2022 HB Tipping Team
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Well, well, well, the HB Tipping Team is experiencing things never ever having been experienced or faced before. Unbelievable our form slump now sees the hitherto allconquering Bay propping up the table with a total of seven teams ahead of us after last weeks catastrophic punch over by Wellington. Clearly we go into this weeks match with a great deal of nervousness given the precarious spot on the table we hold.
Action has been taken and we are pleased to announce that Mr. I. Foster holds no position within the group in an endeavour to turn our lacklustre performances around. We need something special this week to ensure the previously alsoran Northland team are put back into their more accustomed position rather than leading the table. Hopefully they will get stage fright and completely and utterly collapse under our new gameplan that will be unravelled this week.
Just three tippers in so far so please use the remaining prematch build up to
give microscopic consideration of all variables before getting your tips in @Stargazer @Paj and newcomer @BorderJB (welcome to the team JB) who takes over the spot of MacKenzie after the pressure seems to have got too much for our Mac to bear and was nowhere to be seen last week. Maybe Mac might reappear later in the season?Right then tips in before 7.05PM tonight and as it's The Poo the Bay is up against on the playing field then there is only the one real option you should even be considering. In fact I'm almost tempted to request a 100+ option be included in @KiwiPie 's end of season debrief to cover situations like HB v The 'Poo and HB v BoP
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At last something worked for the team when our new gameplan worked to a tee against table toppers (until last week anyway) Northland. Sory confused and worried were they that two of their team even went into hiding and never showed their faces to submit tips!
With all the upsets happening on the field scoring was way lower than usual but even that did not stop the team, led by PAJ's heroic top score of the week for all entrants leading the way to us recording the highest total of all competing teams. Just shows all the preparation and study beforehand put in over the seconds of thought worked a treat.
Despite the convincing thrashing doled out we somehow only lifted one spot on the points table but at least we are on a roll and are one of only a couple of teams without a negative points difference.As luck would have it we are up against the current points table leaders again this week and our record against the jammy Wai-Bush is not too flash over the years, I know that for sure as I usually have to front u with a jug or a six-pack to some of their somewhat infuriating tippers that call in (or call up nowadays) to collect the spoils of their usually very lucky wins. Last year saw the boot on the other foot after the trouncing we gave them but I am still waiting for one of them to honour their debt! Be sure to keep the form run up so we can make it two in a row against the dreaded foe.
We should be at full strength this week after BorderJK missed tipping cutoff time last week after getting injured in a slightly vigorous Captains Run. There has been sufficient recovery in the intervening time and coupled with plenty of strapping it has enabled a nice early entry that looks really accurate and one that looks like it has had lots of thought put into it has already been submitted. Looks like he went with the head rather than the heart by taking HB by 9 - 16 rather than 17+. Not sure whether I can bring myself to be quite so conservative on that one!
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Three tippers in already but a warning to @Stargazer and @Stockcar86 that there are two games tonight with the first one getting underway at 5.35pm and NOT the ususal 7.05pm. Make sure you get your tips done in time to be able have all seven games count this week!
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@PAJ @Stargazer @BroderJB @Stockcar86 @delicatessen
The official mourning period after last weeks mauling from the not quite so humble in victory Bush outfit (the phone calls from my mates in their team started coming in early and none of them were overly commissary!) is now over. Not sure how we stumbled so badly against them off all teams but after the casualties have been cleared from the battlefield we are now back in eighth spot whilst the Bush have retained their leading position.
Nothing we can do about that now except to up our games and win every outing from now on to see if we can scrape into the semi-finals where we might get the chance to extract revenge for the hiding they handed out to us. Naturally with our spot on the table we are up against teams that are leading us but at least this week we only concede one place to our combined Auckland-North Harbour opponents.
In our favour is that they have the worst defensive record of all teams taking part but on the other side our attack has been the most feeble of everyone. It really is the dance of the desperates with the loser dropping out of Premiership semi-final contention. They always front with a full lineup so lets make sure the Bay also does likewise as we cannot afford to hit them at any less than full strength.
The Knockout Cup competition gets underway this week and after last weeks brutal matchup where we sustained three early injuries putting paid to the qualification of half our team we only mount a three strong challenge for the silverware this year. The matchups look challenging but there are a couple where our guys are lurking away as underdogs ready to spring the trap and knock their opponents over!
Higgins v Sportboy (BoP) 4th v 18th
Stargazer v Bay Imports (BoP) 32nd v a miraculously flukey 9th
BorderJB v Langakali (Bush) 46th v 3rdWith the Magpies away in Chch in a non Shield encounter the HB 17+ protocol is being relaxed for this somewhat inconvenient game! Tip hard and tip strong - Good Luck guys
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Well last week was about a bad as it could possibly get. Firstly a gender undetermined ESOL speaker failed to give way at a compulsory stop sing and T-Boned our team bus on the way to the ground, hospitalising two our our guys, thus we were able to front up with just the four of us that did not require hospital treatment.
