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Again if you belong to a club and would like to provide information such as team selections by Thursday and game reviews by Monday, please email to me or use the contact form, found in the Contact tab.
Rd | Date | Games | Preview | Review |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26th October 2019 | South Perth v Bassendean Mosman Park v Kardinya North Beach v Warnbro Manning v Doubleview Osborne Park v Cambridge | Preview | Review |
2 | 2nd November 2019 | Cambridge v Mosman Park Bassendean v North Beach Doubleview v Osborne Park Warnbro v Manning Kardinya v South Perth | Preview | Review |
3 | 9th November 2019 | Manning v Bassendean South Perth v North Beach Osborne Park v Warnbro Mosman Park v Doubleview Kardinya v Cambridge | Preview | Review |
4 | 16th November 2019 | Warnbro v Mosman Park Doubleview v Kardinya Bassendean v Osborne Park North Beach v Manning South Perth v Cambridge | Preview | Review |
5 | 23rd November 2019 | Mosman Park v Bassendean Osborne Park v North Beach Kardinya v Warnbro Cambridge v Doubleview Manning v South Perth | Preview | Review |
6 | 30th November 2019 | North Beach v Mosman Park Bassendean v Kardinya Manning v Osborne Park South Perth v Doubleview Warnbro v Cambridge | Preview | Review |
7 | 7th December 2019 | Cambridge v Bassendean Kardinya v North Beach Doubleview v Warnbro Mosman Park v Manning Osborne Park v South Perth | Preview | Review |
8 | 14th December 2019 | Osborne Park v Mosman Park Manning v Kardinya South Perth v Warnbro Bassendean v Doubleview North Beach v Cambridge | Preview | Review |
9 | 11th January 2020 | Warnbro v Bassendean Doubleview v North Beach Kardinya v Osborne Park Cambridge v Manning Mosman Park v South Perth | Preview | Review |
10 | 18th January 2020 | Bassendean v South Perth Kardinya v Mosman Park Warnbro v North Beach Doubleview v Manning Cambridge v Osborne Park | Preview | Review |
11 | 1st February 2020 | Mosman Park v Cambridge North Beach v Bassendean Osborne Park v Doubleview Manning v Warnbro South Perth v Kardinya | Preview | Review |
12 | 8th February 2020 | Bassendean v Manning North Beach v South Perth Warnbro v Osborne Park Doubleview v Mosman Park Cambridge v Kardinya | Preview | Review |
13 | 15th February 2020 | Mosman Park v Warnbro Kardinya v Doubleview Osborne Park v Bassendean Manning v North Beach Cambridge v South Perth | Preview | Review |
14 | 22nd February 2020 | Bassendean v Mosman Park North Beach v Osborne Park Warnbro v Kardinya Doubleview v Cambridge South Perth v Manning | Preview | Review |
15 | 7th March 2020 | Mosman Park v North Beach Kardinya v Bassendean Osborne Park v Manning Doubleview v South Perth Cambridge v Warnbro | Preview | Review |
16 | 14th March 2020 | Bassendean v Cambridge North Beach v Kardinya Warnbro v Doubleview Manning v Mosman Park South Perth v Osborne Park | Preview | Review |
17 | 21st March 2020 | Mosman Park v Osborne Park Kardinya v Manning Warnbro v South Perth Doubleview v Bassendean Cambridge v North Beach | Preview | Review |
18 | 28th March 2020 | Bassendean v Warnbro North Beach v Doubleview Osborne Park v Kardinya Manning v Cambridge South Perth v Mosman Park | Preview | Review |
