are clearly looking for a new direction, and are searching for only their fourth coach in nineteen seasons. Cohen went 58-50 in six seasons. Kierea found their savour in the Farmers' castoffs, with Charlie Bartlet starting with his third club. He is 81-99 over ten seasons, but has only qualified once for the playoffs. Time will tell whether the Cannons made the right hire.

It turned out to be a remarkable seasons, with three teams from last year's top five dropping out...and an unlikely team made a surge towards a first McCartney Cup game in a long time, only to fall just short.

TEAM Record Coach
-----------------------------------------------
x - Roechester Eagles 14-4 Mark Maule
x - Charlotteville Saints 13-5 Daly North
x - Colart Colts 11-7 Alain Dupee
x - Calhournbar Crushers 10-8 Kieren Phelps
x - Hamilton Farmers 10-8 Alec Frost
Jasperstown Jets 9-9 John Boyle
Saltern Bulldogs 8-10 Ben Ryan
Thompson Tigers 7-11 Andrew Latham
Kierea Cannons 5-13 Charlie Bartlet
Elderslie Devils 3-15 Shane Jackson

Semi Finals Week One
Colart d. Charlotteville
Hamilton d. Calhournbar
Semi Finals Week Two
Roechester d. Colart
Hamilton d. Charlotteville
Preliminary Final
Colart d. Hamilton

McCartney Cup XLII
Roechester Eagles d. Colart Colts

At long last, the Eagles win a McCartney! Fourth time lucky!
It is the first cup for the Roechester Eagles proper, and the first McCartney overall for the franchise since Palmerston won in 1987.
The Hamilton Farmers and Calhournbar Crushers dominate the plaudits during the season, with Alec Frost (Alec Frost!) taking the Farmers within a breath of the McCartney Cup, while Kieren Phelps improved the Crushers by nine full games.

[kobe360x]

Eagles have actually won! After 3 straight final losses!

[Rawhide]

Which is proof, I guess, that consistency eventually breeds success.

Just to fill everybody in on what is going on behind the scenes - over the past ten seasons the "performance points" (what I use to determine who wins in a head-to-head matchup) have fluctuated wildly. It is totally random as to how much points increase or decrease in a given season, except that teams outside the top five have a better chance of a increase, and teams in the top five have a better chance of a decrease. It's my version of parity.

I guess another way to look at this is to track the best and worst rated teams each year and see how they ended up. As the table will attest, the best team hasn't always won the McCartney Cup! (Or even made the Top Five!)

Best Rated Team Each Season (Performance Points in brackets)
2013 - Thompson Tigers (14) - 13-5, runners-up
2014 (tie) - Thompson Tigers (14) - 14-4, champions
2014 (tie) - Charlotteville Saints (14) - 12-6, runners-up
2015 (tie) - Thompson Tigers (20) - 16-2, champions
2015 (tie) - Charlotteville Saints (20) - 11-7, fifth
2016 (tie) - Thompson Tigers (20) - 15-3, champions
2016 (tie) - Charlotteville Saints (20) - 14-4, runners-up
2017 - Thompson Tigers (19) - 16-2, runners-up
2018 - Charlotteville Saints (18) - 17-1, runners-up
2019 - Thompson Tigers (16) - 9-9, fifth
2020 (tie) - Thompson Tigers (15) - 11-7, fourth
2020 (tie) - Jasperstown Jets (15) - 8-10, seventh
2021 - Jasperstown Jets (18) - 9-9, sixth
2022 - Jasperstown Jets (22) - 14-4, champions
2023 - Jasperstown Jets (22) - 12-6, fifth
2024 - Jasperstown Jets (24) - 12-6, champions
2025 - Jasperstown Jets (26) - 9-9, sixth

So, despite the most talented roster historically, the Jets should have won far more than four championships - yet they have missed the finals in three of the past six seasons! Inconsistent or what?

Best Team Rating divided by Worst Team Rating
The lower the more, the more even the comp...perhaps?

2013 - 4.7
2014 - 3.5
2015 - 20.0
2016 - 20.0
2017 - 19.0
2018 - 6.0
2019 - 4.0
2020 - 2.1
2021 - 2.6
2022 - 3.1
2023 - 3.7
2024 - 3.0
2025 - 3.2

Between 2015-17, the weakest team was rated one, meaning that if they lost any more points, the franchise would have been folded. The weakest teams are now rated 8.

Also during 2015-17, the weakest team only had a 5% chance of beating the strongest team, all things being equal. Now, the odds are 31%.

The final table - what were the odds of each of the McCartney Cup champions winnings? What could be considered the biggest upset? This was worked out by dividing the winning team's strength by the strength of both sides. The lower the percentage, the bigger the upset.

2013 - Calhournbar 44%
2014 - Thompson 50%
2015 - Thompson 71%
2016 - Thompson 50%
2017 - Jasperstown 42%
2018 - Jasperstown 45%
2019 - Saltern 46%
2020 - Calhournbar 48%
2021 - Colart 60%
2022 - Jasperstown 56%
2023 - Thompson 47%
2024 - Jasperstown 57%
2025 - Roechester 56%

Historically:

1985 - Elderslie 40%
1986 - Palmerston 42%
1987 - Palmerston 41%
1999 - Stockland 40%
2000 - Calhournbar 42%

Favourites are 4-6 in the McCartney Cup in the ARLA era (with the two 50% results discounted).

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2026

Two coaches found themselves out of a job at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
The Thompson Tigers released Andrew Latham after ten seasons and the longest tenure of any coach at Riverside Park. Latham inherited a red-hot squad from the legendary Bill Dawson and won two McCartney Cups in his time with the Tigers, but a series of disappointing finals results saw patience from management grow shorter and shorter. Latham leaves as the winningest coach in Thompson history, with his 116-64 record 15 games better than Jake Walsh. Latham will be replaced by his assistant coach, and the Tigers' first ever McCartney Cup winning captain, Daniel Forbes.

