Willy Tee's Week Six Predictions

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Saltire  

UWS Pyros @ Stirling Clansmen 

Snore! Only interesting thing with the Clansmen match ups in the Saltire conference this year is trying to judge just HOW MUCH of a smack down they’ll put on their much weaker inter-conference opposition. In a very sloppy conference Pyros may currently be sat in a playoff berth place, but this game will do their postseason aspirations no favours. 

Clansmen 60 – 6 Pyros 

EN Knights @ Edinburgh Predators 

Edinburgh derby games are normally quite interesting. Generally at least a little bit close, with one team’s playoffs on the line. 

Well, I guess this conference is actually awful enough, and the season young enough, that even at 0-3 and 1-3 either of these two teams could still clinch a postseason with a win here (yup, even two wins could see trophy-ball here… sigh.) and as the Knights honestly seem to be the chaff of the division this December? Predators to retain the Scot’s capital bragging rights for yet another year. 

Predators 20 – 6 Knights 

North Eastern 

  

Leeds Met Carnegie @ York Centurions 

Potentially quite an influential match up as these two previously perfect teams try to bounce back from tough losses last week. 

The Centurion’s D seemed surprisingly vulnerable last week as they surrendered a 14 point lead to a strong second half Mustangs comeback, and Carnegie in turn allowed 20+ points for only the 5th time in their last 19 games (Lions ‘10, Hallam ‘10, Bombers ’10, Hallam ‘11, Hull ’12). 

Both will look to get their seasons back on track and maintain strong postseason berth positions… 

Slim edge to Carnegie who I feel lost out last week to tougher opposition than York’s. 

Carnegie 18 – 12 Centurions 

Northumbria Mustangs @ Leeds Celtics 

Two teams sat at .500 and looking to go into the break with a winning record. 

Mustangs are showing marked improvement as the season progresses, coming back from their season-opening shut-out loss to the Spartans to go win-loss-win against a couple of the tougher teams in the North East conference. Their offence is finding a steady rhythm at just the right time, and pulled off a big come-from-behind victory against York last week with 22 unanswered points after being shut out early on.  

Meanwhile the Celtics come in to the game off a weekend’s rest and look likely to make this game quite an interesting one. Will they have kept the momentum from their comfy win over Teeside? Or will the Mustang’s second-heroics last week allow them to ride to victory? 

I’m backing the Mustangs to jump this tricky hurdle and go into the break 3-2. 

Mustangs 22 – 16 Celtics 

Bradford Bears @ Newcastle Raiders 

Who are the Raiders this year? Honestly, from the scorelines they’ve had so far, it’s difficult to tell! 

They certainly found some glimmer of their former selves against Teeside in week 3, but will they be able to re-find that spark after two weeks on the shelf?  They’re going to need to if they want to stand a chance in this match up as they’re about to square up against a Bears side that set it’s points-scoring record a couple of weeks back with a dominating 58-0 smashing of Sunderland. 

If both teams are on form? Look for a shootout. 

Bears 32 – 26 Raiders 

Teesside Cougars @ Sunderland Spartans 

The Cougars aren’t looking very fierce yet again this year, but then the last outing we saw from the Spartans they got utterly mauled by the Bradford Bears. Coming into this game off of back-to-back shutout losses, the Spartans are looking soggy on offence, and the Cougars can at least boast they’ve put up points in their last two outings, even if there are still winless.  Still, probably their best chance of bagging a victory in 2012/13 so Cougars will fight for this and their recent familiarity with the endzone should see them through. 

Cougars 22 – 12 Spartans 

Big North Western  

Bangor Muddogs @ Sheffield Sabres 

The Sabres are looking more or less as sharp as they were last year, whereas the Muddogs appear to have regressed even further: back to their muddy former-selves that prior to ‘11/’12 were ahead of the Royals for longest time winless in the league. 

Look for something similar to last year’s 52-6 thumping. 

Sabres 40 – 6 Muddogs 

Derby Braves @ Lancaster Bombers  

Bombers are improving, but the Braves have finally found themselves a conference they can bag themselves a crown in. Brammer and co can cement a winning record for the season whatever happens with a victory here, so don’t expect them to come into this match up complacent after they missed out on postseason football at all last year with a late season dip in form.  Lancaster will need to look to the softer second half of their schedule for their first win of the season. 

