2010 has been a challenging year for the Moreton Bay Buggers.
The only year since our first back in 2006 when we entered one rather than two teams into the league. The only year in our involvement that we didn't participate in the final game of the season. The sole year when only a single rookie made the step up into the BPL in Buggers colours.
Not a great year when contrasted against previous Bug highlights, however not a bad year to be involved with the team. There have been some excellent aspects of 2010 for the Buggers.
Many players moved on from the Buggers this year into exciting roles with other teams or further life adventures.
Some classic Bugs from seasons gone by returned to the team to create some more memories.
The newer players within the team have shown some excellent improvement and development through the seasons.
Finally the challenge of competing in two of the most intense and balanced seasons in the league history has been a top notch bastard of a struggle.
We didn't end up on top of the heap this year, however straining together as a group to capture our best was well worth the effort.
The Bugs are impressed with the performance of both UQ and the Dojo for climbing to the top of the competition, well earned by both teams. Congratulations to the Dojo boys, Jody Thomas and the Slamtown Flatball Club for their victories in the relevant categories.
Additionally a salute to the outgoing BPL Director, Stu Austin. I've been involved with most of the league directors as a team captain and Stu can stand proud in such fine company as Jon, Andy, Stew and Jason before him. Well done Stu, you were good and I think you'll be missed.
A year of change and development for the Moreton Bay Buggers. A year to learn the lessons from and then file away. We will be back next year, and we will be proud to be part of the most culturally rich, and one of the most competitive regular leagues this country has to offer.
Enjoy the break all you BPL battlers, keep an eye out for the Bugs in Autumn 2011.
Up the Buggers.
Friday 3 December 2010
Saturday 20 November 2010
Semi Final
For those that couldn't be there and are interested, UQ booked themselves a place in the season 2 grand final in convincing fashion.
It was a wet and windy night, significantly different than the majority of BPL games. The first half was close with a couple of turn overs coming from flick hucks that lacked the carry in the slippery conditions. The Bugs started on D and managed to get 2 breaks to push the score to 7 - 5 bugs up.
Its great to play in our competition which requires teams to be flexible with their strategies in order to be successful. Gone are the days when a one dimensional team can go all the way to the championship. In the first half of this week's semi the Bugs had the winning set up.
The defending premiers though are a team to be reckoned with. UQ switched their game tactically and increased their pressure and intensity. After a time out at 7 - 5 UQ went on a massive 5 point run that hauled them out of trouble and effectively ended the game. The Buggers were not able to get the momentum back and the final score had the Lovers bursting into the grand final 5 points clear.
The big names on the Lovers did their job, however it was the depth of the UQ roster that impressed. The handful of frisbee statesmen on the UQ team are great at following the team plan and taking the right options at the right time. The youngsters on the team look fast and run with purpose. They are an impressive team, and beat the Buggers soundly. Minor premiers and I would expect the favourites for next week's grand final.
Significant disappointment for the Moreton Bay Buggers, well done to the UQ lovers.
It was a wet and windy night, significantly different than the majority of BPL games. The first half was close with a couple of turn overs coming from flick hucks that lacked the carry in the slippery conditions. The Bugs started on D and managed to get 2 breaks to push the score to 7 - 5 bugs up.
Its great to play in our competition which requires teams to be flexible with their strategies in order to be successful. Gone are the days when a one dimensional team can go all the way to the championship. In the first half of this week's semi the Bugs had the winning set up.
The defending premiers though are a team to be reckoned with. UQ switched their game tactically and increased their pressure and intensity. After a time out at 7 - 5 UQ went on a massive 5 point run that hauled them out of trouble and effectively ended the game. The Buggers were not able to get the momentum back and the final score had the Lovers bursting into the grand final 5 points clear.
The big names on the Lovers did their job, however it was the depth of the UQ roster that impressed. The handful of frisbee statesmen on the UQ team are great at following the team plan and taking the right options at the right time. The youngsters on the team look fast and run with purpose. They are an impressive team, and beat the Buggers soundly. Minor premiers and I would expect the favourites for next week's grand final.
Significant disappointment for the Moreton Bay Buggers, well done to the UQ lovers.
Monday 15 November 2010
2010 season 2 regular season
It all used to be so simple:
Recruit a team full of athletic rookies.
Grab a few top flight mates.
Play one offense and one defense all season.
Win the BPL.
Not anymore. Somewhere along the way it all got a lot more complicated. Still very enjoyable, the struggle that is. Different plans for each opposition, continually evolving offense, working out how to get the most out of all the players on the team. I guess I'll know in 2 weeks time how enjoyable it still is.
In season 2 of 2010 the Buggers won 4* games, lost 4 games and Drew 1 game. A very mixed season.
*1 by forfeit.
We had one player with 100 percent attendance and 3 others with better than 90 percent. Of the 11 sessions this season (9 games and 2 trainings) we only achieved above 90 percent team attendance (12 of the 13 blokes) on 3 occasions. Those 3 times were the only 3 games we played and won. I guess we are hoping for a good turn out for the semi final.
At times this season we rocked the shop and played as well as we ever have. During other large stretches we struggled to play with focus, control and desperation.
Our semi final match up this week is against UQ, the only team to beat us in both games during the season.
All this of course has little bearing on the next couple of weeks.
Its finals time and anything can happen. Who will turn up to play, which teams can handle the pressure? Can anyone stop the UQ powerhouse from going back to back in 2010?
Despite our less than convincing season the Bugs will be there to answer these questions - as we have in every season we have played - and we are bloody pumped about it.
Recruit a team full of athletic rookies.
Grab a few top flight mates.
Play one offense and one defense all season.
Win the BPL.
Not anymore. Somewhere along the way it all got a lot more complicated. Still very enjoyable, the struggle that is. Different plans for each opposition, continually evolving offense, working out how to get the most out of all the players on the team. I guess I'll know in 2 weeks time how enjoyable it still is.
In season 2 of 2010 the Buggers won 4* games, lost 4 games and Drew 1 game. A very mixed season.
*1 by forfeit.
We had one player with 100 percent attendance and 3 others with better than 90 percent. Of the 11 sessions this season (9 games and 2 trainings) we only achieved above 90 percent team attendance (12 of the 13 blokes) on 3 occasions. Those 3 times were the only 3 games we played and won. I guess we are hoping for a good turn out for the semi final.
At times this season we rocked the shop and played as well as we ever have. During other large stretches we struggled to play with focus, control and desperation.
Our semi final match up this week is against UQ, the only team to beat us in both games during the season.
All this of course has little bearing on the next couple of weeks.
Its finals time and anything can happen. Who will turn up to play, which teams can handle the pressure? Can anyone stop the UQ powerhouse from going back to back in 2010?
Despite our less than convincing season the Bugs will be there to answer these questions - as we have in every season we have played - and we are bloody pumped about it.
Friday 15 October 2010
Bloody UQ, again.
The Bugs played against the UQ Lovers this week.
The UQ Lovers. 2 teams merged into 1, one of the few teams in BPL history to have to make selections, a team with a rock solid list and an intermittent performance record. They might be clearly the best team in the competition or just another group of battlers. Its hard to say with the range of performances they have put in over the last month.
Regardless of what is said about them they were good enough to knock over the Buggers for the second time this season, this time without two of their big guns Al and Dan.
The game was tight all the way through with both teams having success at various stages. The Lovers looked good in man on man with both vertical and horizontal stakes in operation. It was a game of regularly shifting strategies. It was really enjoyable from from a tactical perspective to work though the team's defensive options in order to find a defense that got blocks.
The Bugs managed to do this and got the game back onto serve late in the game. UQ scored a goal to even the scores back up at 12 all 2 seconds before the time cap. 2 seconds, hard to believe really but that is the theater of sport. It was also the difference between a second draw in 2 weeks for the Lovers and a result.
The Bugs started on O for the last point of the game and managed to turn it over 3 times to the Lovers' 2. I've been saying it to the Bugs all season and alluding to here on the blog. Loose control of the frisbee will not be good enough this season.
The Lovers impressed with their top line players, however it is their solid team all the way across the roster which makes them particularly tricky.
Next game's top of the table match between UQ and the Dojo will be very interesting.
As for the Bugs, back to the drawing board on offense and good news with another defensive option now on the books. Steaks for the Buggers this week and then a round 1 draw rematch against the Flatball Club in 2 weeks time. Looking forward to it.
The UQ Lovers. 2 teams merged into 1, one of the few teams in BPL history to have to make selections, a team with a rock solid list and an intermittent performance record. They might be clearly the best team in the competition or just another group of battlers. Its hard to say with the range of performances they have put in over the last month.
