“The rain poured all match long, which did neither team any favours. 'Zons had one Sure Hands player, Lizards had one Ag 4 skink - barely enough for either, but the 'Zons knew their passing game was hurt, while for the Lizards it simply meant that any chance to handoff to score w/ a Saurus was out.

With Wulf on the other side, Lizards chose to receive, and even before the KickOff a pair of Rocks KO'd one of the 'Zons' Guards, who did not wake up all game long (despite +1 Babes!). That, alone, made a huge diff facing seven St4+ opponents.

But blocking dice started slow for the Expats, who left the deep kick on the ground Turn 1, and also left a loose line that did not hold up to the dodgey Rangers, who chose to foul a Saurus (successfully) rather than push too deep. But by the end of Turn 2, the ball was on the ground midfield, marked by a 'Zon Blodgestepper. After 2 more Turns of Frenzying that player around and around the ball, the Expats had the ball again, but their less-than-perfect cage was again broken - but the Rangers chose a Turn 4 surf on a Diving Tackler Skink rather than attack the Sidestepping ball carrier, and Turn 5 the Lizards were able to scamper free and clear, and by then with 3 key Rangers KO'd (2 Guards and their Tackler) the Expats were able to mostly control the pitch for the Turn 8 score. Turn 8 Kickoff gave the the Lizards an early chance to use their Apo to save their Krox from -1 AV after a gang foul, with the score 1-0 Expats.

2nd Half Kickoff (after a RL overnight delay) saw all but one 'Zon Guard and a Liz' DT'er return to the field - plus Wulf, for the 'Zons. The kick bounced thru the rain-slick hands of one 'zon to the lower LoS, and the Rangers (with a very active Wulf) kept the front line of the Expats down, and for the next 2 Turns the cage and the defense shifted, first low, then top. A Turn 3 break-out up the middle failed due to a successful "Both Down" against a lone skink - but without a clear path, the Rangers chose not to risk any dodges thru that imperfect gap. On their Turn 3, the Expats answered w/ a skulled blitz leaving several unmoved players down, and the 'Zons started Turn 4 by shifting sides back down again, making a one-sided screen toward the lower sideline. But the Expats, via a Blitzing Krox and some lucky Stunty Dodges, double-marked and pinned the ballcarrier, putting serious pressure on the Zons, whose Catcher failed, and the ball was on the rainy ground again.

Despite a mis-managed blocking scheme, the Lizards recovered the ball Turn 5 and held on to it (despite cleverly setting up their OTS skink to get surfed for -Ag), and broke free Turn 6. The Turn 7 'Zon Tackler tripped on their Dodge, and that was the game, 2-0 Expats.

Despite an evenly balanced 43 Blocks by each team, only 1 earned Casualty the whole game (altho' Surfs and Fouls certainly took their toll on the Lizards). If it hadn't been for the one Guard who never woke up, I think the game would have been very, very different.



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