Vans,a Division of VF Outdoor, Inc.

Portugal 2023 – Fantasy Preview

Hawaii is done and dusted, and the reality of the 2023 tour doesn’t quite resemble that which we imagined. Just have a quick look at the rankings: Australians Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum wear the Yellow Jerseys (along with ‘Riss) after a near-flawless Hawaiian leg. Filipe leaves Hawaii – yes, Hawaii – with a 90% … Read more

Portugal Fantasy Preview

Julian Wilson threading a Supertubos barrel

Hawai’i was really something, wasn’t it? Take another quick look at the current tour rankings, and you’ll see that 2022 is far from ‘business as usual’. Unpredictability is exciting, undoubtedly, but it makes choosing a fantasy team that little bit harder. It looks like calculated risks are the way in 2022. We’ve barely got time … Read more

Preview: Meo Rip Curl Pro

Julian Wilson threading a Supertubos barrel

While Pipe may be the ‘Superbowl of surfing’, Portugal certainly punches above its weight when it comes to world title speculation. Throw in the race for Olympic qualifications and a decent forecast, and we have plenty to get psyched about for Portugal. Medina, Seabass, Filipe, and Jordy et al. may have ensured that most fantasy … Read more

2019 Fantasy Surfing Preview

So, we’re here. The new WSL season is upon us. Before we dive in for another 9 months of pro surfing across 8 countries and 770 heats (men and women), we thought it might be worth covering the various changes that 2019 will bring. Fantasy Of course we’re opening with this. If you played FSS … Read more

Preview: Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal

Julian Wilson threading a Supertubos barrel

So, here we are: between European legs, and things are tight. A tight turn-around, a tight title race, and tight fantasy contests. How good was Rhino? How sweet is it to have a proper title race? With the short turn-around between events, this preview will be a little brief, but the stats will still be … Read more

Preview – Portugal 2017

Have you had time to catch your breath? The dust has only just settled on the QuikPro France, and yet Portugal is already building momentum. Are you in the running for anything fantasy-wise? Maybe some beers or dollars at your clubhouse friends’ expense? Maybe the whole shebang? Portugal is where the world title picture really … Read more

Contest Metrics – Portugal 2017

Our heat score projections and stats are taken from 2014-2017 WSL contest data. Some 2017 rookies include data from previous WSL events, but many do not have relevant results in significant categories, including data for this particular venue. Their modelling is much less reliable and they may have skewed projections due to their averages being … Read more

Contest Wash-Up – Portugal 2016

The Winnner Destiny: has there been a more over-used word in professional surfing these past 72 hours? Maybe it’s just my jaded world-view, but destiny is a bullshit concept that serves to undermine the true elements that lead to success (like focus, hard work, talent and maybe a bit of good fortune). Destiny Attained was … Read more

Contest Analysis – Meo Rip Curl Pro 2016

The post-France-pre-Portugal window is always pretty tight and the deadline is looming, so we’ll cut the fluff and jump straight in (although the WSL has decided to write up a nice little pre-amble, if you’re into that sort of thing): Conditions France and Portugal offer pretty similar conditions parameters, so the modelling will be fairly … Read more

Injuries & Wildcard Update – Rip Curl Pro Portugal

Here is the draw & updated wildcard/injury replacement info for the Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal 2016 (18th – 29th October)   INJURIES Bede, Owen and Mick will again be OUT, with Stu Kennedy, Seabass Zietz and Dusty Payne respectively. Although there are no official (new) changes to the draw in regards to injuries, it could be worth taking note of the following: Keanu Asing – Looks like there’s … Read more