Regardless of what is said about them they were good enough to knock over the Buggers for the second time this season, this time without two of their big guns Al and Dan.
The game was tight all the way through with both teams having success at various stages. The Lovers looked good in man on man with both vertical and horizontal stakes in operation. It was a game of regularly shifting strategies. It was really enjoyable from from a tactical perspective to work though the team's defensive options in order to find a defense that got blocks.
The Bugs managed to do this and got the game back onto serve late in the game. UQ scored a goal to even the scores back up at 12 all 2 seconds before the time cap. 2 seconds, hard to believe really but that is the theater of sport. It was also the difference between a second draw in 2 weeks for the Lovers and a result.
The Bugs started on O for the last point of the game and managed to turn it over 3 times to the Lovers' 2. I've been saying it to the Bugs all season and alluding to here on the blog. Loose control of the frisbee will not be good enough this season.
The Lovers impressed with their top line players, however it is their solid team all the way across the roster which makes them particularly tricky.
Next game's top of the table match between UQ and the Dojo will be very interesting.
As for the Bugs, back to the drawing board on offense and good news with another defensive option now on the books. Steaks for the Buggers this week and then a round 1 draw rematch against the Flatball Club in 2 weeks time. Looking forward to it.
Friday 8 October 2010
The Bug and the Snake
In 2006 when Thong attended World Club Championships we were in pool A as the 10th seed. We won our first games against seed 1, 11 and 20. We then went on to win 3 games in the power pool before we finally got a pounding from Victoria's Chilli, our first loss - 17 to 3. Things had taken a turn for us. The next day we played our quarter final against Doublewide from Texas. We dropped the first 3 points and standing in the time out huddle following a sound beating in the previous game and a shock start it was time to execute on offense or get bundled out of the tournament.
Thong went on to win that quarter final, and then the semi against Chilli to go on to the final at World Clubs and win the Silver medal against a rock star team from Japan, the Bunka Shutter Buzz Bullets.
That game was 4 years ago now however after going down 5 to nil against the Cobra team in round 1 of the BPL and then finding themselves down 3 to nil last night, the Moreton Bay Buggers faced a similar situation - execute or loose all the progress we had made over the last month.
All the great defensive structure and individual desperation available to a team are little help to you when you are playing your 4th O point in a row. You just have to settle down and find a way to score. For the Bugs this way into the enzone turned out to be paved with cross field hammers from the handlers and bit of quick movement down field. The Buggers put the goal in and then the game turned.
The nearly full strength Bugs battled the whole first half out in a high turnover 15 points, to finish with the game back on serve at 8 to 7 MBB. The second half started with the Cobra team on O, and they scored with an aggressive full field huck against the zone. Following up with a Callahan score in an apprentice vs the master handler moment the Cobra team had started the second half much like the first and were up 9 to 8.
At times this season the Buggers have produced periods of strangling defense. The rest of the game was characterised by this as the Bugs scored 6 goals in a row to virtually end the game. After opportunities from both teams the Cobras scored their first goal in 25 minutes and the last goal of the game to complete the game after time cap, 14 to 10 MBB.
Plenty of zone from both teams and a fair chunk of man as the game got down to later stages. The turnover rate was really high in this game. There were blocks from both teams both short and long however there were way too many easy mistakes, included a dropped pull from both teams.
The Cobra team looked both extremely energetic and stifling with their defensive pressure, and nervous and unsure with the frisbee at different times during the game. If they can regain their early season consistency then they will continue to be an absolute handful.
From the Bugs a standout defensive effort for the season. The challenge will be to combine the defense pressure from this week's game with the offensive control from the Dojo game. All part of the building process that is going on inside team this season. The top of the table clash next week against UQ will be a great opportunity.
Up the Bugs.
Thong went on to win that quarter final, and then the semi against Chilli to go on to the final at World Clubs and win the Silver medal against a rock star team from Japan, the Bunka Shutter Buzz Bullets.
That game was 4 years ago now however after going down 5 to nil against the Cobra team in round 1 of the BPL and then finding themselves down 3 to nil last night, the Moreton Bay Buggers faced a similar situation - execute or loose all the progress we had made over the last month.
All the great defensive structure and individual desperation available to a team are little help to you when you are playing your 4th O point in a row. You just have to settle down and find a way to score. For the Bugs this way into the enzone turned out to be paved with cross field hammers from the handlers and bit of quick movement down field. The Buggers put the goal in and then the game turned.
The nearly full strength Bugs battled the whole first half out in a high turnover 15 points, to finish with the game back on serve at 8 to 7 MBB. The second half started with the Cobra team on O, and they scored with an aggressive full field huck against the zone. Following up with a Callahan score in an apprentice vs the master handler moment the Cobra team had started the second half much like the first and were up 9 to 8.
At times this season the Buggers have produced periods of strangling defense. The rest of the game was characterised by this as the Bugs scored 6 goals in a row to virtually end the game. After opportunities from both teams the Cobras scored their first goal in 25 minutes and the last goal of the game to complete the game after time cap, 14 to 10 MBB.
Plenty of zone from both teams and a fair chunk of man as the game got down to later stages. The turnover rate was really high in this game. There were blocks from both teams both short and long however there were way too many easy mistakes, included a dropped pull from both teams.
The Cobra team looked both extremely energetic and stifling with their defensive pressure, and nervous and unsure with the frisbee at different times during the game. If they can regain their early season consistency then they will continue to be an absolute handful.
From the Bugs a standout defensive effort for the season. The challenge will be to combine the defense pressure from this week's game with the offensive control from the Dojo game. All part of the building process that is going on inside team this season. The top of the table clash next week against UQ will be a great opportunity.
Up the Bugs.
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Moreton Bay Buggers' History
The Moreton Bay Buggers have been a Queensland team for over 10 years and a BPL team for 14 seasons. During those 14 seasons the Bugs have entered 18 teams, blooded around 60 athletes and created plenty of history.
The Bugger blog is a home for the club's history, and a little bit extra has been added this week.
We are celebrating the men who have served the club for 10 seasons or more.
Michael Neild, Nandor Locher, Adam Beu, Alex Chadwick, James Larkin, Jason Ray and Liam Gillions have all been long serving champions of the club and now have their names on the honour board. Many of these blokes learned their frisbee trade with the bugs and have now moved on to great things on other teams in the competition.
A bit of a slide show is now scrolling away on the front page as well. There are some action shots from Buggers teams on the national stage as well as some BPL action and team photos. Feel free to click on a picture to go check out the captions and leave a comment. More to come soon.
One of the great things about the BPL is the ever growing history of the teams in the competition. The Bugs are looking forward to building and recording more memorable moments over the coming weeks and years.
From deep in the archive here is 20 seconds of action from the grand final of the first every season the Buggers played in, Winter 2006. The black clad Bugs went down to a Whippett Good team completing a repeat. Notice the man who drove the Moreton Bay Buggers from a purely tournament team into the BPL, Rueben Berg throwing the goal in the number 8 shirt.
Enjoy, and we'll see you out there soon.
The Bugger blog is a home for the club's history, and a little bit extra has been added this week.
We are celebrating the men who have served the club for 10 seasons or more.
Michael Neild, Nandor Locher, Adam Beu, Alex Chadwick, James Larkin, Jason Ray and Liam Gillions have all been long serving champions of the club and now have their names on the honour board. Many of these blokes learned their frisbee trade with the bugs and have now moved on to great things on other teams in the competition.
A bit of a slide show is now scrolling away on the front page as well. There are some action shots from Buggers teams on the national stage as well as some BPL action and team photos. Feel free to click on a picture to go check out the captions and leave a comment. More to come soon.
One of the great things about the BPL is the ever growing history of the teams in the competition. The Bugs are looking forward to building and recording more memorable moments over the coming weeks and years.
From deep in the archive here is 20 seconds of action from the grand final of the first every season the Buggers played in, Winter 2006. The black clad Bugs went down to a Whippett Good team completing a repeat. Notice the man who drove the Moreton Bay Buggers from a purely tournament team into the BPL, Rueben Berg throwing the goal in the number 8 shirt.
Enjoy, and we'll see you out there soon.
Monday 4 October 2010
Training?
Training week in the BPL.
I often think about what the Brisbane Premier League will look like in 20 years. I think it will still exist, or at least some form of it will. Most likely it will be much the same as it is now, however there is a chance that it will be a much bigger and badder event. Clubs, teams, home grounds, away grounds, pie nights, etc. That is the version of the BPL that I like to ponder on.