Finals | 4th & 5th April 2020 |
Rd | Date | Games | Preview | Review |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26th October 2019 | Morley v Warwick Bassendean v Rossmoyne Kardinya v Osborne Park Wanneroo v Sorrento Cockburn v South Perth | Preview | Review |
2 | 2nd November 2019 | South Perth v Bassendean Warwick v Kardinya Sorrento v Cockburn Osborne Park v Wanneroo Rossmoyne v Morley | Preview | Review |
3 | 9th November 2019 | Wanneroo v Warwick Morley v Kardinya Cockburn v Osborne Park Bassendean v Sorrento Rossmoyne v South Perth | Preview | Review |
4 | 16th November 2019 | Osborne Park v Bassendean Sorrento v Rossmoyne Warwick v Cockburn Kardinya v Wanneroo Morley v South Perth | Preview | Review |
5 | 23rd November 2019 | Bassendean v Warwick Cockburn v Kardinya Rossmoyne v Osborne Park South Perth v Sorrento Wanneroo v Morley | Preview | Review |
6 | 30th November 2019 | Kardinya v Bassendean Warwick v Rossmoyne Wanneroo v Cockburn Morley v Sorrento Osborne Park v South Perth | Preview | Review |
7 | 7th December 2019 | South Perth v Warwick Rossmoyne v Kardinya Sorrento v Osborne Park Bassendean v Wanneroo Cockburn v Morley | Preview | Review |
8 | 14th December 2019 | Cockburn v Bassendean Wanneroo v Rossmoyne Morley v Osborne Park Warwick v Sorrento Kardinya v South Perth | Preview | Review |
9 | 11th January 2020 | Osborne Park v Warwick Sorrento v Kardinya Rossmoyne v Cockburn South Perth v Wanneroo Bassendean v Morley | Preview | Review |
10 | 18th January 2020 | Warwick v Morley Rossmoyne v Bassendean Osborne Park v Kardinya Sorrento v Wanneroo South Perth v Cockburn | Preview | Review |
11 | 1st February 2020 | Bassendean v South Perth Kardinya v Warwick Cockburn v Sorrento Wanneroo v Osborne Park Morley v Rossmoyne | Preview | Review |
12 | 8th February 2020 | Warwick v Wanneroo Kardinya v Morley Osborne Park v Cockburn Sorrento v Bassendean South Perth v Rossmoyne | Preview | Review |
13 | 15th February 2020 | Bassendean v Osborne Park Rossmoyne v Sorrento Cockburn v Warwick Wanneroo v Kardinya South Perth v Morley | Preview | Review |
14 | 22nd February 2020 | Warwick v Bassendean Kardinya v Cockburn Osborne Park v Rossmoyne Sorrento v South Perth Morley v Wanneroo | Preview | Review |
15 | 7th March 2020 | Bassendean v Kardinya Rossmoyne v Warwick Cockburn v Wanneroo Sorrento v Morley South Perth v Osborne Park | Preview | Review |
16 | 14th March 2020 | Warwick v South Perth Kardinya v Rossmoyne Osborne Park v Sorrento Wanneroo v Bassendean Morley v Cockburn | Preview | Review |
17 | 21st March 2020 | Bassendean v Cockburn Rossmoyne v Wanneroo Osborne Park v Morley Sorrento v Warwick South Perth v Kardinya | Preview | Review |
18 | 28th March 2020 | Warwick v Osborne Park Kardinya v Sorrento Cockburn v Rossmoyne Wanneroo v South Perth Morley v Bassendean | Preview | Review |
Finals | 4th & 5th April 2020 |
Predictions -
1. Quinns Rock
2. Doubleview
3. North Beach
4. Yokine
5. Swan
6. Mt Lawley
7. Mundaring
8. Wanneroo
9. Stirling
10. Kalamunda
And don't worry guys I am a lousy tipster and I do wish every side success in the year ahead.
