OrcaLoca 1
Srifac
Darklands Resurrected 0
OrcaLoca secured a first win, and first touchdown, of the new campaign with a tough win against their old resurrected foes. The defeat consigned the visitors to their 4th consecutive defeat and sit at the bottom of the pile with their undead comrades, the vampires of Crescent Moon.
The game did not live up to the hype of murder and mayhem as both teams were focused on the ball than on each other in the first half. It was uncomfortable viewing as neither side could monopolise the ball. Indeed, Darklands Resurrected registered a mere 4% possession of the ball for the entire game!
It took a sneaky play from orc thrower, Srifac, to pick up the loose ball and convert a defensive score for the greenskins. The infuriating lack of blood angered the paying crowds, who were enticed by the promise of the opening of old wounds. This was billed as the grudge match to end all grudge matches: the Day the Dead Remembered.
The second half livened up with a fireball display from Darklands, a reminiscent scene to the fateful end to season IX where all the humans (and ogre) perished. The strike, however, failed to dislodge the ball from Srifac's grasp, as he found safety within the fortified cage of orcs. It seems that the thick hide of the orc is tough enough to withstand brimstone.
There were few notable events as the game petered out, the biggest highlight seeing Ben the Dead zombie dying at the hands of Varag Arapcul, only to be resurrected and (deservedly) suffer death again and again.
Mango's Valuable Player: Srifac, he fashioned a chance and took it with aplomb. He was the only player to keep possession for more than a split second.
Amazone Prime 0
Underearth Assassins 1
Galddar
Underearth Assassins got themselves back into play-off contention with an important win against fellow contenders from Amazonia. The result had the Dark Elves leapfrog their opponents into the 4th (and last) berth.
The explosive start to the game saw Galddar score a swift touchdown after some jostling in midfield that wrong-footed the hostesses, and the early exchanges suggested a thriller was on the cards. Though the score remained the same until the final whistle, the tension was culpable and this display punted the headlining fixture into the shade.
Amazone Prime will feel aggrieved to leave the field defeated, knowing that twice they were denied by the clock. From the restart, the women made headway through the centre, but found ball carrier Agamede Andro sacked when in sight of the endzone. A series of sacks and counter sacks ended inconclusive, but neither side suffering any injuries.
There was more blood and drama in the second half as both sides chipped away at their opponent's numbers. Hypsipyle the wrestler was the find to fall under the weight of Galddar's blow, but was soon avenged by Antianara on a line-elf.
Cracks began to appear in the Assassin's tight formation, but the defenders held firm with some fine last-gasp tackling to deny Andro's charge to the line. Once more the two sides slugged it out for rights on the ball, this time with Agamede Andro miraculously catching a scattered dump-off from Hethmair.
Her late lunge for the endzone was denied - to the relief of Underearth Assassins - as the whistle blew by the conspicuous referee. Needless to say, there was a pitch invasion that disrupted the end of the match.
The Dark Elves find themselves in fourth, 1 point ahead of Amazone Prime, and square up to the league's free-scoring Bograts from Bognor. Amazone Prime welcome the bottom side Crescent Moon, who will want to score more than just a few TDs for their Caliph's harem.
Mango's Valuable Player: Galddar, the blitzer scored the only TD of the tie as well as opening holes in the Amazone's offensive line and making a key tackle in defence.
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