Some time between now and my mega league of 2030 things will change. Team training will be a part of this change. This week the Buggers took a step the direction of the future with a team training. It was bloody good too.
In this extremely competitive league it was important for us to maintain the momentum that we had generated with our last 3 weeks of steadily improving performance. Offensive structure was the focus for our training. We ran a group of challenge drills with the Red shirt proving to be a little stronger than the first season rookie White shirt.
During our post training beer and chat session we learned that against long odds Manuel is in the hunt for the most focused Bugger with a copy of the draw printed out in his wallet. At one stage Buzz had us all sitting around like 3rd graders to hear some stories from the good old days. "it was a cotton shirt which I knew would be tough so I bit the collar. I then ripped the shirt in half right through the logo".
Top session from the boys, and an enjoyable chat and beerie to cap off the night. One step closer to the hard working teams of the near future, maybe?
I often think about what the Brisbane Premier League will look like in 20 years. I think it will still exist, or at least some form of it will. Most likely it will be much the same as it is now, however there is a chance that it will be a much bigger and badder event. Clubs, teams, home grounds, away grounds, pie nights, etc. That is the version of the BPL that I like to ponder on.
Some time between now and my mega league of 2030 things will change. Team training will be a part of this change. This week the Buggers took a step the direction of the future with a team training. It was bloody good too.
In this extremely competitive league it was important for us to maintain the momentum that we had generated with our last 3 weeks of steadily improving performance. Offensive structure was the focus for our training. We ran a group of challenge drills with the Red shirt proving to be a little stronger than the first season rookie White shirt.
During our post training beer and chat session we learned that against long odds Manuel is in the hunt for the most focused Bugger with a copy of the draw printed out in his wallet. At one stage Buzz had us all sitting around like 3rd graders to hear some stories from the good old days. "it was a cotton shirt which I knew would be tough so I bit the collar. I then ripped the shirt in half right through the logo".
Top session from the boys, and an enjoyable chat and beerie to cap off the night. One step closer to the hard working teams of the near future, maybe?
Friday 24 September 2010
Sometimes it just feels right
The first game of the second round, our first game against the Frisbee Dojo in season 2, the first point of the game:
The Bugs scored the goal with a 3 pass offense that could have come directly from page 1 of the Moreton Bay Buggers 2000-2005 nationals offensive play book. Safe, controlled, aggressive and purposeful - everything you want from your first point in a big game.
After the first point the Bugger's improved defensive mindset and structure generated some stops and the score quickly reached 4 to 1 to the boys in white. The Dojo dug themselves in and the score traded up to 8 to 5 at half.
All was working nicely for both teams on offense with man and zone defenses being tested out. This was the highest energy half of frisbee that we have been involved in so far this season. The defense from both teams was tight, and offense had to be played with control.
During this first half there were some unusual events. A pull hit the middle of the away sideline light pole half way up and came bouncing right back. Lankowski ripped out a sweet mid field 2 handed rugby pass style Greatest. Next point while fielding a wayward swing pass Andy balanced his ledger by ground stripping himself inside the endzone. Bugger Neild attempted to block a cross field swing however due to the sticky ground conditions the knees then hips and finally chest and arms all ended up on the ground well before the frisbee gently touched down 2 meters away. All a bit 'special'.
To start the second half the Dojo scored a few points in a row and forced the Bugs into a time out and an offensive recap. The trend did not continue however and once the Buggers got back onto defense momentum swung back in favour of a determined Bug team.
The Bugs outscored in the second half to the tune of 7 to 5 for a final score of 15 to 10. The Dojo suffered without frisbee weapons Leon Mac and Ryan Black, and they failed to capitalise
on the last minute inclusion of former BPL regular Chris Cunliffe. An almost complete MBB attendance lead directly to lots of enthusiasm for game time and a high work rate out in the mix.
The positive steps taken last week continued into this weeks game for the Buggers. Blocks were generated and the frisbee was controlled rather than risked. A trait that may become more and more important for all premiership hopeful teams as this league continues to be the most competitive yet.
The best game of the season, and maybe even the year for the Moreton Bay Buggers. It just felt right.
The Bugs scored the goal with a 3 pass offense that could have come directly from page 1 of the Moreton Bay Buggers 2000-2005 nationals offensive play book. Safe, controlled, aggressive and purposeful - everything you want from your first point in a big game.
After the first point the Bugger's improved defensive mindset and structure generated some stops and the score quickly reached 4 to 1 to the boys in white. The Dojo dug themselves in and the score traded up to 8 to 5 at half.
All was working nicely for both teams on offense with man and zone defenses being tested out. This was the highest energy half of frisbee that we have been involved in so far this season. The defense from both teams was tight, and offense had to be played with control.
During this first half there were some unusual events. A pull hit the middle of the away sideline light pole half way up and came bouncing right back. Lankowski ripped out a sweet mid field 2 handed rugby pass style Greatest. Next point while fielding a wayward swing pass Andy balanced his ledger by ground stripping himself inside the endzone. Bugger Neild attempted to block a cross field swing however due to the sticky ground conditions the knees then hips and finally chest and arms all ended up on the ground well before the frisbee gently touched down 2 meters away. All a bit 'special'.
To start the second half the Dojo scored a few points in a row and forced the Bugs into a time out and an offensive recap. The trend did not continue however and once the Buggers got back onto defense momentum swung back in favour of a determined Bug team.
The Bugs outscored in the second half to the tune of 7 to 5 for a final score of 15 to 10. The Dojo suffered without frisbee weapons Leon Mac and Ryan Black, and they failed to capitalise
on the last minute inclusion of former BPL regular Chris Cunliffe. An almost complete MBB attendance lead directly to lots of enthusiasm for game time and a high work rate out in the mix.
The positive steps taken last week continued into this weeks game for the Buggers. Blocks were generated and the frisbee was controlled rather than risked. A trait that may become more and more important for all premiership hopeful teams as this league continues to be the most competitive yet.
The best game of the season, and maybe even the year for the Moreton Bay Buggers. It just felt right.
Thursday 16 September 2010
Release the Bug!
Alright, so we might be back.
It will take a couple of weeks to tell for sure however good things are happening down the bottom of the pond.
Our slow start to season 2 is reminiscent of our slow start to season 1. It will be interesting to see if our competitiveness holds up against the competition leaders. Although this season the competition leader is a fairly fluid term with many teams 'leading' the competition at different stages.
Tonight's game showcased how we can play when things click. The Hero boys struggled to get into the contest after putting in the first point of the game from offense after a double turn. From there the Bugs locked things down in the tricky wind and scored 8 consecutive to get to half.
In the second half the Heroes put in 3 goals to the Bugs 7 for a final score of 15 to 4. The game involved plenty of junk defense with hammer throws being popular despite their questionable value and conversion rate.
There were some really bright spots in the Heroes night, however they were not frequent enough and skill errors regularly derailed some quality momentum. They have some good elements in the team and it really does just seem like a mater of time and exposure to quality training before they become consistently competitive. The question is do they have the fortitude and passion to last the long journey from beginner team to BPL champions that they are on? I hope they do.
So the bugs are back to basics, we are starting to learn how to use our weapons, and we might have found our belief and passion. The big Bug is out, and we're pumped to see what happens next.
It will take a couple of weeks to tell for sure however good things are happening down the bottom of the pond.
Our slow start to season 2 is reminiscent of our slow start to season 1. It will be interesting to see if our competitiveness holds up against the competition leaders. Although this season the competition leader is a fairly fluid term with many teams 'leading' the competition at different stages.
Tonight's game showcased how we can play when things click. The Hero boys struggled to get into the contest after putting in the first point of the game from offense after a double turn. From there the Bugs locked things down in the tricky wind and scored 8 consecutive to get to half.
In the second half the Heroes put in 3 goals to the Bugs 7 for a final score of 15 to 4. The game involved plenty of junk defense with hammer throws being popular despite their questionable value and conversion rate.
There were some really bright spots in the Heroes night, however they were not frequent enough and skill errors regularly derailed some quality momentum. They have some good elements in the team and it really does just seem like a mater of time and exposure to quality training before they become consistently competitive. The question is do they have the fortitude and passion to last the long journey from beginner team to BPL champions that they are on? I hope they do.
So the bugs are back to basics, we are starting to learn how to use our weapons, and we might have found our belief and passion. The big Bug is out, and we're pumped to see what happens next.
Friday 10 September 2010
Honey i'm home.
