KoPite MuGaz 0-2 Tempo Ray Mutineers

Weather: Nice

Gate: 35k

The much awaited rematch of the 2003 final was set for Puddle Dock in week 3. The Mutineers, who had been favourites for the 2003 title had made it clear that revenge was on their collective mind. For the Mugaz, this match was their chance to establish their supremacy and solidify their position as the number one team in the league. The Mutineers had just come off their first ever loss to a team from their own Conference while the Mugaz were entering the match straight from the best ever comeback to salvage a draw against Conference rivals, the Wildmen. Needless to say, this game was sold out, 15,000 disappointed fans were locked out of the arena making for a fractious atmosphere.

The home side won the toss and elected to receive. The defensive formation that they were faced with was fairly complex. A single player faced up on each wing, with just three on the front line. Coverage was heavy across the midfield to respond to any initial attacking move. For the Mutineers, this was clearly a Grudge Match and they took very little time to show their intent. The kick was a short one, providing the home side with the opportunity to circle around the loose ball and protect it while their options developed. They were unable to press home and early advantage though as their blocking unit made very little impact upon the Mutineers. Only Mummy Mumraaah was able to put his man down. The lack of penetration was punished heavily and immediately. On the Mugaz right flank, no hole had been created in the defence despite their best efforts. The player filling the hole was Chaos Dwarf Zzharg Zzhargon, the player with the highest knockdown ratio in 2003.

Zzharg, known for his impressive headgear, was clearly pumped up for this match. His first act in the game was a devastatingly brutal one. He launched himself upwards from his squat position into the nearest player. The helmet first hit, struck Norse Catcher Sami "The Hoop" under the chin. On impact, everyone in attendance could see that it was a nasty strike as the evidence sailed through the air. Sami's head landed in the third row of the stand. The leading receiver of 2003 and All-Pro in that year became the first fatality ever suffered by the KoPite MuGaz and also the first one inflicted by the Tempo Ray Mutineers.

Sami's body was scurried off the pitch as play went on around him. The Mugaz had not really got their game going and had suffered a major setback. That blow was followed by another one from Zzharg Zzhargson, this time it wasn't quite as devastating but it did knock out the league's joint top scorer to this point, rookie High Elf Catcher Salogel Litefoot. With 9 players left and counting, the Mugaz recognised a desperate need to turn the tide back in their favour. Sami's erstwhile colleague, Henrik Bjornstad-Ibson also a Norse Catcher, emerged with the ball and rushed it into Mutineers territory. Some backup was provided by Lineman Luciferase who blitzed Beastman Kotek Gorefest off the pitch where he was Badly Hurt by the crowd.

The Mutineers had set-up to counter a break down the flanks. Lineman Ernesto Boost had been busily starting his illegal chainsaw while play was being engaged elsewhere. It had started just in time for him to use it to impressive effect. His first block of the season was a swing of his chainsaw that cut into Henrik's armour. The shock was not enough to cause any serious damage but did stun the Norseman and cause him to fumble the ball. Things weren't going particularly better on the front line for the defending champs. Zombie Shawn Fleshcrawl, a rookie, finally got the better of his man and his first ever casualty by Badly Hurting Lineman Fullerene.

Mutineers captain Savogand Thrall, the High Elf Blitzer that some had blamed for the defeat in the final, was sweeping at the back and so in position to move up to collect the now loose ball. The Mugaz were struggling to get enough players into the right positions thanks to a lack of effective numbers, just 7 in total on the pitch. Savogand may have earned himself the nickname "Fumbelina" among some of the less generous sections of the Mutineers crowd but no-one doubts that he does have rare pace. He was able to bypass most of the remaining Mugaz players with a quick turn upfield where he was able to find Chaos Warrior and first round Krush pick Warring Slapp. Unfortunately the big man was unable to hold onto the ball, the fumble was his 4th already this season.

