Fantasy Friday- Weekly Digest

Thank God for Fantasy Fridays!!! On fridays, we bring you the latest news about players, their girlfriends, their injuries, their girlfriend's injuries, availability and all the latest touch football celebrity gossip! We begin this day of all days with some troubling news. Are there cracks appearing at the apex of the 6-pack molehill?

 Source: www.facebook.com


About a day ago, the powers that be, came down hard on this poor and fragile writer, demanding that I use a hyphen-also called dash to those who aren't familiar-when using the term 6-pack. Now whether or not, the omission of a hyphen constitutes a telling off with numerous exclaimation marks and the word 'blardee' which one can safely interpret as 'bloody', its hard to say. Displaying the autocratic leadership, the powers that be immediately shut Lee Yum Hwa down when he jumped in to protect this author's creative independence. Now while everyone including myself enjoys watching an old school bollocking of Lee, I'm afraid to say that Yum's question is a fair one and that 6-pack will still be pronounced as 6-pack no matter the hyphen and that Yum Wa just doesn't sound right.

Cross your ts, dot your Is, and dash your hyphens!

Surely, we have matured and moved beyond the hyphen and isn't it true that the hyphen is just an elevated and poorer cousin to the Underscore which is the preferred choice of the present?

Now We here at Fantasy Fridays offer you, the reader, the chance to get creative with our name. Can you come up with a design/name that will still be pronounced as 6-pack and yet be suitable  for this day and age?
Please put your suggestions in the chatbox located at the right. The winner will be treated to a fine lunch @ Yum's house. I'm taking 6^pack, get your own.

Bucks Shot Down by Comeback Kings

STL Round 8: 6Pack v UWC Bucks

21 April 2007
Turf City
Final Score: 7 - 3
Man-of-the-Match: Edwin Kuang
Dick-of-the-Day: Kevin 'Roids' Loo
Play-of-the-Day: Classic Khairul miss pass from middle of the pitch to Kenny at the wing, for the final try.

At high noon, two equally matched teams met to settle a long overdue account. The new and improved UWC Bucks of 2007 were made up of their regular experienced players of 2006, with an addition of youth in the form of boys from UWC. A devastating blend of experience and speed, the Bucks of 2007 were no easy pushovers and posed a serious threat especially in the first half.

Bucks drew first blood when they scored right from the kick-off with a try at the right wing, originating from a confusion between Adam and Taufiq on who was supposed to make the touch. Echoes of "Sial lah!!" reverberated throughout Turf City, when the two Mats realized their defensive error. Reeling from the initial blow, the Padang boys were slow to respond and got duly served with 2 more tries against.

At this juncture, the midday heat was beginning to take its toll on both sides and some players got naturally frustrated. Gideon was overhead screaming, "Aaaahhh... It's so hot guys, I can't take it. I'm gonna have to strip down to my pink purple maroon short shorts!" while looking around hoping for someone to look. Unfortunately for him, he is no Eugene Ng. However, fortunately for 6Pack, that was the push needed to start the comeback. Apparently, a half-nekkid Gideon is known to potentially cause partial blindness and that forced the boys to focus on the losing game at hand.

"No that's alright Gideon, you can keep that tanktop on"

With nowhere else to look, the 6Pack boys set their sights on taking the game back. And comeback they did, piling on tries after tries. A string of passes between Adam, Sujan and Alan resulted in the 6th try, reliving memories of the sweet flowing play of 2006. Against some furious defending, the dehydrated Bucks couldn't find a way to get to the 6Pack tryline.

Finally, the game was sealed when the Play-of-the-Day move was finished off, coming from a patient build-up to the 5m from Khairul, Edwin and Kenny. Final score: 7-3 to 6Pack. (and minus 1 bonus point for half-nekkid Gid)

In other news, Shadowfax was nowhere to be found. It seems that high noon is not an ideal environment for a shadow to appear.
Beware of the Shadow: It is not only elusive, but also full of excuses.

