2016 Season Preview - Men's Central North

In the beginning, there was light.  It shone, flickering and grainy on TVs across the country, a game played a half a world away that was unlike any other.  And it was good.

And lo, the light begat two teams separated by a mighty flow of water, in the city of Queens and Kings alike.  And Kings begat Bombers and Kangaroos, and Dockers begat Jackaroos and Swans.  And the game grew across the land for years and years into what it is today. 

And it is, as it was, good.

Though there are were no Division 1 teams among the USAFL’s Northern contingent last season, competitive football was plentiful across the heartland.  But what’s becoming a trend here is that these teams are being cornerstoned by American enthusiasts of the game, which bodes well for USA Revolution coach Tom Ellis and his selectors ahead of next year’s International Cup.

A lot was expected from the Bloods last season, especially after a big early victory over arch rival Minnesota.  That Chicago would ultimately beat the Freeze three times would be the highlight of their season.  Losses to Boston at home and Columbus and Nashville on the road would temper that. 

Ranked #14 at the end of the year in spite of 2-5 regular season, Chicago went to Austin and drew Houston in their opening match before coming back to beat Minnesota.  Against Quebec to decide the group, the Swans were overcome by the surging Saints.

New coach Andrew Woodman takes over a side that is looking for more consistency in 2016.   There wasn’t a whole lot of offense to speak of; only once did they kick more than ten goals in a game.  It will be up to Jeff Kraemer and Corey Barker to step up and get their team some points.   Also, their backline has become depleted with some of their core group heading home to Australia. 

In the middle, however, hard working players such as Pedro Jiminez, Doug Malcolm, and Brad Clifton are capable of getting the ball and keeping it.  Veterans Al McGlashan and Stu Nicol are also pivotal cogs of the side, harrying ball carriers and putting the pressure on.

More matches against Minnesota and Columbus should be a good barometer of where the team is in the short term, but they’re going to need to get more goals if they want to challenge the better teams in D2.

NATIONALS SEEDING PROJECTION: Low Seed, Division 2.

Full season footy finally game to the city on the Lake last year, and it went as expected.  Blowout losses to the more established Jackaroos, a competitive defeat to Ohio Valley, and the first ever victory to Indianapolis on the road.  Not a bad opening act.

The Cannons look to gain some momentum in their home city this year and gain enough players to head down to Nationals on their own.  Games against Columbus and some of the other regional squads will help the group that is there now with valuable game experience.  With Cavaliers player and Aussie Rules fanatic Matthew Dellavedova spreading the word about the sport, the profile of footy in Cleveland looks promising.

NATIONALS SEEDING PROJECTION: Division 4.

No team has risen through the USAFL ranks faster than the Jacks, and a fourth consecutive grand final looked to be a pretty odds on bet in 2015.

Four road victories including one in Nashville paced a torrid season for the largely American outfit.  Led by the omnipotent Clyde Simpson and tall timberpiece Mark McClure, the Jackaroos finished 9th in the final poll and were a top seed in Division 2.  But the dream would end at the hands of surging Sacramento, who held Columbus to single digits in a 22-9 defeat.

The finals streak may have ended, but that tale belies the fact that Columbus is the standard for what the future of American Aussie Rules should be.  The proof is in the sweet, delicious pudding of the impact that the Jacks have had on the national program.  Simpson is one of the best athletes the in the country right now, and his co-coach Eric Politz has used his experience of playing in Australia to take himself to another level.  USA Development players Dan Hamilton and Rob Adams are solid midfielders who will better themselves not only for their club, but in the hopes of getting called up for IC17.  Chet Ridenour is always lurking, and with “Stork” McClure, give the Jacks a lot of height.

With the sting of being left out on Sunday afternoon behind them, the Jacks have focused on recruiting.  They have plastered more paper over Columbus than an IRS agent, and are looking to score more newcomers to make an immediate impact, just as Philip Prete and Joel Buschak did last year.

The Jacks will be tested by the Swans and Toronto in home-and-home contests in 2016, which should see a hungry and mostly intact Buckeye Bunch return to finals play on Sunday afternoon at Nationals.

NATIONALS SEEDING PROJECTION: High Seed, Division 2.

Another club that has been built up amongst mostly American partakers of this great game, the Hawkeye State boys had a loaded schedule against a wide assortment of opponents from the Central region last year. They persevered with a 4-6 record.

After peaking at 19th in the poll, Des Moines were unranked heading into Austin.  Battling out of Division 3, they had brought a good side to Nationals and looked to challenge for Sunday afternoon glory.  Despite a good start, they fell to Portland and Austin to finish 1-2.

The Roosters’ numbers are growing, which is good considering that they are looking to excel at the 18-a-side matchups in addition to their mastery in smaller-side matches.  What’s more, they are starting to be noticed on the National level as well.  Big Ben Judge has emerged as a rising defensive star for club and country, and it will be fun to see him get better as he fights for an IC17 roster spot with the Revos.  So to for Hamilton May, who is a rover with good skills.  2nd year player John Johnson, a Marine recruit, will bring some of that “OOH RAH” toughness to a team that already has plenty of it.  With a couple of vets stepping away from footy, it’ll be up to John Eggers to take charge in the ruck.

