There was a different feeling as the Fat Fellas shot around before the game - their first without three time championship player Leong. Team supporter Stewart was showing the players how to shoot and big man O'Connell was making his way back from a season on the sidelines. There were also some hops in the Fat Fellas legs with 5 of the Fat Fellas players attempting to stuff the ball. This was the tallest Fat Fellas team in their history with 5 players 6'2" or more.

The Fat Fellas started this season the same way they finished their last one, struggling to beat a vastly different Old Demons than they were used to from last semester. The Old Demons had a chance to tie the game with 3 free throws after the buzzer, but only made one. It is believed that this one free throw wasn't put on the scoresheet attributing to the 3 point margin rather than a 2 point one.

A positive aspect of the game was the fact that the Fat Fellas didn't give up a victory like they did at the end of last season. This might not have been because of their improved finishing skills, but for the lack of skills shown by the Old Demons. One Old Demon, weighing more than the combined mass of the Fat Fellas, was ejected from the stadium after picking up consecutive technical fouls. He made his way to the bench and was then asked by assertive ref (and former Fat Fella himself) Steven Delides, to leave the actual building.

The Fat Fellas got off to a cautious start in their first game without Leong on the roster and it became evident that there was no point guard on the team. Delides and Spagnolo were partnered in the backcourt and quite often the ball did no go beyond their hands. Spagnolo started off in a blaze of glory shooting nearly every time he had the chance. He made a couple of sweet jumpers which kept the game relatively even in the first half. Woolfrey made a couple of baskets to compliment the outside shooting and Delides started to find his way to the hoop. When O'Connell checked into his first Fat Fella game for a long time, he immediately started ripping down his monstrous rebounds.

The first half was quite a struggle for the Fat Fellas, with them just managing to stay close by the half. They showed signs of coming out of their slumber, but had not woken yet.

The second half started in a blaze of glory for the Fat Fellas as they rattled on many points to take a decent lead into the last part of the game. This lead didn't last long though as Spagnolo reverted to his take every shot mentality and Delides thought that the best shot option was to dribble the ball downcourt and just shoot it. Between the backcourt, they had discarded the one-pass offence strategy and reduced it to the 0 pass offence. The inside guys tried to clean up the scraps, using their height advantage to snare many a board.

Sheppard moved into the guard position as the Fat Fellas experimented with their line-up. He showed a lot of hustle and was a breath of fresh air up the top - something which will be needed without Leong. This left the inside dutys to the old firm, Woolfrey, Watton and O'Connell to clog up the middle. They did this just with aplomb in the second half, with few points coming from the inside. Woolfrey and O'Connell were monsters on the boards, with Watton complimenting them with his athletic grabs over smaller players.

Turnovers also seemed to plague the Fat Fellas in the second half. It seemed that people weren't too willing to present themselves to recieve a pass, relying on other team members to do it. This resulted in a spirited effort from the Old Demons who stayed close the whole way.

In the end, the Fat Fellas held onto a slender lead for their first win in the Post-Leong era with a tough driving layup which sealed the win. The reason why Leong quit was very evident by the Fat Fellas play. Need this recap writer remind the Fat Fellas that there is no 'I' in 'team'? I should hope not.

Game Notes

Team and supporter photos were taken and will be seen on the Fat Fella homepage when ready...This marked the first game that Fat Fella Delides' beau Belinda attended...No new uniforms were unveiled at the game which was the rumour towards the end of last season...This is the Fat Fellas 6th season since their inception in 1997...Delides, Woolfrey and Spagnolo remain the only members of the Fat Fellas to be on the roster for the whole history of the Fat Fellas - Watton and O'Connell have both sat out a season