Braves 42 – 12 Bombers 

MMU Eagles @ Hallam Warriors 

On the rare occasions so far this year that the Warriors have been actually able to take the field? It’s clear they’re simply not the Northern powerhouse they were in recent seasons. Their first inter-conference loss in many-a-season to start out 2012/13, and eventually followed up by a comfortable if not particularly convincing win over the Bombers: falling a full 72-pts short of the scoreline the previous time those two had met. 

Still, MMU appear to be declining as the season goes on, and are coming in off the back of a shut-out loss to the rookie Yooclan Rams, followed by a blow-out floor-wiping from previously perennial powerless-rankers, Liverpool Fury.  Even a weak Warriors team should get a comfy win here. 

Warriors 32 – 6 Eagles 

Manchester Tyrants @ Staffordshire Stallions 

Nice narrow win for Tyrants last week, edging a Fury team that was riding high off it’s big win over the Tyrant’s cross-city rivals. 

Still, where Tyrants scraped through, the Stallions spurred to a far more comfy with over Liverpool, so head-to-head performances would say they’re the stronger outfit coming into this contest. Two weeks off due to weather may mean they’ve got some cobwebs to shake out, but if they can get back up to speed, they should be able to get this done and go into the break with a winning record (and a LOT of fixtures to fit into the next half of the season). 

Stallions 22 – 14 Tyrants 

Liverpool Fury @ Huddersfield Hawks 

Fury should be able to fight their way to .500 going into chrimbo if they can return to the kind of offensive rhythm that saw them romp over MMU. The Hawk’s double-wing has proven it can be dangerous – putting up 32 on Bangor, the biggest Huddersfield offensive output in a LONG time – but then again… that was against Bangor. 

Fury 28 – 18 Hawks  

MAC  

Loughborough ArtistsFormerlyKnownAs @ Northampton Nemesis 

Nemesis have really begun to get into gear this season, and a big win over the very same Outlaws that ousted them from the trophy playoffs last year turned a lot of heads considering this team started the season being completely shut-down on offence with a 13-2 loss against Warwick. 

However, none in the MAC really represent a threat to the ‘big two’. Roll on the FAUK Bowl. 

Lugbug 42 – 12 Nemesis 

Warwick Wolves @ Birmingham Lions 

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See final sentence above. Done! [Symbol] 

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What? You guys picked THIS as the game of the week? Seriously? So I’m supposed to talk about this match up more than the others?  

Gee… What can I say? Yeah, Wolves look better than they have in a fair old while and are coming into the game with a perfect record… over two games. But just as in nature, Lions trump Wolves in the ass-kicking stakes and this is going to be yet another one-sided affair for the Brum boys. 

Want me to get intimate and detailed?  Keep an eye out for Lions right tackle James Bell. The Nuclear Engineering student was getting his left and right confused earlier this week, which I’m sure has both the general British public, and two-time league offensive MVP Mr Varney brimming with confidence. ;)  Nah, I jest, both Bell and the Lions in general will be just fine. 

Lions 54 – 6 Wolves. 

NTU Renegades @ DMU Falcons 

‘Miller time’ arrives in Leicester this weekend, and the pretty-in-pink Renegades should have no difficulties in dispatching a rather dreadful DMU team. 

Fair enough, their last trip to Lancs was a bit of surprise nail-biter against the Longhorns, but DMU are yet to find the endzone a single time this season, and the drought looks likely to continue as the solid NTU defence. 

Renegades 35 – 0 Falcons 

Leicester Longhorns (1-3) @ Nottingham Outlaws (0-3) 

Is it just me, or are the outlaws looking rather poop this year? Going 0-2 when you start out against Lugbug and Brum is fair enough, but following up by getting outscored two to one by a Nemesis team that they handled comfily last year?  These merry men are looking like they’re going to struggle with Christmas cheer this year. 

Still, the Longhorns have had troubles of their own, and beyond a tough defensive stand against the NTU Renegades , they’ve looked shaky at best. They scraped through against a crumbling Colonials last week, and so coming into this game we’re potentially looking at a surprisingly equal matchup… Two teams playing equally badly that is. 

Coming off their win last week? Momentum’s with the Longhorns who’ve already shown they have issues with double-wings offences. 

Longhorns 24 – 18 Outlaws 

Wolverhampton Wildcats (0-1) @ Coventry Jets (2-2) 

Fair enough they got lit up by Brum, but who DIDN’T so far this year? Coventry are looking much improved on last year and should have few problems dispatching a Wildcats team that’s had almost as much trouble finding the pitch so far this season (1 game played so far) as finding the endzone (0pts scored) 

Jets 32 – 0 Wildcats 

SWAC 

Worcester Royals (0-2) @ Exeter Demons (0-2) 

I wouldn’t put the Royals as the joint worst team in the nation as per this week’s power-rankings… but that doesn’t mean I think they’re going to win any games this year! Struggling Demons side get their first victory of the season. 

