Still A Lot To Play For

Yes fans, it is that time of year,…a time when all the boring clichés about winning and losing are saturating the airwaves with the same frequency as a downpour during the wet season in Far North Queensland.

But please do not be put off by the jabbering. The race for this year’s championship will come right down to the final buzzer. Let’s take a closer look.

We have three teams (Wollongong, Singapore, and South) who are still fighting off the possibility of the dreaded wooden spoon. Currently the South Dragons are poised to take out this dis-honour, but only two games separate the group so it is there for the taking with any one of this troika.

At 9-13, the Razorbacks are in limbo. This would be a nightmare for rookie coach Rob Beveridge from a motivational stand point. The young Pigs will be satisfied in knowing that they have managed enough wins to have clawed their way out of the bottom of the ladder, which is a position they have all but owned the previous two seasons. However, they have fallen just short of being able to factor into the playoff mix.

This next cluster of six teams includes Adelaide, Cairns, Perth, Gold Coast, New Zealand and your Crocodiles. Each of us has to approach every game like it is a final from here on out.

To give you an example of just how close it is, Perth who is currently in fourth position, sits on 12 wins. Bump on down the ladder to ninth place and you’ll see Adelaide with just two fewer wins (10) but placed outside the top 8.

Just for the record, the Crocs are currently sitting at sixth despite having amassed 13 wins, due to the factoring in of the win/loss percentage.

This group faces an absolute dog fight for the remainder of the season. Many of us control our own destiny, however, because we have yet to face each other for a complete series.

Look at the Crocs home stretch for example. We have six games remaining. Four of them are against Cairns and the Gold Coast, who we meet two more times each. All three of us are entrenched in the battle for fourth position in the playoffs. Win the majority of these and you place yourself nicely for post season play.

This leaves the top three teams who are doing their own bit of jostling as well. The Kings (19-3) would be very unlucky to miss out on winning the regular season.

Their hiccup against Adelaide last weekend may just give Melbourne and Brisbane that glimmer of hope that can be dangerous. Currently the Tigers and Bullets are in a tight race for second with just one loss separating them.

Ok, so I could continue to carry on with this analysis with my own drawn out list of clichés, but that’s just not my style. I’ll leave you with these parting words. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over so hold on tight and enjoy the ride. The Crocs are heading down the home stretch and will be going for broke in the dying seconds of the game. Let’s get the party started ‘cos you gotta be in it to win it.

Maybe I need to re-evaluate my style.

My weekly article can be found in the Townsville Bulletin every Wednesday.