The only Mugaz player in a covering position was Dark Elf Thrower Arda but his skill is in arcing a perfect spiral and not in holding back a tide of gold single-handedly so it was no surprise when he was unable to escape the tackling of Warring Slapp. With Arda not able to stand in the way, Savogand Thrall collected the ball back and rushed into the Mugaz backfield. He was accompanied by Slapp and generouslly offered to provide the Chaos Warrior with another opportunity to walk in the open score. Despite being only a couple of yards from the endzone, Slapp still failed to hold onto the ball and picked up his fifth fumble of the young season. Exasperated by the big lug's lack of handling ability, Savogand had time to lecture him while retrieving the ball himself and walking it over the line with moments to spare before the end of the half.

The first half had been the worst that the Mugaz had suffered so far in league play but they were still just 1-0 down. The Mutineers do not tend to be the heaviest scorers in the league but they were the top defence of 2003. Lacking a key playmaker in Sami "The Hoop" will not benefit the home team but any time a team is just a single score down, there is always hope and this was the team that came from 2 down against the Wildmen in week 2.

The second half started in dramatic fashion. The tension that had been bubbling away in the build-up to the game exploded. With the smell of blood already in the air, neither team's fanbase could cope any longer and both sets of fans poured onto the pitch in a mass invasion. It was the home side that came off worse. Lineman Fullerene was Badly Hurt and Chaos Dwarf Vood Azizpour more seriously so. Apothecary Dr Jekyll was knocked out but managed to come to in time to revive Vood at the end of the match. The Mutineers lost Wight Blitzer Toxix to a knock out but were otherwise relatively unscathed.

WIth the home side again lacking numbers, the Mutineers turned the screw. A midfield kick was retrieved by Dwarf Runner Gunnar Gunnarsson and the Tempo Ray Mutineers juggernaut rumbled into action. Rolling straight down the middle, the Mutineers looked to pile on the damage. The first victim was Arda. The Dark Elf Thrower was knocked down by Orc Lineman Rip Sorepain and then fouled out of the match by Amazon Linewoman Joanie Brawler who used her stamping ability to Badly Hurt the Dark Elf. Any realistic chance of a stand was ended a moment later when Mumraaah attempted to break a few tackles to get to the ball but failed. He crashed down and his connection with consciousness was momentarily ended. He was followed into the knock-out recovery section of the home team's dugout by Norseman Oyvind Stravenger. Mugaz numbers were depleted further when Salogel Litefoot was unable to keep his footing and fell face first. A quick check by the medical staff showed that his shoes had been greased so it was no wonder that he had fallen.

The carnage was almost complete. A blitz from Dwarf Longbeard Kerval Axebreaker put Lineman Dioufi down and it was followed up by a foul from Joanie Brawler that Badly Hurt Dioufi. Even the referee was not immune to the damage. Uriah Runner was knocked out by Amazon Blitzer Boa Dicea. The only non-gold clad people left on the field were Norse Thrower Aaaarne "The Launcher" and Lineman Luciferase. There was no way that such a thin red line was going to stand up to a nearly full strength Mutineers side so both made their best efforts to get out of the way as Gunnar Gunnarsson ended the drive with an un-opposed touchdown, his first of the season and third all-time.

The game was nearly over but a few Mugaz bravely filed back onto the pitch for the ensuing kick-off. There was little time for any meaningful action but Uriah Runner did manage to take some revenge. The referee sent off both Skeleton "Slim" Zeke McDead and Amazon Linewoman Joanie Brawler. The final whistle blew to put the Mugaz out of their misery and end the game with a 2-0 victory for the Tempo Ray Mutineers. The win plus the enormous number of casualties, 6 all told, will have gone some way to exorcising the demons of that championship defeat as well as establishing the Mutineers as credible challengers for the 2004 season after some doubts had crept in following the loss to the Dolts. The Mugaz will need to regroup after this game. The severe beating that they took will have dented confidence and they will now be without the help of Sami "The Hoop" forever. The Norseman registered 6 scores in 2003 so will definitely be missed. The result also means that it is just one win from 3 for the defending champs so there is still some way for them to go before they can be confident of repeating their 2003 success.

Injuries: None

Key Stats

7

Team	CAS	Rush	Blocks	Downs	Falls	Fouls	Damage
Mugaz	1	11	29	16	6	2	2
Mutineers	6	37	39	26	0	10	9

MVPS: Arabitol, Casius Slay

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