Rd | Date | Games | Preview | Review |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26th October 2019 | Stirling v Swan Mt Lawley v North Beach Quinns Rocks v Yokine Doubleview v Wanneroo Mundaring v Kalamunda | Preview | Review |
2 | 2nd November 2019 | Kalamunda v Mt Lawley Swan v Quinns Rocks Wanneroo v Mundaring Yokine v Doubleview North Beach v Stirling | Preview | Review |
3 | 9th November 2019 | Doubleview v Swan Stirling v Quinns Rocks Mundaring v Yokine Mt Lawley v Wanneroo North Beach v Kalamunda | Preview | Review |
4 | 16th November 2019 | Yokine v Mt Lawley Wanneroo v North Beach Swan v Mundaring Quinns Rocks v Doubleview Stirling v Kalamunda | Preview | Review |
5 | 23rd November 2019 | Mt Lawley v Swan Mundaring v Quinns Rocks North Beach v Yokine Kalamunda v Wanneroo Doubleview v Stirling | Preview | Review |
6 | 30th November 2019 | Quinns Rocks v Mt Lawley Swan v North Beach Doubleview v Mundaring Stirling v Wanneroo Yokine v Kalamunda | Preview | Review |
7 | 7th December 2019 | Kalamunda v Swan North Beach v Quinns Rocks Wanneroo v Yokine Mt Lawley v Doubleview Mundaring v Stirling | Preview | Review |
8 | 14th December 2019 | Mundaring v Mt Lawley Doubleview v North Beach Stirling v Yokine Swan v Wanneroo Quinns Rocks v Kalamunda | Preview | Review |
9 | 11th January 2020 | Yokine v Swan Wanneroo v Quinns Rocks North Beach v Mundaring Kalamunda v Doubleview Mt Lawley v Stirling | Preview | Review |
10 | 18th January 2020 | Swan v Stirling North Beach v Mt Lawley Yokine v Quinns Rocks Wanneroo v Doubleview Kalamunda v Mundaring | Preview | Review |
11 | 1st February 2020 | Mt Lawley v Kalamunda Quinns Rocks v Swan Mundaring v Wanneroo Doubleview v Yokine Stirling v North Beach | Preview | Review |
12 | 8th February 2020 | Swan v Doubleview Quinns Rocks v Stirling Yokine v Mundaring Wanneroo v Mt Lawley Kalamunda v North Beach | Preview | Review |
13 | 15th February 2020 | Mt Lawley v Yokine North Beach v Wanneroo Mundaring v Swan Doubleview v Quinns Rocks Kalamunda v Stirling | Preview | Review |
14 | 22nd February 2020 | Swan v Mt Lawley Quinns Rocks v Mundaring Yokine v North Beach Wanneroo v Kalamunda Stirling v Doubleview | Preview | Review |
15 | 7th March 2020 | Mt Lawley v Quinns Rocks North Beach v Swan Mundaring v Doubleview Wanneroo v Stirling Kalamunda v Yokine | Preview | Review |
16 | 14th March 2020 | Swan v Kalamunda Quinns Rocks v North Beach Yokine v Wanneroo Doubleview v Mt Lawley Stirling v Mundaring | Preview | Review |
17 | 21st March 2020 | Mt Lawley v Mundaring North Beach v Doubleview Yokine v Stirling Wanneroo v Swan Kalamunda v Quinns Rocks | Preview | Review |
18 | 28th March 2020 | Swan v Yokine Quinns Rocks v Wanneroo Mundaring v North Beach Doubleview v Kalamunda Stirling v Mt Lawley | Preview | Review |
Finals | 4th & 5th April 2020 |
Rd | Date | Games | Preview | Review |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 26th October 2019 | Victoria Park Carlisle v Gosnells Safety Bay v Fremantle Spearwood v Thornlie Hilton Park v Manning Armadale v Leeming | Preview | Review |
2 | 2nd November 2019 | Leeming v Safety Bay Gosnells v Spearwood Manning v Armadale Thornlie v Hilton Park Fremantle v Victoria Park Carlisle | Preview | Review |
3 | 9th November 2019 | Hilton Park v Gosnells Victoria Park Carlisle v Spearwood Armadale v Thornlie Safety Bay v Manning Fremantle v Leeming | Preview | Review |
4 | 16th November 2019 | Thornlie v Safety Bay Manning v Fremantle Gosnells v Armadale Spearwood v Hilton Park Victoria Park Carlisle v Leeming | Preview | Review |
5 | 23rd November 2019 | Safety Bay v Gosnells Armadale v Spearwood Fremantle v Thornlie Leeming v Manning Hilton Park v Victoria Park Carlisle | Preview | Review |
6 | 30th November 2019 | Spearwood v Safety Bay Gosnells v Fremantle Hilton Park v Armadale Victoria Park Carlisle v Manning Thornlie v Leeming | Preview | Review |
7 | 7th December 2019 | Leeming v Gosnells Fremantle v Spearwood Manning v Thornlie Safety Bay v Hilton Park Armadale v Victoria Park Carlisle | Preview | Review |
8 | 14th December 2019 | Armadale v Safety Bay Hilton Park v Fremantle Victoria Park Carlisle v Thornlie Gosnells v Manning Spearwood v Leeming | Preview | Review |
