Weather: Dry
Gate: 23k
Having suffered the biggest opening day loss, 4-0 to the Fabienettes The Mercenaries went down to the worst home defeat so far in league play as the Dolts came to The Wanderers and took all three points. Having lost narrowly to the Mutineers in their opening game, the Dolts seemed keen to make amends and went about their business with ruthless efficiency. A meagre crowd of 23k meant that a third of the stadium was empty with some perhaps not having found the location in time. The Dolts kicked off, the ball was fielded by Alec von Tasslebine The Mercenaries High Elf Thrower and play commenced.
With customary verve, von Tasslebine spotted a player free on his left and launched the ball to Splinter the Gutter Runner. The pass was on target but bounced free from the Skaven's grasp as von Tasslebine had not found an open receiver with Splinter being triple marked. As the ball dropped to the ground, a mass scramble ensued but it was Splinter who surprisingly emerged from the melee with the ball firmly clasped in jittery grasp. To gasps from the sparse crowd, Splinter burst down the right flank unopposed at full speed until a divet in the turf sent him spiralling to the ground, leaving the ball bobbling towards the defensive lines. The Dolts in the form of Witch Elf "High" Lady Venice swooped down on the ball and it appeared a rapid counter-attack was on when she made a beautiful long pass out to A'Argch the Ghoul. To support the counter-attack a series of devastating front line blocks were thrown by the away team including Lineman Bobby "Blue" Eye who seriously injured his opposing number Kane de la Richnoc.
Continuing their theme of individual flair, Hobgoblin Trevor Da Trevor nearly stopped the Dolts single-handedly when he successfully tackled A'Argch. Unfortunately, no Mercenaries were able to lay a hand on the ball before the second wave of Dolts broke through led by Salina Black the pacey Wood Elf Catcher. The home team were pushed too high up the field to cover so when Amazon Cre'atarin failed to make a blitz, there was no stopping Salina. With the game swinging towards the Dolts, Lady Venice turned it even more in the away side's favour by badly hurting Splinter. After taking a heavy defeat in the previous game, The Mercenaries had come out with a game plan to rely on the individual skill of their team members to take the Dolts by surprise with an early rush down the left side which could have worked had Splinter not slipped. All he managed to do was serve the ball up for the Dolts who replied with a two wave counter attack that the home team could not repel allowing the Dolts to open the scoring midway through the first half.At the next kick-off the play was almost identically repeated. Alec von Tasslebine took the ball but was unable to hold onto it when he slipped on the treacherous surface. The ball was deep in Mercenary territory but Salina Black was on the scene in no time to take up the running again for the Dolts. As had happened earlier, initial excellent play from an individual Mercenary momentaily halted the surge when Alec himself was able to take Salina down. Once again, recapture of the ball proved beyond the home players and once again they were unable to prevent the Wood Elf from scoring, this time with no time left in the half for a response.
The second half offered little respite for the leakiest defence in the league who opened with a bad kick and saw their front line battered to the ground by a vicious set of blocks from the violence loving Dolts. Following form, it was A'Argch who was detailed to take the ball, advancing up the right flank where Snurg "The Great" the Chaos Warrior threw blocks to create a hole. Having suffered on the front line, there was limited opportunity for a physical response and none of The Mercenaries were able to move into deeper defensive positions by the time A'Argch had handed the ball to Salina. The Wood Elf was too quick for the defense as she ran for her hat-trick, the seventh TD conceded by The Mercenaries in the opening two games.
The Mercenaries attempted their tried and trusted plan at the next kick off with Alec taking the ball and finding Amazon Cre'atarin who burst down the left flank, dodging away from an abudance of tackle zones. As before, the tactic ended in failure with A'Argch skirting round to send Cre'atarin tumbling, knocking the catcher out. With A'Argch controlling the play and Mercenary blocks having little effect, a fourth TD was in the offing until Salina Black was un-characteristically casual in receiving a hand-off, dropping the ball and halting the Dolts momentum to the point where there was not enough time left in the game to score again. A 3-0 win was a satisfactory outcome for the Dolts who bounced back strongly from their first match disappointment but The Mercenaries will need to improve if they are to see success this season and that improvement could begin in the next game against the Savages.
Injuries: Mercenaries: Kane de la Richnoc - Dislocated Finger (0 games)
Key Stats
| Team | CAS | Rush | Blocks | Downs | Pass | Fum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercenaries | 0 | 24 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 6 | Dolts | 2 | 45 | 48 | 28 | 7 | 7 |
MVPS: Cre'atarin, Bobby "Blue" Eye
Best Players
Salina Black: 3 TDs, 4 Rushes for 31 yards, 2 Fumbles, 1 Stand
A'Argch: 2 Rushes for 11 yards, 1 Reception for 7 yards, 3 Blocks, 1 Down, 1 Tackle, 1 Fall, 2 Stands
Alec von Tasslebine: 4 Rushes for 7 yards, 1 Pass from 2 for 4 yards, 6 Blocks, 2 Downs, 1 Tackle, 3 Fumbles, 2 Dodges,
1 Fall, 2 Stands