The atmosphere is absolutely electric down here at J-Bay. The who’s who in surfing have been rambling round town. A simple trip to Nina’s for a flat white, and you may come across John John, Gabriel and Ezekiel Lau all in a matter of five metres. Best you traverse the region with a dark pair of sunnies, nobody wants to get caught having a sneaky peak at their fav pro surfer only to get caught out and given a healthy dose of stink eye in return.
Anyhoo, here’s Zag’s 8 picks for Fantasy Surfer.
Tier A
Jordy Smith
A no brainer.
There’s no reason to utilise an action shot of Jordy, cause he’s a no brainer. Image: AVG
John John Florence
Ahhhh, now considering Jordy’s a no brainer, that makes athlete number two a difficult choice, because the rest of tier A are phenomenal point break surfers, and besides Connor O’leary, all have done pretty well at J-Bay in the past. But we decided to choose JJF for 3 key reasons:
- He came second last year.
- The swells looking pretty large for Monday, and if anyone knows how to do man carves and thread deep pits, it’s John John.
- It’s gana be WINDY. And windy conditions don’t seem to perturb JJF (think Margaret River).
A drop wallet that would make you weep with joy. Image: Ian Thurtell
Tier B
Gabriel Medina
Gabby’s a title contender. Sitting all the way down in 11th position doesn’t suit the GM. We bet he’s probably fuming at the fact that his noggin with the un-stylish goatee ain’t first on that ratings list draped in that weird yellowish gold banner. Gabby’s last result of consequence was at the season’s opener at Snapper where he placed third. He’s itching for a result, and after his title winning year, J-Bay is where he turned things round. Lets see if he can do it again.
We all know that Gabby’s goatee is frothing for a win at J-Bay. Image: AVG
Kolohe Andino
Kolohe’s point break game has come a long way since his inception on the Championship Tour. Where once he was a doe eyed bambie in the headlights of a long wall requiring a deep drawn out wrap into an off-the-lip blitz, he’s now giving them long walls what they deserve. We also have it on good accord that he’s been in J-Bay for a while, and if you’ve surfed J-Bay, you know, it’s not some wave you rock up at one day before the event starts after you’ve been knocked outta the Ballito Pro to get some practice. It’s a wave you need to show some love.
Andino ain’t no stranger to J-Bay Image: Greg Ewing
Mick Fanning
Naaaaaah mate, I’m not going to waste your time and the Zag’s tryna explain to yo ass why you should put Mick Fanning in your team. Those four wins speak for themselves.
Fanning, like Jordy, is a no brainer. Image: Ian Thurtell
Filipe Toledo
Now this is an interesting pick we know. But Filipe’s got a sharper forehand than a samurai warrior with a recently sharpened sword. Those layback carves only get better, and with the wind swinging variable on Tuesday, it leaves room for surfing which isn’t necessarily ‘classic J-Bay’.
A risky pick, but Filipe’s looking red hot. #DadJoke right there. Image: Greg Ewing
Tier C
Conner Coffin
Conner Coffin’s grown up surfing point breaks. His style suits point break waves just perfectly and his rail game is thus, on point. It’s a tough choice though, cause it seems Leonardo Fioravanti is just starting to gather momentum, but here at Zag, we understand what a point break man looks like, and Conner’s going to bury that rail alive.
We couldn’t find an action shot of Conner with his updated sticker, so we thought we’d give him a high five instead. Image: AVG
Dale Staples
Dale Staples usually shows up at J-Bay when the swell’s maxing. Big, windy and ugly, with death pits on the inside at Impossibles. Why leave the quaint thatch houses of St Francis when it’s three foot? Rather go surf Seal Point (which is a stone’s throw away). So considering the swell that’s on the way, and the fact that Dale destroyed the Super Trial in probably the biggest swell of the year thus far, it’d be hard to overlook the man.
If you’ve seen Ducky shred big Supers, you’d also pop him in your team. Image: Ian Thurtell
Team looks pretty good on paper… but might not be the best strategy if you’re trying to win at fantasy. It’s a fact (given the current seeding structure) that JJF and Staples will face each other in round 3 (if they both make it that far) – which means one of them HAS to lose in round 3.
good call spoiler.. pick jadson instead hahahhahah