Shane Jackson was given the flick by the Devils after five seasons, including Elderslie's first playoff apperance in nearly two decades, but a 3-15 season left the writing on the wall. He departed with a 33-57 record, the most successful Devils coach since Mick Porter. Sliding into the Devils' job will be Andrew Latham.

(Results to follow)

[Rawhide]

TEAM Record Coach
---------------------------------------------------
x - Jasperstown Jets 14-4 John Boyle
x - Charlotteville Saints 12-6 Daly North
x - Thompson Tigers 11-7 Daniel Forbes
x - Roechester Eagles 9-9 Mark Maule
x - Elderslie Devils 9-9 Andrew Latham
Kierea Cannons 9-9 Charlie Bartlet
Colart Colts 8-10 Alain Dupee
Hamilton Farmers 7-11 Alec Frost
Saltern Bulldogs 6-12 Ben Ryan
Calhournbar Crushers 5-13 Kieren Phelps

Semi Finals Week One
Charlotteville d. Thompson
Roechester d. Elderslie
Semi Finals Week Two
Jasperstown d. Charlotteville
Thompson d. Roechester
Preliminary Final
Thompson d. Charlotteville

McCartney Cup XLIII
Jasperstown d. Thompson

The Jets deservedly win another McCartney Cup, their fifth in history.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2027

Kieren Phelps paid a heavy price for "winning" three wooden spoons in his four seasons at the Crushers, having his contract torn up. He went 20-52 with one playoff apperance. His replacement is a familiar name to the ARLA, with Hamish Landsdowne resuming his coaching career after four seasons "on the outer". Landsdowne is 95-89 with two McCartney Cup apperances in ten seasons of coaching. This is arguably his toughest task yet - to make Calhournbar competitive once more.

Andrew Latham suddenly announced his retirement, after eleven seasons of coaching in the ARLA (ten with the Tigers, and last season with the Devils). His replacement is former Jets assistant coach Thomas Nash.

The ARLA announced in the off-season that the competition structure would change once again, over a period of five seasons:

- Two new clubs would be admitted in 2029 to bring the competition up to twelve,
- Starting in 2027, teams would play an extra number of games against teams which finished in their "half" of the competition the year before (for example, the Top Five teams from 2026 would play each other three times in 2027, and vice versa for the Bottom Five). That would mean a 22-game schedule in 2027, rising to 27 games in 2029.
- The Top Six system would make a return, in 2029.
- To compensate for the increased number of games, the length of each game will be shortened from 80 minutes to 60 minutes.

"We hope that these changes will make the ARLA stronger and more appealing to those supporters of the game," commented commissioner Jake Walsh.

TEAM Record Coach
---------------------------------------------------
x - Jasperstown Jets 15-7 John Boyle
x - Saltern Bulldogs 15-7 Ben Ryan
x - Roechester Eagles 13-9 Mark Maule
x - Colart Colts 11-11 Alain Dupee
x - Charlotteville Saints 11-11 Daly North
Elderslie Devils 10-12 Thomas Nash
Kierea Cannons 10-12 Charlie Bartlet
Calhournbar Crushers 10-12 Hamish Landsdowne
Thompson Tigers 9-13 Daniel Forbes
Hamilton Farmers 6-16 Alec Frost

Semi Finals Week One
Saltern d. Roechester
Colart d. Charlotteville
Semi Finals Week Two
Jasperstown d. Saltern
Roechester d. Colart
Preliminary Final
Saltern d. Roechester

McCartney Cup XLIV
Saltern Bulldogs d. Jasperstown Jets

The Bulldogs pull off one of the biggest upsets ever in McCartney Cup history, defeating a heavily favoured Jets team.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2028

The Charlotteville Saints were unhappy with Daly North's performance as coach - despite taking the club to the playoffs in every one of his four seasons, his record in the playoffs was a dismal 1-6. Enter the axe, exit the coach. In his place, the Saints recalled former coach Sam Sullivan, who had not coached in the ARLA since getting the sack himself ten years previously.

Charlotteville, Saltern and Colart - all finalists in 2027 - fell away badly in the new season. Saltern became the first champion team to finish last the following season.

A surprise team sat upon the top of the table, having nearly conquered all before them. Would the Kierea Cannons finally win their first McCartney Cup, after twenty-two seasons of effort?

TEAM Record Coach
---------------------------------------------------
x - Kierea Cannons 20-2 Charlie Bartlet
x - Jasperstown Jets 15-7 John Boyle
x - Roechester Eagles 14-8 Mark Maule
x - Hamilton Farmers 13-9 Alec Frost
x - Thompson Tigers 12-10 Daniel Forbes
Elderslie Devils 10-12 Thomas Nash
Calhournbar Crushers 10-12 Hamish Landsdowne
Charlotteville Saints 6-16 Sam Sullivan
Colart Colts 5-17 Alain Dupee
Saltern Bulldogs 5-17 Ben Ryan

Semi Finals Week One
Jasperstown d. Roechester
Thompson d. Hamilton
Semi Finals Week Two
Kierea d. Jasperstown
Roechester d. Thompson
Preliminary Final
Jasperstown d. Roechester

McCartney Cup XLV
Kierea Cannons d. Jasperstown Jets

Charlie Bartlet wins his very first McCartney Cup as a coach, in his fourteenth season!
The Cannons win their first McCartney Cup in club history, and at their first attempt.

[Rawhide]

I'm going to wrap this one up...it's been a good little bit of fun on the side, but I have a new franchise in the wings. Excel rugby league will have to go on the backburner for a while.

