Welcome to week 6 of the Gridiron Victoria Division 1 Power Rankings. I am Daniel Noonan, and each week I will be ranking the GV Division 1 teams from top to bottom, not necessarily in the order they appear on the ladder, but where I feel they sit in the scheme of things for genuine championship contention.
- Croydon Rangers (4-1) Up one spot
Last year’s champions have gone on a rampage since their opening week loss to the Crusaders. The offence is led by Jamie “The Diplomat” Stafford and first year wide-out John Tanuvasa (who is a lock for Rookie of the Year). The Defence continues to do enough and have been buoyed by the return of Portmanteau defensive back Brockson Burlington.
- Monash Warriors (5-1) Down one spot
Suffered their first loss of the year against the Rangers, who are shaping to be a bogey team for the men from Monash. The offensive line looked overwhelmed against the Croydon defence, but I’m positive “The Viking” Jon Tostevin will have them back firing after the bye week for their match-up with the Royals.
- Western Crusaders (3-2) Same Spot as last week
Took care of business against the league’s whipping boys. Head Coach Craig Wilson will be hoping the offense can continue to put points up against the rest of the league. Have a game against the faltering South Eastern Predators this week to get back to 100%, before facing a much improved Croydon team the following week.
- THE MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY ROYALS (3-2) Up one spot
Rumour has it Secretary-General Ban Ki-Hunter posted last week’s power ranking in every player’s locker, mailbox and toilet. The motivational tactic must have worked, as they took to both the Gridiron Down Under Facebook page and the Gridiron with force on the weekend, cementing their spot in the top 4 of my power rankings.
- Geelong Buccaneers (2-3) Down one Spot
Continue to lose games by less than a touchdown. Continue to lose players to injury. This week’s matchup with the Royals is a must win to keep their path to the finals clear. Rumour has it Coach Bowe has been working the boys hard over the bye week, and they should come up out with a renewed sense of playoff purpose.
- South Eastern Predators (1-4) Same Spot as last week
Continue to work hard, continue to lose games. Need to keep the squad together and work towards next year. Have shown glimpses of young talent developing, most notably runningback David Handakas.
- Berwick Miners (0-5) Same Spot as last week
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? It’s going to a long season for the Miners.
Check out the wrap-up of Week 6, the GV players of the week and the Power Rankings from last week.
