17th February 2009

EPTA – Sunday

The Vipers finals kicked started with all teams across every competition making the finals series at their respective comps for the first time in the club’s short history. This is though when it all started to unravel for the EPTA sides as the Men’s E team didn’t even show up for their match and provided their opponents with an easy ride into the 2nd week. The Men’s and Women’s A grade teams were both beaten and would need to come back in week 2 to earn a spot in the Grand Finals. The only shining light was the young lads from Haileybury Vipers who won and kept their finals campaign on track.

Week2 of the finals was set to go and before the week begin we had another Vipers team indicate that a forfeit would be on the cards with the Haileybury Vipers team ravaged by injury and school commitments, the team had no option but to alert the officials that a easy road to the GF was install for Staying Alive. The A grade teams were left to fight out their divisions at the same timeslot with many questioning why you would have both premier divisions playing at the same time. The women’s game was one of fast paced touch with plenty of niggle and commitment as you would expect when a finals berth is on the line. But when the final siren sounded the ladies from Bayside had won 7-5 and would earn a rematch with the hot favourites in Synergy. Congratulations to the girls on a welll deserved win and rematch next Sunday. They will have a tough task ahead of them but the game is there for the taking a no pressure will be on the Bayside team as Synergy are yet to be beaten this year.

Tip – Vipers of course in a close one.

The men’s game was expected to be played with the intensity and flare many would expect from the two teams competing in Vipers and Up’n'Smoke. Both teams are filled with quality touch players who can break games open and frustrate teams. Up’n'Smoke got out of the blocks early and knew they had too as they only had minimal sub’s and with Vipers covering the sideline in red,white and black would hopefully come home stronger. Tommy a Thursday night Viper caused the middle defence havoc as he and Rick continually ran inside balls to put the boys in black up 2-0. They stirred some minor positional changes in the Vipers line up and Youngy was pushed back out to link with Ecca moving into the middle, this created instant success with both Ecca, Johnny and Youngy combining to score. As the game progressed and the niggle begun one of the most bizzare decisions ever seen saw OD sin binned for knocking over a UNS player but receiving the penalty. This did not deter Vipers as the ball movement went from side to side before Youngy took his chance and scooped from half to find Crano cutting for the second touchdown and a 2-2 scoreline. UNS with a full compliment continued the inside game and with only five players Vipers just could not cover the spaces and UNS scored to lead 3-2, some advantage considering Vipers got the  original penalty. This touchdown allowed OD back and a full team to play again, so back to the side to side movement and Youngy took off again to find his winger Crano for another touchdown. UNS struck back almost immediately with yet another inside touchdown which was quickly erased as Vipers put on 3 switches to find Chris Katal standing alone on the wing for another one to equal the scores. UNS continued to run the same play with great success as the Vipers players begun to look for the tryline which you could hardly see and continued to get scored on at their feet as they attempted to make the invisiable line. As the half time siren sounded one of the most interesting plays happened with a fake “let’s kill the ball” from UNS player Tommy to a see you later and a foot race to the line which pushed UNS up 6-4 at the break.

After the break and some hard words at half time Vipers looked focused to pick up the pace and begin their charge home. MC and Youngy combined for a simple play to send over Chuckles in the corner and reduce the gap, but as he had done all game Tommy and Rick continued the inside plays and continued to keep UNS ahead. The Vipers players were continually frustrated by UNS players being offside, pushing in the rollball and only receiving penalties but continued to pepper the tryline and score to close the gap or equal the scores. Again  UNS players continued to infringe with no ramification or took dives which would surely see them beat Heath Ledger for an Oscar this year to gain a Grand Final berth against Boosteras they edged out Vipers 9-8. Vipers played poorly throughout the finals series and didn’t deserve a spot in the Grand Final and can look back on what could have been, let’s just hope all the rules which are in the rule book (7th edition) get used for both teams in the GF and not just one next week.

Tip – Booster by 3

Mixed EPTA – Wednesday

EPTA Mixed has been a very good competition for both Vipers teams in 08/09 with Bayside making the GF against Generation Gap who edged out a spirited Bitemark Vipers in a tight one last week. Flick gave the troops some spirited words not to mention the ref’s on occasion as some of the rules used did not make an appearance until the semi’s due to more experienced ref’s which left her inexperienced team confused and frustrated. Bitemark in their first year under Vipers have performed exceptionally well and have finished 3rd in a grade they did not wish to play. The team can be happy with their efforts throughout the year and can count themselves unlikely not to be in the GF against their fellow club mates come Wednesday night.