This new franchise is going to be...well...quite different, and strange!

[kobe360x]

to bad:(

[bbgunn]

Very sad... I was just starting to get into this!

[Rawhide]

Well, cricket turned out really well, because the program file corrupted itself!

Hence, back to the ARLA, and it's larger-than-life 27 game season.

Two new teams were to join the competition in 2029, with Stockland making a return to the competition for the first time since 2012. This time, rather than being known as simply "Stockland Football Club", they would adopt the name Stockland Sharks. The other team would be the oddly named "Western Wave", based out of Mandrasharm, a new satellite city on the outskirts of Calhournbar.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2029

Ben Ryan paid an obvious price for becoming the first coach to take a team from the championship to last place in the space of one season. He leaves the Bulldogs with a 49-67 record over six seasons, but with one McCartney Cup as well. The new coach is Jack Kelly.

Alain Dupee, the longest-serving and "winningest" coach in the history of the Colts stood down after ten-and-a-half seasons in charge. "I'm doing something that the Colts couldn't do in all my time. I'm sacking myself," he laughed at his farewell press conference. Dupee took the Colts to three title-deciders, winning in 2021. His record is 107-95. To put his numbers in context, Dupee has won nearly as many games than the second- and third-placed Colts coaches in history put together (Tommy Tanks, 63, and Hamish Landsdowne, 47). New coach Tony Hillman has been given a four-season contract to try and lift Colart back up at the top.

Alec Frost was released from the Farmers, despite Hamilton winning a record number of games in a single season; he needed a playoff victory to secure a further year. His replacement and the fifteenth coach in Hamilton's sorry history is Harry Wilkinson, who previously coached the Kierea Cannons between 2014-18.

Sam Sullivan's return to coaching was not a success, lasting only one season with the Saints. His overall record is largely untainted despite a 6-16 season. His replacement is rookie coach Chris Ryan (a cousin of Ben Ryan, the now-former Bulldogs coach)

The Western Waves announced former Kierea mentor Rob Cohen as their inaugural coach, while the Stockland Stars went for a fresh look with Tom Watson as their first coach. Watson earned a reputation for hard play during his playing career with the Tigers, earning the nickname "Iron Guts".

With the longer 27-game schedule, it was expected that apart from the Wave and Stars, the teams would be fairly close to each other in terms of winning records. However, like the Cannons last season, a team stepped forward to scream out their title aspirations as loudly as they could:

TEAM Record Coach
-------------------------------------------------------------
z - Hamilton Farmers 24-3 Harry Wilkinson
y - Calhournbar Crushers 19-8 Hamish Landsdowne
x - Kierea Cannons 16-11 Charlie Bartlet
x - Colart Colts 15-12 Tony Hillman
x - Jasperstown Jets 14-13 John Boyle
x - Roechester Eagles 14-13 Mark Maule
Elderslie Devils 12-15 Thomas Nash
Saltern Bulldogs 11-16 Jack Kelly
Thompson Tigers 11-16 Daniel Forbes
Charlotteville Saints 11-16 Chris Ryan
Western Wave 10-17 Rob Cohen
Stockland Stars 5-22 Tom Watson

The playoffs reverted to the six-team system used extensively in previous seasons of the ARL and ARLA.

Elimination Finals
Kierea Cannons beat Roechester Eagles
Colart Colts beat Jasperstown Jets

Qualifying Finals
Calhournbar Crushers beat Hamilton Farmers
Kierea Cannons beat Colart Colts

Preliminary Final
Kierea Cannons beat Hamilton Farmers - Hamilton exits out of the finals with two straight losses. Are the Farmers cursed?

McCartney Cup XLVI
Calhournbar Crushers beat Kierea Cannons

Hamish Landsdowne wins a McCartney at his third attempt (having taken the 2015 Colts and 2019 Saints to the big dance without success). The Cannons proved to be worthy defenders of their title, winning three straight finals just to make the Mccartney Cup game, where their efforts came up short.

[bbgunn]

It's back!

[Rawhide]

Haha, glad you enjoy it.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2030

The ARLA Commission introduced two innovations to the competition in 2030. The first of these was an award created to honour the best coach of the season, named in memory of the first coach to win four McCartney Cups - the Kevin Jackson Medal.

The medal would be decided by a pure mathematical model, with the coach earning the highest number of points winning the award. The formula was kept a secret but thought to slightly favour those coaches who improved their squad's performance from the previous season rather than simply the coach whose team finished first.

The second innovation was the introduction of a representative match, not unlike an American baseball all-star game. Arcardia would be split into two "zones", with East facing off against West in a match played in the middle of the season. The coaches of each team would be selected at the end of the previous season and got to choose their own assistant coach. The players would be selected for each team after Week 11. The match itself would be played after Week 16, and hosted by the team that won the McCartney Cup in the previous season.

The concept would be called the League of Legends.

Eastern Zone - Hamilton, Calhournbar, Stockland, Roechester, Elderslie, Jasperstown
Western Zone - Saltern, Colart, Thompson, Western Waves, Kierea, Charlotteville

2030 League of Legends at Hamilton
Eastern Zone coach - Harry Wilkinson (Hamilton)
Eastern Zone assistant coach - Hamish Landsdowne (Calhournbar)
Western Zone coach - Charlie Bartlet (Kierea)
Western Zone assistant coach - Daniel Forbes (Thompson)

[Rawhide]

Weeks 1-11

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------
Roechester Eagles 8-3 Mark Maule
Thompson Tigers 8-3 Daniel Forbes
Hamilton Farmers 8-3 Harry Wilkinson
Elderslie Devils 8-3 Thomas Nash
Jasperstown Jets 7-4 John Boyle
Kierea Cannons 6-5 Charlie Bartlet
Saltern Bulldogs 5-6 Jack Kelly
Calhournbar Crushers 5-6 Hamish Landsdowne
Charlotteville Saints 4-7 Chris Ryan
Western Wave 4-7 Rob Cohen
Colart Colts 2-9 Tony Hillman
Stockland Stars 1-10 Tom Watson

The League of Legends teams were chosen, with the East being installed as 54% favourites, largely helped by the presence of four of their teams in the top six.

