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SFA State of Origin
Coney Island Warriors - Sweet F.A.
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Qooty is back.
And one of the biggest games of the round will undoubtedly be the Warriors and the Dragons, who have one of the newest but most potent rivalries in the Sweet FA. Two clubs that have had some absolute amazing games with eachother, and two clubs that have flown under the radar at times off field. The Dragons are coming off a season that saw them finish minor premiers before losing a preliminary final; the Warriors looking to bounce back from a disappointing 11th placed finish last season. What a game to kick off Season 26.
The Coney Island Warriors had a disappointing season in Season 25, finishing well outside the top 8 and never really looking the real deal on the qooty field. However, they are one of the most tight knit and low maintenance posting groups in the Sweet FA, led by Wooshette and Frankston Rover, and although it occasionally seems like there's low activity at Van Cortlandt Park, the Warriors never go away and are now true stalwarts of the league coming up on their 9th season.
Ins/Outs
There hasn't been a lot of mail in regards to what the Warriors have done in the off-season. As mentioned earlier, the Warriors are a very tight knit bunch and tend to play for their own. The loss of BLERN, the reigning EKA Medalist, will be a big blow, but it did seem like the prolific rookie wasn't going to fit in with the Warriors long term.
Players to Watch
Frankston Rover has a lot to prove in his return as captain after perhaps a disappointing time in charge back in Season 24. Wooshette, now free from the shackles of captaincy, could step up as a poster to become one of the elite in the league, whilst there's also big expectations upon the likes of Freofalcon, comewhatmay and DapperJong.
Milestones
None
The Dragons were minor premiers in Season 25 but fell short to the eventual premiers by 40 points. They have been accused in the past of being one of the more quiet teams in the Sweet FA and will be hoping that they can use the momentum of last season's on-field form to really pick up the pace off-field. They have a short but exciting rivalry with their opponents this week and could use that to spur them to an opening victory.
Ins/Outs
The Dragons gained and lost one prominent poster each over the off-season, with the loss of The Half Back offset by the gain of Roys premiership ruckwoman xenxen. Both posters are just below the 'elite' category of posters, so the Dragons will hope that they got the better side of both deals. Veterans left the club in iBeng and vanders but there's good signs for the future with the arrival of 5 new rookies.
Players to Watch
Blaze Storm is clearly the MVP of this side, co-captaining alongside Hatchy1992 and just narrowly missing out on being the number 1 ruckman of Season 25. Blaze has a lot of weight on their shoulders in regards to leading this side and generating enthusiasm, and the TFLUA-Tiger Medal in their trophy cabinet is proof of their worth to the Dragons. PhenomenalV1 is also very important for the Dragons, as one of their more active posters, and new recruit xenxen should be a massive in that will hopefully cover the loss of The Half Back.
Milestones
None
- The Dragons, coming off two wins in a row and sitting in 5th at the time, faced the bottom placed Warriors who had lost their last five games in a row.
- The match was a real arm wrestle, with 10 lead changes, and the Dragons led by just 4 points at three quarter time.
- However, 5 final quarter goals saw the Dragons lead stretch out to 31, eventually cut down to a comfortable 20.
- WFL was clear best on ground for the Dragons, picking up 24 disposals, 11 tackles, 108 DT points and 3 Mobbs Medal votes.
- For the Warriors, candiehappy (27 disposals, 2 goals) and @BigJoe_D (21 disposals, 9 hit outs) picked up 2 and 1 Mobbs votes respectively.
- PhenomenalV1 kicked 6 of his side's 15 goals to lead the tally whilst Itsmyshow was the standout for Coney Island with 3 majors.
- Dragons went from strength to strength after this win, going onto finish top of the ladder at the end of the minor round but falling short at the prelim stage; the Warriors form improved somewhat, finishing the season with 4.5 wins and avoiding the dreaded wooden spoon.
- These sides have played 17 times since the Warriors' inception in S18, with the Dragons claiming 9 wins, the Warriors 7 wins, and 1 draw.
- This clash has one of the highest finals ratios in the league, with just 17 games including 4 finals.
- The clubs famously met in the Season 19 Grand Final, with the Dragons winning by 15 points in a shootout.
- Another famous finals clash between these sides is the drawn Season 21 qualifying final; the Dragons would go on to win the replay by 98 points.
- The Dragons have never lost in a final to the Warriors after 4 games.
- Dragons 26.11 (167) in that drawn qualifying final replay is the highest score between these two teams; their 7.6 (48) against the Warriors in S19 R13 is the lowest score and also represents the first time the Warriors won this fixture.
- The Dragons have won the last 3 games against the Warriors in a row, stretching back to the start of Season 24. This is the longest winning streak in this fixture.
The Warriors will be looking forward to starting their season at home, but their losing streak against the Dragons as well the visitors' performances in the minor round last season makes the boys in green and black the favourites heading into Round 1.
Head to Head
Coney Island Warriors @ $2.10
Dragons FFC @ $1.67
These games tend to be tight affairs, with the Dragons and Warriors usually making for a thrilling rivalry. We've got the Dragons by 21.
Handicap
Coney Island Warriors +21.5 @ $1.95
Dragons FFC -21.5 @ $1.95
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