After a few weeks of returning home on Thursday night with our fresh white shorts tucked between our legs, this week was a positive change.
That being said only 3 blokes on the team are involved with frisbee girls so i'm not sure exactly how much concern there has been at home.
This week the bugs managed to find a way to create some turnovers on defense, and we also managed to hang onto the frisbee for long enough to score a few points. Slightly more than a few points in fact, we got up to 14. The impressive Gold Coast team also produced 14 points and the first draw of season 2 has been recorded. We have 2 more to go in order to equal last seasons effort.
The game was tight the whole way through with the Gold Coast generating the first up wind break to push the margin out to its largest of the game at 10 - 7. After a short field turn over the bugs manged to punch in an up wind break of their own to bring the game back to even.
Both teams completed many unbroken offensive points during the game in what feels like the new standard in the BPL. If you can't put the frisbee in consistently on offense then you are not up to scratch in the 2010 version of our competition.
The final two points of the game last night were clear examples of this. With the score locked up and time running down both teams had opportunities to break and score for the win. First the Gold Coast worked the frisbee down field with a lot of short and controlled passes. The bugger zone applied some pressure at the pointy end of the game however the Slamtown boys held their nerve and stuck it in to go up 14 - 13.
It was then the Bugs turn to produce and with a short pass from the brick followed by a long bomb the point and the game was over.
In the new and increasingly competitive BPL, teams need to find their way to score despite defensive pressure. It will be interesting to see how all the teams respond to the challenges of our competition.
As for us, we are just happy to be able to report something closer to a win to the girls at home this week.
That being said only 3 blokes on the team are involved with frisbee girls so i'm not sure exactly how much concern there has been at home.
This week the bugs managed to find a way to create some turnovers on defense, and we also managed to hang onto the frisbee for long enough to score a few points. Slightly more than a few points in fact, we got up to 14. The impressive Gold Coast team also produced 14 points and the first draw of season 2 has been recorded. We have 2 more to go in order to equal last seasons effort.
The game was tight the whole way through with the Gold Coast generating the first up wind break to push the margin out to its largest of the game at 10 - 7. After a short field turn over the bugs manged to punch in an up wind break of their own to bring the game back to even.
Both teams completed many unbroken offensive points during the game in what feels like the new standard in the BPL. If you can't put the frisbee in consistently on offense then you are not up to scratch in the 2010 version of our competition.
The final two points of the game last night were clear examples of this. With the score locked up and time running down both teams had opportunities to break and score for the win. First the Gold Coast worked the frisbee down field with a lot of short and controlled passes. The bugger zone applied some pressure at the pointy end of the game however the Slamtown boys held their nerve and stuck it in to go up 14 - 13.
It was then the Bugs turn to produce and with a short pass from the brick followed by a long bomb the point and the game was over.
In the new and increasingly competitive BPL, teams need to find their way to score despite defensive pressure. It will be interesting to see how all the teams respond to the challenges of our competition.
As for us, we are just happy to be able to report something closer to a win to the girls at home this week.
Friday 3 September 2010
Well Buzz and Ben are back....
..that was good. Most other things were not so good.
Lots of hard work to come. We'll be back.
Lots of hard work to come. We'll be back.
Saturday 28 August 2010
Ouch!
In round 2 of season 2 we played the number 2 team. It was a bit rough really.
The energetic Cobra team went on 2 separate 5 to 1 goal runs during the game, it was too much to handle. From the start of the game to 5 to 1 up we made mistakes at our end and the Cobras capitalised. As our extra players arrived and the team began to readjust to the speed of the BPL in our first game of the season we brought the match right back.
When we had the frisbee to score at 8 to 10 down the game had returned to being a contest however it was not to be and a second 5 to 1 run was too strong for us as the 15 to 9 final score clearly shows.
The Cobra team looked fairly good. They are a team that applies pressure on defense and then take risks on offense with fast and long disc movement. They will continue to be a handful this season.
As for us we know where we are at. Its exactly the same place we found ourselves in during the early stages of last season. We know what we have to do on the field to be successful, however we are still adjusting to the different style of play that is now necessary for us to be competitive.
Encouraging signs this week from two 5th season Bugger work horses with both Manuel and Simon executing blocks and grabs at their athletic peaks. Spectacular fellas, well done. It's also excellent to see that everyone on the team is enthusiastic about evaluating their own performance and setting goals to improve. I'm confident we will quickly return to our potential.
After 2 disrupted first weeks through attendance we are looking forward to another opportunity to grow as a team in this weeks clash with the UQ team.
Up the Bugs
The energetic Cobra team went on 2 separate 5 to 1 goal runs during the game, it was too much to handle. From the start of the game to 5 to 1 up we made mistakes at our end and the Cobras capitalised. As our extra players arrived and the team began to readjust to the speed of the BPL in our first game of the season we brought the match right back.
When we had the frisbee to score at 8 to 10 down the game had returned to being a contest however it was not to be and a second 5 to 1 run was too strong for us as the 15 to 9 final score clearly shows.
The Cobra team looked fairly good. They are a team that applies pressure on defense and then take risks on offense with fast and long disc movement. They will continue to be a handful this season.
As for us we know where we are at. Its exactly the same place we found ourselves in during the early stages of last season. We know what we have to do on the field to be successful, however we are still adjusting to the different style of play that is now necessary for us to be competitive.
Encouraging signs this week from two 5th season Bugger work horses with both Manuel and Simon executing blocks and grabs at their athletic peaks. Spectacular fellas, well done. It's also excellent to see that everyone on the team is enthusiastic about evaluating their own performance and setting goals to improve. I'm confident we will quickly return to our potential.
After 2 disrupted first weeks through attendance we are looking forward to another opportunity to grow as a team in this weeks clash with the UQ team.
Up the Bugs
Monday 16 August 2010
The long wait is over
After what feels to me like the longest mid year break between seasons in BPL/MAL/DOG CUP history it is time to get back on the field.
I get the feeling that missing out on the final makes the mid season break feel even longer. All those goals left unachieved, the sense of a missed opportunity. We have been keen to get back on the field and erase some memories for quite a few weeks now.
That being said I love the long break and 2 season format. Its only the second year that we have done it and I think it is another great development in our competition. It increases the significance of each league, and each league title. This coupled with the ever increasing competitiveness and overall playing standard of the league makes for a more exciting and meaningful experience.
Our team made some significant progress during season one after a large turnover of personnel from 2009 to 2010. We had to redesign the way we play, and how we use our players. The exciting thing is that we found a system that can work really well for us and we are pumped to continue to refine our team play.
Some exciting aspects of season 2 for the Moreton Bay Buggers are:
Welcoming 2 new players to our team for this season, Buzz and Oscar.
Welcoming back Chaddy for his 11th Bug season after some time out.
Continuing to build on a solid group of blokes, in what looks like one of the most experienced Bug teams for quite a while.
Playing with Ferg and Trevor who will both be riding high after playing at World events in the last month.
Facing the improved competition in what looks to be another very competitive field.
Some cheeky new uniform action (in the mail as I write).
Finally and primarily the rhythm, the drama, the controversy and intrigue, the passion and enthusiasm, the tension, and the enjoyment of the countries best Open division league.
The Brisbane Premier League. The Moreton Bay Buggers have missed you, and we are back this week.
I get the feeling that missing out on the final makes the mid season break feel even longer. All those goals left unachieved, the sense of a missed opportunity. We have been keen to get back on the field and erase some memories for quite a few weeks now.
That being said I love the long break and 2 season format. Its only the second year that we have done it and I think it is another great development in our competition. It increases the significance of each league, and each league title. This coupled with the ever increasing competitiveness and overall playing standard of the league makes for a more exciting and meaningful experience.
Our team made some significant progress during season one after a large turnover of personnel from 2009 to 2010. We had to redesign the way we play, and how we use our players. The exciting thing is that we found a system that can work really well for us and we are pumped to continue to refine our team play.
Some exciting aspects of season 2 for the Moreton Bay Buggers are:
Welcoming 2 new players to our team for this season, Buzz and Oscar.
Welcoming back Chaddy for his 11th Bug season after some time out.
Continuing to build on a solid group of blokes, in what looks like one of the most experienced Bug teams for quite a while.
Playing with Ferg and Trevor who will both be riding high after playing at World events in the last month.
Facing the improved competition in what looks to be another very competitive field.
Some cheeky new uniform action (in the mail as I write).
Finally and primarily the rhythm, the drama, the controversy and intrigue, the passion and enthusiasm, the tension, and the enjoyment of the countries best Open division league.