Bayside Vipers will make it back to back appearances in the GF on Wednesday having brought the team across from the Albert Park competition looking for some stronger teams. They did not find them and  have actually dominated all teams even though only fielding seven permanent players on the rego sheet, coupled with some fill ins when short. The team is full of quality and has monstered teams and used the games to gain some fitness for their representative campaigns ahead. This  grand final will not be a walk in the park as Generation Gap have quality players of their own with the Percy’s and Davine’s combining to make formidable opponents come Wednesday. Game kick off 6.15pm

Tip - Vipers by 3

Mixed Fawkner – Thursday Night

Fawkner will once again host the Vipers Mixed team for the second year in a row, although a much differnt outfit from the last, this team possess enthusiasm mixed with quality. The highlight from a club prospective is that all but 3 players of the 12 strong team are new members and did not even know each other over 5 months ago and now will work together to try and win back to back titles. The season kicked off with promise but flittered away as it continued only to see Vipers storm home in both semi’s to surprise teams which they had lost to throughout the year. Tim Blackwoods blistering pace, coupled with Amy Lewicki’s composure and Jimmy and Thommy causing havoc around the ruck leave the lines open for Derek, James, Em, Danni and Jacki to stroll over for the TD’s. Thursday’s Grand Final will be one not to miss as an upset is on the cards as HECS Debt will try and claim the title from a determined Vipers outfit. Game kick off 7.05pm

Tip – Vipers by 1

19th Movember 2008 

is also no stranger to the representative coaching caper with many appointments over the years through his involvement in the Vic Women’s Open program, an instrumental driving force behind the Senior Vic programs, Vipers Men’s head coach and until recently a member of the Victorian Representative panel until his appointment to the National Tournament Committee which oversees the National tournament structures such as NTL’s. Stu also managers to organise the odd game of golf and compete in his triathlons as well.

18th Movember 2008 

Saturday 15^th November will be known as the day a new and exciting initiative came to Victoria, with the inaugural VALTA shield and VicWests Cup played between the Victorian Men’s and Women’s teams and the Lebanon Men’s and Wests Magpies Women’s.

The day was not without drama as the fierce storms which have been sweeping the east coast of Australia recently delaying many of the Wests Women’s players and leaving them stranded in Sydney and forcing them to sleep on the floor at Sydney airport. The hard concrete floor and uncomfortable chairs did not dampen the spirits of the girls who simply waited until the morning to jump a plane to Melbourne and play some quality touch.

Fresh from a disappointing runners up trophy in the NSW Vawdon Cup the girls had something to prove and the Victorian Women’s team were well in their sights. Suzy Barrett once again dusted of the boots to head the team littered with quality players including Leah Percy, Toni Breeze, Pat Car and Sally Hamilton who all represented Crusaders this year at the NTL’s in Coffs and lead them straight into battle against the ladies from Sydney. The games displayed the quality and direction in which Victorian touch is fast becoming known very physical and never die attitude. The game started like all others with end to end play and early indication looked as though Vic may just pull something special out with a Leah Percy dart from half to find Mel Ashmore on the wing to level the scores 1-1, this was about as close as it got as the Wests Women’s team shifted gears and really begun to turn on the heat. They begun to throw the ball around and move forward with pure pace which the Vic girls found hard to contain, The girls never gave in the entire game and really displayed the character they are know known for which is commitment to each other. The final score was 9-2 and some work ahead before game 2.

Game 2 was very much a repeat of the first with the Vic girls hanging in the game for the first 15 min but simple errors in good attacking position let them down with drop balls and simple mistakes. Not only did they have to contend with the heat and wind on the day but many players were breaking down with the sub box resembling a casualty ward with ice packs and strapping being applied, although many were limping around the girls did not give in and all players completed the game despite injury and eventually going down 11-2.

Game 3 was reduced to a 30min turn around game in which Vic produced their best performance of the day and can count themselves unlucky that a few calls did not go their way. The pace had gone from the game but the passion and desperation had not with some spectacular touchdown and saves from the ladies. Game 3 finished 6-1 in favour of the visitors.