6Pack 2007 Drafts

As in any teams, players come and players go. So the renewal of talent is regarded with utmost importance by 6Pack. For this reason, only a selected few were handed the opportunity to don the blue-whites,


while the unfortunate ones stay knocking outside, looking in. During this short 'transfer window', promising players were drafted in, and here we proudly present...
the 6Pack Punks!

1) 'The Ninja' Chia Hsien
With his amazing psycho-motor skills and his ability to deceive opponents with his same hand-same foot runs, 'The Ninja' has silently proven his ability to stand out in any game he plays. Watch out for his trademark 'stinky' which was previously popularized by Alan Lontong.

2) Derrick
A fan of Harry Potter, Derrick never removes his glasses even on the pitch. Still learning many more aspects of the game and in strong contention for most improved player, this junior wizard has surprisingly good passing skills, and deceptive speed.

3) Edmund Kuang
Actually a sophomore from 6pack's class of 2006, this quiet punk has an instantaneous dummy-half burst that is as blinding as his diamond earring. A highly dependable player that can be counted on for flashes of brilliance, and consistent performance.

4) Edwin Kuang
Also new to the sport, Edwin has made learning it look easy. A natural sprinter, his potential to improve is great and has grasped the most important idea of being a 6pack winger: Stealthily creep near the sidelines and wait for the finishing pass.
6pack Fun Facts: Edwin & Edmund are unidentical twins, coincidentally so is Loo and Kenny (mini-Loo)

5) Eugene Ng
A Cirque du Soleil acrobat in his free time, Eugene utilises his back-breaking agility and insane quickness to the max. Although rare in appearance, his presence is commonly noticed by the girls, thanks to his 'Men's Health' physique and Beckham-like hair. Will add more arsenal to his game when he eventually adds more variety to his gameplay.

6) Guoyong
Together with NUS mate Joshua, Guoyong's addition to the team has made it possible for 6pack to plan for future conquests. Despite being new to the game, his quick learning is made more surprising by the fact that he has only played only a handful of games with 6pack. A veteran of the NUS Sheares Hall Touch team, his natural teamplaying ability is a good sign of things to come.

7) Joshua Yap
Another player whose speed can only be measured by a police radar, Joshua has been constantly leaving players rooted on the spot with his impossible side-steps. Although still new to the game, his good progress makes him an interesting prospect for the team, as well as the womenfolk, with his highly-conditioned shoulder-length hair 'ala' Ronaldinho.

8) Mahdi bin Taib
A constant menace to the opposition with his dastardly quick steps and unmatched speed, Mahdi will sidestep you, burst past your flailing arms, sidestep another time for good measure and score the inevitable try. Making steady progress with his game, as well as with the ladies.

9) Terence Toh
The Republic Polytechnic captain has plenty of games under his belt and is no newcomer to the touch scene. A refreshing addition to the team, Terence's side-steps are nifty as well as untouchable. His regular scoring and competitive experience has been a great boost for the team. Time will only tell if his style would gravitate towards the 'fast and furious' play of Amila or the 'patient playmaking' style of previous RP captain Kenny 'Mini-Loo'; or preferably both.

10) Eric Dipo Hutomo
Much is expected from this player who shared the same nationality as our ex-legendary awesome captain, Yohanes Leander. Rumours have it that he is a friendly Shearite who has a friendly smile ready, even for his opponents on the field as he burnt them alongside the touchline, giving them the 'grin'. Rumours have it also that Eric is a mild mannered guy who likes to play DOTA and although being new to the game he is always eager to learn and improve. Hope to see Eric more at the Padang for more great things to come... (less DOTA hor, Eric)

11) Mystery Man
Rumoured to be very interested in playing for 6pack, Mystery Man is a recognized face in the Singapore Rugby Youth Squad. An intelligent player with complete all-round abilities, MM would be a fine inclusion into the squad. Although established as a competent rugby player, his competitive touch experience is close to nil.

