What a first week of TRUBBL we’ve had ladies and gentlemen!
Some great plays, a few unbelievable finishes, and of course some absolutely stellar hits!
Our first match of the season was between Grims Fandango and the Bashfaces. An unlucky start to the game saw the Bashfaces struggle to stop Fandango’s opening drive. Fandango inflicted a few casualties including a nasty hit on Bull Centaur Frenzi-Kork Rabbitooth, who will miss the next game healing up. After putting one on the board, Grims Fandango then went on to pile even more pressure onto the Bashfaces by killing one of the Hobgoblins! The second half started with Grims Fandango double-marking everyone left standing on the Bashfaces side, but the tide turned when Bull Centaur Tanefer Burntskin recovered a loose ball and broke free of his markers. Outrunning the entire Fandango side, he was able to level the scores just before the final whistle went! It ended a 1-1 draw.
Following that match, we saw Wolverhampton host Drycress Flood. The early stages of this match were marked by some gutsy attempts at plays that just wouldn’t come off. Eventually the Werewolf Glumtusk Whitefang of Wolverhampton was able to break downfield with the ball and some covering blockers and put Wolverhampton up 1-0. Drycress Flood came right back at the start of the second half though, pushing into Wolverhampton’s half of the field and attempting to equalize. Glumtusk Whitefang was there again though, stopping the drive and knocking the ball loose. As he attempted to replicate his first half feat though, Blitzer Aaron Advar of the Flood made an open field hit that smashed Whitefang’s collar bone! The ball was recovered by Lineman Jek the Muscular who dodge away from two tackles and headed downfield as the clock ticked down. Realizing he wouldn’t make it before the game ended he made a desperate throw to Catcher Gerhart Stephan, who brought the ball in under pressure, broke free, and equalized almost as the ref blew for full time! Both teams walk away with a point from the 1-1 draw, but Wolverhampton will be hurting from the loss of Whitefang.
Up next we saw Holy Enemies, Lesser Pests host the Meep Runners. The Enemies took an early lead through Beastman Uzzen-Sherath, who was escorted the whole way by a solid block of teamates. The Meep Runners came right back down the field though and equalized before halftime through Gutter Runner Minre the Lethal in a display of blinding speed. After halftime, the Meep Runners broke through the center of the Enemies line of scrimmage, but Lineman Quyite Wring suffered a nasty injury at the hands of Beastman Vophsi and left a gap the Enemies could exploit. With the ball loose in the Enemies half, the Meep Runners aggressively tried to recover the ball and got exposed to some heavy hits from the Enemies. With numerous players knocked unconscious they were unable to put enough bodies in the way of Uzzen-Sherath scoring again for a lead late in the match. An attempted Hail Mary play brought the Meep Runners deep into the Enemies half, but they were unable to score before full-time blew on a 2-1 Enemies win.
Opening their season with a home match against the Insalubrious Euthanasiers, Haterade started in style. An early score by Ghoul Stoneripper set the tone, with the resulting kick putting the Euthanasiers in tough field position. While starting to move the ball upfield, the Euthanasiers put a solid hit on Steffan the Orator, a Haterade Wight. He stayed down hurt, and reports after the match indicate he could be out for some time. The injury happening just before the half seemed to give the Euthanasiers momentum and they started the second half with a powerful drive, capped by a touchdown from the Werewolf Groskusk Botolf. Haterade bounced back though, pushing quickly downfield and taking renewed lead through Stoneripper again. His running through a number of tight spaces looks to set him as a rising star on the Haterade team. Not much time remained at that point and it would end with Haterade persevering over the Euthanasiers 2-1.
In our first battle of purely agile teams, we saw DeMaryius Targaryean host Griznekt’s Gutter Runners. The Targaryeans took hold of this match from the outset, pushing hard off the first kick and knocking the Runners’ line open in two places. Their thrower Caelalelion Malamyr then found an open Lineman in Yalayondan Augglinarin and completed the first of many passes on the day. Augglinarin punched his way through one of the gaps and scored. The resulting kick saw the Runners get knocked solidly off the line yet again as the Targaryeans ran rampant, putting a number of the Skaven side into the medic’s room before halftime. Just after the second half kicked off, the Runner’s Lineman Fituk paid some of that balance back by getting a solid hold of Augglinarin’s leg on a tackle and bringing him down near the center of the pitch. The doctor stated that Augglinarin should be back in a few weeks time but will definitely miss the next match. Sadly for the Runners, this was the last piece of good fortune they had on the day. Rat Ogre Rishtak was hammered in to the turf shortly after by Risscon Tinuren, Rishtak had to be carted off the field and will also miss next week’s match. Caelaleion Malamyr completed another pass, this time to Blitzer Maerion Birdhen for the Targaryean’s second score of the day. The match ended 2-0 in favor of the Targaryeans and put them at the top of the standings at the end of week 1.
As if a single one-sided match wasn’t enough, when the Mallistan Maulers visited Gork’s Legion of Hell Fiends it didn’t go well for the visiting side. Before halftime the Maulers had lost Lineman Boritbera forever, had lost 3 players to injury, and were down 1-0. The game was being played in sweltering heat which did not help matters, but the Maulers never were able to recover from the first half orkish beatdown they suffered. Out-manned on the pitch, they suffered further injuries until they could field barely half a side. Standouts from the Legion’s side included Blitzer Subfang and the Black Orcs Gabber Goug’Zeye and Azhag Bruis’Eyez, all with 2 injuries caused each. Black Orc Akzar Break’Smasha and Thrower Marbad Gorkson both scored in what wound up being a 2-0 win for the Legion that could have been much worse.
Our final match of week one saw the Tlaxtlan Serpents host the Pottsylvanian Blues. Both teams struggled to stay on their feet early on, leading to a number of inauspicious falls for both teams. Thrower Tuckbad of the Blues eventually brought the ball forward and handed it off to fellow Thrower Morgak, who moved downfield and threw a perfect pass to Goblin Tiplid. Sadly, Tiplid fumbled the pass and the ball bounced free. A scrum ensued in the Serpents’ half of the field with neither team holding onto the ball until Skink Boqkroxpita of the Serpents eventually brought the ball under control. As he snuck free down the sideline the ref blow for halftime halting a promising attack. After the break it was more of the same, with the ball moved forward by the Serpents only for the Blues to knock it loose around midfield. Both sides got bogged down in a slugging match at this point, with multiple players getting knocked unconscious and the field becoming increasingly congested with prone bodies. It ended with the ref trying to separate the two sides and the score tied up for a 0-0 draw.
Next week we see the Winter Festival interrupting some matchups, but there are some fantastic matchups on the docket! The Meep Runners visit Griznekt’s Gutter Runners in an all-Skaven matchup, Drycress Flood host the Pottsylvanian Blues as both teams look for their first win, Insalubrious Euthanasiers look to halt DeMaryius Targaryen’s momentum, Haterade faces Gork’s Legion of Hell Fiends in the only match where 2 teams on 3 points face off, the Bashfaces host Holy Enemies, Lesser Pests in an all-Chaos matchup, Grims Fandango and the Tlaxtlan Serpents meet in the brawlers battle, and the Mallistan Maulers look to bounce back against a weakened Wolverhampton side looking to avenge their leading scorer’s injury.
Until then, stay tuned for more TRUBBL Times!