Week 12-16

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------
Jasperstown Jets 12-4 John Boyle
Hamilton Farmers 12-4 Harry Wilkinson
Roechester Eagles 11-5 Mark Maule
Thompson Tigers 10-6 Daniel Forbes
Elderslie Devils 10-6 Thomas Nash
Kierea Cannons 9-7 Charlie Bartlet
Western Wave 8-8 Rob Cohen
Charlotteville Saints 7-9 Chris Ryan
Calhournbar Crushers 6-10 Hamish Landsdowne
Saltern Bulldogs 6-10 Jack Kelly
Colart Colts 4-12 Tony Hillman
Stockland Stars 1-15 Tom Watson

League of Legends - West beat East
Winning coach - Charlie Bartlet

Weeks 17-27

TEAM Record Coach
------------------------------------------------
x - Elderslie Devils 21-6 Thomas Nash
x - Jasperstown Jets 18-9 John Boyle
x - Hamilton Farmers 18-9 Harry Wilkinson
x - Roechester Eagles 17-10 Mark Maule
x - Thompson Tigers 15-12 Daniel Forbes
x - Kierea Cannons 14-13 Charlie Bartlet
Calhournbar Crushers 13-14 Hamish Landsdowne
Western Wave 13-14 Rob Cohen
Saltern Bulldogs 12-15 Jack Kelly
Charlotteville Saints 11-16 Chris Ryan
Colart Colts 7-20 Tony Hillman
Stockland Stars 3-24 Tom Watson

Elimination Finals
Hamilton d. Kierea
Roechester d. Thompson
Qualifying Finals
Jasperstown d. Elderslie
Roechester d. Hamilton
Preliminary Final
Elderslie d. Roechester
McCartney Cup XLVII
Jasperstown d. Elderslie

The Jets win their sixth McCartney Cup, and in their sixth apperance in the championship decider in nine years. Not a bad little trot! John Boyle wins his third McCartney Cup, moving level with Jets club legend Jim Proud in that regard.

The Devils enjoyed their first winning season since 2024 (when Shane Jackson went 11-7) and their first trip to the McCartney Cup since 2003 (when Marcel Courdouy won four straight playoff games to prevail over Jake Walsh's Thompson Tigers).

Kevin Jackson Medal
1st - Thomas Nash (Elderslie Devils)
2nd - John Boyle (Jasperstown Jets)
3rd - Mark Maule (Roechester Eagles)

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2031

Mark Maule announced his retirement after ten seasons of coaching the Roechester Eagles, during which the franchise won their only McCartney Cup. He will be replaced by his predecessor, with Shane Jackson taking over the role. Jackson has previously coached at Colart (2004-06), Roechester (2016-20) and Elderslie (2021-25). He has signed a two year contract.

Maule ranked well upon his peers at retirement, ranking second on the all-time list of wins at a single club (129 - behind Kevin Jackson)

The ARLA announced that a new playoff system would be introduced for this season. After a 33-game season, the top seven teams would qualify. Teams ranked second to seventh would face off in a single-elimination game, leaving three qualifiers for the semi-finals. The team that finished first would receive a bye, and choose whom they would play in a knockout final to qualify for the McCartney Cup. The other two teams would face off in the other knockout final.

The coaching staffs for the second League of Legends match (to be played in Jasperstown) was announced in the pre-season:

East - Thomas Nash (assistant John Boyle)
West - Daniel Forbes (assistant Rob Cohen)

[Rawhide]

As it turned out, Shane Jackson didn't last one season.

TEAM Record Coach
-------------------------------------------------
x - Elderslie Devils 24-9 Thomas Nash
x - Kierea Cannons 24-9 Charlie Bartlet
x - Hamilton Farmers 20-13 Harry Wilkinson
x - Calhournbar Crushers 20-13 Hamish Landsdowne
x - Saltern Bulldogs 19-14 Jack Kelly
x - Charlotteville Saints 17-16 Chris Ryan
x - Jasperstown Jets 17-16 John Boyle
Colart Colts 13-20 Tony Hillman
Thompson Tigers 13-20 Daniel Forbes
Roechester Eagles 11-22 Shane Jackson (0-12), Tim Chisholm (11-10)
Western Wave 11-22 Rob Cohen
Stockland Stars 10-23 Tom Watson

Kevin Jackson Medal
1st - Charlie Bartlet (Kierea Cannons)
2nd - Hamish Landsdowne (Calhournbar Crushers)
3rd - Jack Kelly (Saltern Bulldogs)

Quarter-Finals
2 v 7 - Kierea Cannons lost to Jasperstown Jets
3 v 6 - Hamilton Farmers lost to Charlotteville Saints
4 v 5 - Calhournbar Crushers beat Saltern Bulldogs
Devils coach Thomas Nash chose the Saints as his semi-final opponent

Semi-Finals
A - Charlotteville Saints d. Elderslie Devils - well, that certainly backfired!
B - Calhournbar Crushers d. Jasperstown Jets

McCartney Cup XLVIII
Calhournbar Crushers d. Charlotteville Saints

The Crushers (fourth overall) become the champions without having to face the top three teams in the finals, beating fifth, seventh and sixth on the way to another McCartney Cup title.

