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Welcome to the Grand Final issue of the Stradbroke Shield Footy Record.

As expected, this season has been another cracker and this weekend we’ll be crowning a brand new Shield champion for the eighth consecutive year.

Once again we have the top placed team at the conclusion of the regular season miss out on a Grand Final berth. In fact, we have to go way back to 2011 to see the last time the Minor Premiers made it through to the last match of the year. Finals pressure is real and deadly. Congratulations then to the two who did make it through—the Mudcrabs (who are well over due) and the Peptides (who surprised many with their consistent year). As always, may the best team win.

As I look back on another successful year, it is worth sharing some recent research that high-lights the importance of Supercoach. As you can see from the graph on the right, the aver-age Australian male has gotten their time al-location per week mix just right, although they could spend a little less time on their relation-ships according to Dunwich. To the four teams still competing this week—go make it count.

Dunwich Dr Dunwich Demitriou CEO, Stradbroke Shield

DOWNLOW with Dunwich

Results

The Minor Premiership curse is alive and well as another team (Hammers) who finished at the top of the ladder fails to make it to the Grand Final. In the other game, the Mudcrabs continued to bounce back from their shock loss in week 1 one of the finals to claim their first Shield final berth.

FINALS WK 1 RESULTS SHIELD

Motley Crew 2,225 def by Mudcrabs 2,382

Peptide 2,253 def Hammer 2,162

GUMBYS

Ax 2,308 def Dazzlers 1,945

FOF 1,941 def by Saints 1,955

Highest Scoring Players 1. H. Shaw (GWSl) 164

2. D. Zorko (Bris) 157

3. K. Tippett (Syd) 157

4. J. Kennedy (WCE) 150

5. R. Sloane (Adel) 149

PRELIMINARY FINAL REVIEW

Finals Week 3 Another Minor Premier fails to make the GF, leaving the Wolfpak as the only minor premiers to go on and win the Shield. Whether that's a fact or not Wol-fie doesn't care.

You blokes have been into Wolfie for years about choking in GF's, at least Wolfie plays grand finals, you other mobs choke before you get there!

For this reason, next year, Wolfie will take it upon himself to demonstrate once again how to go about finishing minor premiers and going on to win the Shield. The preference would be to replicate the 2010 undefeated sea-son for good measure, but Dunwich has put pay to that through his equali-sation policy.

This year sees good v evil in the Straddie Shield Grand Final. It's the squeaky clean Crabs against the dirty rotten drug cheats. The Peptides go into the big dance with a clear advantage. Although, the Peptides have demon-strated they can coach, unlike the other cheat Hird. The Crabs are going to have to fight fire with fire to win this one. Think out-side the box and cheat as hard as you can. Wolfie's thinking New England Patriots type stuff..flat footys.

Just make sure the Peptides don't find out too soon before the game, as they won't have a shortage of needles on hand they could use to pump them up.

Two worthy combatants and tough to pick a winner. Wolfie is 0 from 8 with his finals selections, but survey says:

One more.....for the Good Guys!

WOLFIE’S WORDS OF WISDOM

I am writing to communicate my admiration on what you have achieved in the early part of your coach-ing career. I feel a great sense of pride that I have had such a great influence in your footy education over the years.

But I also look through the list of coaches today in the Straddie Shield that I have brought through, and I must say it provides me with mixed emotions. Clearly Wolfie, you are the highest credentialled of them all, but to see FOF, Tomsies and Socks all premiership coaches just goes to show my stable is a lot stronger than what Jeans or Clarko have ever been able to produce.

On the other side I look at Chambers, Francis and Vandermeer...what the hell were they doing when I was spinning my gold. One's sniffed too many flowers, one's fallen off too many ladders and the other one's been knocked around the head too often by Dowling! This is the equivalent to Leigh Matthews' stable of Tony Shaw, Vossy and Leppa.

For the sake of my reputation I need these blokes to lift. I deserve better than the results these blokes are producing. After all, I am the inaugral Staddie Shield Champion. But my legacy will live forever due to the rule changes brought in because of my coaching. Like you say Wolfie, changes to the competition have been forced upon us due to our greatness.

