KoPite MuGaz 1-2 No Talent All-Stars

Weather: Light Snow

Gate: 34k

Despite the late-season cold, 34,000 fans arrived at Puddle Dock for the Week 8 meeting of the Mugaz and the All-Stars. The Mugaz had already secured the Western Conference title by beating the Wildmen last time out. The All-Stars must win the game to advance to the playoffs via a wildcard spot. Anything else would mean the Wildmen reaching the post-season. The previous meeting between these two sides occured in Week 4 and was the first victory for the All-Stars against a fellow Western Conference side. The Bad Press leading up to the game focussed entirely on the Mugaz and their links to accountancy so it was surely some relief to see such a large gate for the match.

The game kicked off to the sound of a booming fan chant, crescendoing into a deafening roar as the teams set up for the opening kick-off. The All-Stars played a spread defense with serious strength on each flank to counter the Mugaz Stretch tactic. The kick-off went deep and the game was on. The Mugaz made no immediate reaction to grab the ball, instead, both sides were remarkably cagey in the early going. Neither side seemed willing to break their lines and risk being caught out of position. Tension was most definately in the air. The two teams gave the impression of sparring rather than battling in recognition of the importance of the fixtures. The ball was barely moved and the blocking was sporadic with both sides committing small numbers to ensure they weren't exposed from a different angle.

The most adventurous player on the pitch was All-Stars Orc Grak Hedsplitta. Perhaps he was not considered vital to holding the defensive line or perhaps it was a cunning play to send a player downfield who was desperate to show that his skills were being under-utilised. Either way, Grak made the difference on the drive. He made the decisive move by blitzing Arda, the Dark Elf Thrower and knocking the ball free. To the surprise of some, Grak had the wherewithal to pick the ball up for himself. Deep in Mugaz territory, only Samuel Magnusson the Norseman was able to offer any support to Grak. Somewhat isolated, it would take some play to survive the oncoming blitz. The Mugaz blitz was ineffectual, Grak turned on a masterful display, blitzing and dodging his way free from to score the opening touchdown of the game and move the All-Stars closer to a place in the post-season.

Caution hadn't worked for the Mugaz. They had not managed to move the ball out of their half and had also suffered a casualty, Lineman Kinochit was Badly Hurt by Thaleus Thunderarm by a blindside block while attention was focussed on Grak's touchdown. The All-Stars fans began berating the Mugaz followers to rub the score in. The berating became increasingly hostile. A Terrace Fight broke out when the visiting fans surged into a home stand. The carnage left 32 All-Stars supporters dead and 113 Mugaz fans. Blood Bowl isn't a safe place for family entertainment and that's just the reason it's so popular.

Back on the pitch, the All-Stars seemed to be celebrating already. They had managed to open the scoring despite kicking off at the start of the match and seemed totally in control of the game. The same defensive formation was offered up but this time it was un-done by a simple burst down the right flank. Norse Catcher Sami "The Hoop" was unstoppable after he successfully caught a pass from Arda. Thaleus Thunderam was the All-Stars player charged with stopping the Norseman and he made a half-hearted effort to tackle but it never looked like it was going to work. Sami forced his way through to rack up his sixth score of the season to level the game up at 1-1 going into the half time break.

Although the Mugaz had just levelled it up, the All-Stars were still in the driving seat as they received the second half kick-off. The Mugaz offered up a 5-4-2 defensive formation at the opening kick-off in the knowledge that the All-Stars have a dangerous blocking unit. Indeed, almost before the ball had landed, All-Stars Lineman George Mayson injured his opposite number Buckminster. The kick-off was retrived by High Elf Thrower Thaleus Thunderarm who headed straight for the pocket behind the line of scrimmage. To the surprise of some, Thunderarm was caught before he made it to the safety of the pocket. Norse Thrower Aaaarne "The Launcher" slipped through the tackle zones to grab the High Elf in the backfield and force a fumble. Unfortunately for the home team, Aaaarne could not take possession for himself and there was no other Mugaz able to breach the All-Stars lines. Thaleus was able to recover by knocking Aaaarne down and gathering the ball back in.

Seeking to make the possession more secure, Thaleus handed off to Wood Elf Aenarion Swift. With the front line pushing its way into Mugaz territory, Aenarion was able to roll down the flank and break towards the endzone. It was not the decisive move it appeared to be thanks to the tenacity of Aaaarne "The Launcher". The Norseman recovered his senses, slipped a tackle zone and knocked the ball free from Aenarion's grasp. Aaaarne is such a valuable player to the Mugaz for his ability to strip the ball from the hands of opponents. To do it twice in quick succession was remarkable. Once more the ball lay free on the turf and once more the Mugaz could not take advantage. Dark Elf Thrower Arda was unable to avoid the All-Stars tackle zones so could not turn the ball over for the home side. Two successful tackles but neither taken advantage of was a let-off for the All-Stars. The away team surged through to support Aenarion and Thaleus, offering them excellent protection that even the resourceful Aaaarne could not breach. The Mugaz didn't have the blocking power to move enough All-Stars out of the way so couldn't get through to the ball carrier. It was a relatively simple task for Aenarion Swift to put the visitors back in front.

It was a crucial touchdown with not much time left in the game. Another booming fan chant echoed around Puddle Dock, the visiting supporters urging on their team to win a place in the post-season. The All-Stars arrayed in a deep defensive formation knowing the Mugaz would have to go long in a hurry. The Mugaz knew they would have to go some if they were to score so Sami "The Hoop", Norse Catcher and Mugaz top scorer took the kick-off and broke down the right flank as fast as he could with his blocking support trailing behind. It was a risky play but it had to be made if the Mugaz were to grab a an equaliser. The risk didn't pay off. All-Stars Blitzer Jack Hour was quick enough to chase Sami down and tackle him from behind with such force that it knocked the Norseman out. The game ended 2-1 to the visitors, their second consecutive victory over the Western Conference Champions.

The All-Stars are through to the playoffs, they take a wildcard spot and the Junior Wildmen have failed to qualify. This game was a tense, tactical confrontation where both teams had obviously learned from what happened in Week 4. The Mugaz are still to prevent a loss to the All-Stars but will be looking forward to a place in the post-season, a tremendous and un-expected return on a successful season.

Injuries: None

Key Stats

Team	CAS	Rush	Blocks	Downs
Mugaz	0	24	40	24
All-Stasr	2	24	40	19

MVPS: Fookalite, Tom Flid

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