[Rawhide]

Nash slashed
Elderslie have sensationally dismissed Thomas Nash from the position of head coach, following their failure to qualify for the McCartney Cup final last season.

"We believe we have given Thomas every chance of succeeding with our squad," spoke chairman John Connons. "In some cases, we have given him too much support. Ultimately, Thomas chose his own fate when he made the wrong selection of semi-final opponent last season. I have no doubt that we should have played the Jets, not the Spiders. He may believe we are being too harsh, but that's the way the mop flops in my view."

Nash went 77-51 in five seasons with the Devils, taking them to two consecuitive finishes at the top of the ladder. He was the coach of the East squad in 2031 which ended up winning the second League of Legends.

"Grandpa" in charge
In a decision nearly as confusing as the dismissal of Nash, the Devils moved to replace him with a club stalwart old enough to be eligible for the pension. Mick Porter returns to Fenton Road and immediately becomes the oldest coach in the competition at the ripe old age of 67. Porter previously coached Elderslie between 2004-09 and also in 2013. His overall record is 65-70, including 2-4 in the playoffs.

Eagles rebuild for the future
Markus Wilson was revealed as the new coach of the Roechester Eagles, replacing caretaker Tim Chisholm. Wilson is one of the youngest coaches in the history of the ARLA, and will be just 31 when the season kicks off. Chisholm will stay on the Eagles staff as an "adviser".

Change at Stockland
Stockland today confirmed that Thomas Nash would be their new coach following the resignation of Tom "Iron Guts" Watson, who guided the Stars through their first three seasons in the ARLA.

Stockland also announced a name change, with the team now being known as the Sharks. "Stars was a bit of a silly name," conceded captain Mark Frye.

League of Legends coaches revealed
The now-annual League of Legends match is developing its own unique place in the ARLA, with the East and West sharing the honours in the first two seasons played. The concept will become a fully-fledged series this year, with three matches being played to decide the island's champion region.

Charlie Bartlet will coach the West zone, with Jack Kelly as his assistant, while for the reigning East zone, Thomas Nash will retain his position while the rookie Luke Wilson will act as his assistant.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2032

League of Legends - West wins the series 2-1

TEAM Record Coach
---------------------------------------------------
x - Hamilton Farmers 27-6 Harry Wilkinson
x - Elderslie Devils 22-11 Mick Porter
x - Calhournbar Crushers 21-12 Hamish Landsdowne
x - Kierea Cannons 17-16 Charlie Bartlet
x - Saltern Bulldogs 17-16 Jack Kelly
x - Stockland Sharks 17-16 Thomas Nash
x - Colart Colts 16-17 Tony Hillman
Thompson Tigers 15-18 Daniel Forbes
Charlotteville Saints 14-19 Chris Ryan
Jasperstown Jets 13-20 John Boyle
Western Wave 12-21 Rob Cohen
Roechester Eagles 7-26 Luke Wilson

Kevin Jackson Medal
1st - Harry Wilkinson (Hamilton Farmers)
2nd - Thomas Nash (Stockland Sharks)
3rd - Hamish Landsdowne (Calhournbar Crushers)

Quarter-Finals
2 v 7 - Elderslie Devils beat Colart Colts
3 v 6 - Stockland Sharks beat Calhournbar Crushers
4 v 5 - Saltern Bulldogs beat Kierea Cannons
Hamilton chose to play Stockland as their semi-final opponent.

Semi Finals
Hamilton Farmers beat Stockland Sharks
Saltern Bulldogs beat Elderslie Devils

McCartney Cup XLIX
Hamilton Farmers beat Saltern Bulldogs

The Farmers have FINALLY done it! They have won their maiden McCartney Cup title in their forty-ninth season and are the talk of Arcardia. Harry Wilkinson receives the keys to the city, along with the rest of his victorious squad.

There would be a mass of coaching changes for the ARLA's fiftieth season, with the Cannons, Colts, Tigers and Wave all signalling future developments in this area.

[Rawhide]

ARLA 2033

Coaching Changes
The four changes for the upcoming season each had an interesting storyline behind it.

The Kierea Cannons said farewell to longtime coach Charlie Bartlet after he decided to retire. Bartlet went 115-85 during his Cannons career, winning the club their only McCartney Cup. He also coached Hamilton and Calhournbar for a combined ten seasons. As we shall soon see, he is one of the most experienced coaches in ARLA history. His replacement is former Stockland coach Tom "Iron Guts" Watson.

The Colart Colts decided to dispense with Tony Hillman, and in a unique sign of nostalga re-signed their most successful coach in history, Alain Dupee, to a special "farewell" contract. Dupee will coach the side for this season only, before the Colts turn the team over long-term to his successor...whoever he is.

Rob Cohen was dumped by the Western Wave after four years without a playoff apperance. His replacement is David Kerslake, who has promised Wave fans a playoff apperance this season.

The final coaching change concerned the Thompson Tigers, where Daniel Forbes left after seven unsuccessful seasons. Forbes in fact became the first Tigers coach in over thirty years to leave with a losing record (86-96). His replacement is a second-generation coach, with Will Dawson following in the footsteps of his father Bill Dawson, who is still fondly remembered by Thompson fans for delivering their first three McCartney Cup titles.

The actual competition is quite even this year, with Hamilton, Kierea and Saltern all consistently rated as the best sides, while Roechester is probably the only team that has no real chance of playing in the finals, such is the levelness of the field.

Hamish Landsdowne (East) and Jack Kelly (West) were appointed coaches of their respective representative squads, and West proceded to win the series 2-1.