Always thinking ahead of the game, I always liked to make my trades on a Tuesday night before the team announcements on Thursdays. But the authorities were obviously getting nervous as they weren't sure what I was up to or my theories behind it, but felt they needed to do something to block this tactic in case it was an ingenious one, now they allow you to reverse your trades! Sure, on occasions my Tuesday night traded in player wasn't selected to play on the weekend, but what it has done now is advantage the in-decisive, gutless coach.

The other rule change is the VC loophole. This has caused me great aggravation since its inception and therefore I refuse to comment on it... I don't know what it is.

The secret to being a great coach is positive thinking and believing. Even when I'm 3 games outside of the top 8 with one round to go, I have no doubt in mind that the Saints will win the Shield. I will not hear of any-one telling me it's not possible. As a wise man once said, 'it's not over till a dead horse kicks ya'.

Yours truly, Pol.

Wolfie says: Here comes Bonecrusher!!

Wolfie.

DEAR WOLFIE

GET STUFFED

2015 STRADBROKE SHIELD FINAL

Danks Peptides –v– M’duc Mudcrabs

Second versus third and once again the two best performed team at finals time make the Grand Final.

The Mudcrabs have teased us since they came into the Shield in 2012 and always start the year as one of the premiership favourites. To date, all their top 4 finishes have amounted to zip, but they get their chance this weekend.

Despite being finalists in two out of their 3 Shield seasons, the Peptides have snuck up on most but you can’t doubt their presence as they have beaten sides ranked 1 and 2 to make the GF, so they will be a worthy opponent.

Grand Final week selections always throw a spanner into the works, along with late withdrawals, so the winning coach needs to be on the ball. If the rumours are correct and Coach Dank is sipping champagne in Business Class over the Indian Ocean then that could prove the difference. However he decides to spend the weekend, if this match lives up to the standard set in the Qualifying Final then we are in for a real treat.

Dunwich says Mudcrabs by 115.

FOR THE RECORD

Last time they met: Peptides 2,549 def Mudcrabs 2,501 (Qual Final) Last 5 Form Guide: Peptides 4-1 Mudcrabs 4-1

Road to the GF: Peptides: Qual def Mudcrabs/Prelim def Hammers

Road to the GF: Mudcrabs: Qual def by Peptides/Semi def Socks/Prelim def Motley Crew

MATCH PREVIEW: GRAND FINAL

MATCH PREVIEW: TEAM LINE UPS

DEF: H. SHAW, HODGE, HOOKER, HIBBERD, BURGOYNE, IBBOTSON

FWD: SWAN, MARTIN, DALHAUS, GRAY, B. GODDARD, ROUGHEAD

MID: DANGERFIELD, PENDLEBURY, FYFE, ZORKO, CRIPPS, NEALE, SIDEBOTTOM, LAMBERT

INTERCHANGE: EDWARDS, ADAMSON, MAYNARD, KNIGHT, NELSON, COX, DICKSON. H. GODDARD

INTERCHANGE: BROWN, MCKENZIE, STEELE, KAVANAGH, PAYNE, WRIGHT, LAMBERT, DALE

FWD: SWAN, DELEDIO, D. MARTIN, GRAY, BONTEMPELLI, MITCHELL

RUCKS: BLICAVS, GAWN

MID: DANGERFIELD, PENDLEBURY, FYFE, ROCKLIFF, PRIDDIS, KENNEDY HANNEBERY, COTCHIN

RUCKS: GOLDSTEIN, MARTIN

DEF: H. SHAW, HODGE, ENRIGHT, RANCE, MCDONALD, HIBBERD

Stuart: Moorooduc Mudcrabs AFL team supported: Demons (ahh, so you’re the one)

Best win in 2015: Round 18: Mudcrabs 2,419 def Ax 2,410 (what about the Socks in the Semi?)

Best trade: Mumford to Goldstein (tick)

Worst trade: Bontempelli to Bailey Dale (Wow, I wouldn't have publicly admitted that one)

Player most likely to win you the GF: Big Roughy (Peptides are thinking the same—and they don't have him in their side!)