The Brisbane Premier League. The Moreton Bay Buggers have missed you, and we are back this week.
Sunday 11 July 2010
Flying Ferg
Moreton Bay Bugger hero from way back and second season BPL MBB Tim Ferguson has just won himself a Bronze medal at the World Ultimate Club Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. Check it out at www.wucc2010.com or http://scores.wucc2010.com/?view=teamcard&Team=1164
Tim played for the Masters team Eastern Greys and it sounds like he had a great week. It is great for us to have Tim on the team and i'm sure the enthusiasm and ideas that Tim will bring back from the tournament will be great. Well done Ferg.
There are heaps of great photos from worlds over at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wucc2010/
Thursday 24 June 2010
The Season 2 Moreton Bay Buggers
Season 2 of the BPL is still a month and a draft league away from beginning. Despite this fact and due to my high levels of excitement for the coming competition and for the top blokes I get to play with I'm proud to present the 2010, season 2 Moreton Bay Buggers.
#13 Stuart Austin
#88 Buzz Burwell
#23 Alex Chadwick
#24 Tim Ferguson
#69 Oscar Hernandez
#13 Tim Johnson
#4 Nathan Lindsay
#12 Trevor Lovering
#1 Michael Neild (C)
#20 Graham Prickett (VC)
#77 Manuel Ramirez
#71 Anthony Ross
#15 Simon Statham
#8 Benjamin Worby
There are a few comments I'd like to make about this team.
Firstly a big thank you and best wishes to Spinner, Didems and Fluxy who are departing from the team after the first season this year. These guys have been excellent contributors to our team and we'll miss them.
Spinner and Dids are both off on overseas missions. Spinner to have a holiday adventure and Dids to make a difference in East Timor with some army work - classic hey?
Spinner played 6 seasons with the Bugs and won 3 championships.
Didems played 3 seasons with the Bugs and won 2 championships.
Fluxy is taking a season off and firing up the continued DIV2 dominance of Mellow Yellow.
Fluxy played 2 seasons with the Bugs and won a championship.
Thanks for your efforts boys.
There are 4 additions to the team for next season.
After 2 season away from the BPL Alex 'Chady' Chadwick is back on board for his 11th season in Buggers colours.
As is customary we have at least 1 BPL rookie on the list. Nathan will hopefully be fired up for the big time after a season out at the UQ social league, and a quick crash course in open ultimate in the draft league. I'm sure he'll be a great addition as he treads the well worn path of a first season BPL player on our team. He is roughly the 33rd BPL rookie to start their top level fris with the Buggers.
New to the country but not the art of Frisbee Oscar Hernandez joins the Buggers and brings our Colombian content to 2. Oscar seems to be a fast moving handler - a new concept for Moreton Bay Buggers teams. It will be interesting to see how he fits in to the team.
After years in the wilderness generously bringing his frisbee wisdom to the savages of the BPL Chris 'Buzz' Burwell returns to civilisation on the Buggers team.
The new team looks nicely balanced with a mix of old and young, cutting and throwing, new to the group and well worn bugs. I'm confident that this Moreton Bay Buggers team will be a force to be reconed with in season 2 of the BPL.
I'm eagerly anticipating the announcements of the other teams in the competition as there is often room to move in the off season and 2010 should be no different.
#13 Stuart Austin
#88 Buzz Burwell
#23 Alex Chadwick
#24 Tim Ferguson
#69 Oscar Hernandez
#13 Tim Johnson
#4 Nathan Lindsay
#12 Trevor Lovering
#1 Michael Neild (C)
#20 Graham Prickett (VC)
#77 Manuel Ramirez
#71 Anthony Ross
#15 Simon Statham
#8 Benjamin Worby
There are a few comments I'd like to make about this team.
Firstly a big thank you and best wishes to Spinner, Didems and Fluxy who are departing from the team after the first season this year. These guys have been excellent contributors to our team and we'll miss them.
Spinner and Dids are both off on overseas missions. Spinner to have a holiday adventure and Dids to make a difference in East Timor with some army work - classic hey?
Spinner played 6 seasons with the Bugs and won 3 championships.
Didems played 3 seasons with the Bugs and won 2 championships.
Fluxy is taking a season off and firing up the continued DIV2 dominance of Mellow Yellow.
Fluxy played 2 seasons with the Bugs and won a championship.
Thanks for your efforts boys.
There are 4 additions to the team for next season.
After 2 season away from the BPL Alex 'Chady' Chadwick is back on board for his 11th season in Buggers colours.
As is customary we have at least 1 BPL rookie on the list. Nathan will hopefully be fired up for the big time after a season out at the UQ social league, and a quick crash course in open ultimate in the draft league. I'm sure he'll be a great addition as he treads the well worn path of a first season BPL player on our team. He is roughly the 33rd BPL rookie to start their top level fris with the Buggers.
New to the country but not the art of Frisbee Oscar Hernandez joins the Buggers and brings our Colombian content to 2. Oscar seems to be a fast moving handler - a new concept for Moreton Bay Buggers teams. It will be interesting to see how he fits in to the team.
After years in the wilderness generously bringing his frisbee wisdom to the savages of the BPL Chris 'Buzz' Burwell returns to civilisation on the Buggers team.
The new team looks nicely balanced with a mix of old and young, cutting and throwing, new to the group and well worn bugs. I'm confident that this Moreton Bay Buggers team will be a force to be reconed with in season 2 of the BPL.
I'm eagerly anticipating the announcements of the other teams in the competition as there is often room to move in the off season and 2010 should be no different.
Monday 14 June 2010
Season 1 2010 - Bugger!
Season 1 2010 has been a great season for many reasons.
I've spoken about some of them here on this blog, and the high level of activity within the BPL blogosphere tells the rest of the story.
Although it pains me to say it one of the exciting aspects of this season is that it does see two 'new' teams in the grand final game. I say 'new' with the with recognition that UQ has been in many finals before just not recently with this team. The historical pattern of Moreton Bay Bugger teams, and to a lesser extent Dojo teams being present in the final game of the season has ended.
After 11 grand final appearances in a row the Buggers are on the side line during the last big week. It means I have to take my boastful, arrogant and completely accurate slogan of "Every season - Every final" off this blog, and much more importantly two exciting teams are going to fight out a final in a fresh new way.
A healthy competition is one which has multiple teams competing for the top spots, and this season there are a lot of different ways the finals series could have shaped up. In the BPL of 2010 it is an achievement to even qualified for the finals series.
The 2010 MBB team has been a great team to be on and the season has been a very enjoyable experience. The season was disrupted with 5 of our players spending some weeks overseas at different times. In the face of personnel changes and the diversity of opposition, we have battled with attempting to redesign the way that we play offense and defense. In a season of league wide close games we have been involved in 3 draws and maybe 2 or 3 other games with 1 point finishes. Hard to credit really.
In the wake of some of our central players - Jason, Jangles, Nick, Nandor and George - leaving the team new players have grown as players. One of Queensland's proud Aussie Thunder representatives Trevor Lovering has had an excellent season for a young man. Andrew 'Diddums' Ogilvie has moved from a rookie type player into a proper BPL weapon who spend the season bailing us out on long and high throws on both O and D. Our newest editions Ryan Flux and Tim Johnson have made great strides in utilizing their natural talents to become important aspects of our team.
This season also had us dusting off some champion Buggers from the past with former MBB nationals team captain Tim Ferguson and long time Bugger servant Tony Ross joining the team. We love have a couple of handlers from the old school on Bug teams and these two blokes fill that label in their own distinct ways.
The rest of us ran around and got the job done with a special mention for Graham 'Special G' Prickett who admirably took the captaincy job for the whole business end of the season.
Season 1 of 2010 has been very enjoyable and very memorable for the Bugs. We are already building for season 2 and feel like this will be another excellent year for the Moreton Bay Buggers
Best of luck to the Cobra and Passion teams for next weeks final. I hope it is high quality, feisty, respectful and a top representation of what has been one of the best BPL seasons so far.
Mike
I've spoken about some of them here on this blog, and the high level of activity within the BPL blogosphere tells the rest of the story.
Although it pains me to say it one of the exciting aspects of this season is that it does see two 'new' teams in the grand final game. I say 'new' with the with recognition that UQ has been in many finals before just not recently with this team. The historical pattern of Moreton Bay Bugger teams, and to a lesser extent Dojo teams being present in the final game of the season has ended.
After 11 grand final appearances in a row the Buggers are on the side line during the last big week. It means I have to take my boastful, arrogant and completely accurate slogan of "Every season - Every final" off this blog, and much more importantly two exciting teams are going to fight out a final in a fresh new way.