9 | 11th January 2020 | Thornlie v Gosnells Manning v Spearwood Fremantle v Armadale Leeming v Hilton Park Safety Bay v Victoria Park Carlisle | Preview | Review |
10 | 18th January 2020 | Gosnells v Victoria Park Carlisle Fremantle v Safety Bay Thornlie v Spearwood Manning v Hilton Park Leeming v Armadale | Preview | Review |
11 | 1st February 2020 | Safety Bay v Leeming Spearwood v Gosnells Armadale v Manning Hilton Park v Thornlie Victoria Park Carlisle v Fremantle | Preview | Review |
12 | 8th February 2020 | Gosnells v Hilton Park Spearwood v Victoria Park Carlisle Thornlie v Armadale Manning v Safety Bay Leeming v Fremantle | Preview | Review |
13 | 15th February 2020 | Safety Bay v Thornlie Fremantle v Manning Armadale v Gosnells Hilton Park v Spearwood Leeming v Victoria Park Carlisle | Preview | Review |
14 | 22nd February 2020 | Gosnells v Safety Bay Spearwood v Armadale Thornlie v Fremantle Manning v Leeming Victoria Park Carlisle v Hilton Park | Preview | Review |
15 | 7th March 2020 | Safety Bay v Spearwood Fremantle v Gosnells Armadale v Hilton Park Manning v Victoria Park Carlisle Leeming v Thornlie | Preview | Review |
16 | 14th March 2020 | Gosnells v Leeming Spearwood v Fremantle Thornlie v Manning Hilton Park v Safety Bay Victoria Park Carlisle v Armadale | Preview | Review |
17 | 21st March 2020 | Safety Bay v Armadale Fremantle v Hilton Park Thornlie v Victoria Park Carlisle Manning v Gosnells Leeming v Spearwood | Preview | Review |
18 | 28th March 2020 | Gosnells v Thornlie Spearwood v Manning Armadale v Fremantle Hilton Park v Leeming Victoria Park Carlisle v Safety Bay | Preview | Review |
Finals | 4th & 5th April 2020 |
I think we can split this season into 3 sections, the certainties (Kardinya, Doubleview, Cambridge), those fighting for 4th spot (Bassendean, Manning, South Perth, Osborne Park) and those avoiding relegation (North Beach, Mosman Park, Warnbro)
CERTAINTIES
1st – Kardinya
The Kats just fell away towards the end of the season and if they had been able to hold top spot and host the first day of finals they would have made it to the big dance. Their achilles heel is grass, and the finals will always be played on grass. I liken them to the West Coast Eagles who if they are to win the Grand Final then they must learn to win on the MCG, and Kardinya the same with grass surfaces. They crack that nut and they can certainly win the flag. They will have 5 chances on grass this year including their first 3 away games, so we will know by round 6 how they are tracking on that front. Their distinct home ground advantage and class bowlers means it is hard to discount them from a top 3 position
2nd – Doubleview
Going for the three-peat and they have lost their skipper for those 2 GF wins in Scott Edmonds, more than adequately replaced with Kyle McIlroy in the skippers position, and the team has an abundance of quality bowlers through all the lines. It will be interesting how the young Canadian Eric Galipeau will do, we can’t expect him to hit the ground running with our conditions here in Perth as they will be completely different to what he is used to Canada, but come finals time he might be the one to give them that X-factor. The Round 4 game against Kardinya will be interesting, if they win that I expect Doubleview to have 4 wins on the board and top of the ladder at this time.
3rd – Cambridge
The last of my 3 clubs that look to be certainties for finals and the common thread is the abundance of good bowlers on all the lines. The loss of David Opie hurts but the acquisition of Blake Nairn offsets that. Pieter Harris committing to the full season is a bonus and this team should easily make finals. They could easily make 1st position after the home and away. Not an easy first 5 weeks for the Knights, South Perth and Kardinya away and then Doubleview at home, they could be 3-2 after 5 rounds but with the tough section out of the way then they will be looking good for the finals for their run home. Another club with a good home ground advantage but the sand filled at Cambridge is lovely to play on with no vagaries and good teams can still go there and play well, it’s more the quality of the Cambridge team you have to beat there.
