The blood continues to flow as the teams get ever closer to the first game of the conferences. 7 more matches have been played and new teams have entered the fray since our last report. The draw has been performed and the teams now know who they will be facing in the upcoming season.

Ormond Conference

1. Spartan Vikings (Norse)
2. Shoobynoobies (Amazon)
3. Something Catchy (Skaven)
4. Masters of Ballcraft (High Elf)

East Bentleigh Conference

1. Citizen Dwarf (Chaos Dwarf)
2. Graveyard Gripe Squad (Undead)
3. Thugg Lyfe (Orc)
4. Six (Vampire)

Ormond Conference:

Spartan Vikings 2/0/1 (Norse):

The Spartan Vikings have been surprising everyone since their shaky start in the first half of the preseason. After their 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Shoobynoobies the Vikings were not too highly rated against their next opponent, the solid Masters of Ballcraft. The game that was expected to be a blow-out ended up being a disciplined grind by the Vikings, allowing them to hold on comfortably to a 1-0 win. Their next opponent Six was also considered to be a tough match up, but the Vikings came out in style, decimating the opposition team and strolling through for a 2-1 finish, in a bloody game with many ups and downs characteristic of a vampire team. After his first match Lacedaemon, the snow troll, had to perform to prove himself. Although there was much improvement, Lacedaemon failed to convert successful armor rolls into casualties, and is still sitting on 1 for three games, in fact taking a badly hurt against Six in the second half of their match-up. The Norse performed well without him, and one wonders whether he is in fact worth the investment. With their recent record and strong development of their players the Vikings are now looking more and more like a top two conference finisher, especially after being drawn into what is widely considered to be the less dangerous division.

Top Two Conference Finish: 2.00
Title Finish: 12.00

Shoobynoobies 1/1/2 (Amazon):

The Shoobynoobies played against the new entry Thugg Lyfe in their last matchup, the orc team has been performing well and the game was expected to be a tough and dangerous match-up (the orcs have a penchant for fouling, in all circumstances). Those expecting an exciting game would have been sorely disappointed, poor performances (mainly luck) from both teams meant that the plays were largely disjointed and unimpressive. There were no permanent casualties and the game fizzled out to a 0-0 draw. The Shoobynoobies gained 10 SPP however and continued their strong development, particularly of Elise Hammer-throw-owitz who now has 4 AG. Due to the draw the Amazons chances of a top two conference finish has increased significantly but a lacklustre performance against Thugg Lyfe still leaves questions about the possibility of a Title Finish.

Top Two Conference Finish: 1.50
Title Finish: 10.00

Something Catchy 1/0/0 (Skaven):

Something Catchy entered the tournament with a bang, struggling in their first half against Citizen Dwarf it looked like they would be scored against in turn 5. The Skaven were saved by a blitz from their gutter runner, Smallpox, yards away from the end zone. The blitz against a bull centaur in turn 4 was no mean feat and allowed the Skaven to score before the siren, receiving the kick in the second half. They comfortably scored again but couldn't stop a late second-half touchdown by Citizen Dwarf. The team has been seen to struggle on the defense, but with four gutter runners a loose ball is death for the opposing team. The Ormond Conference gives them a good chance, but is still yet to be seen whether they can keep winning and avoid crippling injuries.

Top Two Conference Finish: 2.00
Title Finish: Too soon to tell.

Masters of Ballcraft 1/0/2 (High Elf):

The Masters had been flying high with strong performances against the Graveyard Gripe Squad and the Shoobynoobies, so it came as a surprise then that the match against the unfavored Spartan Vikings ended in a comfortable win for the Norse. Questions are now being raised about the strength of the squad, it's draw in Ormond allows them to maintain a favorite status to make the post-conference play-offs, but a couple of upsets like we saw in their last match could see them fall far short of the hype.

