2014 Grand Final - Flopalot Delivers Daily Double

On behalf of Ugly Bustards Footy Tipping and its esteemed Board of Directors, it's my honour & privilege as Uglybustard, your humble footy tipping administrator, to announce Flopalot as the well-deserved fifteenth Uglybustards Premiership Titleholder in 2014!!!

Flopalot takes home $265 cold hard cash, the inaugural Uglybustards footy guernsey, and two first choice picks of official Uglybustards merchandise; a cap, t-shirt, executive pen or coffee mug. He'll almost have a full Uglybustards kit to strut around town in!

Read on for final 2014 standings and an assessment of the Top 11 GFs since 1966 by Brutas the Barber Mudcake...

BIGGER, BETTER, BOLDER Ugly Bustards Footy Tipping 2014

Ugly Bustards Footy Tipping - the best footy tipping comp you've never heard of.
If you want to be a big fish in a small pond this is the one to join.

2014 sees yet another mind-bending spectacular Ugly Bustards Footy Tipping season underway, the 15th Uglybustards AFL tipping competition since our humble beginnings back in 2000.

After a tear away victory last year that literally ended the competition half way through the season, in 2014 we have the "Sam Griggs invoked Joker Ladder" to ensure the season is never over until the fat lady sings.

Yes indeed, in 2014 we've returned after a gut-wrenching pre-season BIGGER, BETTER & BOLDER!!!

BIGGER: 5 Joker rounds set by you where you can double your points!

BETTER: Full card picks of 9 winners give you 5 bonus points for that round!

BOLDER: Away teams for missed tips, meaning you could still get the full card!

It will be anyone's comp to win this year, right up to the Grand Final.

Check out the prizes for 2014 including this year's sponsor Huru Sports who have provided the inaugural Uglybustards footy guernsey for this year's Tipping Champion!

You can play for free, but if you want to make it more interesting, there is a prize pool payment of $20 by April 30, email uglybustard@uglybustards.com for details. This year for $30 you receive a you-beaut Uglybustards stubby holder on top of your entry! (delivery included).

So if you veterans can stomach another year, join up for the challenge of knocking off reigning titleholder Sam.

Newbies - info about joining Uglybustards.

Finally, we thought that we had pretty good pre-seasons at Uglybustards, but with the infamous Cost Of Living Allowance (COLA), the Swans are just too hard to compete with. See below.  And Go Youse Uglybustaaaaaaaaaaaaaaards!!!!!

AFL Results R18 - Swashbuckling Swans Tear Tigers a Newy

Took a trip to the SCG this week for a bit of twilight footy between the Swans and the Tigers on a glorious Sunday eve in the Harbour city. Got the right seat but got the wrong Bay and was amongst a group of hardcore tattooed toothless tiger fans who had made the trip up from Melbourne.

Twilight footy SCG

The contrast could not have been greater when, upon finding the right seat, I found myself amongst the chardonnay set Sydney fans with a rugby background and was forced to suffer ill-informed shouts of "He dropped it Sir!"and "Holding the ball Sir!". I had never witnessed such respect given to an ump in my life and it was all I could do to stop vomiting over said elitist Swans' fans shoes and general clothing.

At half time I scrambled to the bar, snuck into the members and caught up with Uglybustards tipster and 2007 Champ the boot for some normal footy-speak.

As far as the game went, Richmond were awesome early especially Matty White's opening goal, but it was scary how the Swans reeled them in very quickly before powering home. Surely it's just the big 3 in contention now - Swans, Hawks and the Cats.

In other matches Jezza Cameron is just a frikkin superstar who I'm sure Big Jack would've nabbed on a form four in the early 80s ten years before he was born, it was nice to see Robbo collect Ablett, and The Pod took a pack crunching spekky. All this and more on the the round 18 highlights reel. Roll the tape and read on for the latest in Uglybustards tipping results.

AFL Results R13 - Brisbane Burst Brad's Bubble

Joined the injury list meself this week getting me hand caught in the meat shredder. Muriel from the typing pool's done the honours. Never stopped me from playin the 62 GF so wont stop me now!!

Uglybustard v meatshredder

What a classic round of footy considering only 5 games were played. Brad Scott was handed a flag in his 1st year of coaching by a team he admitted coached themselves. On the weekend there came a time when that team needed a cluey coach to stop momentum building into an unspeakable loss. And Brad Scott was exposed. Badly. What moves did he make to stop the rot? What message did he send out via the runner? With his team continuing to play-on with seconds left, a point up and in possession, they lost the 4 points when it was theirs for the taking.  You gotta do more than sit there in "restrained fury". You gotta actually make some moves son. Makes you think what would've happened if Neeld had've had a sliding doors moment with Scott - who would be on the scrap heap and who would have a flag?

More strange was how the Lions' 8 goal last quarter was kick-started, literally, by the ump (yes, the man in green, what do they call them these days, boogie instead of maggot) getting in the way of a Stevie J miskick that rebounded off his shin into a magnificent goal assist as Brisbane took it down the corridor and slotted it from CHF.  37 Supercoach points to the ump for that little effort. Geisch still on holidays?  Too scared to return no doubt.

Kurt Tippett made a dream return that soon turned into a nightmare, booting a major in the 1st minute only for the Swans to capitulate to Port in the other upset of the round.

The Lions and Power victories make the final 8 race more interesting, and while it was a relief to not have to watch my beloved Blues get overrun for yet another "admirable" loss, they now have some new rivals for 8th spot.  Round 23 Port v Blues at Alberton could decide both teams' fate for 2013.

Roll the tape Stavros.  And check out Tyrone Vickery's mark.

AFL Grand Final Review & Tipping Prizes

What a Grand Final. Gotta be the best one I've seen in 40 years. Pips the Swans own classics Vs the Weagles a few year back, and even both drawn Grannies in 1977 and 2010. It left me with the feeling that any team can win it, you don't need high draft picks, its about working with what you've got. Try to name the Swans star forwards to compare with Roughhead, Buddy and Cyril, and you'll see what I mean.

Read on for more on the GF, the video highlights, then the final results and prize winners for 2012 Uglybustards Tipping.