Weather: Perfect
Gate: 23k
Just 23,000 fans were on hand to see one of the most bad tempered games of the season. The visit of the Savages to Bring-a-Bed Stadium to play the All-Stars was marked by the hostility evident between the two sets of coaching staff. The game itself was vital for the All-Stars. After their win against the Mutineers, the All-Stars still had to win their last two games to qualify for the post season. A slip up against the Savages just as in Week 2 would end their hopes of advancing. The Savages had nothing to play for having lost their last three games and not won since that week 2 match-up.
The home side won the kick-off and elected to receive. The Savages put up a strong front line to combat the blocking prowess of the All-Stars with a packed line of scrimmage and little in the way of backfield coverage. The formation looked vulnerable when Norse Lineman Sven Andersson caused the first casualty of the game against Savages Lineman Blacktooth Bob. High Elf Thrower Thaleus Thunderarm took up and passed on possession to Wood Elf Lineman Aenarion Swift and the Savages line was broken early on. The All-Stars have faced difficulties in attack due to getting bogged down and unable to move the ball. Aenarion Swift was moving the ball and the blocking was again strong. Despite all this good play, the Savages seem to cause problems to the All-Stars. Lineman Sid Unvicious hit a devastating block on Human Blitzer Jack Hour but the All-Stars medical team got a Magic Sponge onto the pitch to patch up Hour. Perhaps inspired by Unvicious, Skink Stinky stepped up. Blitzing with pace if not strength, Stinky tackled Aenarion Swift and followed up to take the ball for himself.
Unfortunately for Stinky, the rest of the Savages were not able to make the plays needed to support him. Having set up in an aggressive manner the away team had to drop back to cover after the good play of Stinky but the protection was not forthcoming. Verkampf "Rat Destroyer" the Saurus showed that Stinky isn't the only Lizardman capable of tackling by dropping Stinky and wrenching the ball back into All-Stars possession. Sven Andersson, having taken out his man earlier was on hand to take advantage. The aggressive front that had served the Savages well in the first meeting left them exposed at the back. Andersson had no-one in his way to stop him open the scoring. While the focus was on the Norseman, the Savages suffered another setback. Stinky the Skink was stamped on by All-Stars Lineman Tom Flid. It was only after the match was over the the Savages medical team were able to announce that Stinky had survived the foul.
The setup at the subsequent kick-off was aggressive from both sides. Neither seemingly interested in giving or receiving any quarter. The drive began with "Fur" Tooth, the Skaven Thrower and Savages captain taking hold of the ball and moving up towards midfield. The away side pushed forwards but left Fur un-protected. Verkampf "Rat Destroyer" saw the opportunity of a second tackle in the game and blitzed the Skaven. The Savages were prepared, to counter the blitz, they had concocted a Screen play. Skaven Blitzer S'lip D'isc was in position for the dump-off which saw the ball released just before Verkampf could hit Fur. The play worked exactly as planned with one problem, the dump-off was wide of the mark. An incomplete pass meant the drive was stalled and the All-Stars could do what they do best, form a massive ruck to hold things up.
A loose ball so often means a scramble and this time was no different. Both sides jockeyed for position eyes fixed on the ball with one exception, Savages Rat Ogre "The Claw" seemed completely dis-interested in the ball and launched a series of vicious blocks instead. First to succumb was Kaneris N'Gillthrog the All-Stars Ogre and league leading blocker. The Claw showed a previously unseen level of physicality, blocking right through Kaneris and taking on Sven Andersson. The Norseman could not stand in the way of the brutal blocking as the Rat Ogre racked up two casualties in consecutive blocks. The Claw has been said by some pundits to have been one of the biggest disappointments of the season but in two blocks he showed just what a devastating force he could be. With the body count mounting there was more space for "Fur" Tooth and S'lip D'isc to try again. A hand-off was more successful than the earlier dump-off leaving the two Skaven with space to attack down the left hand side of the defence.
With the clock running down on the half the Savages attempted another pass. Once again though "Fur" Tooth was unable to connect with his target though this time it was the fault of the receiver, "The Claw". The Rat Ogre may have shown he can block but his ball-handling is still unproven. The drop was all the All-Stars needed to see out the first period which ended with S'lip D'isc trying valiantly to recover possession but over-exerting and crashing to the floor. The home side were one up at the half in a must win game against a bitter rival. The only concern must have been the casualty count, particulary the blocking play of "The Claw" who had taken out two of the All-Stars better known players in one half. On the other hand, the Savages were without Stinky the Skink who represents their greatest scoring threat in a season that has so far yielded a disappointing three touchdowns.
The second half started in almost exactly the same manner as the previous kick-off. "Fur" Tooth once again found himself exposed near midfield and facing a blitz from Verkampf "Rat Destroyer". This time the Screen worked. A dump-off found Lineman Casius Slay. The Screen continued from there, Casius Slay himself finding a quick pass to Dark Elf Blitzer Sirius. The Savages suffered a huge loss while Sirius was taking the reception. "The Claw" fell while attempting a block and this was just the opportunity that All-Stars Lineman and renowned dirty player Tom Flid needed. Flid launched his entire body onto the prone Rat Ogre causing a casualty that kept "The Claw" out for the rest of the game and referee Barry Spite to send off Flid for the flagrant breach of the rules. Having played so well for the first half, The Claw would now not be able to offer anything for his team in the secon. The Savages short range passing game had moved the ball into All-Stars territory but Human Blitzer Jack Hour stopped the move with a stunning tackle. Once again the ball was loose and it was time for a scramble. "Fur" Tooth tried and failed to re-secure possession. The player who could take hold of the ball was surprisingly All-Stars Lineman Kirk Angel. Kirk had fortune on his side in the form of a slip by his opposite number Pete O'Stool meaning only on dodge was necessary to escape the Savages lines and score to a rapturous reception from the arrayed All-Stars fans. A second touchdown was surely enough to put the game beyond the Savages who had only scored twice once before against the leaky Mercenaries defence.
Being down by two did not mean the Savages would give up. "Fur" Tooth once more fielded the kick-off and engaged the short passing game. Sirius the Dark Elf Blitzer was the recipient and this time he didn't make any mistakes with his handling. A tired All-Stars defence could not bring him down. Perhaps with a two score cushion, the home side had mentally switched off. Their focus was on more brutality rather than trying to stop the score. Lineman George Mayson fouled his Savages Lineman Blacktooth Bob out of the game just as Sirius raced in for the Savages first score since their week 3 meeting with the Mercenaries. The touchdown was the second of the season for Sirius but it was a consolation as the final whistle went before any more meaningful play could be achieved leaving a final score of 2-1 in favour of the No Talent All-Stars. One more win in their final game against the Mugaz would guarantee a spot in the playoffs. Not bad for a side who lost their first two games. The All-Stars will be pleased with the sheer number of casualties caused but a little concerned by the number suffered. For their part, the Savages must be happy with breaking their scoring drought and will surely be overjoyed with the blocking of "The Claw" and the tough players he took out of the game.
Injuries: None
Key Stats
| Team |
CAS
|
Blocks
|
Downs
|
Rush
|
Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-Stars |
4
|
61
|
35
|
29
|
2
|
Savages |
3
|
39
|
24
|
46
|
10
|
MVPS: Kirk Angel, Mithdithius
Best Players
Sven Andersson: 1 TD, 1 CAS, 1 Rush for 6 yards, 6 Blocks, 3 Downs
Verkampf "Rat Destroyer": 11 Blocks, 8 Downs, 1 Tackle, 1 Stand
"The Claw": 2 CAS, 1 Reception Attempt, 4 Blocks, 3 Downs, 2 Stands