FINALS POSSIBILITIES
4th – Bassendean
And really any of these 4 sides could finish in the top 4, I’m a bit biased to my club admittedly but we could easily finish 7th as well, that’s how tight I see these 4 clubs. Bassendean have recruited well and players in positions they were a bit short last year, Stein Davies, Stephen Fewster and Wayne Neilson all can play back end and with Beau Manton returning, he will take a rink, I feel the club should be stronger than last year. Bassendean won 7 of 9 at home but their problem is away wins, only 1 last year and that against Morley and it’s hopeful the recruits can strengthen the team as away wins are the critical wins if you want to play finals. I think we can, but it will mean a concerted effort away from home to do it.
5th – Manning
Manning are always there-abouts, the loss of Dale Marsland their leading skipper from last year hurts, his spot taken by Lee Such is more than capable. Manning where a bit the opposite to Bassendean, away wins aren’t a problem but they struggled at home, and easy fix so if they can address that then they can easily finish in the four. With quality like Tom Mitchell and Shane Knott still at the club, they can never be taken lightly. They have a pretty good first 5 games, Doubleview first game but then 2 games against the relegations and 2 against fellow finals teams means they will probably be in the 4 after 5 games, but they have a horrible run home in Rounds 17 and 18, if they are needing wins to play finals they have games against Cambridge and Kardinya to finish and this might test them.
6th – South Perth
It does seem silly to put South Perth in 6th spot after making the GF last year and with virtually the same side there is no reason to think they can’t finish top spot like last season and do it again. Well they could, but someone has to finish 6th. Another with a lovely sand filled surface to play on and they play it so well. Will they have some night games this year? I love how South Perth have been at the fore front to Friday night Premier League and I hope it continues. South Perth are the real enigma to me and the side might make me look silly with my prediction
7th – Osborne Park
Its tough to know how Osborne Park will go this season. A team that contains Cody Packer and Gary Caffell can win games for them but they have lost so many good personnel in the off season. Grant Nicol, Blake Nairn, Lewis Grigg have departed, offset by the ins of Patrick Quinlan and Jack East, but that’s a lot of experience that went out the door. How will they all gel? Cambridge Round 1 at home will tell us I think how their season pans out. They are right in the balance for me, have a good year and they can play finals, have a bad year and they may find themselves fighting for survival.
RELEGATION FIGHTERS
8th – North Beach
The first of our promotees and generally new teams into the league find the going a bit tough. Like last year with Morley, and this year Warnbro who seem the ones to be demoted, North Beach seem the most likely to hold their spot. Off season recruit in Paul Walker is a prize recruit but it is a youngish side with plenty of upside. It’s hard to predict who their starting skippers might be, McGinley, Douthie, Kuziela, Walker, Devenish, Gillingham all in the mix. They have a cruisy start to the year in Warnbro at home, but then travel to Bassendean round 2 and there I think we will know how competitive North Beach can be. I think they’ll make it, and be even better next year with a season under their belt.
9th – Mosman Park
When Mosman Park where promoted I genuinely thought they would be instantly competitive but with 3 of last years 4 skippers now gone, in Wishart, McKenna and Walker, it is a huge gap to overcome. Coupled with a horror start to the year, first 3 games playing who I consider to be the certainties they might easily find themselves 0-3 ands bottom of the ladder, and mentally that become a hard hurdle to overcome. Even to finish the year with an away game to South Perth is tough if they need to win that to avoid relegation. I know they have got Dale Marsland, Geoff White, but as much as I love playing at Mosman Park, I think they may struggle.
10th - Warnbro
I think it’s going to be a long year for Warnbro. Some big outs and no ins mean they will finish 10th. They will win games, they have a great home ground advantage but the really good sides will get their rhythm in the first 8-10 ends of a match and then once they have their range will pull away and win. They won twice away from home last year, and both of those sides are not here this year. The facilities at Warnbro are fantastic and it is still a solid side, but in Premier League this year I think they will struggle. They will win games for sure, I’m thinking about 4 but they will finish bottom and be demoted.
Welcome back to all bowlers to 1 White. We hope this year will be very enjoyable for you all and we'll try our best to provide some entertainment and commentary along the way to add to the fun.
Let's look back to see if it helps us look forward. From last years 10 teams in 1 White only 4 survive, namely Kardinya, Osborne Pk, Wanneroo & Warwick, therefore it will always be inherently difficult to work through predictions and expectations when 6 new teams come through. We have Morley & Sorrento dropping down and Basso, Cockburn, Rossmoyne & South Perth coming up. Overall it looks like a very balanced spread across the 10 teams which should keep things very competitive throughout the season.
