| Referee | Weather | Gate |
|---|---|---|
Nice |
80k |
The first cross-conference match between the ADF North and the expansion ADF East saw the struggling Picklebury Panthers take on a PAIN Corp side challenging near the top of the overall standings. Despite the apparent mis-match, a respectable 80,000 paying fans passed through the spiked turnstiles of the Goblet of Sorrows to watch the side that had overcome the Boxer Rebellion play the team that had been dismantled by Team Stupidity.
The match never really had the look of an upset despite the early sending off of the Corp's leading scorer Granite Sheetkicker. The opening Panthers drive stalled badly once High Elf Catcher Gaius Balthar got his hands on the ball, and used them to turn it over. With even the crowd doing their best to prevent the Panthers from gaining a foothold when they pushed Norseman Knut Knutson back onto the pitch instead and right next to the ball, the Corp dominated the remainder of the first period. Knutson recovered, and despite a casualty from Panthers Dave Lister on Norbert Norrington, Knutson ran the ball in for the opening score of the game. The remainder of the half saw Gaius Balthar taken out of the game by the rampaging Leonora Snugglebum and referee Duke Hebner continue to lay down the law by sending off PAIN Lineman Casius Slay.
The second half was an exercise in ball control from the home side as soon as Witch Elf Taliona Raven collected the kickoff. She was not touched at all during a slow and steady drive upfield until she had crossed the line. The touchdown was not awarded immediately by Hebner who claimed an obscured view but did eventually award the score once Skaven Thrower "The" Brain attempted a block in the end zone but came off worse leaving Raven waving the ball high to ensure that everyone could see. Hebner's work had not finished for the day as he found time to send Dave Lister from the field following an early block at the next kickoff
While the PAIN Corp had dominated the match, the Panthers can take comfort in being able to stand up against a physical team, inflicting two casualties on their tough opponents but they are still pointless and scoreless through three games. The Corp continue their march towards the top of the table and will be looking forward to a significant clash with the Bomb Squad in week four. With their sendings off in this match, PAIN Corp have already equalled the unsportsmanlike conduct rating achieved by the Most Unsporting Team of 2005, the Tempo Ray Mutineers.
Panthers Lineman Rob "Bitch" Lanc missed the game with a foot injury picked up in the previous match against Team Stupidity.
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