When your licence fees rise next year, most of the increase will be to cover the cost of printing the Grand Final record twice after we had already gone to press in early August with the Baggers taking on the Mudcrabs for the 2014 Shield. The footy gods had other ideas and this week we see long time protagonists Wolfpak and Funny Old Fellow go head-to-head for a place in Shield history.

Wolfpak are aiming to become the first side to win multiple titles, whilst FOF are desper-ate to avenge last year’s heartbreaking grand final defeat. One thing is certain and that is that no love will be lost in the quest for ultimate glory.

Whilst we didn’t have the raft of nailbiting finishes of recent years, this season’s finals se-ries has not disappointed. We saw the obligatory straight sets exit (Ax), the minor prem-iership curse continue (Baggers) and Mudcrabs fall at the prelim stage again. The Pies finals drought continued and the Tomsies continued to tease. All we missed out on was a ninth place finish from the Saints.

As preliminary final weekend proved, the underdog is never out of it and FOF and the Saints will be clinging to that as they strive to fill their trophy cabinet. The rest can only sit back and watch in envy.

Bring on 2015 and Go the Destroyers!

D���

Dr Dunwich Demitriou CEO, Stradbroke Shield

Results

The Minor Premiership curse is alive and well with the Baggers failing to reach the grand final after finishing top for the second time in three years. In fact, Wolfpak in 2010 is the only side to win the flag after finishing first after the regular season. The Mudcrabs sea-son also finished a week early for the third consecutive year.

SHIELD

Baggers 2,060 def by FOF 2,090 Wolfpak 2,349 def Mudcrabs 2,080

GUMBY FINALS

Polly's Saints 1837 def tricolours 1449

D-Man Destroyers 2033 def Dazzlers 2012

Round 20 Highest Scoring Players

1. Robbie Gray (Port) - 174

2. Michael Hurley (Ess) - 170

3. Tom Rockliff (Bris) - 170

4. Shane Mumford (GWS) - 165

5. Brendon Goddard (Ess) - 164

Season Highest Scoring Players

1. Scott Pendlebury (Coll)- 2,525

2. Joel Selwood (Geel) - 2,484

3. Sam Jacobs (Adel) - 2,409

4. Rory Sloane (Adel) - 2,384

5. Matt Priddis (WCE) - 2,381

Wolfpak –v– Funny Old Fellow

Third versus seventh is an unlikely grand final match up, however the Shield gods seem to be keen on these two meeting for the title. Both teams come into the game in great form with Wolfpak victorious in 12 of their last 13 and FOF 10 of their last 11. Their wins in the preliminary final however where very different. Wolfpak had a surprisingly comfort-able victory over the Mudcrabs and were the only team to score over 2,200, whilst the Fellows scrapped home against premiership favourites by just 30 points with a total that wouldn’t have won either Gumby final.

FOF appear to be decimated by injury and suspension and with all their trades used up to get to this point look like they need a miracle to raise the Shield for the first time. The Pak are rested, enjoyed a trade-free week at Semi-final time and have a genuine hatred for the opposition. FOF are bruised, battered, but match-hardened and full of conspiracy theories—should make for a memorable decider.

Dunwich says WOLFPAK by 125.

FOR THE RECORD Last time they met: Wolfpak 2172 def FOF 1955 (Rd 3) Last 5 Form Guide: PAK 5-0 FOF 5-0

Road to the GF WOLFPAK: Qual def Ax/Prelim def Mudcrabs

Road to the GF FOF: Elim def Pies/Semi def Ax/Prelim def Baggers

INTERCHANGE INTERCHANGE GARDINER, HUNT, SHEEHAN, O’BRIEN, CURRIE, THURLOW, HONEYCHURCH, SPINA

SUCKLING, J.HUNT, MONTAGNA,A CRES, CURRIE, THURLOW, LLOYD,

SPINA

DEF: HANLEY, MCVEIGH, ENRIGHT, SWALLOW, BURGOYNE, SUCKLING

FWD:

PARKER, GRAY, S. MARTIN, HARVEY, DANGER-FIELD, CAMERON

DEF: MCVEIGH, SWALLOW, H. SHAW, BARTEL, MITCHELL, WATTS

FWD: PARKER, GRAY, FRANKLIN, ZORKO, DAN-GERFIELD, HALE

MID: ROCKLIFF, SELWOOD, PENDLEBURY, BEAMS, KENNEDY, MURPHY, LIBERATORE, POLEC

MID: ROCKLIFF, SELWOOD, BARLOW, PENDLE-BURY, S.JOHNSON, COTCHIN, LIBERATORE, MARTIN

FWD: SANDILANDS, WOOD RUCK: JACOBS, SANDILANDS

COACH COACH HUTTER BUGS HUMPHREY

GRAND FINAL

Destroyers –v– Pollys Saints Saints trying to become the first two time Gumby, whilst the De-stroyers are staking a claim at being the best Gumby team of all time.