TEAM Record Coach
---------------------------------------------------
x - Saltern Bulldogs 21-12 Jack Kelly
x - Charlotteville Saints 19-14 Chris Ryan
x - Calhournbar Crushers 18-15 Hamish Landsdowne
x - Thompson Tigers 18-15 Will Dawson
x - Hamilton Farmers 18-15 Harry Wilkinson
x - Stockland Sharks 18-15 Thomas Nash
x - Jasperstown Jets 17-16 John Boyle
Elderslie Devils 16-17 Mick Porter
Colart Colts 16-17 Alain Dupee
Kierea Cannons 15-18 Tom Watson
Western Wave 14-19 David Kerslake
Roechester Eagles 9-24 Luke Wilson

Kevin Jackson Medal
1st - Jack Kelly (Saltern Bulldogs)
2nd - Will Dawson (Thompson Tigers)
3rd - John Boyle (Jasperstown Jets)

Quarter Finals
2 v 7 - Charlotteville d. Jasperstown
3 v 6 - Stockland d. Calhournbar
4 v 5 - Thompson d. Hamilton
Saltern chose to play the Sharks.

Semi Finals
Saltern d. Stockland
Thompson d. Charlotteville

McCartney Cup L
Saltern Bulldogs d. Thompson Tigers

The Bulldogs win their first championship since 2027, and their tenth in club history. Will Dawson narrowly fails to bring a championship back to Thompson and emulate the deeds of his father.

Coming up - a fifty year review of the ARLA.

[bbgunn]

Coming up - a fifty year review of the ARLA.


Cannot wait for that! :popcorn:

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In 2033 the ARLA set up a Coaching Ring of Honour to salute those who have etched their names at the forefront of rugby league coaching in the past fifty years of the ARLA. The historians poured over the records and set the following criteria for admission into the "Ring". Fulfilling one of the following will gain a coach admittance:

* Winning 100 games at a rate of better than 60.0% during their careers
* Winning at least three McCartney Cup titles, or qualifying for six finals.
* Coaching in at least 300 games (200 games for those whose careers finished before 2013)
* Five Kevin Jackson medals (coach of the year award)

In addition, the coach must have been retired for at least ten seasons.

After deliberation, it was announced that the following were the inaugural members of the Coaching Ring of Honour:

Kevin Jackson
Calhournbar Crushers 1984-1996
Record - 156-53 (74.6%)
McCartney Cups - 4/8

Angus Ryan
Elderslie Devils 1995-99, Calhournbar Crushers 1999-2005, Elderslie Devils 2015
Record - 156-53 (74.6%)
McCartney Cups - 2/5

Jim Proud
Jasperstown Jets 2013-22
Record - 108-72 (60.0%)
McCartney Cups - 3/3

Bill Dawson
Charlotteville Spiders 1999-2000, Thompson Tigers 2008-15
Record - 107-49 (68.6%)
McCartney Cups - 3/6

David Franklin
Saltern Bulldogs 1983-87, 1992-93, 1999-2002
Record - 105-65 (61.8%)
McCartney Cups - 1/2

John Conway
Saltern Bulldogs 2003-08
Record - 91-26 (77.8%)
McCartney Cups - 4/4

Marcel Courdouy
Colart Colts 1995-96, Charlotteville Spiders 1997-98, Elderslie Devils 1999-2003
Record - 85-59 (59.0%)
McCartney Cups - 3/4


!

Coaches who currently are eligible to enter the Ring but cannot due to the ten year cooling down period are:

Hamish Landsdowne (497 career games coached, 2/6 McCartney Cups; still active)
Charlie Bartlet (380 career games coached - eligible in 2043)
John Boyle (3/5 McCartney Cups - eligible in 2043)
Harry Wilkinson (153 wins at 63%; still active)
Mark Maule (129 wins at 62.6% - eligible in 2040)
Andrew Latham (125 wins at 63.1% - eligible in 2036)

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All Time Winning Coaches
* Still active

281 - Hamish Landsdowne*
196 - Charlie Bartlet
156 - Kevin Jackson
156 - John Boyle
153 - Harry Wilkinson*

Most Games Coached
* Still active

497 - Hamish Landsdowne*
380 - Charlie Bartlet
269 - John Boyle
243 - Harry Wilkinson*
235 - Alain Dupee

Best Winning Percentage
Qualifier - Coached two or more seasons
* Still active

77.8% - John Conway
74.6% - Kevin Jackson
71.9% - Ben Wellington
69.9% - Harry Taylor
68.6% - Bill Dawson

McCartney Cup Records
Based on 3 points for a win, 1 point for a loss.
Actual record is in brackets
* Still active

16 - Kevin Jackson (4-4)
12 - John Conway (4-0)
12 - Bill Dawson (3-3)
11 - John Boyle (3-2)
10 - Marcel Courdouy (3-1)
10 - Hamish Landsdowne* (2-4)

The Honour Roll - McCartney Cup Champions
Period One - Establishment (1983-1995)

1983 - Colart Colts (George Young)
1984 - Calhournbar Crushers (Kevin Jackson)
1985 - Elderslie Devils (Martin Moore)
1986 - Palmerston Eagles (Rob Riordan)
1987 - Palmerston Eagles (Rob Riordan)
1988 - Colart Colts (Tommy Tanks)
1989 - Saltern Bulldogs (Charlie Grace)
1990 - Calhournbar Crushers (Kevin Jackson)
1991 - Colart Colts (Tommy Tanks)
1992 - Colart Colts (Marc Bonaparte)
1993 - Colart Colts (George Young)
1994 - Calhournbar Crushers (Kevin Jackson)
1995 - Colart Colts (Marcel Courdouy)

Period Two - Expansion and Collapse (1996-2011)

