Weather: Haze
Gate: 35k
The unnatural haze that surrounds Fabien Fields was not enough to deter a sell-out crowd for the clash between the Fabienettes and underdogs The Mercenaries. The home capacity of 35k was easily filled with an estimated 4k people having to be turned away at the gates. It is not known whether those fans came to witness the bloodshed or to inhale the haze that was stayed in place thoughout the game despite localised variants in weather conditions that should have dispersed the mildly noxious fumes.
The game itself has sparked a great degree of controversy and debate. Indeed, the activities of head coach Fabien throughout the match have wider repercussions than the 4-0 thrashing of the Mercenaries. The game began with an extremely high kick thattook so long to land that by the time it had, Fabio the Fabienettes captain had burst down the Mercenaries left flank to steal the ball before the away side had managed to gather it in. The assault also led to Splinter the Gutter Runner and Mercenaries greatest scoring threat being Badly Hurt and taken out of the game by "3 Inch" Wonder the Dwarf Blitzer. The Mercenaries were simply unable to recover from the early setback and were unable to get back into a half which was totally dominated by the Fabienettes.
A certain degree of showboating appeared to be exhibited from the Fabienettes as they were content to hold the ball in place just short of the Mercenaries end zone for over half of the first period. It was only just prior to the end of the half that Fabino the Wood Elf Thrower rushed the final yard to score. During this time, the only threat to the Fabienettes scoring seemed to be themselves. "3 Inch" Wonder had looked set to score but found himself a victim to his own arousal as he rushed off the pitch, abandoning the ball in search of some fantastic vision that he had perceived in the crowd. The Mercenaries seemed to offer little in the way of resistance so it was left to the referee, Ike Smiley to give them a hand by sending off two Fabienettes during the opening drive for foul play.
The second half was a little more competitive in terms of action though the home side were still able to run in three TDs. 3 Inch made up for his mistake in the first half to score twice while Fabino also grabbed his second. It seems strange to suggest that this half was tighter than the first given the score disparity but it was the case for any impartial observer. However, The Mercenaries were simply unable to deal with the blatant cheating of the Fabienettes. Many of their players seemed bewildered by their opponents who emerged miraculously unscathed from blocks, dodged tackle zones at will and took hand-offs without breaking their stride. At one stage, a player returned to play despite having been sent off earlier. It could not be suggested that the Mercenaries would have won had they been able to keep up with the Fabienettes devious playing style but the 4-0 scoreline was not a reflection of the true gap between the teams.
Some witnesses such as the coach of the All-Stars who was on a scouting mission placed the blame firmly with the referee for failing to take contraventions of the rules seriously enough. Ike Smiley's response was that he is only there to police direct and clear infractions of the rules such as fouling. Indeed, it has always been the responsibility of Blood Bowl coaches to ensure that their team is not cheated and this is still the official line. To what extent though should a team who are not playing by the rules be stopped by parties other than the opposing coach? Until formal objections are raised and discussed, other parties including the referee will only step in when called upon by the coaches.
As a mark of how much closer the game should have been, The Mercenaries were able to inflict a couple of serious injuries during the second half. Wardancer Fabio received cracked ribs while Norse Lineman Bob "The Hair" suffered a chipped bone in his foot. Next time these two meet, this reporter hopes The Mercenaries will be prepared for the tactics they are likely to face.
Injuries:
Fabienettes:
Fabio - Cracked Ribs (2 games)
Bob "The Hair" - Chipped Bone (1 game)
Key Stats
| Team | CAS | Blocks | Downs | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabienettes | 2 | 27 | 17 | 37 | Mercenaries | 1 | 36 | 15 | 4 |
MVPS: "Roy's" Mum, Cre'atarin
Best Players
"3 Inch" Wonder: 2 TDs, 1 CAS, 3 Rushes for 20 yds, 1 Block, 1 Down, 1 Foul, Sent Off
Fabino: 2 TDs, 3 Rushes for 7 yds, 1 Completion for 2 Yards, 1 Reception for 2 Yards
Krump Forznit: 1 CAS, 12 Blocks, 7 Downs, 1 Tackle, 1 Stand, 2 Fumbles