Round 8 of the ARTTSL First Division Championship promises to be the best yet, with tensions building and a number of incidents in recent days ahead of the clashes tonight.
Newcastle have had a difficult lead-up to their top-of-the-table clash with Canberra after being locked out of their motel. The team arrived in Fishwick at 11pm after their bus broke down at Goulburn McDonald's and needed emergency service. On arrival they found the motel front office closed for the night and were forced to sleep in their bus on a cold Canberra night. This was despite calls ahead to the motel to say they were running late. Motel management have strenuously denied intentionally leaving the side locked out to help their local team.
On the other side of the Tasman, ahead of the local Derby between North New Zealand and South New Zealand, tensions between the respective mascots the Big Pippie and the Big Peter Jackson (recently revealed to be the real Peter Jackson) boiled over in a Wellington Nightclub.
Players and the mascots from both sides arrived at the nightclub at similar times and were reported to be heckling one other for about an hour. Finally the Big Pippie allegedly made a barb about the Big Peter Jackson "not being a real mascot as he didn't wear a costume", to which Jackson allegedly replied, "Then I'll do what they say should be done to mascots in a suit", and tackled the Big Pippie. A number of players from both sides were drawn into the melee.
The match tonight in Wellington is expected to be highly charged with tensions from the fight far from resolved. There are suggestions the mascots may be directed to remain on either side of the table, but whether they follow such an instruction remains to be seen.
Meanwhile tense words were exchanged in a media conference involving the coaches and captains of Gold Coast-Tweed and Sunshine Coast ahead of their local derby match in Tweed Heads. The sides are placed 3rd and 5th respectively on the table and are both keen for the win to consolidate their tilt for the finals. Gold Coast-Tweed captain Scott Mince at one point said "The Sunshine Coast, it's not a real team, it's not a real city is it?", to which Sunshine Coast coach Pedro Spencer replied "Well, at least we're all Queenslanders up there".
All round 8 matches are scheduled to take place tonight. With three rounds remaining after this, it is seen as a crucial round that may be the turning point in the fortunes of many clubs as we head towards the finals.
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