The Men’s series was one of anticipation for many of the Vic Men’s players as there has been much speculation regarding the team’s make up and selection. The game started with the usual banter you would expect from a Men’s game with plenty of early niggle although it was the Lebanon men’s pint sized stepping machine Mick Abood who single handily destroyed the Vic defence time and time again with his deadly left foot step. The Vic boys had no answer for this and on the odd occasion he would step two in the one motion amazing to watch. Although once the nerves settle the Vic running game begun and the 6-2 halftime deficit slowly begun to decrease with four touchdowns scored in quick time to bring the game within reach. Timmy G was his usual self with plenty of quickies and dive over touchdowns and his blistering pace to glide by defenders who were left looking at each other and wondering what happened. The old man in the Team Stephen “ The Ranga” Young was also running some great lines to score inside players throughout the day running off  Elias and Timmy G. But it was the magical display of illusions produced by Trent Touma who continually through balls out the back of his hands to have them land five metres on the opposite side of the score line to set up the win for the Lebanon boys. David Copperfield would have been amazed. The game was eventually won by Lebanon 12-8.

Game 2 was one of renewed belief of confindence and  ability for the Vic team as discussed in the pre game warm up but one which never really materialised as the game resembled a match were both teams really looked like they had somewhere else to be, the Vic team lack running until a spray at half time from coach El Chaar. This lifted the team into action and once again some quick touchdowns scored with Vince “ The Gazelle” Demaria diving over imaginary lines in the air to score. But the Trent Touma illusion show continued as did the Mick Abood Stepfest 2008 and Vic had no answer to the quality of these two players who left the final score at 12-5 in game 2.

Game 3 for the Men had also been reduced to a 30 min turn around game and just like the women’s the men saved their best to last with a display that all players should be proud, team work was the order of the day and for the first time the Vic’s found their running game consistanly and also found themselves in front for the first time during the day and one which rallied them to some exceptional touch no more then the play which saw the crowd cheer when Vince and Youngy produced a perfect play to score and set up a frantic final five minutes. Player’s commitment and desperation was on show in this epic battle and with the clock running down the Lebanon machine knew they had to do something special to save the match or risk ridicule from Elias for the entire night. As the final siren sounded the Lebanon boys only required one final touch to secure a tight fought 4-3 win but a Timmy G ball to the hole hitting ”Gazelle”  in Vince saw the match head to drop off. This was the Vic’s big chance to shine, but the fast feet of Mick Abood once again saved the Lebanon side as he casually step left and strolled over for the winning touchdown.

The day  was a complete success with all players thoroughly enjoying the series and “After Party” with plans already underway for 2009.

Match results

Men’s

Victoria 8 lost to Lebanon 12

Victoria 5 lost to Lebanon 12

Victoria 4 lost to Lebanon 5 (drop off)

VALTA Shield winners - Lebanon

Men’s Player of the series

Pfiers/Butler award – Elias El Chaar (Victoria)

Women’s

Victoria 2 lost to Wests 9

Victoria 2 lost to Wests 11

Victoria 1 lost to Wests 6

VicWests Cup winners - Wests

Women’s Player of the Series

Almoui/Barrett award – Nicole McHugh (Wests)

3rd Movember 2008

Victoria Open teams set for Lebanon/Wests Series

Victorian Men’s and Women’s Open teams will compete in a series against Touch World Cup bronze medallist Lebanon in the Men’s and 2007 Vawdon Cup Premiers Wests in the Women’s.

This series is the brain child of Elias El Chaar, Mick Lovett and Ahmad Daizli, this will be a annual event for all teams which will see the event alternate between Melbourne and Sydney. This event not only allows the Victorian teams a very competitive match in the absence of Australia Cup and Border Challenge but a fine hit out before both teams venture to the NSW State Cup in December for the first time.

Lebanon are the current  Men’s Open bronze medalists from the 2007 Touch World Cup and have a proud history and are considered to be the top nation behind Australia and New Zealand.

Wests Touch club are of similar pedigree and are considered one of the powerhouse clubs in the Sydney Vawdon Cup competition which is reflected by the Womens Open team reaching the final the previous two years and winning the title in 2007 and falling just short in 08 by one touchdown. Both teams will be looking for a good hit out against the Victorian teams as they prepare for their next respective tournaments.