So there you have it, the up and coming 6Pack players...

Will they live up to their potential? Will they have the intestinal fortitude to withstand the pressure that comes with playing in a team full of competitive personalities? Will they eventually receive a pass from David? And who from these pool will make the cut for NTL?

Editor's note: The Shadow Shadowfax is omitted from the list due to it's awesome nature, which cannot be described with mere words.

sixpack

"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains that victory."

- Gen. George Patton

with apologies to Oliver Munday

Critics Can Keyman Who Canned Critics

In a surprising turn of events, Keyman Lee of the 6-Pack got the tables turned against him, after boldly proclaiming his greatness to the world. A series of errors by the fallen star in the Mixed game against UWC nailed the coffin for his short but controversial Touch career. It all went downhill for Lee the moment he clicked on 'Publish Post' and posted the infamous self-indulgent entry "Keyman of 6-Pack cans critics". The weight of self-inflicted pressure to perform obviously wreaked havoc with his catching, touching, and passing skills which caused a serious beating to his already on-the-line pride. We, the critics, only have this to say to Mr Lee: "Who's your daddy now? "

In Lee We Trust

My Ass!

Nevertheless, we hope to see Mr. Lee

come out of his pitfalls soon

Round 6: 6-Pack vs Bedok Kings

16th Sep 2006, 3.30pm, Turf City

Round 6 Match:

Score: 19-1

Playa of the Day: Taufiq & Leander
Taufiq ~ Opening the floodgates with 2 quick successive tries on his favoured left wing.
Leander ~ Brilliant vision and timing throughout the game. Always gaining more than 5m, creating tries and scoring at will (Ed note: was never part of the original entry; nice try Leander) whenever the ball is in his hands


Play of the Day: One set of sharp fly defending in the 2nd half, against a King’s punch-up which gained them only 3m, using 2 touches, followed satisfyingly by a turnover.


Dick of the Day: Dick Lee ‘Keyman’ Yum Hwa

In the immortal words of Ali G… RESTECP-uh! A never before seen score line throughout the whole season as 6-Pack once again produces a brilliant performance with a final tally of 19-1.

6-Pack started the day with a rare low turnout of 10 players with supposedly ‘key’ players, Adam, David, Xiang Junn, Gideon and Kenny all missing in action. All with good reasons of course, except for Kenny, whom we last heard, flew to Melbourne for a much needed liposuction. But the lack of manpower didn’t affect the Magnificent 10 as the memories of a 7-man Wanderers team grueling it out last week, inspired them to do even better.

The opponents comprised of reasonably fit and decent players who definitely left their youth years ago but were still far from reaching Senior Citizen status.

Utilizing their pace effectively, 6-Pack was a constant menace on the punch-up, keeping the Kings defence constantly on the back foot. The punch-ups are now looking more solid and decisive as the season progresses, and it’s being done more intelligently now, especially by Jitwei & Hadi, punishing the defenders who are furthest and gaining plenty of meters
It’s also very encouraging to see the flow being established easily, since most of the dumps were done for a teammate close behind. However, the significant numbers of dummyhalf fumbles need to be reduced and only practice, practice and more practice will correct that.

At the 5m, not much could be mentioned as most of the tries came from our open play. Still, composure is sorely missing there and more work needs to be done to make our 5m play more kick-ass.
Again this week, our defence was not properly tested as the opponents attack were not fluid nor quick enough. Even though it was quite an easy day in the defence office, kudos to the whole team for the excellent discipline shown in going back to meet the 5m mark all the time. Even the referees were happy to ref this game, and how often do you see that?

