Maher had the perfect chance deck Hodge but didn't.

Schench still getting no love from the referees.

Julius Hodge "don't gamble on defense, foul them and fuck them up"

Fleet win.

All is well in Basketballdome.

awesome... so I just got home after being kicked out for having an offensive shirt visible to the people in the stadium and people watching on TV... apparently having a shirt sitting on the chair with "Hodge Is A Wanker" is offensive and warrants being kicked out! Oh, but better yet, if the games hadn't been shown on TV I wouldn't be getting kicked out... management of the event/dome are a bunch of tools for this... not to mention refusing to show me conditions of entry!

but the first 3 quarters have been great, and hodge was sucking it hard... Luke dominated inside, and that PG for the Fleet was ripping it up with Hodge and injecting some life into the game... too bad Foreman and Maher didn't smack hodge when they had the chance!

Ken Cole was always a very good barometer. He towers above them all. You are not going to see any more like him.

Great game from two very good teams tonight. Both teams wanted this badly. Gotta give Hodge some credit, he dragged the Monarchs back into it with some relentless scoring.

Is Farley still classed as an import? If he's not he should still be playing NBL. The guy still has serious game. I think he may have gone wire to wire in this one, guarding Hodge for large stretches and still having the energy to be the Fleet's main player in crunch time.

I liked Jackson again. He's a real competitive guy and showed he could score in the paint, as well as make the three tonight. My only question mark is whether he is as fit as he should be. As Xztatick said yesterday, he was complaining a lot about his calves or something in the first game and then he ended up leaving tonights game at a crucial juncture after he copped a knee to his leg. Possible point guard option for the Sixers though I think.

Also liked O'Gallagher for the Monarchs. Different type of point guard to Jackson. Not as strong or good defensively, but has nice speed, gets to the basket, can shoot and find open players.

Goulding had a massive game for the Fleet, getting the lead that they never relinquished. Youthful exuberance got the better of him, Hodge suckering 3 fouls out of him in about 30 secs in the 3rd, which kept him out for a large stretch of the 2nd half. But other than that he was awesome. Best Aussie player on the floor I thought.

Trueman looked solid again. I wouldn't complain if the Sixers brought him in as a backup big.

Schenscher too damn tall for the Monarchs. Fleet failed to use him enough down the stretch which could have cost them game at one point, but overall he had a big impact and played well.

Mahersy showed his classy nature once again by choosing not to hammer Hodge on a fast break.

Overall, I can definitely see these two teams squaring off again in the Final.

first time i have seen big luke with his hair cut......can't help but think he looks very much like 'big bird' off sesame street.

Was like watching Michael v Kobe all over again. Willie v Julius. Luke Skywalker v Darth Vader. Good v evil. Good won. Wahoo.

Thats too bad Ricey. I would have thought they could have just warned you and asked you to put the t-shirt away. Bit hard to complain about offensive language when both Hodge and Goulding clearly used the f word in timeouts!

Camel, couldn't agree more. Great to see two assured coaches consistently communicating a simple, clear message to their players. Well coached by both Ken and Al tonight.

Anyone hear the commentators mention early on that Cole played at LSU way back in the early 70s? Apparently he played with guys like Pistol Pete and they mentioned a few other legends I can't remember that he played with and against back in the day.

Moses, only difference was, this 'Kobe' couldn't shoot!

they told me off when i came in saying i couldn't wear it, but i wasn't wearing it!... was some stupid lame ass rubbish... and they wonder why basketball is a joke in this country!... you can watch people spit, punch, swear and all the rest on footy, but bball won't allow a simple shirt!... what ever happened to freedom of speech lol

wank·er? [wang-ker] Show IPA
-nounChiefly British and Australian Slang: Vulgar.
1.
a contemptible person; jerk.
2.
a male masturbator.

is that really that offensive lol...

on another note... Farley and Hodge was a good matchup too, well it was for Fleet!
Can't see Fleet losing this comp at this point

Ricey ur as big a wanker as hodge, so shut up for once.

lol 455... lol

Ricey, I can't believe they would kick out 2% of the crowd by removing you from the stadium. From a distance I'm sure your shirt also looked like an extra person, so that makes 4%. A lack of insight in my opinion.

