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TOP 45 REVIEW SPOILERS
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Dark horses. They may not roll as many heads as the Performers, but you can count on them to throw a wrench in the works from time to time. |
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At His Best: In Brazil and when the swell dips south of head high
Win Rate: 47%
Win Rate Against The Top 5: 50%
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21. Neco Padaratz 32, Florianopolis, Brazil
Neco may be short an earring due to an altercation at the Pipe Masters with Sunny Garcia, but he’s still big on passion, and in this day and age, that’s a good thing. A veteran on tour if there ever was one, Neco will need to put all the knowledge he’s gathered to good use against the likes of surfing’s new blood if he wants to stay on tour. However, despite not making a single heat during the first four events of the year, there’s still no question that he knows how to squeak past competitors. He re-qualified for 2008 without needing the WQS, and managed to make the Quarters in both Brazil and France. Progressive surfing is not Neco’s strong suit, and you can expect him to struggle in the big stuff, but bank on him to do his best work if the conditions go small. |
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At His Best: In performance-oriented waves
Win Rate: 42%
Win Rate Against Top 5: 33%
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28. Adriano De Souza 21, Sao Paulo, Brazil
One of the stronger surfers coming out of Brazil in recent years, Adriano or “Mineirinho” as he is known by his friends, barely re-qualified through the ’CT last year with a 28th-place finish. But make no mistake, he is an extremely talented surfer. De Souza was all over the map in 2007 with three 33rds, five 17th-place and one quarter final finish. His loss to Kelly Slater during the quarterfinals in J-Bay was somewhat contentious, and had things gone the other way, De Souza might have made bigger inroads both in that event and through the back end of 2007. Although he is liked by everyone on tour, he remains a fierce competitor and when he does finally find his groove, look for him to take down some big names down. He’s not gonna win a world title, but he’s been training hard and should improve on his position this year. |
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At His Best: Against surfers from his generation. Beat Jeremy Flores at Bells and Jordy Smith at Trestles
Win Rate: 45%
Win Rate Against Top 5: 33%
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31. Ben Dunn 22, New South Wales, Australia
After a couple of decent showings on last year’s tour (he finished
fifth at Snapper and made the quarters at Trestles) Ben earned himself an
injury wildcard when he tore the cartilage in his knee in France during a
specialty event. Afterwards, he soldiered on and continued to surf injured throughout the European leg, but understandably earned two 33rds. Upon returning to Australia, Dunn went under the knife to repair the torn cartilage in his
knee and has since made a full recovery. His highlights last year included
putting a stop to a very in-form Jordy Smith at the Trestles event.
Definitely a polished and textbook surfer, look for Dunn to shine at places
like Snapper, J-Bay, and Lowers.
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