Dunwich says Destroyers by 295

Last time they met: Saints 2092 def Destroyers 1958 (Rd 5) Form Guide: DESTROYERS 3-2 SAINTS 3-2

PAK 

DESTROYERS 

PAK 

DESTROYERS 

PAK 

SAINTS 

FOF 

DESTROYERS 

FOF 

DESTROYERS 

FOF 

SAINTS 

PAK 

DESTROYERS 

FOF 

DESTROYERS 

FOF 

SAINTS 

PAK 

DESTROYERS 

PAK 

SAINTS 

PAK 

SAINTS 

FOF 

SAINTS 

FOF 

SAINTS 

PAK 

DESTROYERS 

FOF 

SAINTS 

As his team enters their second consecutive Grand Final, Funny Old Fellow coach Robert ‘Humper’ Longland (left) has been named the 2014 Dac Chambers Medallist. Stradbroke Shield journalist Christi Whorehouse caught up with the award winning coach on the eve of the big game.

CW: Some say that you’ll be a controversial winner since you only finished seventh at the end of the Home and Away season – what do you say to the detractors?

FOF: They can get stuffed. I don’t give out the awards, I just do the best that I can. If they have a problem with that then take it up with Dunwich. Anyway, if Barry Hamilton can win a league u17 medal from 6 games, then I can win this award from 7th spot.

CW: You’ve been thereabouts for most of your Shield career, but keep falling short. How important is it that you finally get to claim something?

FOF: Most people will look at my results and think that we’ve never been good enough, but I tend to disagree. It took a monster effort from Baggers to deny us last year, so we’d have been champions in any other season.

CW: Your record in knockout finals is much better than when you’ve had the double chance – why is that?

FOF: Its pretty simple really – we choked. I got the double chances early in my career and didn’t really know how to pre-pare for them. Before I had time to blink, we were out. Then I had another chance to redeem myself and we chocked again. We just play better when everyone (including me) thinks we’ll lose.

CW: Your family are close to the Chambers – how much does it mean to win the medal named in Dacs’ honour?

FOF: My Dad played footy with Dac at Morningside and I in turn played with his son Dean (Coach Vossys Mate) so I think this means more to me than anyone (especially Wolfpak). I just hope I do him proud on the weekend, although I don’t think I’ll match his legendary drinking performance on Straddie in ‘88 if I win.

CW: You mentioned your opponent for this week Wolfpak. They broke your Straddie Shield high score record a couple of season back - do you have revenge on your mind?

FOF: It is no secret that I despise everything about Wolfpak and that by knocking them off in a granny will bring me no end of joy, but in reality I am already this year’s champion team. My views on how they operate are well known and even if they do score more points than me this weekend it will be a hollow victory for a bunch of cheats. I have to keep check-ing to see if I am playing Wolfpak or Dazzlers.

CW: Any last words to your fans before the big game?

FOF: Don’t back us on Sportsbet – Centrebet have much better odds.

The Dac Chambers Medal is awarded to the year’s Best Coach and is named in honour of Daryl ‘Dac’ Chambers who passed away in 2010. Dac was a Morningside AFC Life Member, classic Story Teller and inaugural Stradlympic Beer Drinking Champion.

North Melbourne Kangaroos

Supercoach average 64

Fremantle Dockers

Supercoach average 45

Eighteen noble families fight for control of the mythical trade land of Stradbroke.

Political and sexual intrigue is pervasive. Christopher Daltonio, King of Wolfpak, asks his old friend Chunnard, Lord of the Pies, to serve as Hand of the King, or highest official. Secretly warned that the previous Hand was assassinated, Chunnard accepts in order to investigate further. Meanwhile the Queen's family, the Humpers, may be hatching a plot to take power. Across the sea, the last members of the previous and deposed ruling family, the Baggers, are also scheming to regain the throne. The friction between the houses Ax, Moorooduc, Tomsies and Danks, along with the remaining great houses Saints, Frangas, Vossy, Overs , Jakes and Dazzler leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war and political confusion, a ne-glected military order of misfits, Tigerland, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

Season 1 commencing Monday September 1 on HBO.