Victoria will have some of their big name VT League players on show throughout the series as well as some new talent which will wear the big V for the very first time. Victoria has a wealth of talent players which will be given their first taste of State representative touch during the series.

The Men will play for the coverted V.A.L.T.A. (Victorian and Lebanon Touch Associations) Shield and the player of the series awarded the Pfiers/Butler medal, named after Victorian touch’s only life member Paul Butler.

The Women will play for the Victorian/Wests Cup with the player of the series awarded the Barrett/Almoui medal, named after one Victorian’s most capped representative players in Suzy Barrett.

The series will be played at the Casey Fields, Berwick – Cranbourne Rd, Cranbourne. MELWAYS: pg 134, ref:E7   on Saturday 15th Novmeber 2008 commmencing from 9am with the last match scheduled for 3pm.

The after party scheduled for Mojito Lounge - 169 Commercial Rd, South Yarra cost is $20 and all proceeds from tickets sold go to the Open teams to help fund their NSW State Cup campaigns. Tickets can be purchased from any of the Vic Opens players with tickets at the door $25 so get in early for what is sure to be a great night. The after party is by ticket only so you are assured of a great night.

Team Lists

28th October 2008

The Vipers mens team were undermanned as they headed over the Westgate for the next round of the VTL. Their first round clash with Western showed what the boys were capable of – scintillating attack and rock solid defence. Traditionally though, Vipers men’s don’t so much switch off, as have massive mental power outages. Though not as bad as last week against the Cougars, the Vipers lapses in defence certainly cost them this week as the Western boys were on hand to capitalise on any slip ups in defence. Scoring touchdowns has never been a problem for the boys, Jonny Whitehead proved how easy it can be when he took a tap and launched himself at the tryline under the noses of the sleepy Western defence. It was one of Jonnys two touchdowns for the day, and proof of the fact that JayDud wont score a touchdown without diving – regardless of the proximity of the defence. (Medical experts contend that his hamstrings don’t bend all the way to the ground)

The attack kept on coming, with Captain Courageous Chris Casey cruising in for a touchdown despite playing for the 3^rd week in a row with a busted hand. Chris continues to defy medical advice to have the hand replaced with a hook. Also running one limb short was Micky Carter, who had obviously been standing too close to Jonny Whitehead, and caught his hamstring infection. It didn’t stop MC from having a positive impact from the wing, making several crucial shutdowns and stifling the Western attacking raids. Resident hard man and Altona regular Russell ‘The Muscle’ Bari revelled in the hot conditions, trucking the ball up the middle relentlessly.

Despite the commitment, the lapses in concentration cost the Vipers dearly, as they eventually went down 7-3 to the Dodgers.

Supercoach Stew Dracup was happy with the commitment, but wanted the boys to build on the performance and put together a full game against the Lions.

Having recently whittled their squad down from 43 players to 28, the Lions were looking to make their mark on the competition, after last week having knocked off the heavily favoured Uni Blues. The Vipers knew they’d have to be switched on after their last drop off win against the Lions, who had clearly done their bit for Victorian tourism by promoting Altona as an idyllic interstate touch-football getaway.

The game was fast and furious, the Vipers were fast and the Lions were furious. Aggressive defence in their own half erased memories of last weeks soft defence against the Cougars. On repetitive sets of six the Lions struggled to escape from their own half. On the other side of the ledger the Vipers were having success with their structured game, Stew Dracup putting Rob in for a touchdown, leaving bodies strewn in his wake. Sheik was selfless on the wing, turning down several opportunities to go the length of the field – instead turning the ball inside to Matty Dent, who had made it to the second game after a busy morning doing house calls. On the other wing, Josh continued his touchdown scoring feats, this week taking a length of the field intercept to really put the sword to the Lions.

It was a much more polished and committed performance, however there were several reminders of what can happen when the boys switch off. Next week sees the boys return to Albert Park, where they will need to regroup, particularly following a suffering setback to their campaign upon hearing that Youngy will be back this week after his absence in Altona for the second year as he refuses to cross any bridges to play touch.

20th October 2008

VT week 3

Men’s

Something reserve was the venue for rounds 5 and 6 of the VTL, the picturesque concrete slab had been lightly dusted with grass seeds the night before and was raring to go as the Vipers Mens side kitted up for their encounter with the Casey Cougars. Last years premiers had recorded a shaky start to the season and like their grand final opponents from last year, they were keen to re-assert themselves on the competition.

