[Izz]

2061 Preseason Predictions

Coastal: Adelaide by the width of the Tasman Sea, the experts picking them to win 106 games. Cairns would finish a few games above .500 and be in contention for a wildcard slot. Neither Perth nor Darwin were expected to compete.

East-West: The East-West would be tightly contested by virtue of its weakness, with Central Coast picked to scrape to a Division title ahead of Newcastle. Kununurra and Brisbane would bring up the reat.

NZ: The NZ would be even weaker than the East-West, Christchurch winning the division comfortably without even breaking the .500 barrier.

Southern: Sydney would win 105 games to take out the Southern, with Melbourne somehow winning 94 to come in 2nd. Hobart would also play above .500.

Wildcard: Melbourne for the top wildcard slot, with Cairns, Hobart and Newcastle battling it out for the other one.

Jorge Diaz Award: Most likely someone from Adelaide, with Gary Young, Axel Nankervis, and Richard Moore the favourites. Vern Bull would be in contention as well.

Hurler of the Year: Melbourne’s Karl Blackwell would break out, Cody Watts and Jack Binns of Sydney giving him real competition. Barry Dean would not make it 3 in a row.

ABC: With their ex-AUNZBL additions, Melbourne were favourites to have the league’s best record, though they’d be fighting Sydney all the way. And because both were in the same division only one could play postseason ball, and that, according to one prominent commentator, “would be a travesty.”

Melbourne, from the Southern, would be joined in the postseason by Brisbane, Perth, and Dunedin. Everybody in the Overseas Division was expected to play plus-500 ball.

Si-xun Qiao and Joshua Angwin would battle it out for best hitter in the league, while Phil Cox, Eddie Zglinicki and Xuan-ling Wong, all also of AUNZBL vintage, were among the favourites to win Golden Arm.