A healthy competition is one which has multiple teams competing for the top spots, and this season there are a lot of different ways the finals series could have shaped up. In the BPL of 2010 it is an achievement to even qualified for the finals series.
The 2010 MBB team has been a great team to be on and the season has been a very enjoyable experience. The season was disrupted with 5 of our players spending some weeks overseas at different times. In the face of personnel changes and the diversity of opposition, we have battled with attempting to redesign the way that we play offense and defense. In a season of league wide close games we have been involved in 3 draws and maybe 2 or 3 other games with 1 point finishes. Hard to credit really.
In the wake of some of our central players - Jason, Jangles, Nick, Nandor and George - leaving the team new players have grown as players. One of Queensland's proud Aussie Thunder representatives Trevor Lovering has had an excellent season for a young man. Andrew 'Diddums' Ogilvie has moved from a rookie type player into a proper BPL weapon who spend the season bailing us out on long and high throws on both O and D. Our newest editions Ryan Flux and Tim Johnson have made great strides in utilizing their natural talents to become important aspects of our team.
This season also had us dusting off some champion Buggers from the past with former MBB nationals team captain Tim Ferguson and long time Bugger servant Tony Ross joining the team. We love have a couple of handlers from the old school on Bug teams and these two blokes fill that label in their own distinct ways.
The rest of us ran around and got the job done with a special mention for Graham 'Special G' Prickett who admirably took the captaincy job for the whole business end of the season.
Season 1 of 2010 has been very enjoyable and very memorable for the Bugs. We are already building for season 2 and feel like this will be another excellent year for the Moreton Bay Buggers
Best of luck to the Cobra and Passion teams for next weeks final. I hope it is high quality, feisty, respectful and a top representation of what has been one of the best BPL seasons so far.
Mike
Sunday 30 May 2010
New kids on the block
As I've been away for the last couple of BPL rounds I don't have much to write about the games. I was however over at the Gold Coast blog and there were some interesting comments which got me ready to write. I was going to write about some aspects of the league at the end of the season however now seems like a good time.
This season has been great for many reasons. I think we are looking at the most competitive and open finals series in a few years, which comes on the back a very competitive season. There have been new blogs, plenty of off field comment and discussion. Crazy tipping, wild swinging results from draws to blow outs to golden point games. Most exciting of all there have been two new teams in the competition.
The Heroes have had a rough season with their results, they have also had some good patches of play and improved as a team. I think they have been a good addition to the competition. Their season would have been a fair bit different with the addition of one more experienced BPL player. They had enough close games that they could have won if an Al type handler had of been playing for them.
The Slamtown team has had more success with results during the season and are hopeful of flying into the semi finals on the back of some wild results and prayers this week. They are a template for BPL teams of the future - specific team association (in their case regional), a large recruiting pool all to themselves, uniforms, history and a team list that is all used and involved when they are playing well. Time in the BPL, increased experience of their rookie players and continued recruiting will continue to improve this team.
In the BPL we have had enough good players for 6 or 7 teams for a few seasons. What we haven't had is 6 or 7 distinct leadership groups.
The Slamtown Flatball and the Heroes clubs have added these required leadership groups to our competition. Prior to the rise of these two leadership groups it was difficult to see a clear path for our competition to grow. If results this season eventuate that these teams finish their rookie seasons in 6th and 7th place I think it is very possible to argue that they have been a success
Given that there are now 6 or 7 distinct leadership groups in the competition I'm hopeful that we can look forward to more highly competitive and exciting seasons in the future. I'd like to think that during the transition between leagues in 2010 there are a few brave individuals (George, Jangles, James and Nandor style) who migrate between teams with the goal of building up these new and exciting teams.
I'm looking forward to watching the business end of this season from afar, and I hope that team leaders and open minded players have a productive off season 'trading period' prior to season 2.
Good luck teams.
This season has been great for many reasons. I think we are looking at the most competitive and open finals series in a few years, which comes on the back a very competitive season. There have been new blogs, plenty of off field comment and discussion. Crazy tipping, wild swinging results from draws to blow outs to golden point games. Most exciting of all there have been two new teams in the competition.
The Heroes have had a rough season with their results, they have also had some good patches of play and improved as a team. I think they have been a good addition to the competition. Their season would have been a fair bit different with the addition of one more experienced BPL player. They had enough close games that they could have won if an Al type handler had of been playing for them.
The Slamtown team has had more success with results during the season and are hopeful of flying into the semi finals on the back of some wild results and prayers this week. They are a template for BPL teams of the future - specific team association (in their case regional), a large recruiting pool all to themselves, uniforms, history and a team list that is all used and involved when they are playing well. Time in the BPL, increased experience of their rookie players and continued recruiting will continue to improve this team.
In the BPL we have had enough good players for 6 or 7 teams for a few seasons. What we haven't had is 6 or 7 distinct leadership groups.
The Slamtown Flatball and the Heroes clubs have added these required leadership groups to our competition. Prior to the rise of these two leadership groups it was difficult to see a clear path for our competition to grow. If results this season eventuate that these teams finish their rookie seasons in 6th and 7th place I think it is very possible to argue that they have been a success
Given that there are now 6 or 7 distinct leadership groups in the competition I'm hopeful that we can look forward to more highly competitive and exciting seasons in the future. I'd like to think that during the transition between leagues in 2010 there are a few brave individuals (George, Jangles, James and Nandor style) who migrate between teams with the goal of building up these new and exciting teams.
I'm looking forward to watching the business end of this season from afar, and I hope that team leaders and open minded players have a productive off season 'trading period' prior to season 2.
Good luck teams.
Friday 14 May 2010
Frisbee Flux
Continuing the theme of MBB match reports from
players on the team this week we will hear
from the man in the headband, reigning BPL
champion and second season Bugger Ryan
'Fluxie' Flux.
This weeks game saw the Buggers victorious in a
tight game against the UQ Lovers. The game saw
the team gel a bit more and lift that intensity -
certainly a good sign coming into the back end
of the season.
Prior to the game the importance of controlled
and patient offense had been talked about and
the team certainly listened. The first two points
in particular were great examples of this
combining plenty of smooth safe passes with nice
short cuts to see the disc move steadily up the
field and into the end zone (Ed - Ryan may have
the rose coloured memory cap on for this point
as we turned it over enough for him to get 2
blocks in the endzone). This conservative
offense was a feature for most of the game.
The D too was good - there was a great deal of
variety in the strategy and everyone worked with
great intensity.
The Buggers kept pushing through the first half
to take the lead 8-7 at break. Unfortunately
the second half saw the momentum swing the other
way with the Buggers conceding two quick points.
Regathering from this glitch the team regrouped
and clawed its way back into the game.
The end of the game was a close, nail biting
affair and having the final point called at 13
all was pretty fitting. A nice take in the end
zone saw the Buggers take the game 14-13 -
excellent stuff boys.
fluxie
Saturday 8 May 2010
Doing what we do best
Trevor Lovering is an example of the new bread of frisbee player on the Brisbane Ultimate scene. You know the type, they started playing frisbee in high school, by the time they get to uni they already have 2 BPL championships under their belt and sometime soon they'll be heading overseas to play frisbee for Australia.
I hope Trevor is just one of many exciting new players who we will see playing in the BPL in years to come. In the mean time here he is to tell us about this weeks clash with the UQ Passion team.
After a few wins, a lose and three too many draws over the first half of the season, the Buggers are back to doing what they do best, winning games through grit and determination. We are now well and truly on the road to a third straight dog cup after a nail biting victory over the full strength Passion team.
The new look 2010 Buggers have been going through a few growing pains over the season. With some familiar faces no longer with us and some fresher faces finding their place on the team, BPL season one was always going to be a challenge for us. This week we found that sweet spot with a strong man and zone defence as well as a cool, calm and collected offence.
We started strong taking an early lead but the emotion of Passion proved strong as they took half 8-7. Passion carried this momentum through to the second half extending their lead to 10-7. The Buggers called a much needed timeout to regather our thoughts and calm down. Our offence was the patient and conservative, giving Passion nothing and pressuring turns with our hard working D.
Our efforts brought the score up to 12-11 to the Buggers with last point called. After a dropped hammer to the Passion end zone, the Buggers walked it up the field to score the winner and avoid our forth draw of the season. Congrats on the win boys.
Trevor Lovering.
I hope Trevor is just one of many exciting new players who we will see playing in the BPL in years to come. In the mean time here he is to tell us about this weeks clash with the UQ Passion team.