So traumatised were the survivors that we were unable to perform anywhere near to the hoped for level and to be brutally honest we were absolutely obliterated by the combined North Harbour-Auckland outfit. From memory that was probably the first time they have ever taken us down, or even got within seven points of us in defeat. We hang our heads in shame!Obviously new tactics will be employed this week with members urged to tip early to avoid any further last minute incidents that might prevent a tip being submitted this week. Looks like PAJ has taken that to heart by tipping late Sunday morning to make sure of it!
Bay of Plenty must be shaking in their boots about us this week. They loose to the clear last placed team and they become the laughing stock of the competition and if we someone manage to get beaten then it is only to be expected given our current performance level so we have got nothing to lose.
Still waiting for @stargazer and @BorderJB to get their tips in. The latter is still carrying injuries from last weeks mishap and might still be touch and go. Hopefully he will still manage to be well enough to slot onto the wing or somewhere like that where there is not too much pressure.
BoP, the pressure is all on you!!!!!!!! Lose to the far distant last placegetters and you slip out of play off contention......................
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So close and yet so far last week. We had the BoP mob stuffed right up until Nth Harbour rolled over, pulled their pants down and willingly allowed themselves to be reamed by BoP. Needless to say we were 100% in favour of Nth Harbour winning and that unexpected turn of events proved the difference between a convincing HB Tipping Team win and a very fortunate BoP sneaking up for a draw.
So it's now official we have qualified for the Bowl Division which will be a novel experience for our team that have been almost permanent competitors in the Cup Division come playoff time and we are not looking too good on the individual ladder either with none of us looking remotely like finishing on the podium.
Time to pull out fingers starting with our matchup against fellow cellar dwellers the South Island combination. A win against them will see us deprived of the only trophy we are strongly contending for so far this season, the Minor Premiership Wooden Spoon!
Tip confidently and that includes you @BorderJB. I have checked the Death Notices in the newspapers all week and do not see you amongst them so that must mean you are out of the Intensive Care Ward and will be able to tip this week. Our opponents always have their six tippers available so we must match them to allow for any one of us having a stinker.
AS it is a Shield Defence against our dreaded and first equal disliked opponent Wellington (along with The 'Poo and The Steamers) it is highly recommended that we show total loyalty in considering a Home 17+ for that particular game. Still four tippers to front so time to stop dilly dallying and get your tips done @Stockcar86 @Stargazer @hIggins @BorderJB
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Still sitting on two entries so far and time is marching on, less than two hours to go before the first game kicks off. Our opponents have already got all their tippers entries in so get your skates on @paj @Stargazer @Stockcar86 @BorderJB
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LAst week was probably the worst ever result in the history of the HB TIpping team with a whipping of such huge proportions that we were lucky to get withing 20 points of the combined Sth Island outfit. But were we foxing as by then we already had the Minor Premiership Wooden Spoon safely wrapped up and even engraved and stored in our Trophy Cabinet?
At least this week we front with at least five tippers after PAJ and BorderJB have recovered enough from their injuries to at least take the field in this week's Bowl Semi-final against South Island again as it turns out. Still awaiting @stargazer to submit their tips and hey presto we start with a full lineup for the first time in about a month. Watch out Sth Island, we are gunning for you!
If The Bay take BoP down in Tauranga on Saturday, as logic suggests we should, then we will be in pole spot to take this one out. If the unthinkable happens then we will face an uphill challenge! HB by a 9 - 16 minimum looks obvious!
A similar situation exists in the Wgtn v Waikato game with us all but 100% in favour of the visitors, for obvious reasons, with our opponents 100% the other way. Get both these results correct will see a massive margin between the teams. Fingers crossed that we can avoid the humiliation of a second straight thrashing!No pressure on you @Stargazer to anchor us home
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THe worst ever HB Tipping Team result two weeks ago was surpassed last week with an even worse drubbing against the same opposition. However they may have fallen into our trap of being the only team still in the running to win two NPC Team Tipping Trophies after the demise of Minor Premiers Wairarapa-Bush in a big upset after the very late Southland penalty turn what was looking like a narrow win of Harbour-Auckland into a narrow loss for them. We have the Minor Premiership Wooden Spoon safely tucked away and now only have to find a way to lose to Northland to annex the Real Wooden Spoon. Things are looking quite promising on that score with jus usual chain dragging me being the only one to tip so far
EDIT As I write this @stockcar86 has just fronted. That is a good indication that, like me, he too is getting in early to ensure he can get to McLean Park early to get his pick of what is expected to be a large number of unoccupied seats given the not so friendly weather conditions here today.Just waiting to see if the likes of @Paj @delicatessen @Stargazer and @BorderJB can get their tips in in time for all games to count. It would be a shame to make it obviously something devious was afoot if we fronted four tippers short to ensure we win The Spoon, especially so when we have had not much trouble getting toppled each week with enough counting scorers anyway!
Naturally a HB 17+ margin is expected but you will not be voodoo pinned if you opt for just a home 9 - 16. Interesting a late surge (well two tippers anyway) have opted for Ta$man as the lowest scorers for the round. Disappointingly neither of those are members of the HB Tipping Team!
TSF Tipping