Top Two Conference Finish: 1.50
Title Finish: 10.00


East Bentleigh Conference:

Citizen Dwarf 0/0/2 (Chaos Dwarf):

Citizen Dwarf did not look promising in their opening matches, their match-up against Thugg Lyfe was an easy victory for the Orcs with a 2-0 score line. The Citizens failed to get any SPPs except for the MVP award, which would have been a difficult choice between 11 players all equally bad. Their second match up against Something Catchy started out with a strong push towards the end zone only to be disastrously halted by a lone gutter runner, allowing the Skaven to score. They scored again in the second half and the game looked to be another depressing defeat for the Chaos Dwarfs. A touchback in the 6th turn of the second half, however, gave the dwarfs some inspiration. They had their chance to get something out of this game, finally. Handing the ball to their bull centaur, John, they pushed up the line and scored a last turn TD much to the delight of the disheartened fans. If Citizen Dwarf had not have proven that they have the ability to score in that last turn, I might have completely written them off. They got a tough draw in the conferences, but they can score (there's a precedent!), so they might be able to win a game or steal some points in a draw. We shall see.

Top Two Conference Finish: 6.00
Title Finish: 25.00

Graveyard Gripe Squad 3/1/0 (Undead):

The Undead have plodded along just as expected, putting the 1-1 draw against the Vampires behind them, they scored another solid victory against the Orc team, Thugg Lyfe. Thugg Lyfe have been tough competitors and they might have caused an upset, but some poor luck and the strength of the Undead squad prevented them from ever really contesting the game, which finished in a 2-0 win for the Undead. Vlad the Vanquisher continued his solid play, scoring a touch down and acquiring Mighty Blow. Priding himself on being a "self-made man" he's risen from rookie status with 2 TDs and 1 Cas in 4 games. The Undead end their preseason undefeated, having conceded only one touch down. They got a tough draw, giving the Orcs and the Vampires another crack. There may be tough match ups ahead but they're still a solid favorite to make it to the play-offs and win as well.

Top Two Conference Finish: 1.20
Title Finish: 4.00

Thugg Lyfe 1/2/1 (Orc):

Thugg Lyfe has performed exceptionally well, suffering their only defeat to the undefeated favorites, Graveyard Gripe Squad. They play a rough game and have been known to foul during important plays, as the last action of their turn, on the last turn of the game, and at any other given opportunity (sometimes without assists). They're out for blood, that much is clear, and it has served them well. They have held a strong Shoobynoobie squad to a draw, and pushed Six to the brink of defeat. They took some injuries themselves in their match against the Vampires having to retire their thrower, Booker T, and suffering a niggling on their blitzer, Goon, and this has been a stumble in an otherwise strong development. Being drawn into the Bentleigh East Conference will make it tough for them in their first season, but with their strong performances thus far they may cause an upset and go to the playoffs.

Top Two Conference Finish: 3.50
Title Finish: 8.00

Six 0/2/1 (Vampires):

The Vampires have continued a highly volatile and exciting preseason. They were pushed to the edge against Thugg Lyfe, going 2-0 down on turn 2 of the second half, it was all but over. Through some miracle however they managed to score on turn 5 and then again on turn 7, bringing the match to 2-2. The Orcs made a play for a 2 turn touchdown which would have turned it into a 4 TD half, only to have the ball carrier blitzed by Alucard IV. It was a spectacular game which highlighted quite clearly both the strengths and the weaknesses of the Vampire Squad. With a tough draw they will need to perform better against Thugg Lyfe in the conferences if they want to make it to the play-offs.

Top Two Conference Finish: 2.00
Title Finish: 6.00


Top Players:

Alucard I (Six): Having racked up 16 SPPs the 5ST vampire now has jump-up. Being a bit of an all-rounder he has 1 completion, 1 touchdown and 1 casualty to his name. This player has gotten a little bit more dangerous with his skill up and his bounty rating has increased accordingly.

Bounty Rating: 5

Elise Hammer-throw-owitz (Shoobynoobies): This Amazon thrower has continued to pile on the completions, now with 9 for 4 games, and is sitting on 19 SPPs. Her second skill roll saw her gain +AG which now makes her by far the most dangerous thrower in the game. Elise will be key to the Shoobynoobies' success in the Ormond Conference and for that reason coaches should be looking to bring her down.

Bounty Rating: 4

Menelaus (Spartan Vikings): This Norse runner rolled a +MA on his skill roll, giving him 8 MA. He has managed a TD and a casualty in his three games and will be a threat in the offense and the defense with his dauntless ability. While not as dangerous as Elise or Alucard, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Bounty Rating: 2

Meat Grinder (Graveyard Gripe Squad): Meat Grinder has continued to plod along at just over 8 blocks a game, and although he has failed to convert them into casualties, its only a matter of time.

Bounty Rating: 3


That's all for now, till next time.