Below is a table of the best performing players from 1 White last year, number of wins after the club name & before percentage:
1 Buttel, Matthew North Beach 2 16.0 89%
2 Barrett, Mark Mosman Park 14.5 85%
3 McGinlay, Joe (skip) North Beach 1 15.0 83%
4 Gillingham, Brad North Beach 1 15.0 83%
5 Walker, Paul (skip) Mosman Park 14.0 82%
6 Beurteaux, Louie Mosman Park 9.0 82%
7 Fair, Paul Mosman Park 11.0 79%
8 Palmer, Neville Wanneroo 14.0 78%
9 Edson, Craig Mosman Park 13.0 76%
10 Wishart, Graeme (skip) Mosman Park 13.5 75%
11 Robertson, Mark Mosman Park 13.5 75%
Gryta, Alek Mosman Park 13.5 75%
Obviously there's a clear dominance of Mossie Park & North Beach but the stand out is definitely the transition of Matthew Buttel. He started off in the 2nd team for the 1st half and got elevated on absolute merit to Joe McGinlay's side. There is also merit in believing that McGinlay going unbeaten since Buttel joined is a solid argument to why McGinlay finished top of the skippers ladder. Eitherway, any player winning 16 of 18 games highlight what clear value there can be with an excellent front end player, providing options all day.
This again was proven through N.Palmer for Wanneroo who we chat move about in the R1 preview.
Who to look out for?? We can see similar from 1 Blue North where the promoted teams featured heavily in the top 10:
1 Roelofs, Bill (skip) South Perth 15.5 86%
2 Munnelly, Enda South Perth 14.5 85%
3 Negus, Richard South Perth 13.5 79%
4 Coumbe, Robert Mundaring 13 72%
5 Owen, William South Perth 12.5 69%
6 Bills, John Yokine 12 75%
6 Alden, Leigh Bassendean 12 75%
8 Dinnison, Alfred Bassendean 12 71%
8 O'Sullivan, Eugene (skip) Bassendean 12 71%
10 Revell, Rodney (skip) Bassendean 11.5 64%
Others worth a mention:
Petrich, Max South Perth 11 85%
Davidson, Wayne Bassendean 11 85%
Madigan, Peter Bassendean 11.5 68%
Roelofs is an obvious top lister to keep an eye on coming up and the Basso names speak for themselves. However, what I would like to highlight is 7 of the top 10 are NOT skippers. We do chat about teams performance in the context of skippers 'names' but what we really mean is the whole team of all 4 individuals and last years list for both 1 White & 1 Blue North show the depth in the front end in consistently delivering game after game to ensure their skippers get every chance in winning. Yes there will always be the debate about the value of front v back ends but without digging into the statistics more (yet) some of those front end players have played with 3-4 different skippers throughout the year which indicate they win wherever they go. I will look to keep an eye on a few dark horses throughout the year to see if we can undercover who outside of the skippers is delivering week after week. Overall there is some really good stories within both those top 10 tables so massive congrats to all.
The stand outs remaining in 1 Blue are Coumbe & Bills who played brilliantly across a number of rinks and would be tipped to play very well again this year.
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Let’s get right into this random game of predicting the unpredictable. Ranked in order of potential finishing position after 18 games.....here we go!!
1. Sorrento
Whether by luck or lack of execution in critical games Sorrento are back to 1 White but maintain the guts of that PL team from last year which is very encouraging. Yes if that last game of the season went different v South Perth or losing -1 at home to Cambidge or -3 against Millers or -1 to Kardy it would of been a completely different season. The reality is they didn't and that was hard to accept in April but I'm sure they are chomping at the bit to get stuck into this season to get back up and I can't see them not going very close.
They won 5 away from home against Cambridge, The View, Morley, Ossie & Warnbro which shows they can not only travel but complete at a high level. If they can tidy up a loose 4th rink they will do very well this year & have added some names to the listing which will help. Top pick and expect to see some big home wins as 1 White teams probably will not handle Sorrento surface as well as PL teams.
2. Wanneroo
The Roo's finished the season well last year & made the Finals with a 1st round elimination to Kardinya, who in turn lost out to Mossies. One would expect another strong season by a well balanced Wanneroo side that provided some consistent play over last season.