1996 - Calhournbar Crushers (Kevin Jackson)
1997 - Calhournbar Crushers (Ben Wellington)
1998 - Calhournbar Crushers (Ben Wellington)
1999 - Stockland Football Club (Sam Gibson)
2000 - Calhournbar Crushers (Angus Ryan)
2001 - Saltern Bulldogs (David Franklin)
2002 - Elderslie Devils (Marcel Courdouy)
2003 - Elderslie Devils (Marcel Courdouy)
2004 - Saltern Bulldogs (John Conway)
2005 - Saltern Bulldogs (John Conway)
2006 - Calhournbar Crushers (Peter Klein)
2007 - Saltern Bulldogs (John Conway)
2008 - Saltern Bulldogs (John Conway)
2009 - Thompson Tigers (Bill Dawson)
2010 - Calhournbar Crushers (Peter Klein)
2011 - Saltern Bulldogs (Patrick Grace)

Period Three - Stability and Renewal (2013-2033)

2013 - Calhournbar Crushers (Angus Ryan)
2014 - Thompson Tigers (Bill Dawson)
2015 - Thompson Tigers (Bill Dawson)
2016 - Thompson Tigers (Andrew Latham)
2017 - Jasperstown Jets (Jim Proud)
2018 - Jasperstown Jets (Jim Proud)
2019 - Saltern Bulldogs (James Payne)
2020 - Calhournbar Crushers (Bill Tanks)
2021 - Colart Colts (Alain Dupee)
2022 - Jasperstown Jets (Jim Proud)
2023 - Thompson Tigers (Andrew Latham)
2024 - Jasperstown Jets (John Boyle)
2025 - Roechester Eagles (Mark Maule)
2026 - Jasperstown Jets (John Boyle)
2027 - Saltern Bulldogs (Ben Ryan)
2028 - Kierea Cannons (Charlie Bartlet)
2029 - Calhournbar Crushers (Hamish Landsdowne)
2030 - Jasperstown Jets (John Boyle)
2031 - Calhournbar Crushers (Hamish Landsdowne)
2032 - Hamilton Farmers (Harry Wilkinson)
2033 - Saltern Bulldogs (Jack Kelly)

Most Championships
13 - Calhournbar Crushers
10 - Saltern Bulldogs
7 - Colart Colts
6 - Jasperstown Jets
5 - Thompson Tigers
3 - Elderslie Devils
2 - Palmerston Eagles
1 - Stockland Football Club
1 - Roechester Eagles
1 - Hamilton Farmers
1 - Kierea Cannons


Second Division Champions
2009 - Westlands Whalers
2010 - Hamilton Farmers
2011 - Courdeaux Cockerels


Third Division Champions
2011 - Brentwood Browns


Kevin Jackson Medal (Coach of the Year)
2030 - Thomas Nash (Elderslie Devils)
2031 - Charlie Bartlet (Kierea Cannons)
2032 - Harry Wilkinson (Hamilton Farmers)
2033 - Jack Kelly (Saltern Bulldogs)


League of Legends Series
2030 - West (Charlie Bartlet beat Harry Wilkinson)
2031 - East (Thomas Nash beat Daniel Forbes)
2032 - West 2-1 (Charlie Bartlet beat Thomas Nash)
2033 - West 2-1 (Jack Kelly beat Hamish Landsdowne)


ARL/ARLA administrators
1983 - John R. Stephenson
1996 - Catherine Ryan
2008 - Jack Schitt
2012 - David H. Smith
2013 - Jake Walsh

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ARLA 2034

Three clubs adopted new coaches prior to the start of the season. Alain Dupee departed the Colts, paving the way for new coach Grant Forbes. John Boyle retired from the Jasperstown Jets after a twelve year association; he is replaced by Alexander Barclay. Luke Wilson got the chop after taking the Eagles to 12-50 over two seasons. His replacement is Mitchell Brent. All three coaches are in their thirties, representing the new wave of head coaches replacing the old guard.

It was the old guard, however, that retained their positions for the League of Legends fixtures; Hamish Landsdowne (East) and Jack Kelly (West) retained their positions. West went on to sweep the series 3-0.

TEAM Record Coach
-----------------------------------------
x - Stockland Sharks 21-12 Thomas Nash
x - Kierea Cannons 19-14 Tom Watson
x - Calhournbar Crushers 18-15 Hamish Landsdowne
x - Hamilton Farmers 18-15 Harry Wilkinson
x - Elderslie Devils 18-15 Mick Porter
x - Saltern Bulldogs 18-15 Jack Kelly
x - Colart Colts 17-16 Grant Forbes
Western Wave 17-16 David Kerslake
Charlotteville Saints 15-18 Chris Ryan
Thompson Tigers 15-18 Will Dawson
Roechester Eagles 14-19 Mitchell Brent
Jasperstown Jets 8-25 Alexander Barclay

Kevin Jackson Medal
1st - Thomas Nash (Stockland Sharks)
2nd - Tom Watson (Kierea Cannons)
3rd - Mitchell Brent (Roechester Eagles)

Quarter Finals
Kierea Cannons d. Colart Colts
Saltern Bulldogs d. Calhournbar Crushers
Elderslie Devils d. Hamilton Farmers
The Sharks chose to play the Bulldogs

Semi Finals
Kierea Cannons d. Elderslie Devils
Stockland Sharks d. Saltern Bulldogs

McCartney Cup LI
Stockland Sharks d. Kierea Cannons

The two best teams all year meet in the McCartney Cup game; Thomas Nash wins his first cup while Tom "Iron Guts" Watson lifts the Cannons from tenth to second in the space of a season.

It is the Sharks' first McCartney Cup win as a resurrected franchise (although the original Stockland side won way back in 1999). The Cannons played in their third McCartney Cup game in the space of six years - they have only won once (2028).