After a few wins, a lose and three too many draws over the first half of the season, the Buggers are back to doing what they do best, winning games through grit and determination. We are now well and truly on the road to a third straight dog cup after a nail biting victory over the full strength Passion team.
The new look 2010 Buggers have been going through a few growing pains over the season. With some familiar faces no longer with us and some fresher faces finding their place on the team, BPL season one was always going to be a challenge for us. This week we found that sweet spot with a strong man and zone defence as well as a cool, calm and collected offence.
We started strong taking an early lead but the emotion of Passion proved strong as they took half 8-7. Passion carried this momentum through to the second half extending their lead to 10-7. The Buggers called a much needed timeout to regather our thoughts and calm down. Our offence was the patient and conservative, giving Passion nothing and pressuring turns with our hard working D.
Our efforts brought the score up to 12-11 to the Buggers with last point called. After a dropped hammer to the Passion end zone, the Buggers walked it up the field to score the winner and avoid our forth draw of the season. Congrats on the win boys.
Trevor Lovering.
Friday 16 April 2010
"So, nice to finally win a game eh?
Special guest blogger Simon Statham - 4 times Moreton Bay Bugger and current defending BPL champion - shares his thoughts on this week's game.
"Two draws in a row don’t look great on the stats but it hides two very hard fought games that we deserved to get something from. Last night was a different sort of game. A ‘potential banana skin’ (to paraphrase English football managers). We probably always thought that we could win but to manage that complacency and to come out with a very controlled game where we worked hard to get turnovers and took our opportunities was very satisfying.
We put a lot of things in place last night that we have been talking about and trying to achieve all season. Our man-D certainly seemed to shut down the pitch very effectively against a team of (for the most part) younger and fitter guys. This was particularly effective in marking the ‘under’ cuts, but we did get mismatched on speed a couple of times for the ones over the top so we should continue to watch that. If there was one thing that might have put even more pressure on it was they often had a dump pass to get out of trouble – but they rarely moved forward.
O was very patient. The poor shot selection that characterised the crazy 10 minutes against Dojo, when they scored 6 or 7 points in a row, seemed to have been rectified. Sometimes we didn’t get very far very quickly but (aside from the last 5 mins) we turned over pretty rarely. For me that was probably the biggest plus. We dramatically cut down on the unforced turnovers, which will put us in good stead against better teams.
I thought the new Bugger buddy system was good. I for one found it useful at the end to talk openly about the mistakes I’d made – helps me to put them at the front of my mind so I can learn from them and not gloss over it.
Finally, it was nice to see Tony going long for some scores! When was the last time we saw that happening?!
Cobras beating Passion was very good news for us. The league has closed up and it proves that anyone can beat anyone else in this league. We’ve got to believe that we can win the thing again this season – C’mon the Bugs!
Si"
Sunday 11 April 2010
Good news for the bugs
Round 6 saw the Moreton Bay Buggers play in their second draw in a row. These results came on the back of a single point victory over the UQ Lovers, which was preceded by a pounding from the league leading UQ Passion team.
Its been a strange run of games for us. While the outcomes have not been ideal, at this early stage of our team building project we are happy to focus on the process and hope that desirable outcomes follow.
We feel like we have turned a corner recently with how we are playing. The lesson for us has been persistence and experimentation. We have tried a number of different adjustments over the last month of frisbee and its because we have kept working at our issues that we feel like we've made a break through.
Time will tell whether we have found the right mixture of tactics and utilisation of player skills for us to continue to play good ultimate. At this stage however we are feeling happy about the progress evident in the team over the last couple of games.
Unlike previous Buggers teams that have been quickly successful based on high quality athletes and simple tactics. This season's team has required a change in direction and a different focus for us to find our rhythm.
The team is excited about the progress we are making and look forward to continuing to test ourselves in the very competitive environment that we find ourselves in.
Its been a strange run of games for us. While the outcomes have not been ideal, at this early stage of our team building project we are happy to focus on the process and hope that desirable outcomes follow.
We feel like we have turned a corner recently with how we are playing. The lesson for us has been persistence and experimentation. We have tried a number of different adjustments over the last month of frisbee and its because we have kept working at our issues that we feel like we've made a break through.
Time will tell whether we have found the right mixture of tactics and utilisation of player skills for us to continue to play good ultimate. At this stage however we are feeling happy about the progress evident in the team over the last couple of games.
Unlike previous Buggers teams that have been quickly successful based on high quality athletes and simple tactics. This season's team has required a change in direction and a different focus for us to find our rhythm.
The team is excited about the progress we are making and look forward to continuing to test ourselves in the very competitive environment that we find ourselves in.
Sunday 4 April 2010
Buggers teams from previous leagues
The Moreton Bay Buggers have been a part of the Frisbee landscape in Brisbane for a decade.
As a Brisbane Premier League team the Buggers are now in their 5th year of existence. In those five years many players have proudly and enthusiastically worn the Bugger black, blue and red.
I've dug into the vault and found the team lists from the last five years. I'm missing the original team list as Rueben Berg was the captain and mastermind behind the Bugs entrance into the competition. The lists and number of season played by each Bugger can be found on the right side of the page.
Many players have come and gone from the Bugger teams. Some have moved away from the competition and play in other leagues. Some have thrown their last disc in anger and now only participate through the email list. Young men who learned their frisbee craft with the big bug on their chest are spread across the BPL teams including 2 other club captains.
The MBB club has always been active in bringing new players to the competition. Over 30 genuine new-to-frisbee rookies have had their first taste of organised competitive ultimate at the club.
It is worth mentioning the following long serving sons of the Moreton Bay Buggers for their efforts over the years.
13 seasons
Mike Neild
12 seasons
Nandor Locher
11 seasons
Adam Beu
James Larkin
Jason Ray
10 seasons
Alex Chadwick
Liam Gillions
9 seasons
Nich Coote
Mat Ryan
It is a proud history full of excellent players, great teams and good frisbee times. I'm hopeful for many more.
Up the Buggers.
As a Brisbane Premier League team the Buggers are now in their 5th year of existence. In those five years many players have proudly and enthusiastically worn the Bugger black, blue and red.
I've dug into the vault and found the team lists from the last five years. I'm missing the original team list as Rueben Berg was the captain and mastermind behind the Bugs entrance into the competition. The lists and number of season played by each Bugger can be found on the right side of the page.
Many players have come and gone from the Bugger teams. Some have moved away from the competition and play in other leagues. Some have thrown their last disc in anger and now only participate through the email list. Young men who learned their frisbee craft with the big bug on their chest are spread across the BPL teams including 2 other club captains.
The MBB club has always been active in bringing new players to the competition. Over 30 genuine new-to-frisbee rookies have had their first taste of organised competitive ultimate at the club.
It is worth mentioning the following long serving sons of the Moreton Bay Buggers for their efforts over the years.
13 seasons
Mike Neild
12 seasons
Nandor Locher
11 seasons
Adam Beu
James Larkin
Jason Ray
10 seasons
Alex Chadwick
Liam Gillions
9 seasons
Nich Coote
Mat Ryan
It is a proud history full of excellent players, great teams and good frisbee times. I'm hopeful for many more.
Up the Buggers.
Saturday 20 March 2010
Youch!
This week we played against the UQ Passion team. The now clear league leading UQ Passion team.
They beat us good. In fact I can't remember being beaten that badly in the BPL for a long time.
We just didn't control the frisbee on offense, UQ did, and that was the main theme of the game.
We are a new team this season and we will continue to work ourselves out over the season. We're looking forward to many new challenges.
Speaking of challenges this competition is great. On the other field the Heroes knocked off the Cobra team is a 1 pointer. What this means is that after 3 weeks there are 5 teams all within 2 competition points of each other fighting it out for the bottom 2 semi final places.
I know its only the start of the season however I get the feeling that its going to be really hard to get into the Semi finals this season. It has been tough the last couple of leagues because all five of the teams have been great, however with 7 teams capable of winning games this season its actually a pretty short list who get in. Yikes!
I was actually thinking that in order to get really good this season we might need to start doing some training. I wonder if we are approaching the stage when teams are going to need to train regularly to be able to win this competition. Not this league I think, however it would change the success of the Buggers and most teams if they were to do two sessions a week.
We're looking forward to next week already.
They beat us good. In fact I can't remember being beaten that badly in the BPL for a long time.
We just didn't control the frisbee on offense, UQ did, and that was the main theme of the game.
We are a new team this season and we will continue to work ourselves out over the season. We're looking forward to many new challenges.