Cougars came out firing early and always looked threatening when JK and Cal had the ball in hand. The Vipers found themselves staring in the face of a 2-0 scoreline early in the match. With confidence flagging afer some less than perfect performances the week before, the Vipers boys could easily have dropped their bundle and slipped further into defecit. It wasn’t to be the case though, as the boys showed some of the character that they know they have, sticking to the game plan, they drove the ball strongly and executed the simple gameplan that coach Dracup had drilled home at training during the week. The fast and aggressive line attack got the results, as Dal hit Josh on the wing after some good leadup work, Josh showed some fancy footwork and great speed to get the ball down in the corner. Not long after MC fired a long ball to the other wing after some good phase play and the Vipers were in again. The new gameplan was so effective that even the least-explosive speed man on the pitch, Robbie, managed to smoke the cougars on the outside and go in for another touchdown. At half time lead of 4-3 was testament to focusing on the gameplan and plenty of good talk in defence.

The second half continued to give headaches to Vipers fans around the globe, the boys got away from the gameplan, and while the line defence continued to be effective, there were some glaring defensive lapses as the Cougars came off their own line. No less than three length of the field tries hurt the Vipers badly, as the lightening quick Cougars showed why defence matters in all parts of the field.  In attack the Vipers only visited their attacking plan briefly, and while it yielded results every time they did – it is a question for the ages as to why the boys flick the switch to ‘Park Touch’ in every second half this year.

In a thrilling finish, the Cougars scored right on the buzzer to deny the Vipers their 3^rd drop off game in as many weeks – a result that could have gone either way, but in the end – one that the Vipers boys only had themselves to blame.

The temperature soared to the predicted 29 degrees for the second game against the Falcons. The new venture had narrowly gone down to the Lions in the game before, and the Vipers knew that this was a win they wanted, but it was no easy feat. True to form, the Falcons were the first to score in the game and the Vipers had to revert to some effective driving and simple plays to tire the undermanned Falcons. Good phase play and nice short balls to hole runners showed that the Vipers still had what it took to trouble the scorers. In a game where both teams showed the effects of the warmer climes and previous games, the Vipers were the stronger of the two outfits. While it wasn’t pretty, it was pretty effective – Matty Dent and captain Chris Casey both played strong hands (or hand in Chris’ case) in keeping the boys focussed and made sure that the Vipers walked away with one win from their two starts.

A big lift is going to be required from the boys next week, as they take on Western on their home turf. The Western boys narrowly went down the Uni Blues in the earlier game, losing by one touchdown, despite being down to five men for the most of the game, and even having only four on the park for a period of the game. In other results the Uni Blues suffered their first defeat of the tournament, going down narrowly to the Lions. The Casey v Western game went down to a three on three drop off, with Casey getting the points.

13th October 2008

The Vipers? women spent the last week rucking, pulling short side and making the middles chase out.  After 2 runaway wins in week 1, they eagerly anticipated the week 2 replay of the 2007 grand final, hoping to make amends for their heartbreaking final loss, snatched from their fingertips by the City Lions in the final minutes. 

The Vipers- Lions game proved to be everything expected, and more.  Even with ?Deano? and ?The Dracmeister? tapering in preparation for Sunday?s marathon effort, the team was sporting a large contingent of subs, with coach ?Hammo? preparing her team for another week of strange sub box configurations.

A Lions try on the wing in the first set of six reminded the Vipers that they had some work to do.  Strong rucking from the middle ?Formerly Known As Frankpitt? got the Vipers down on the try line, then a super scoot from ?Windy Woody? started the scores see sawing through the first half.  The Lions strong sideline driving threw the Vipers defensive strategies off balance, and they went into half time ahead by 2.

In the second half some Vipers? began to fatigue.  White faced ?Doigy? pushed herself to the limits in her first game of the season, the crowd lifting to cheer her off the field after making 6 consecutive touches in defence.  Relentless pressure from the Lions? defence caused both newer and more experienced Vipers to make simple errors, cultivating the frustration level.

Lions? sideline rucking continued to advance them towards their tryline, although the Vipers managed to hold them out well once they got there, thanks to a lightning fast Deano shutdown.