Ulius Dodge had a lot of points but when you camp in the paint on offense, play no defense and are there just to rack up stats your team isn't going to win. If only his passion in timeouts was replicated on D - they should have subbed in Al.

also,i think i saw 'bert and ernie'.
'mean' al green was bert and ernie/miss piggy was ken cole.

lol bear...

how many times did he just drop the shoulder and hope for a call! who was the guy with the long hair for Fleet? he started talking shit to Hodge at one point too

Dept- well said !

Have to agree with Dept on this one....

What a beautiful night! Just beautiful.

I made sure I had a seat right behing the Monarchs bench (must've been near Nard Dog) and got in the cockhead's head right from the get go. As soon as I called him a wanker the first time Green pulled him over and told him to ignore me and to not even look at me, as well as telling me "Don't make me come up there, I get violent". Lol Al.

Unfortunately Judas didn't take his advice, I had him turning aaround to talk shit back to me over and over again. One time he was on the bench standing up shouting to his teammates on a fast break, I said "They can't pass to you on the bench you idiot" and he went nuts haha. Ahh good times.

Seriously though, it was hard to have much to say in the second half, he was just cherry-picking against Goulding all half. But as usual, if the cancer scores 30+, his team loses. His turnover at the end of the game (about his 8th I think) was very costly and I told him.

And I did it all without swearing! Bow to my heckling skills!

Also got into an argument with Al Green over who would win a 3pt shootout but that's another story :P


I would happily have Willie back at the 36ers if we needed a scoring SG. He's still got the touch and his D has been much better than his final year here.

Goulding is a flat out gun. Shooting and hustle were his standouts.

Troy Jackson was far better tonight, apart from the injury concern Beantown mentioned, he was fantastic.

For the Monarchs, O'Gallagher was their best. Looks a really solid all-round PG.

Nah, Hodge was by far their best...or did you forget the 33 points and the fact he dragged his energyless team mates back from a 20 point gap. He probably would've pulled off the comeback win all by himself if they didn't go into the "powerplay". Down just 103-97 after easy Hodge basket after easy Hodge basket, they pulled up for 3 straight threes just to try get those 4 points...it ruined the game - and don't be sour, Julius can flat our BALL! On both ends to.

Having said that, where did Goulding come from? He is an awesome player.

"On both ends to."

Gotta call bullshit on that last line, Jules.

XztatiK you were loving it hey! I was sitting a few rows behind the Monarchs bench and there was only one person really getting stuck into Hodge so i'll assume it was you. The funniest thing was when I was listening into the bench during the games and a few of the players were referring to Hodge as Judas! (Dang Judas has gotta pass the rock!!! etc) Talented team but too many ego's.

One thing for sure, the sixers management have no excuses in getting two quality imports this season because there were plenty on display today.

"The funniest thing was when I was listening into the bench during the games and a few of the players were referring to Hodge as Judas!"

Haaahahaha that's awesome I didn't hear that. And yes, I certainly was loving it :D

why did forman see so much pine time? with Goulding in foul trouble I expected to see more of him. He recently played for Australia and cant get more than 15 minutes in this tournament?????

Great game, got to give Hodge credit he played well. He can do it all except hit jumpers, and he backed up a lot of his talk with his play.

Glad Fleet got up, still feel the Monarchs have a better side on paper but thats why you play the game. I was a big critic of Farley coming back but he showed he still has game and is in great shape. Goulding is a star and a future Boomer, love his game and his not afraid of anybody attitude. Im a definate +1 for bringing big Luke back, love his game.

What was the crowd like? I missed the game? Was it an improvement?

About double, spurs.

was probably 200 at the game today... expect that to drop again tomorrow though... would be smart to hand out a lot of tickets... don't see the sponsors rushing back next year if it doesn't pick up

He doesn't have to be a lockdown defender, but he isn't as clueless on D as you claim him to be. Not close.