But this too is a team with heart, one with a taste of a previous title (D4, 2012) and in a part of a country with a lot of potential recruits to draw from, there is a lot of upside.  That they came close to taking out Denver at home last season did not go unnoticed by league observers.  2016 should be a breakout year for the Roosters, who tasted hardware glory as D4 champs in 2012.  In a crowded Central region landscape, they may prove to be noisy neighbors this time around.

NATIONALS SEEDING PROJECTION: Middle Seed, Division 3.

Much like their AFL name sakes in the hinterland suburbs of Sydney, the Hoosier State’s Giants have experienced some growing pains in their formative years.  Last year was bumpy on the results front, as they didn’t notch a single win from seven matches.

But one of the bright spots to emerge from the 2015 season has been the exciting play of young Shane Branscum.  Branscum was selected to the USA Development side at the 49th Parallel Cup in August.  Despite missing the 49PC after rolling his ankle in the Central regionals, he is a rising star, and one that looks to be the centerpiece of Dr. Sam Pope’s visionary club.  Phil Lash and Matt Jagger are also key pieces to the Giants engine, and have grown along with their club.

That the G-men will host the Central Regionals at the spacious Indy World Sports Park this June should be a big boon to the club and hopefully help their recruiting effort.  They’ll have their hands full with teams like D2 Columbus and D3 runners up Ohio Valley, but they should be more competitive as footy in Indianapolis gains momentum.

NATIONALS SEEDING PROJECTION: Division 4.

Once one of the Central region’s most consistent clubs, the Bombers have struggled to maintain decent numbers of the last several seasons.  Despite being the home club for the Central regional tournament in Racine, they were swept aside in both matches.  Several players helped other clubs at Nationals, including Calgary’s Division 4 team and North Carolina in Divvy 3.

New coach Brenton Riggall and the hearty band of vets in cheddarland accept the challenge of another season, as they’ll be playing regionally while trying to bump up numbers.  Veterans Kurt Landers and the legendary Paul “Plugga” O’Keeffe are back too, and neither has lost a step.

NATIONALS SEEDING PROJECTION: Division 4.

A bubble team to remain in Division 1, the Freeze’s season started off hot from the oven, but was left out all night on the kitchen table, lonely and forgotten, and remained inedible with a weird taste accompanying it.

Indeed, it was an up and down campaign for Minnesota, hampered by a number of outgoing players.  Three straight wins at the Central 9s were followed by a rough split in Racine at the Central Regionals and a season sweep at the hands of Chicago.  Despite finishing the year ranked #8, they would be a top seed in Division 2, but were blown off the field by Quebec, Chicago, and Houston in succession.

The bitter sting of last year behind them, the Freeze take to 2016 a mostly American outfit, anchored by some National team mainstays.  Andrew “Tiger” Werner improves with the consistency of block of gouda; he just gets better year after year, and he too will be prepping for IC17.  Other vets such as Zach Weaver and Brent Fischer are also consistently solid, and they will help lead the next generation of Minnesotans, such as Tom Burke and Drew Kelly.  Both Burke and Kelly have shown flashes of brilliance in their opening season, and how high they can go with more experience is rather scary (for their opponents, that is).

Much like Des Moines, their location lends well to a diverse scheduling opportunity.  They’ll welcome in the Swans and Roosters, and will make a huge trip to Denver to take on the D1 Bulldogs, which should be a watermark game for where they’re at.

Jason Becker’s side will once again be tested, and will attempt to get back on track.  They will be a solid force in D2 this year, though not without some hiccups along the way.

NATIONALS SEEDING PROJECTION: Middle Seed, Division 2.

Though the Rats are a piecemeal team separated by several hundred miles, they have proven to be a tough nut to crack in the lower levels of Nationals.  The combination of the Cincinnati Dockers, Louisville Kings, and St. Louis Blues moved up to D3 in 2014 and had a respectable 1-2 performance.

In 2015, they added to their reputation with good performances against Nashville and Columbus, and played well in the Central Regionals.  And yet, despite their efforts, they were largely ignored by the Top 20 panel, not appearing in the poll only in preseason.  Whether or not that ignited them come Nationals is anyone’s guess, but they ripped through their pool only to go down, gamely, to Portland in the D3 Grand Final.

They are on the precipice of something great, Ohio Valley, and they look to this year with the goal of overtaking the lot.  Eric “Sleepy” Floyd, who it seems has been around for a long, long time, has not yet hit his prime and continues to be one of the best half-forwards in the country.  Woody Stone, Dave Zitko, and Kyle Strenski add to the veteran presence of this team, and were key in getting the Rats into the final.  Matt Sueling, a former SANFL player, also adds danger inside the 50 by taking good marks and with accurate kicking.

2016 should be the year Ohio Valley emerges as a unit that isn’t simply a combo of some of the oldest clubs in the league, but rather a perennial force that will continue to move up the USAFL ladder.

NATIONALS SEEDING PROJECTION: High Seed, Division 3.