Having said that, one thing that has to be weeded out quickly is the pseudo-touches. Make the touches count. It’s no use going up to meet the attacker and then letting him slip through beside you. Because if the opponents do a quick dump on your teammate who is beside and behind you, instead of going back 5, you’ll have to retreat 7 or 8 meters. Unless you crave for that kind of punishment, MAKE THE TOUCH! One thing that was really encouraging to see was the fly defence, exemplified in one instance by Nazhan, followed by Leander. It’s really exciting to know that if this is done more and done properly, the number of turnovers for us will increase even more!

Another aspect to the game that we could add to our repertoire would be taking advantage of the confusion whenever the subs are coming in. Hey, it wouldn’t hurt to instill more chaos in the opponents right?

Summing it up, 6-Pack is looking better with every game, and this should lead us confidently into the last few games of NTL.
Booyah!!

P.S. this article was brought to you by the letters R, E, S, P, e, C, T and the number 19. (plus possibly 1 more)

Round 4: 6-Pack vs UWC

2nd Sept, 1.00pm, Turf City

Round 4 Match:

Score: 8-2

Playa of the Day: Adam

Dick of the Day: The UWC bunch for whining & arguing with Bryan

Another brilliant outing for the team as we pulled off another convincing one over the Young Foreign Talents from the United World College (UWC). The opponents consisted of mostly young, fast and fit rugby boys (Gideon’s favourite) complimented by a few more experienced touch players. Weather was hot and dry as usual but I believe it's posing lesser of a problem as the season goes on. With a more flexible contact schedule, Hadizan was put back into action after a few weeks of absence and right back into the thick of things he was, causing the defence plenty of worries.

As a whole, we played to our strengths and produced a much more cohesive and slicker defence. Our open play has been getting better and it's beginning to show as seen from this game. A lot more passes are being made and it's being made with a more definite purpose to attack the furthest defender as compared to just driving up only. Technical-wise, there's always room for improvement to make the dumps as clean as possible, the passes sharper and the scoops quicker.

In terms of defence, we defended well generally but it wasn't a strong test as the opponents weren't really fluid in attack. So far, the season has yet to provide a convincing test of our defence play but rather than wait for that to happen, a more pro-active approach will prepare us better when it comes. A smothering aggressive defence is in actual fact a relentless offence in disguise. And this will result in us receiving more possession which gives us more time to play with the ball, and punish our opponents more!

Our 5m play can be much better with more sessions, and more effort put into observing the defensive movement and numbers. To do that, a more Zen-like mindset at the 5m needs to be developed and encouraged.

In time history will judge teams based on wether they are as efficient as the NZ, as fluid as the Fijians and as good-looking as the 6-packs!
Booyah!

The pictures below pretty much sum up the day for the 6-pack:

NTL Pre-Season: SRC Mixed v Bedok Kings; 6-Pack v Bedok Kings

5th August, 2.40 pm, Turf City

Mixed Category

Score: 5-3

Play of the Day: Teapot by Gideon, Rachel and Adam culminating in a dive-try worthy of endless replays.

An unforgiving sun, absent clouds,and teasing winds made the NTL pre-season match-ups a truly energy-sapping one. Not letting the environment get the better of the team, the SRC Mixed team which included seasoned touch footballers like Angela @ Dickie, 'Scoop & Score' Amila,and 'Laundry Bandit' Gideon stepped one up to produce a winning performance against Asian Mixed Champions, Bedok Kings.

The technical skills of the girls were a welcome contrast to the raw physical agility of the boys. There were plenty of moments of brilliance from the team but what stood out most was the teamwork between the Barrakudas & their brother team, 6-Pack. The defence was led ably by Jessica who made sure the opponents not only had their attack foiled but also had their ear-drums terrorized with her irrepressible vocals. On attack, it was good to see 6-Pack making their runs with more conviction. There were always guys running at the gaps, which made our attack highly dangerous since there were so many options. The punch-ups and the flow was very encouraging too but there is still plenty of room for sharpening.

Overall, it was a good run for the mixed team and a very positive outing for SRC as a whole.