Strong voices from wingers ?Tough Tam? and ?Scary Smash? lifted the team, increasing the defensive intensity in the final ten minutes, while creation of space on the line by Bossy Barrett and Jolly James brought the team to within one point with three minutes left on the clock.

The sub box held their breath (yes even deafening Dracmeister was silenced), as FKAFrankpitt kept the ball alive after the hooter had sounded, but alas, the 2007 final replay would finish in the same manner, with the Lions victorious, at 7-6.

Viper? game 2 opponents Uni Blues, had taken pleasure in being the quiet achievers of the comp, but rumors of 3 months of preseason training flew, after they overpowered Cougars in their first game.  The Vipers? leadership team were quick to acknowledge the Blues? potential to create an upset.

Vipers managed to show their domination with an early try to boost confidence.  ?Dreaded Dracmeister? and ?Pushy Polly? made their presence known in midfield defence, before being penalised for firm touches on two of the smaller Blues players.  ?Lanky Lani? was a star in the first half mid field attack, creating opportunities with her fast rucking, and clean roll balls.  A repeat set of six gave the opportunity for ?Superman Sam? to fly over the tryline with one of her signature dives, to put the team ahead by 3 points at half time.

Strong rucking from ?Scary Smash? in the second half saw her break the defensive line, then run three-quarters of the length of the field, with the speedy Blues in hot pursuit.  The whole team was with her as she dived for the tryline, (in spirit at least).  As the game wore on, the Vipers began to wear out.  The middles were cramping up, and the wingers were rolling ankles.  One well known Vipers? star was heard to vent her frustrations at the opposition?s posse, but the team held it together to maintain an impressive victory of 7-4.

Highlights for the round include increased communication over week one, and moments of inspirational pressure in attack on the try line.  Areas for improvement are maintaining intensity on our line attack, reducing error rate under pressure, and continuing to grow as a team, increasing our knowledge of team plays.  The Girls have improved each game and many are looking forward to seeing more of it next week.

Men’s

Friday night lights was the flavour of the second week of the VTL competition, unfortunately for the Vipers mens team their highlight reel was just as dazzling as the 40 watt globes used to light up sub-standard playing surfaces at Albert Park.

The first game against the Lions started well enough, with the boys sticking to the game plan and running in some easy touchdowns against the sleepy Lions. Youngy and Micky Carter were enjoying the free flowing game and putting on some good touchdowns. Unfortunately for the boys, it was a case of too easy too early, and when the half time siren sung out most of the Vipers punched their cards early and started thinking about the next game.

When the sides went out for the second half, the boys responded to the easy yards they were making by playing park touch and trying to bring out the razzle dazzle without laying any platform at all. Coach Stew was on the sidelines getting into the boys ears and letting them know what it would take to win this one, and it seemed to have an impact in attack as the Vipers kept pushing forward and scoring the touchdowns to keep them in the game.

While the attack was showing a shred of respectability, the defence left a lot to be desired. The Lions put on 7 tries in the second half, as the Vipers talk dropped right off.

When the siren sounded the Vipers we’re down by one – though fortunately the ball was still live and a smart dummy half move from MC meant that the Vipers had tied it up and were going to extra time for the second game in a row.

Fortunately for the boys, the result this time around didn’t match the drop off against Western. Some tight line defence when it mattered turned the Lions away, and the Vipers went the length of the field with some excellent driving from Matty Dent, before MC eventually scooted through the Lions defence to pop an inside ball to the diving skipper Chris Casey, who planted the ball down to score. As the Vipers shook hands with the Lions who weren’t blowing up at the referee, they knew they’d made hard work of a simple game.

If the first game suggested the Vipers hadn’t come to play, the second game wrote it in stone. Uni Blues came out determined to continue their unbeaten run, and a sloppy start in attack was reinforced with some very average touchdowns scored on their own line. The 3-0 half time scoreline was probably flattering to the Vipers, who didn’t play the ball straight, continued to give away penalties and generally displayed frustration of a team who knows they are capable of better things. The only shining light for the team was that unlike the first game, they did attempt to play some better phase footy, even though they stumbled at the last hurdle – with the last pass going to the wrong player, or the last play the ball being sloppy in execution. The Vipers only managed to trouble the scorer twice and walked away with a humbling 6-2 defeat.

There is plenty of things to work on at traing this week for the boys in preparation of this weeks VT final re match against Casey.