The Alternative Rugby League

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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.

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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)

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Originally Posted by 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.

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.

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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)

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McCartney Cup XIII
Air Arcardia Stadium - Jasperstown - July 19th 1995

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

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McCartney Cup Honour Roll

1983 - I 24 12
1984 - II 18 14
1985 - III 24 22
1986 - IV 16 12
1987 - V 20 4
1988 - VI 27 26
1989 - VII 34 8
1990 - VIII 22 14
1991 - IX 25 18
1992 - X 40 16
1993 - XI 31 12
1994 - XII 18 16
1995 - XIII 18 8

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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.

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ARL to expand to nine teams in 1996
New club just one of several radical changes under Ryan regime.


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.

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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

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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

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v

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.

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v

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

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v

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

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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)

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

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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

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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

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]

Originally Posted by Rawhide

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.

Funny moments in league
YouTube - funniest rugby league moments - Gus Gould steals Laurie Daley's chair!!

Worst ever goalkicks!
YouTube - 5 worst kicks ever in the NRL!! Hilarious

An ancient Australian TV report of the greatest grand final in NRL history
YouTube - Canberra Raiders 1989 Grand Final

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

[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.

[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.