Men's Category

Score: 8-1

Play of the Day: Split & Score by Amila and Taufik on the 5m. Clinical!

A very flattering score indeed for the 6-Pack men, as they ran riot around the Kings non-stop. Of course, we had the advantage of youth but a win is still a win nevertheless. Skipper Alan 'Lontong' standing in for Leander was a calming influence on the team and gameplay was allowed to flow smoothly. Yum Hwa, despite a blistered foot, had a brilliant outing as well scoring and creating plenty of chances. Sujan's tricky play was a constant menace to the Kings and his Ceylonese brother, Amila, stamped his class on the field today. The inclusion of Gideon, Taufik and Lester back to the 6-Pack fold can only strengthen the team further and things are definitely looking up as NTL season nears.

Having said that, plenty of things that need to be ironed out are defence in general and the 5m play. Let's sort these stuff out in training so that when it's Game On time, we'll be an awesome force to be reckoned with.

Booyah!

Blacks Fun Touch '06 Report

28th May, 1.00pm, CCAB

Heavy rain, lightning, and the 'fashionably late' arrival of two 6-pack players threatened to turn the annual Blacks Touch tourney into a no-show. Fortunately, the Gods of Rugby had other plans and the competition was soon on its way.

2 teams were put on the slate:

MaiGoaldenAsz.....and.....TickelMaiNats

Group Matches:

TickelMaiNats started the ball rolling with their first game against the reigning champions 'Blacks One' aka 'Blacks Senior Citizens'. The game took on a furious tempo from the beginning, despite the opponents obvious lack of youth. Some brilliant ball handling by both teams provided a free flow of attacking rugby but only one team came out on top, and proved once again that being young at heart is still not enough. Final score: 7-5 to TickelMaiNats.
The next three games were a stroll for TickelMaiNats, as their two star players finally turned up to add firepower to the attack.
Group Standing: 1st

MaiGoaldenAsz found themselves in a relatively easy grouping and cruised through all the group games without breaking much sweat. The 9-0 trashing of the HDB team, in addition to a perfect clean sheet throughout the group games put MaiGoaldenAsz comfortably on top of their group.
Group Standing: 1st

Semi-Finals:

1st Semis - MaiGoaldenAsz v Blacks One

A very tense match was soon underway, with the boys from MaiGoaldenAsz visibly nervous before the encounter against the much experienced and composed Blacks Oldies. An easily conceded first try pushed the team further into frustration and the equalizer seemed to be more elusive than earlier suspected. With time running out, a one-two combo from David & yours truly produced a try that left Khairul with his pantyhose in a bunch. Unfortunately, a choking MaiGoaldenAsz was no match for the Blacks Oldies and that marked the end of the competition for them.
Final score: 3-1 to Blacks One

2nd Semis - TickelMaiNats v Blacks Three

Knowing that the 6-pack pride was on the line, TickelMaiNats made good out of this match. Not letting the physical play of Blacks Three, led by Crazy William, get to them, TickelMaiNats put their finely-sharpened move to good use. And when the final whistle blew, they were rewarded with a well-deserved win and a step closer to be crowned Champion.
Final score: 3-1 to TickelMaiNats

Finals

TickelMaiNats v Blacks One

A repeat of the first game wasn't on the cards this time, as the spectators were treated to a most exciting Final between the 2 best teams of the tourney. At a rate of 1 try per minute, each try conceded was replied immediately with a try scored. Final whistle blown, score: 7-7.

EXTRA TIME!

Extra time was just as exciting and culminated in Leander being the object of ridicule the whole day. With only just one try to wrap up the game, the Stallion forever immortalized himself as Dick of The Year by scoring a try one metre out before the try line!

And still had the audacity to smile and pose for the camera scoring his pseudo-try. Unable to put the whole fiasco behind them, Blacks One took the opportunity to score and keep the title for another year running.
Final Score: 2-1 to Blacks One