Fox Memorial

The oldest league competition in the country is about halfway through its season and it's proving to be quite an interesting comp. Any team can beat any other team on it's day and there are no clear cut favourites anymore. Mt Albert and Otahuhu traditionally dominate and are still at the top but they're getting beaten too which is keeping the comp real tight.

Now last year we got a crew together and watched Mt Albert play Otahuhu at Fowlds Park and it was a thoroughly entertaining game (Otahuhu just snuck a last minute 20-18 win) and a good way to spend a saturday afternoon with a brief smoke and a few beers on the sideline of some cool local league. To the sceptics, yes you're right, it IS a long way from the polish and precision of the NRL but it is still VERY entertaining. The defence isn't quite up to par and you have some talented but raw individuals out there testing themselves and honing their skills alongside labourers and other hard working men to whom a tough game of local league on the weekend is as close as they'll get to a professional sporting career. I enjoy the romance of the players whose name will never be fondly remembered by young kids outside of their clubroom battling their hearts out every weekend in local suburban rivalries that have played out for about a 100 years.

Here's the table before todays games.



Now next weekend is a double header out west. Depending on the weather of course, I'm hoping to organise a bit of a crew to get together a few beers and maybe a little somethin somethin and sit on the sidelines at the (amazingly conditioned - seriously, at the beginning of the season it looked better than Mt Smart!) Harold Moody Park out in Glen Eden to watch a double header of the mighty Northcote Tigers (origin club for legends old and new like Gary Freeman and Kevin Locke) play Manurewa Marlins (Richie Blackmore, Joe Galuvao, Greg Eastwood) at 11:30am and following that at 2:30pm is the mighty Glenora Bears (Jarrod McCracken, Wairangi Koopu, Dean Lonergan) battle off for best of the West against the Te Atatu Roosters (Patrick Ah Van, Robbie and Henry Paul and they almost had an amazing u/8's coach ).

Now who's down? :>

Sorry here's that table again for anyone without adblocker.

keen

Good idea mate. I wouldve been keen for this if I was back in NZ. I've been watching some grade games here in Sydney.. definitley a good way to spend the arvo - cheeky bifter, a few beers, sunshine... happy days.

Sat or Sun?

could be down if its sunday, Northcote Tigers being my home team and all!

My Dad played for Tigers so I've always had a soft spot for them.

Hey guys, games are always on a saturday. weather is lookin good. Hopefully that doesn't jinx it...

I'm keen

Car-less atm so if anyone's driving out there a ride would be much appreciated

Unless we get on the 154 kris_b? BALLA AS FUCK!!

Yeah, we could do the 154 from K-Rd at 10:36, stops right outside the ground. Pick up some liquor, sweet as.

What time does that bus get there? Most folks who are keen are keen only for the main game at 2:30 and I'm not sure I could rouse myself earl on a weekend day either.

Great game and all round excellent afternoon ^_^

Sweet day yesterday and pretty keen to do it again

Sweet day yesterday and pretty keen to do it again

Definitely keen to do it again, all weather dependent of course. I'll look ahead and see what other games are coming up that would be worth checking out...

Here's the new table after yesterdays game. Te Atatu move clear and Northcote secure their top 4 spot too after beating the Marlins.

There's two good games next week.

Northcote play Glenora at Northcote
Mt Albert play Te Atatu at Mt Albert

Both important games and both would be entertaining to check out. I'm leaning towards the Mt Albert game just for the centralish location...