Weather: Nice
Gate: 27k
Tension was most definately in the air as one of the most important games of the season took place at Wild Stadium. The visit of the Mugaz is effectively an eliminator, at least for the Wildmen for whom a loss would mean their qualification would be in the hands of others. The Mugaz were in need of just one win to guarantee a post season place and victory here would confirm ownership of the Western Conference title. Both teams to have suffered just one loss so far. The Wildmen losing in week 3 against the league leading Mutineers and the Mugaz suffering defeat in week 4 against conference rivals the All-Stars. The loss to the All-Stars is particularly significent for the Mugaz as their final fixture is against that team meaning a failure to win at Wild Stadim will leave them needing to reverse their only loss of the season. The previous matchup between the Mugaz and the Wildmen was a 2-2 draw in week 2.
The importance of the match was clearly not lost on the fans. A brutal series of scuffles broke out in the stands. Official figures later confirmed casualty figures of 54 Wildmen fans and 62 Mugaz supporters. A quarter of the first half was lost before the trouble subsided and focus could be turned to the real brutality on the pitch. The Wildmen put forth their traditonal heavy front with strength covering the wide zones and little coverage in the deep. The Mugaz set up for their favourite offensive move, the right stretch. The kick-off was taken by Arda, Dark Elf Thrower and Mugaz team captain. The overloaded right flank easily over-powered the Wildmen defence, the flank held by Troll Blocker and team captain collapsed under the blocking pressure. With no cover in the deep, the home side must have been looking to jam the offense at the front line but it didn't work as the Stretch play flooded down the pitch. With Mr Wildman down, the entire flank was defended by Amazon Thrower Lisa Furkykup but she was run over by Norse Catcher Sami "The Hoop" and was Badly Hurt. The casualty left Sami completely in the clear. Arda, in the quarterback role, fired off a long pass with deadly accuracy. The completion gave Sami the simplest of tasks to open the scoring and put the away side into a 1-0 lead in this most crucial of games.
At the sight of the rapid touchdown some sections of the tense home support were aggravated into throwing rocks onto the field. Fortunately only Lineman Mr Big Balls was hurt and no further stoppage was needed. The Mugaz offered a three-layered defence clearly aimed at posing a problem for the league leading scorer Speedy McSpeedy. The line of scrimmage was relatively sparse meaning that the physical power of the Wildmen would find more difficulty in bringing blocks to bear. The risk in the strategy was that the Wildmen Zerg play whereby the line of scrimmage is pushed back far enough into the defensive half that the offensive pocket can strike in one movement is potentially easier where there are fewer blockers on the line. The kick-off landed in midfield and was picked up by Human Catcher Mr Cock Knocker. Without Lisa Furykup, Cock Knocker had clearly been allocated the primary ball retriever. The Zerg moved up slowly with ball control the focus. The development of the pocket was broken up by the play of Mugaz Lineman Dioufi who blitzed Speedy McSpeedy, the key scoring threat. The away side couldn't take advantage of this or of a hand-off fumbled by Halfling Mr Small. The defence was resolute in holding its line and not over-running the ball. It didn't work. Speedy McSpeedy finally recovered to his feet, took possession of the ball and blitzed his way into the backfield. The mean Mugaz defence could not catch him and it was 1-1 with no time left in the half.
1-1 and receiving to start the second half, the Wildmen bench must have been quietly confident. No-one could have predicted what happened next. During the half-time interval, the sky swirled with a dazzling array of colour and a strange sense of unease pervaded Wild Stadium. When the players came out onto the pitch to take positions for the second half, it was clear what had occured. Many players exhibited increased body mass, wore ornate armour or had grown mutations. A Chaos God had intervened and transformed some of the players. The importance of the game had clearly reached the Realm of Chaos and one deity had temporarily taken an interest. The manner of the intervention gave no clue as to which side this deity was supporting but for such a dramatic twist to occur in such a crucial game can not have been merely coincedence.
Whatever the deity's motives, the second half kicked off with the Wildmen receiving through Speedy McSpeedy. The Mugaz put up a more aggressive front line to try and break the Zerg before it had a chance to set. The Wildmen countered by changing tactics and rushing Speedy down the right flank. The High Elf is the top scorer in the league and a well known scoring threat. There has been ample opportunity to scout Speedy and this may have been an advantage for the Mugaz. Norse Thrower Aaaarne "The Launcher", on deep cover in the backfield, certainly seemed to know how to stop the scoring machine. A blitz from Aaaarne failed to put Speedy down but it was enough to strip the ball from his hands and turn possession over to the away team. The Mugaz did not put the possession to good use as Arda the Dark Elf Thrower and league leading passer failed to connect with Sami "The Hoop", the Norseman dropping an accurate pass.