Speaking of challenges this competition is great. On the other field the Heroes knocked off the Cobra team is a 1 pointer. What this means is that after 3 weeks there are 5 teams all within 2 competition points of each other fighting it out for the bottom 2 semi final places.
I know its only the start of the season however I get the feeling that its going to be really hard to get into the Semi finals this season. It has been tough the last couple of leagues because all five of the teams have been great, however with 7 teams capable of winning games this season its actually a pretty short list who get in. Yikes!
I was actually thinking that in order to get really good this season we might need to start doing some training. I wonder if we are approaching the stage when teams are going to need to train regularly to be able to win this competition. Not this league I think, however it would change the success of the Buggers and most teams if they were to do two sessions a week.
We're looking forward to next week already.
Friday 12 March 2010
The begining, again.
Only once in the 7 years and 19 seasons has a team won the BPL season more than 2 seasons in a row.
(Full records can be found a the dog-cup yahoogroups site under data base)
This season the Moreton Bay Buggers are looking to the be second group of men to achieve the three-peat.
I love the start of a BPL season. The potential, the new tactics, the new team list, the fear and excitement and this league the new teams.
This season's MBB team is fairly different to last seasons. Five long time Buggers are not playing with us for various reasons and four new and returning Bugs are on the team. We will have to change the way we play in order to suit our new playing list. We still do a few things the same though and last night was a good example of this.
We had a great game against the brand new and very exciting Slamtown Flatball Club. The really exciting thing about the Gold Coast team is that prior to last nights game we know very little about them. We know some of their players, we did a little scouting in their first game against the Cobra however they were an unknown.
It was quite difficult deciding on a defense use and even harder to workout match ups on the line. I was very impressed with the general standard of play by all the individuals on the Gold Coast team and I expect they will get better as they adjust to playing with each other and playing against stiff opposition.
The game was very tight for the first half with the Slamtown up by one and the game on serve. In the second half we found a better fit defensively and won some points in typical Bugger action through one on one block and aggressive throws to the endzone.
The final score was 15 to 10 Buggers which included a 8 points to 2 second half.
A good start to the season. A season which we are looking forward to as a real challenge.
(Full records can be found a the dog-cup yahoogroups site under data base)
This season the Moreton Bay Buggers are looking to the be second group of men to achieve the three-peat.
I love the start of a BPL season. The potential, the new tactics, the new team list, the fear and excitement and this league the new teams.
This season's MBB team is fairly different to last seasons. Five long time Buggers are not playing with us for various reasons and four new and returning Bugs are on the team. We will have to change the way we play in order to suit our new playing list. We still do a few things the same though and last night was a good example of this.
We had a great game against the brand new and very exciting Slamtown Flatball Club. The really exciting thing about the Gold Coast team is that prior to last nights game we know very little about them. We know some of their players, we did a little scouting in their first game against the Cobra however they were an unknown.
It was quite difficult deciding on a defense use and even harder to workout match ups on the line. I was very impressed with the general standard of play by all the individuals on the Gold Coast team and I expect they will get better as they adjust to playing with each other and playing against stiff opposition.
The game was very tight for the first half with the Slamtown up by one and the game on serve. In the second half we found a better fit defensively and won some points in typical Bugger action through one on one block and aggressive throws to the endzone.
The final score was 15 to 10 Buggers which included a 8 points to 2 second half.
A good start to the season. A season which we are looking forward to as a real challenge.
Sunday 21 February 2010
The one, the only, the JRay
There are some great aspects to being involved with a young sport like Ultimate Frisbee. There are also some painful aspects.
For example all the people who organise our sport - leagues, tournaments, web sites, policy, couching, publication and sausage sizzles still play the sport. We don't have a sweet group of Mums, Dads and hasbeens to deal with all that organisational stuff for us. Painful.
We need to regularly exert energy into recruiting, promoting, educating, explaining and selling our sport to all and sundry in the hope that it will continue to grow so that we can continue to play games.
Its really only the Taiwanese who want to get our autographs. Young sports.
Some excellent aspects about being involved in a young sport like Ultimate Frisbee are that lots of us are in with a chance of playing the game at a National or International level. Excellent.
Our community is smallish and loving. It's great to be quickly accepted into a community that wants you to be there.
The great aspect of being in a young sport that I want to highlight here is that in our young sport the early heroes of Ultimate Frisbee are people we know. The titans of Ultimate Frisbee legend in Australia are people that might even still play on our league team. Players from the first Australian team at Worlds in 1988 might just still be trundling around in our community.
There are many founding members of the Brisbane Ultimate Frisbee community who should be enjoyed and remembered for their direct connection to the beginning of our sport. Today i'd like to mention one.
I'm not going to tell the whole JRay story here, not because I don't know it (he has told me enough times) but because either you already know the man and have firmly formed your opinion, or you don't know him and if that's the case you should ask Buzz about him, it's much funnier that way.
What I will say is that Jason worked pretty hard to develop our sport in Brisbane. He contributed much to our community landscape including the much loved Brisbane Premier League. In the early 2000s when Brisbane was a one league town (mixed at UQ) Jason worked to initiate and administer as the first league director the R.C. Dog Cup.
For those of you who haven't had a close look in a while its printed right there on the trophy.
We love our Thursday night open league. The Dog Cup, the Mens A league and now the Brisbane Premier League. It is an enthusiastic and significant competition. It means a lot to those who strive for success in what can be a challenging and competitive environment. This week it enters a new phase as a 7 team competition, very exciting.
We owe thanks to Jason for the beginnings of our competition.
Jason has played his last season of BPL. In classic JRay style his last game was full of passion and angst, wild hucks out of bounds, 3 massive plays in the dying stages of the game and a gritty grand final win against an old enemy.
Jason you are one of the founders of Ultimate Frisbee in Brisbane as well as a contributor on the domestic and World stages. You have inspired many of the current crop of Brisbane elite to achieve their best either through encouragement or through their desire to best you on the field.
You'll be missed at the Moreton Bay Buggers and i'm sure you'll be remembered. Well done mate.
For example all the people who organise our sport - leagues, tournaments, web sites, policy, couching, publication and sausage sizzles still play the sport. We don't have a sweet group of Mums, Dads and hasbeens to deal with all that organisational stuff for us. Painful.
We need to regularly exert energy into recruiting, promoting, educating, explaining and selling our sport to all and sundry in the hope that it will continue to grow so that we can continue to play games.
Its really only the Taiwanese who want to get our autographs. Young sports.
Some excellent aspects about being involved in a young sport like Ultimate Frisbee are that lots of us are in with a chance of playing the game at a National or International level. Excellent.
Our community is smallish and loving. It's great to be quickly accepted into a community that wants you to be there.
The great aspect of being in a young sport that I want to highlight here is that in our young sport the early heroes of Ultimate Frisbee are people we know. The titans of Ultimate Frisbee legend in Australia are people that might even still play on our league team. Players from the first Australian team at Worlds in 1988 might just still be trundling around in our community.
There are many founding members of the Brisbane Ultimate Frisbee community who should be enjoyed and remembered for their direct connection to the beginning of our sport. Today i'd like to mention one.
Jason Ray
I'm not going to tell the whole JRay story here, not because I don't know it (he has told me enough times) but because either you already know the man and have firmly formed your opinion, or you don't know him and if that's the case you should ask Buzz about him, it's much funnier that way.What I will say is that Jason worked pretty hard to develop our sport in Brisbane. He contributed much to our community landscape including the much loved Brisbane Premier League. In the early 2000s when Brisbane was a one league town (mixed at UQ) Jason worked to initiate and administer as the first league director the R.C. Dog Cup.
For those of you who haven't had a close look in a while its printed right there on the trophy.
We love our Thursday night open league. The Dog Cup, the Mens A league and now the Brisbane Premier League. It is an enthusiastic and significant competition. It means a lot to those who strive for success in what can be a challenging and competitive environment. This week it enters a new phase as a 7 team competition, very exciting.
We owe thanks to Jason for the beginnings of our competition.
Jason has played his last season of BPL. In classic JRay style his last game was full of passion and angst, wild hucks out of bounds, 3 massive plays in the dying stages of the game and a gritty grand final win against an old enemy.
Jason you are one of the founders of Ultimate Frisbee in Brisbane as well as a contributor on the domestic and World stages. You have inspired many of the current crop of Brisbane elite to achieve their best either through encouragement or through their desire to best you on the field.
You'll be missed at the Moreton Bay Buggers and i'm sure you'll be remembered. Well done mate.
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