They scored well with Costello & Fewster winning the majority & running about 60% win rate. Turra chipped in late on with an impressive 4 from 5 and they'll look to build on that form again this year. Their home form is very good & they only lost 2 games and knocked together 5 from 9 away which helped keep them near the top end of the table for most of the season.
The Roo's have held together a solid 16 to go again this year and will certainly be eyeing up a PL spot early on. Can't see them outside the Top 3 for most of the season & competitive throughout.
3. Kardinya
Some peoples favourites to top the division and I wouldn't be surprised if they got there in the end, especially with some new recruits. They missed out on a trip to the big PL dance by losing to Mossies in the Finals but that was a better Mossies team than will start R1 this year so no disgrace in that. They probably lack that knockout skipper although Fewings did excellent when he came in running 9 from 11 and some strong games in Finals. Knap also had a solid season. However they need more support especially away from home. Yes they won 8 from 9 at home last year (nearly expected now with such strong home ground advantage) but the 4 they dropped away hurt. Still finishing with 92pts and close to winning Finals will give them a lot of confidence coming into R1. There's nothing in it between them & Wanneroo only Roo's shave it due to less blowouts against the better sides.
4. Bassendean
There is some temptation to bring this Basso side into the top 3 given the dominance and confidence they are playing with, especially at home but this is a far tougher setting than 1 Blue where they enjoyed some big wins throughout the season.
The bulk of the team remains & it actually might be 1 or 2 players better than last year which would make them very competitive. As the table above shows they have some big skippers and quality across the rinks showing why they only lost 3 games last year & put 107pts on the final ladder.
The surface will probably play less of a factor this year given the green comparison of the other teams so I expect scoring won't be as plentiful as last year. Overall very solid 16, good balance and playing on the confidence that they thoroughly deserve to be here after beaten Cockburn well in the Finals. Here to stay with potential upside.
5. Warwick
Warwick were quite close to Finals but just missed out late on. No doubt they'll have regrouped and will be making a proper push again this year. They were close to unbeatable at Home last year & I would expect that trend to continue this year as they play the home track very well. The Away form didn't help with the abandoned came v Ossie Pk but even without that they only collected 3 wins on the road so that will need improvement for them to climb the table this year. Some of those loses were reasonably heavy so that's why I feel some improvement is required, along with higher scoring. They finished the season on exactly the same For v Against scores or 100%, which normally might not have you sitting 5th and close to Finals in some years.
Hinge had a superb season and took some big scalps, winning 65% of games. Ledingham & Borkowski weren't far behind and there is no major changes expected, so we would expect another solid season from Warwick and will be a danger for any side, especially at Home.
6. Osborne Park
Osborne Park are currently looking like same-same as last year but I have slight concerns that they could finish lower than mid table given the pressures form the top side and a real clear lack of top few skippers to drive them over in the tight games.
For various reasons, last year they barely had a skipper within the top 30 at the end of the year, so they really need some to impose themselves more on the quality of the back end. This was also evident in their 'For' scoring of only 1191 which was roughly 180 shots less than the average. They do ok on the defence so high scoring isn't so critical when you are not leaking big scores either but it does highlight the need for them to push for more scoring opportunities within their games.
7. South Perth
They hard a tough first 5 games, so hard to call how the Millers will go this season but probably confident enough is saying not top 4 but open to correction. They played excellently away from home last year and barely lost a game by more than a few last ends bowls so a lot to like about their fighting spirit. If you beat them on the day you well deserve the hard fought win, especially if it's at Mends St.
They don't mind scoring and broke the 1500+ shots last year in 1 Blue N, better than any other team in that Division & defend well so they should keep themselves in the game for long periods.
If they can tighten up the back end a little they can go very well but with the top team losing a few players this year they'll pull a little on this side. Big season for Roelofs as he looks to build on skipper of the year and consistently polling high every year by only losing a handful of games for over 3 years now.
They have a few established options on the back end so they'll work through that but I think the real value for them this year will be the well balanced front end that won't give a lot away.
8. Cockburn
First game out of the blocks is v South Perth so pretty keen to see how that works out. They won 1 Blue South in an absolute canter last year & fully deserve their spot here. Home record is eye watering good with huge average 'for' scoring of nearly 100 shots per game. They only lost 3 games all season & they were away from home so I'm slightly unsure why I have them 8th when Basso are 4th but there's just something about the teams balance with a significant reliance on Marevich but yet he keeps winning so probably no concerns there really.