What will you do to celebrate if you win: Push for a public holiday in Victoria if the Shield can be brought south for the first time! (Dunwich is keen for a Statewide tour)

Tell us one thing about yourselves: The Mudcrabs coach has been seeing the shrink for the past year following disastrous finals results. I'm finally in a good head space however one more Kyrgios comment from Wolfie about 'banging my girlfriend' could see the coach crumble come the GF this weekend! (Don’t take it to heart, he has banged all our girlfriends)

Lucas: Danks Peptides AFL team supported: Essendon (see ‘Worst Trade’ comment above)

Best win in 2015: Qual Final: Peptides 2,549 def Mudcrabs 2,501 (can lightening strike twice?)

Best trade: Newton to Cripps (umm, when did Bert get drafted?)

Worst trade: Lumumba to Rockliff: then Rockliff got injured that same weekend & I ended up trading him again the next weekend. (I think having Lumumba was bad enough)

Player most likely to win you the GF: Dangerfield (can’t argue with that)

What will you do to celebrate if you win: Well I leave for Greece on Friday, so I might purchase my own island & sit on the beach drinking cocktails. (What? Friday...the bloody game is on...)

Tell us one thing about yourselves: I have already booked into counselling once the season is over, as I won’t know what to do with my time. (Good point. Dunwich is thinking about mimicking a bear and hibernating until February)

MATCH PREVIEW: COACHES CORNER

Ax v Pollys Saints

Ax will head into this clash as heavy favourites as they look to salvage something from their Shield fi-nals wreck. Saints will take well into Sunday before they realise who they are actually playing,

Dunwich says Ax by 225

Last time they meet: Ax 2,422 def Saints 2,017 (Qual)

Last 5 form: Ax 4-1 Saints 3-2

GUMBY FINAL PREVIEW

WHO THE COACHES THINK PEPTIDES 

AX 

MUDCRABS 

SAINTS 

PEPTIDES 

SAINTS 

MUDCRABS 

SAINTS 

PEPTIDES 

AX 

MUDCRABS 

SAINTS 

MUDCRABS 

SAINTS 

PEPTIDES 

AX 

MUDCRABS 

AX 

PEPTIDES 

AX 

MUDCRABS 

AX 

GET 

STUFFED 

PEPTIDES 

SAINTS 

MUDCRABS 

AX 

MUDCRABS 

SAINTS 

MUDCRABS 

AX 

After three consecutive top 4 placings that finished in the penultimate week, Moorooduc Mudcrabs coach Stuart Seager (right) finally marches his team into a Grand Final this weekend and, in doing so, earns his first Dac Chambers Medal. Stradbroke Shield journalist Christi Whorehouse flew to Melbourne to catch up with one very relieved coach as he pre-pares his team for ultimate glory.

CW: Your past final failures have been well documented—you must be breathing a sigh of relief with your victory over Motley Crew on the weekend.

MM: You have no idea Christi. Months of planning goes into selecting the Mudcrabs team each pre-season and to see it go to waste three years in a row has you questioning your ability as a top-level coach. I was on track until the Peptides surprised me in the Qualifying final, but all they have done is poke the bear. There will be no ambush this weekend.

CW: At the start of the year, many would have listed the Mudcrabs as a grand final chance, but probably not the Peptides. Have they surprised you?

MM: Me and the rest of the comp I’d say. Wolfpak flagged it a couple of weeks ago about their connection to the controversial supplements program and that is in the back of my mind. If I get done, I’ll be giving Raylene Boyle a call to see how she handled losing out to a questionable regime.

CW: You fled...I mean….relocated to Melbourne after one of your preliminary final losses. Is the pressure any less being away from the Straddie Shield spotlight?

MM: I think Dunwich would be surprised how big the Shield is here in Victoria (Editor note: Dunwich is

not). Most weeks there is an article or two in the paper and talkback radio is flooded with SS con-spiracy theories and rumours. All this means that I’m probably under more pressure down here as a one-town team. I’ll have all of Victoria, not just Moorooduc, cheering for me this weekend, so I’ll use that as motivation to break the duck.

CW: Finally, where the bloody hell is Moorooduc?

MM: Google it Christi.

The Dac Chambers Medal is awarded to the year’s Best Coach and is named in honour of Daryl ‘Dac’ Chambers who passed away in 2010. Dac was a Morningside AFC Life Member, classic Story Teller and inaugural Stradlympic Beer Drinking Champion.

DAC CHAMBERS MEDAL