Demons 28 – 6 Royals 

Cardiff Cobras (1-2) @ Tarrannau Aberystwyth (1-1) 

The oldest rivalry in the league, and this year’s Welsh Bowl could well be one of the closest game it’s been in a long old while! With their loss against a ‘Cuda side that got demolished one week later, alarm bells are ringing in the welsh capital. Could this be their first ever Welsh Bowl loss? 

I’ve told myself I’ll stop predicting upsets… But I really think Aber stand a good chance here…  But I think the Cobra’s pride might be the only thing that stops them from pulling it off. 

Cobras 18 – 12 Tarrannau 

UWE  Bullets (4-0) @ Bath Killer Bees (3-0) 

 As far as I’m concerned THIS is the game of the week. Why? 

There’s a damn good chance we’re looking at a conference crown being decided right here: does Lions-Wolves have those sort of implications? The hell it does. 

A hot Bees team squares off against a Bullets side rapidly gaining momentum as their season goes on.  With the rest of the SWAC looking distinctly soggy this year, odds are these two will be unlikely to meet any other opponents of this calibre this side of the postseason. I’ve said before that I think the Bees could well be the team to beat this season, after using their deep postseason run last year to mature as a unit… And so I’ll stick by them here. Headed up by their premiership calibre backfield they’ll give UWE’s D it’s toughest outing of the season. 

However, Bullets have made proven awesome at second half adjustments so far this year, so expect this game to swing back and forth and potentially come right down to the wire. 

Still… I’m gonna back the Bees to bag themselves a conference title. Boom. 

Killer Bees 18 - Bullets 14 

Bath Spa Bulldogs (0-3) @ Swansea Titans (0-3) 

The Bulldogs have pluck, but that only goes far. Short on numbers and small in size, their willingness to sling it around gives them the ability to score on anyone, but lack of defensive strength will be their bane this year:  conceding an average of nearly 40pts a game so far. 

Titans meanwhile are looking like the mid-table team we expect them to be. Yeah, they’re winless so far, but two of those losses come against the elite of the conference.  

Probably a competitive game, but Titans should pull away as they iron-manning Bulldogs tire. 

Titans 24 – 12 Bulldogs 

TVC 

Surrey Stingers (0-3) @ Portsmouth Destroyers (2-0) 

Surrey came within a score of winning last week… First time I’ve seen that in a while! 

Won’t happen this week. 

Destroyers 52 – Stingers 

Kingston Cougars (3-1) @ Solent Redhawks (3-1) 

Likely to be a rough and tough game between two teams that will be very unlucky if they don’t see postseason football in some form or another this year. 

Not sold either way.. But I think the Cougars have come out with the same record, from a tougher schedule. They perform as well as they did at season-start? Cougars can bag it, 

Cougars 21 – 18 Redhawks 

SEC 

KCL Regents (1-2) @ Hertfordshire Hurricanes (4-0) 

Herts were kept under 60 last week.  How disappointing. 

Chance to recover this week though! 

Hurricanes 62 – 6 Regents 

Greenwich Mariners (1-1) @  ARU Rhinos (0-2) 

Been a couple of weeks since we’ve seen the Mariners, who pulled off a fourth quarter recovery against the Dragons last time they took the field.  No such heroics should be needed this week as they face an ARU side that’s been outscored 6 to 94 so far this season. 

Mariners 42 – 12 Rhinos 

Imperial Immortals @ UEA Pirates 

Has the potential to be a good game what with Imperial’s only loss having come against Herts… But I get the impression the Immortals lack the firepower to keep pace with the Pirate’s GB-calibre run-game. 

Carson and Co will pile on some points and the Immortals will be hard pressed to respond one for one. 

Pirates 24 – 12 Immortals 

Essex Blades (1-2) @ Kent Falcons (3-0) 

Blades have looked Blunt in recent outings, while the Falcons appear to be returning to the kind of form that saw them reach championship football two years ago… Unless they slump as badly post-Christmas as they did last year. Should be perfect going into the break though, even if they’re D is looking a bit too iffy for them to actually GET ANYWHERE should they make to championship ball again. 

Falcons 36 – 12 Blades