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ARLA 2035

After many years of running the ARLA and overseeing its return to a stable competition, Commissioner Jake Walsh announced his retirement effective January 31st.

Walsh - a former coach of the Thompson Tigers - stayed in the Commissioner's seat for 22 years, a record tenure in the combined history of the ARL/ARLA.

The race to succeed him came down to two respected figures in the circles of Arcardian society, but two figures who offered starkly different views about the future direction of the competition.

David H. Smith was the great survivor of the ARLA, having been involved in the administration of the Hamilton Farmers for forty seasons, and also coaching the side in three seperate stints. He was the Al Davis of the ARLA, but without the craziness. Under his guidance, the Farmers had survived the ARL crash of 2012 and developed to a point where they eventually broke the longest drought in the ARLA and won the McCartney Cup in 2032. Aged 73, Smith could be considered a safe pair of hands, but a short term successor. He promised to maintain the integrity and structure of the ARLA as it presently stands.

On the other hand, Mark Maule represented a younger generation. He was a virtual unknown when he took over the Roechester Eagles in 2021 - a team which had just one playoff game to its name. By the time he retired in 2030 the team had played in four championship deciders and made the playoffs in each and every season. Aged 45, Maule was still good enough to coach, but yearned to occupy the Commissioner's seat and make what he perceived to be the brave decisions that would guide the ARLA into a new era; reforming the ARLA into a virtual "Champions League", allowing each of the 60-or-so clubs throughout Arcardia which played the funny old game of Rugby League access to the game's greatest prize. He would also do away with the League of Legends concept.

Delegates from each of the 12 teams met at Stephenson House on January 31 2035 to make a momentous decision, and it was about as emphatic a decision as could be expected: By a vote of 9-3, the ARLA had decided that the present course was just fine, and installed David H. Smith as it's sixth commissioner. The vote was as much a referendum on Mark Maule as it was an affirmation for Smith; one delegate, speaking on condition of secrecy, said that the Maule Plan "scared the shit out of me".

Nonetheless, by a vote of 9-3 also, the League of Legends concept was scrapped.

Coaching Changes
Hamish Landsdowne received his marching orders from the Calhournbar Crushers after three straight seasons of playoff blowouts. He went 129-101 during his time with the Crushers, winning two McCartney Cups. Landsdowne announced his retirement from coach effective immediately, and endorsed assistant Craig Collins as his successor.

In pre-season betting, Stockland, Kierea and Hamilton were the early favourites, while most pundits predicted another long season for Jasperstown and the Eagles.

It turned out that there was quite a lot of changing coaches during the season, with three coaches losing their jobs.

David Kerslake resigned as the coach of the Western Wave after a 1-8 start to the season. He was replaced by Callan Rofe.

The Saltern Bulldogs made the semi-finals last season but stumbled out of the blocks badly, with Jack Kelly being axed after a 0-12 start. Oliver Crane, a former Bulldogs coach, stepped into the breach.

Over at Jasperstown, Alexander Barclay saw the writing on the wall and cleared out his office after starting 1-13. Sam Jackson is the new man in charge.

TEAM Record Coach
-------------------------------------------------
y - Kierea Cannons 26-7 Tom Watson
x - Hamilton Farmers 24-9 Harry Wilkinson
x - Stockland Stars 24-9 Bill Dawson
x - Charlotteville Saints 22-11 Chris Ryan
x - Elderslie Devils 21-12 Mick Porter
x - Calhournbar Crushers 17-16 Craig Collins
x - Colart Colts 16-17 Grant Forbes
Thompson Tigers 13-20 Will Dawson
Saltern Bulldogs 12-21 Jack Kelly (0-12), Oliver Crane (12-9)
Roechester Eagles 10-23 Mitchell Brent
Western Wave 8-25 David Kerslake (1-8), Callan Rofe (7-17)
Jasperstown Jets 5-28 Alexander Barclay (1-13), Sam Jackson (4-15)

Kevin Jackson Medal
1st - Tom Watson (Kierea Cannons)
2nd - Chris Ryan (Charlotteville Saints)
3rd - Harry Wilkinson (Hamilton Farmers)

Quarter Finals
Hamilton d. Colart
Stockland d. Calhournbar
Charlotteville d. Elderslie

For the first time in many, many seasons, the top four teams had progressed to the semi-final stage. Tom Watson made an unexpected and shocking decision when he chose the second-placed Hamilton Farmers as Kierea's opponents, pitting first against second in a knock-out final, while third would play fourth for the other place in the McCartney Cup game. Cannons fans - expecting to play Charlotteville instead - were outraged and petitioned Commissioner Smith to veto the decision. He refused saying that to do so would be an abuse of his office, and not to mention a potential conflict of interest.

Those Cannons fans would be doubly outraged a few short days later when Kierea bowed out of the competition.

Semi Finals
Hamilton d. Kierea
Stockland d. Charlotteville

McCartney Cup LII
Hamilton Farmers d. Stockland Sharks

The Farmers therefore won their second McCartney Cup in history, with Commissioner Smith handing the trophy to his son Charlie Smith (now Farmers owner) and Harry Wilkinson. The Potato Head fans were overjoyed and packed the streets of Hamilton until the wee hours in celebration.

The ARLA would be shocked two days later to learn that Commissioner Smith had passed away after suffering a massive coronary while working in his office.

Tributes flowed in from every corner of the ARLA universe, while Hamilton Cathedral was packed to overflowing, with every surviving Farmers coach acting as pallbearer for the father of their club.

Attention then turned to electing the seventh commissioner. While it seemed assured that Mark Maule would make another run at the top job, more than a few wondered whether he had watered down his plans sufficiently to not "scare the shit" out of the other owners.