With the 2018 Season almost half complete it is time for the Power Rankings which I’ll be looking after this season. Better late than never you could say.
I’ll be referring to my season preview for the teams previous ranking.
Western Crusaders 1 ⇔ 1
As I predicted in my season preview, the Crusaders have continued on from last year and look set to repeat as champions. With rumours of a big name making a late return to the Defense they will just get even better.
Melbourne University Royals 2 ⇑ 3
They have shown that they are worthy of being the contender again this year after a first week victory over Croydon. Since then they have faced all the former DIV 2 teams and won with ease, also disposing of the Buccs in less than ideal conditions. Not setting the world on fire but still having shut outs and doing enough on Offense.
Monash Warriors 3 ⇓ 2
Looks like this once powerful club has lost a step on field. With Dom Dearman still Quaterbacking the team he has for so many years. Where to after he hangs up the boots? James Avia has shown glimpses of being a more than handy replacement. Luke Jackson needs to stay healthy for them to be a threat this year.
Croydon Rangers 4 ⇔ 4
The position they finished last season and they will more than likely stay here until they defeat a big fish (top 3 team). Rookie WR James Fountain has been a more than handy find for them and Import QB Brady Keliher has made a habit of connecting with Fountain for a score in every game so far, sometimes more than once.
South Eastern Predators 5 ⇑ 8
This club wanted to drop to Div 2???? It would have been flashbacks of 2016 when the once mighty Silverbacks smashed everyone in their way to win the title with ease. Their 3 American Imports have made this team a scary team to face. If one or 2 of them go down for the rest of the season they might find it hard to compete with the higher ranked clubs. They have handle the lower clubs with ease so far.
Geelong Buccaneers 6 ⇑ 7
Not bad but not horrible. So far Geelong have probably performed as well as they thought they would have. The new uniforms look better than the old ones, club and GV legend Daniel Noonan has moved into a coaching role drawing more flags than any player. They haven’t been embarrassed at all by any of the higher ranked clubs. They will more than likely stay in this position until the playoffs.
Northern Raiders 7 ⇑ 11
The Defense has been outstanding and the Offense finally got something going this week to record their first victory of the year. Considering the amount of player losses from last year, they have done exceptionally well under HC Marc Dauria.
Bendigo Dragons 8 ⇓ 6
A promising week 1 victory in the Goldfields Bowl then 2 consecutive shut outs by teams that played DIV 1 last year. They seemed to get it all back on track with a good victory over the Wolves but handed a walloping in week 6 by the Crusaders.
They’ll end up being the best of the former Div 2 clubs but won’t be able to make that jump to the next level.
Ballarat Falcons 9 ⇑ 12
To be honest I thought they would struggle this year but have so far proven me very wrong. A recent victory over the Wolves has them leap frog their rivals. Player numbers are still an issue but QB James Stephens (not Stephenson) has jumped to the next level, earning praise from Western Crusader HC Craig Wilson. Helps when you have receivers like Eddie Carey on your team and have found a couple of new handy receivers.
Melton Wolves 10 ⇓ 5
The biggest drop of all the teams in these power rankings. Could it be because they all now look like Grimace with the all purple uniforms?
With a playing roster of over 50 at week 1, they haven’t been able to continue on from last years form. The Offense has been struggling in most games, able to get the yards but unable to convert on the scoreboard. The Defense has been decimated by injury and unavailability as well. Something will need to change or they might see the next team under them jump up. They face the Barbarians in 2 weeks after the bye.
Monash Barbarians 11 ⇓ 9
They don’t seem to have the numbers or talent that they had last year. The loss of Richard Truong to the Warriors has been a big blow for them. They can’t get any Offense flowing and Defensively they have been scored on heavily.
Peninsula Sharks 12 ⇑ 13
A score in their first ever game and now struggling with a number of injuries due to inexperience you would think. I still think they have at least 2 very capable QB’s. This year was never going to be easy but at least they haven’t forfeited a game…..yet.
Pakenham Silverbacks 13 ⇓ 10
I’ve put them last for one reason and one reason only. Two Forfeits just aren’t going to cut it in this competition. We all hope they can pull it all together for the rest of the season but so far player numbers have been so low that they loaned players from another club for one game.
