Canberra Cup returns for its latest iteration in 2022, bringing together women’s and men’s teams from NSW, VIC, ACT and QLD in a Nationals warm-up like no other. For reasons we are all well aware of and are sick of talking about, the last couple of years of Australian ultimate have been somewhat unsatisfying. Yet the 2022 season, fuelled by the rapid approach of WUCC, is slowly but surely ramping up. With regionals done and dusted, and with a few changes from the 2021 separate gender season, the Division 1 teams are set for Nationals. The women’s division is set to showcase eight competitive and high quality teams.
GWS Blaze comes in hot after winning Eastern Regionals. A strong team across the board, utilising the agility of Bec Carman and the powerful arm of their rising star Jess Lee. They have proven time and time again that they are not to be underestimated. Coach Simon Wood comes into the mix as one of Australian ultimate’s most experienced personalities, perhaps giving Blaze the edge they need to rank highly at Canberra Cup.
Fresh from a soggy Eastern Regionals, Rogue has hopefully dried out their uniforms enough to fire up again at Canberra Cup. Coached by Martin “Linus” Forrest of Bench, Rogue has a young and athletic roster. Kya Wiya returns to the field after training with the Crocs Squad, with her new Lunch Box teammates Shannon Bubb, Maddie Owens, and Clare Barcham who rise up the ranks to fill the enormous shoes of Bree Edgar (now coaching Lunch Box), Georgia Ewan, Sarah Perkins and Simone Ryan. No pressure, ladies. Another player to keep your eye on will be Sunny Zhou, the New Zealand import who has graced Rogue with her presence after moving to Sydney from Auckland. Tall and fast with smooth throws, she’ll be one to watch!
Moving down to VIC…Ellipsis women’s has two teams poised to demonstrate their wealth of skills and experience. The team has some interstate pickups joining them - Asaka Iitoyo (NSW), Eunice Cheung (NSW), and Caitlin Grange (NSW). Certainly these players will strengthen Ellipsis, but whether it weakens their home clubs remains to be seen. Cat Phillips’ name is conspicuously missing from Ellipsis Asterisk’s roster - this may well be the weak spot that could break Ellipsis down*. With seemingly very little competition at VIC regionals, Ellipsis may have their work cut out for them when facing top teams from other states. Another factor to note is their short rosters - 13 players on one team & 15 on the other - will they be able to maintain their skills and speed in the face of fatigue?
Fuse is a name that hasn’t graced the registration page of a tournament for far too long. After the brutal border closures of 2021 preventing them from attending AUC, the team will have a little less experience under their belt than their competition. However, the skills of Ash McInnes and Georgia Sullivan, with the masterful handling of Kathryn Smith, as well as some talented U24 players - Gabby Callow, Shelby Thompson and the speedy Saelea Muduioa, might be just what Fuse needs to place highly at Canberra Cup. Notably missing from the roster are Dom Simpson, Bekah Ziegman and Ava Mueller, strong throwers and fast receivers whose absence could make an impact on their results.
Our ACT hosts are fielding a ragged Division 1 team, just two weeks out from a brutal Eastern Regionals. With a roster of 16 to begin with, Factory was coming into Regionals somewhat short-changed. Adding insult to injury, some poorly timed illnesses and creative ways of harming oneself (gymnastics anyone?) reduced the team to an even smaller group of 11 players by Sunday morning. Factory were forced to cut their Regionals journey short in Nelson Bay, forfeiting their final game to Rogue for the 3-4 playoff. The true strength of Factory has yet to be seen (and also, analysed, thanks to a microphone malfunction cruelly silencing Rosa Wang’s insightful commentary on the livestream) and who knows where they could have placed at Regionals if it weren’t for their collective misfortune.
Manly Mavericks take the stage after placing 2nd at Eastern Regionals. A surprise loss to Sugar Magnolias in the pool play didn’t wear them down, but another loss to GWS Blaze in the final was also unexpected. Having claimed the silver medal at Nationals in 2021, Manly were the favourite to take home the crown at Regionals, but couldn’t perform on the day. At Canberra Cup they will have another chance to prove themselves against rivals old and new.
The Newcastle-based team Sugar Magnolias is also often plagued by short rosters and focuses on development of less experienced players. Striving for a spot in Division 1 is therefore a difficult goal to have, but they continue to reach for greatness. In spite of losing all other games, they managed to beat Manly at Regionals - throwing a spanner in the works of the seeding! Can they pull off another fabulous performance at Canberra Cup?
I predict:
Ellipsis Asterisk
Ellipsis Ampersand
Manly
Rogue
GWS Blaze
Factory
Fuse
Sugar Magnolias
*Don’t forget the UQAT in 2020 when Cat was absent and Rogue beat Ellipsis 12-4 (I know I haven’t). (Also I really wanted to use an asterisk).
Hello! Due to editorial oversight I (Anonymous IOU Editor) failed to ask men from either division to do up a tournament preview. If you (or someone in your car on the drive down right now) would like to write something, please get in touch. Make it as speculative and rushed as you want. And if nothing comes to me by midnight, @Fyshwick, I will accept a tournament preview in the form of memes.