Ricey agree it was a shocking move by security, i was one of the blokes sitting in front of you,c'mon it was just for laughs.

Overall the level of comp has been good, how about 3 import rule for the NBL next season?

I'm sure most people who have played the game at all levels have played with someone who is all about the stats. He's the first person grabbing the scoresheet to check how many he got after the social game, even though you went down by 30. He lacks the insight to see that gambling on defense and being the first down the court does not make you a "hustle" guy. Watch out if he is having an off game, because he will just keep going to the hole to "get his" despite the turnovers. These guys often look great in training, and are awesome street ballers, but can't get it done in organized basketball against organized defense. The lose all tract of any defensive system and destroy the team.

Dodge is a "pro" version of that guy. His professional record speaks for itself. Talented guy - team can't win.

So X, should we start a campaign for 'Jax the Axe' to the Sixers? He make me think of Darnell Mee in Tony Allen's body. Like his aggression and hustle. Makes good things happen for the team on a regular basis.

Ricey, I don't think anyone directly answered your question. The guy with the long hair was Goulding. He plays for the Blaze and really took a big step forward this year. Unfortunately he is still contracted to the Blaze and I don't imagine they'll be letting him go anytime soon. Whoever said future Boomer I think is on the money. The kid is smart and a flat out scorer. Would love it if the Sixers had a SG as good as him.

Oh yeah, just wanted to mention that Oscar played really well tonight. I haven't seen him hustle that hard too often. Showed he can hold his own for rebounds against some athletic opposition and even had a highlight reel block on Millard. If the Sixers sign Ballinger, I think backups of Oscar and Trueman or similar could be pretty solid.

I thought Oscar was great on defense and used his body well at both ends of the court and can't understand why he did'nt play the last quarter, when the Monarchs got close.

Goulding is a great young player (is he in the Boomer's squad?) , has an allround game,30 points and spent a long time on the bench because of some doubtful fouls and Willie's shooting and much improved defence were highlights.

"I'm sure most people who have played the game at all levels have played with someone who is all about the stats. He's the first person grabbing the scoresheet to check how many he got after the social game, even though you went down by 30. He lacks the insight to see that gambling on defense and being the first down the court does not make you a "hustle" guy. Watch out if he is having an off game, because he will just keep going to the hole to "get his" despite the turnovers. These guys often look great in training, and are awesome street ballers, but can't get it done in organized basketball against organized defense. The lose all tract of any defensive system and destroy the team.

Dodge is a "pro" version of that guy. His professional record speaks for itself. Talented guy - team can't win."

Perfectly put. Judas plays for stats more than any other player I've seen. He flies out of nowhere for uncontested rebounds that his teammate would've had anyway, he only passes to get an assist or avoid a turnover, and on D he stands at the top of the key and waits for the fast break (this is how half of his points came today). A high steals count does NOT make him a good defender. Ask him to stay in front of his man without gambling and he's weak as piss. Cancer.

Beanie, not 100% sold on him just yet but we could certainly do worse. Agree on Jeremiah and Oscar.

Tossing up whether to go tomorrow, I did tell Judas "I'm here all week"...

Jackson holds the ball too long. I get frustrated watching him play. He argues a lot with his team and his body language is terrible. Not an NBL import (if quality is wanted) Farley looking good on the court and I have enjoyed Homocide.

-'Tossing up whether to go tomorrow, I did tell Judas "I'm here all week"...'


Absolute gold!! love your work XztatiK.

X - I agree that we probably need to see a little more of Jackson, just thought I'd throw it out there because I've really liked what he has brought defensively.

Yep - I guess you were at the game? I didn't pick up any of the arguing with team mates stuff from the TV. Thought his body language was good though - he took it to his opponents all night! Nice change to see that after the Sixers lack of toughness this year.

Anyone else got any thoughts on Jackson?

I'm still beaming - and X's recounting of the crowd abuse has made me twice as happy. How easy is it to get in that peanut's head? Way to focus, douche.

BMC > JfH and all is well.