Time was slowly ticking by and both sides became increasingly desperate. The ball was loose in midfield but the play had been seriously stretched by Speedy's rush. Neither side could get sufficient numbers round the ball to hold on for any meaningful length of time. So many players were out of position and unable to react to the change in territorial play. The urgency of the game showed itself for the first time as individual errors led to increasingly scrappy Blood Bowl. Sami "The Hoop" recorded another fumble as did team-mate Fullerene though the latter was unlucky to be tackled by a rampaging Wildmen captain, Mr Wildman the Troll. Fullerene staggered to his feet following the hit but was met by Mr Jeffrey who exhibited a supernatural rage which took Fullerene completely out of the game. It was only through the fortune of rapid healing that the Mugaz player was able to survive the block alive.
The carnage around the ball and difficult handling under pressure was further exhibited by Mr Cock Knocker who had tracked back valiantly to collect the ball but managed to rush only one yard before being tackled by Aaaarne "The Launcher". The adrenalin was clearly surging through Aaaarne's veins, the tackle was glorious but the follow up play was a clearly hasty. Perhaps seeing glory and the chance of guaranteeing a Mugaz victory, Aaaarne attempted a risky pass and it was very nearly the most costly play of the game. The pass was into double coverage and one member of that coverage, Lineman Mr Jeffrey picked it off for only the second interception of the season and the first since the Week 3 game between the Mercenaries and the Savages. Having just battered an opponent, the composure shown by Mr Jeffrey was admirable under the circumstances. He didn't try and be the hero, instead he handed the ball of to Speedy and the race was on.
Surprisingly Speedy did not win the race. He had managed only four more yards of rushing when he was caught by Mugaz Lineman Luciferase. The interference by the Chaos God had clearly given Luciferase that something extra and he hauled down Speedy with contempt, the ball spilling free and bouncing kindly for the Mugaz. There was very little time left in the game. If neither side could make a dramatic play almost instantly, it would be a 1-1 draw and the tension would continue for both sides into week 8. Arda stepped up. The Dark Elf Thrower scrambled over to the ball and motioned for Sami "The Hoop" to go long. It was a brave call given the earlier drop from Sami but as team captain, it was up to Arda to make a difference at this crucial stage of the most crucial game of the regular season for the Mugaz. A cold glare came over the eyes of Arda, time slowing enough for the Dark Elf to take and fire, bang on target. The ball arced towards Sami who stood unmarked in the endzone. A catch now would put the Mugaz into the post-season and make Sami a hero. Heart clearly racing, the Norseman stood firm, braced for impact and held on with ease to make it 2-1 and no time for a comeback. The Mugaz had won, dramatically.
A glorious victory for the away side had been earnt by a combination of bravery and luck. The game could have gone either way with almost the entire second half being a scrappy midfield battle where both sides threatened to score at any moment. As it was, it is the Mugaz who are crowned Western Conference Champions. They will be looking forward to a playoff match against either the Fabienettes or the Wildmen. For the Wildmen, they will have to hope now that either the All-Stars or the Fabienettes slip up in their final game. It does not look good for the pre-season Conference favourites. They were unlucky but they never had the game under their control. The team rely heavily on the scoring prowess of Speedy McSpeedy and a one-player team is always vulnerable in Blood Bowl.
Injuries: None
Key Stats
| Team |
CAS
|
Blocks
|
Downs
|
Rush
|
Pass
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildmen |
2
|
29
|
16
|
37
|
0
|
Mugaz |
1
|
33
|
11
|
13
|
19
|
MVPS: Lisa Furykup, Fookalite
Best Players
Sami "The Hoop": 2 TDs, 1 CAS, 1 Rush for 6 yards, 2 Receptions from 3 Attempts for 19 yards, 1 Block, 1 Down, 2 Dodges, 1
Fall, 2 Stands
Speedy McSpeedy: 1 TD, 3 Rushes for 33 yards, 2 Blocks, 2 Downs, 1 Stand, 2 Fumbles
Arda: 2 Rushes for 5 yards, 2 Completions from 3 Attempts for 19 yards, 1 Block, 1 Dodge