Weather: Normal
Gate: 35k
The first game of the season for the defending Eastern Conference champions, the
Tempo Ray Mutineers saw 10,000 fans turned away at the gates of the
Fabienettes stadium, Fabien Fields. Those 10,000 fans were visiting support from the
Mutineers who were turned away from the game, perhaps this was an act of retribution for the crushing 5-1 defeat the home
side suffered in the corresponding fixture last season. The Mutineers were out for some
retribution of their own having lost their last fixture in 2004, the Grand Final against the
KoPite MuGaz. Whatever the motivations, this game would throw up some interesting observations such
as whether the Mutineers would be able to recover from their tough loss in the final and whether the Fabienettes would be
able to mount a legitimate challenge this season. The Fabienettes lost to the Mutineers by an aggregate of 7-1 last year
yet still qualified for the post-season. They failed to make their semi-final match against the No
Talent All-Stars though after head coach Fabian disappeared. The head coach is still presumed lost so unheralded
passer-by the D-Man has been drafted in to lead the team for the forseeable future.
Time seemed to stand still as the two sides filed out to start the match. It was only later that it was realised that time did not actually stand still and that it was only the perception of everybody present that was stationery. An intervention by a perculiarly minded Chaos God had held up the game and meant that less time was available for action in the first half. The Mutineers took the opening kick-off and faced up against what seemed a fairly incoherent defensive set-up. It was not difficult for Savogand Thrall, Eastern player of the year in 2003, to find one of these and launch the Mutineers first scoring attempt of the season. The Fabienettes players seemed easily pushed out of position as Thrall raced through the backfield. Flanked by first round Krush pick, Chaos Warrior Warring Slapp as well as Fester Rustblade the Goblin, Savogand was untroubled in his journey through Fabienettes territory. Perhaps the memories of that painful defeat last season cowed the home side somewhat but with only home fans cheering them on, some greater urgency and excitement should have been forthcoming from the players.
As it was, there was one player willing to put himself forward and that was team captian Fabio. The Wardancer has been accused of under-achieving in the big games but he made a big play in this one. Savogand Thrall as team captain of the Mutineers is well respected for being a team player. He showed again why this was by handing off to Warring Slapp to let the new signing take the final few yards for the touchdown. Fabio's play saw otherwise. The Wardancer exerted himself to his fullest extent, catching up at on Slapp at an incredible rate despite being way out of position to begin with. Slapp may be bigger and stronger than Fabio but that didn't stop the Fabienette's captain. He struck the Chaos Warrior with everything he could muster and knocked the strongest player on the pitch off his feet. The ball squirmed loose but there were no defenders to take advantage. All were horrendously out of position, the Mutineers simply had too many players in the vicinity of the ball for the hosts to have a chance. It was Fester Rustblade who took the ball in for the score, the third of his career.
The Fabienettes defence was not up to stopping the Mutineers and their offence fared little better. The kick-off landed in the arms of Dwarf Blitzer "3 inch" Wonder who did manage two scores and 21 rushing yards in 2003 but could only manage 4 yards against the Mutineers before he failed to dodge through an impossible minefield of tackle zones and coughed up the ball. There was not enough time left in the half for a counter-attack so the score remained 1-0 to the Mutineers going into the interval. It would have to be regarded as a disappointing half for the home side, their only defensive play being Fabian's tackle. The team has struggled against the Mutineers and seemed to be continuing that form.
Defensively, the Mutineers are very strong having been named Defensive Team of 2003. They fielded a complex formation with just three up front, two out wide and the rest in cover positions. Despite, or perhaps because of this formation, the Fabienettes managed to move the ball. Third round pick Pete Graveyard, a Ghoul Catcher attacked the left flank of the defence. Getting deep into Mutineers territory, there was some panic amongst the defenders when Dwarf Kerval Axebreaker fell to the ground while blocking and left Graveyard to threaten the end zone. Despite dodging through a couple of tackle zones, the threat was ended by Toxix the Wight who added to his 3 career tackles with a nice forced fumble on the Ghoul. The Mutineers dutifully filed back into position with each taking up their position around the bobbling ball.
With cover in place, the possibility of a counter-attack was on. Savogand Thrall called the play, completing a short pass to Warring Slapp. Once again though, the Chaos Warrior was unable to hold onto the ball. This time though it was not Fabio but new weapon Fabius that made the hit. The Dark Elf Blitzer was a first round pick and showed his quality with a couple of dodges, a tackle and 3 rushing yards. Slipping out into some safety, he lined up Fabio who had raced through to support the attack. A successful hand-off could give Fabio a clear run into the end zone. Unfortunately for the hosts, Fabio failed at the crucial moment and spilled the ball. It was the best chance of the game for the Fabienettes and their last. Savogand connected with another pass, this time a long one to Amazon Blitzer Boa Dicea. With all the Fabienettes surging forward in the quest for the equaliser, they were trapped in the wrong half by the Mutineers and Boa secured the win with her 7th career score.
There was still time in the game but it didn't generate another scoring opportunity. Norse Lineman "Long" Pugh Bes attempted to go it alone but was stopped in his tracks by Beastman Kotek Gorefest and a head-first tackle. The game fizzled out after that and it ended with a 2-0 victory to the losing finalists from 2003. For the most part, it was a controlled performance with the team attempting to choose who would get the touchdowns but that very nearly backfired thanks to some great tackling by the Fabienettes. The hosts still struggled against the Mutineers but they were better than in 2003, the threat of many players with pace nearly overwhelmed the best defence from last season.
Injuries: None
Key Stats
| Team |
CAS
|
Rush
|
Blocks
|
Downs
|
Pass
|
Dodge
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabienettes |
0
|
21
|
28
|
18
|
0
|
16
|
Mutineers |
2
|
38
|
33
|
21
|
13
|
6
|
MVPS: Homo Erectus, Fester Rustblade
Best Players
Savogand Thrall: 3 Rushes for 21 yards, 2 Completions for 9 yards, 1 Reception for 2 yards, 1 Block, 5 Dodges
Boa Dicea: 1 TD, 2 Rushes for 9 yards, 1 Completion for 2 yards, 1 Reception for 7 yards, 1 Block, 1 Down, 1 Fumble
Fabius: 1 Rush for 3 yards, 2 Blocks, 1 Down, 1 Tackle, 6 Dodges, 2 Stands