With the tougher matchups this year it's hard to see Joe helping the Agg as much as last year & that puts more emphasis on Musulin and TePania. Overall Cockburn score for fun, have a significant home advantage & that just cannot be ruled out & is probably up there with the Kardinya home advantage so any team getting a win down in the new shed will be pretty happy.
9. Rossmoyne
Rossmoyne came through on the 2nd chance saloon through Finals, taking Leeming first up and then sending Stirling packing in another very close game. A few changes this year and J.East is a bigger one than most. Overall a solid team but with East missing and a significant over reliance on Gollan (winning 13.5 of 18), but it's slightly difficult to see Rossmoyne pushing for anything past bottom half, happy if I'm wrong. They beat & pipped Safety Bay on the last round to get to Finals & did well to get here so they deserve their spot.
If they can fill a few key positions with new talent or maybe some of the guys that showed late promise from their 1 Blue North side (like R.Vind) they can certainly compete to stay up, as that Home form will count for a few wins this year. If Lang & Petchell can get good support to Gollan they have a quality outfit that could take most teams.
10. Morley
Morley went through the pain last year & now present as a stronger club side with some good experience invested into the next phase of top side players. I’m still unconvinced how such weekly whipping last year will ‘benefit’ them now in an equally competitive division & they have changed some of those selections around again. Hopefully they can strip out the negatives & build on those positives but they’ll need a solid 5-6 games at the start to establish that confidence again so we’ll reassess by early December.
What a fantastic and exciting competition we have coming up for this years pennant season, from the get go there are some great clashes, can’t wait for the games to start.
For me the stand out teams appear to be Leeming, Manning, and Safety Bay, both the Lions and the Green Machine had great years in the season just past, with the newly promoted Eagles chock full of star players.
Difficult to pick the order I believe teams will finish this year, without knowing all the ins and outs, but here goes.
Leeming: 1st
A very experienced outfit, full of competitive players such as Vandersluys, Ford etc.
Unlucky not to get promoted last year, a big home ground advantage on the tricky and windy track that they possess.
Even though they have lost a good skip in Alberti, I think they will finish on top
Safety Bay: 2nd
Seem to have retained the nucleus of the side from last year, very strong back end players such as Hall, Carruthers, Holmes etc.
Also a definite home ground advantage with the strong winds down there.
Their front end bowlers seem to get the job done too.
Manning: 3rd
The newly promoted Eagles will be more than competitive in this division. They will field a sixteen stacked with ex Premier League players.
Price, Piggott, Quann, Rees, Steve & Merv Hughes, Andrews, to name a few.
This Manning outfit will challenge the top two for sure.
Spearwood: 4th
Even though these guys have lost a number of players, they have picked up a couple as well. Very good back end outfit and extremely competitive at home.
Seemed to have selection problems last year with a lot of chopping and changing.
Thornlie: 5th
We haven’t heard much about the Ravens in the off season, so it is hard to judge just where they are at. But these fellas are generally about the middle of the road these days, and that’s where I think they will end up.
Gosnells: 6th
The recruitment of Grant Nicol and Tony Hockey is certainly a big boost for the Kookaburras,
A Very capable side at home, but unpredictable away, to say the least.
Will finish sixth or about, even though Frank Carbone will try and instill a more competitive spirit in them. Heldt will be a significant loss though.
Hilton Park: 7th
Having had the experience of one year in Blue South will help the Hawks, but will it be enough, time will tell. Have some good talented skips, but not sure about the front end.
Not sure what has happened during the break, but I do see they have recruited the Newton father/son duo from Armadale.
Fremantle: 8th
I believe they have attracted a number of new bowlers, but that alone may not help them this year in this highly competitive division. Have good back end bowlers, but that won’t be enough.
Will struggle I reckon.
Victoria Park Carlisle: 9th
The Reds have lost a few players I believe, including Angel, a big loss in itself. But if the likes of Noel Staude and his mates are still their, then they will put up some good fights at home especially especially.
Will they hold on? Time will tell.
Armadale: 10th
Nothing comes out of the Storms clubhouse, so I am not sure of player losses or gains, apart from the Newtons, which makes predictions difficult.
Struggled last year in White, and may do the same this year.
Wooden spooners unfortunately.