“Obba Premiership, Season 9 - Round 2

Handicaps: Bribe the Ref, Palmed Coin, Bad Press, Buzzing (On Elton the Troll).

Following the sound beating by Gritter in round 1 I wasn't expecting much from this clash vs Russos strong Orc team. I had a suspicion that at the end of the day the av9 would be the key vs the chaos mostly av8.

Despite getting a collection of the most un-match changing handicaps going, we got Quick Snap we KO'd Gianluca Zambrotta (DP lineman), and outright killed BO Rafael Márquez, but the apoth saved him. We then fouled prone Troll Jose Manuel Pinto and KO'd him. We even managed to pick up the ball. Not a bad start at all. 2 orcs off the field, and their apoth used.

The key now was to hang on to the ball, and make our numbers count, and not give the orcs any time to counter in the 1st half.

Russo was on the back foot immediately, and with lots of marking and changing shape of the team, the chaos team slowly advanced. Nothing much more happened of note until turn 4 when beastman Wilf Rostron got KO'd, and so did Str4 orc lineman Lilian Thuram. Eventually around turn 6 the main threat to the chaos ball carrier in my view got KO'd... the ag4 orc blitzer Gudjohnsen... swiftly followed by beastman Pat Jennings III. So it was 8 chaos vs 7 orcs for the remaining 2 turns.

With Ross Jenkins getting closer to the end zone, i made what was going to turn out to be a match changing mistake. When Luther Blissett blitzed Stand Firm orc blitzer Bojan Krikic, and put him down, I didnt move Luther back to guard the ball carrier.

Russo needed some dice rolls to get to my ball carrier and then hit him with a 1 dice hit. 3+ for the dodge... rolled 3, 3+ for another dodge, rolled 6... two GFI's... rolled 1... rerolled... rolled 5, then the hit... pushback/pow!... Doh! Ball spilled...

All was not lost as i just needed to 2db blitz Kojan... and pickup with surehands and handoff for a score...of course... pow/skull... so the ball remained in the TZ of Kojan and little chance of a score.

The half finished with 6 orcs and chaos on the pitch...

However, as the 2nd half started, Russo could field 11, and I managed just 8... However, we rolled a Blitz and managed to secure the ball. This was only a brief glimmer of hope until it was snuffed out by the orc blocking machine. Duncan Welbourne was SI'd and Roger Joslyn BH'd.

Strangely enough the orcs scored with the numbers advantage and the game was lost... however, we did manage to get a 2nd cas via a T16 foul on a prone new thrower via Skilly Williams... RIP!... and this stopped the FF going down! :)

Just shows how one mistake can cost you the game! 0 points from 2 matches is not much to show, and I suspect relegation is coming my way already.... but we will fight on!

Thanks for the fun game Russo... was closer than I thought!”