“SWL Season XVI - Premier - Round 3

We came into the match thinking that it could be a close one, and boy were we right! Thinks looked bad early in the first half when Carlton managed to pass all their niggle rolls, and then take out Bone Krasha in the first turn of the match! When Elbow Kikka was ejected in turn two for fouling Duke Snakefield (I guess it was bound to happen - the duke always over-acts, the damn sissy).

Seeing a bit of a gap in Carlton's defence, Head Stompa ran through, and awaited the pass that she knew had to be coming her way - despite the presence of 3 Carlton players (none of them actually able to do anything about it, but close enough to get the ball moving), Loony Tossa made a flawless pass, and it was smooth sailing from there - especially when Eglandar Braybrook managed to dive head first into Head Stompa's fist, sending himself straight to the ground.

A bit of pressure, and some more bad luck on offence saw Bob Gibolobo fall flat on his face, allowing us to steal the ball. This time, Head Stompa needed no help from her teammates - she collected the ball from where it lay, and made her way to the endzone for a second touchdown in turn 7!

Just one more chance for Carlton to score in the first half (yes, we're still in the first half), and in their final turn, despite fracturing Sneaky Ork's leg, were unable to score. Once again, Bob Gibolobo failing to throw the ball accurately when it was needed.

The second half saw Carlton receiving, and they didn't have a whole lot of trouble scoring. Loony Tossa attempted a crazy dodge into 3 TZs to make a chance of a TD (would have been followed by a 2d blitz, and then a dodge to get the ball carrier free), but unfortunately landed flat on her face. Unsurprisingly, Carlton used the underhanded tactic of a crowd-push, where rookie blitzer Throat Slasha had her ankle smashed by some of the more rowdy Carlton supporters. The Duke, of course, couldn't let anyone else steal his glory (fair enough with all the incompetence surrounding him), and collected the ball to dance his way down the last few yards to the end zone.

With injury time holding up the match, it came right down to the line. Carlton advanced, hoping for a fumble that would give them a shot at a second touchdown to equalise the match. Fortunately Loony Tossa's pass was placed well, and Back Breaka was able to make her way into open space, well away from the Carlton defenders, and took the ball in for a third glorious touchdown in the dying seconds of the match.

------------------- Twahnlow Votes -------------------
3 pts - #11 Mike the Spike
Although he is a little smaller in stature than his fellow tacklers, Mike's turn 1 block that took Bone Krasha our of not just this game, but also the next, was a key move in the match. Taking out that one player gave Carlton a massive advantage in strength (with 3 ST4s, and 2 guards to the 1 guard on our side), and allowed them to dominate the blocking part of the game.

2 pts - #1 Duke Snakefield
Much as I hate a showoff like the duke, he did play his part, drawing attention away from the real threats, and then scoring Carlton's solitary touchdown in the second half. Not much more to say ... he is the Duke after all.

1 pt - #5 Craig Woody
Craig played his role to a tee. Collecting the ball time and time again, and getting it to Carlton's second thrower, Bob Gibolobo. Unfortunately, his skills were not supported by Bob, who seemed to be unable to do anything right when it came to scoring.


Notable mentions:

#10 'Handy' Andy and #12 Jake Fluttery
Both with ST4 block and tackle, these guys make quite a team, and certainly had a massive effect on the game. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.

#6 Bob Gibolobo
OK, so this is where you'd be awarding negative points if it were possible. Bob couldn't do anything right - tripping over his own feet in the first half, and failing not one, but two attempted passes that would have resulted in touchdowns if they had been successful. Bob probably did more for our team than he did for Carlton (and we didn't even bribe him!)
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