East Division Season Nine Preview
Click on the team image to see the team roster.
Old Forest Ocelots
Not much is known of these fierce warrior women. They simply turned up at the ABBL registration desk one day, filled in the paperwork and set themselves up to practicing the game. Some people apparently saw them as they came out of the jungle (certainly nobody heard them): languid and deadly, as silent as the night, eyes and ears totally focussed on the area around them, alert for any sign of danger or foe to hunt. The slightest movement drew their attention, their heads whipping round and their unsettling, unwavering gaze falling on to what or whoever was unfortunate enough to be the focus of their attention. People instinctively withdrew as they passed, unwilling to provoke these almost feline-like apparitions of deadliness as they made their way to the training ground.
We tried to get interviews with them but all efforts to approach were met with bared teeth and wordless hisses so our assessment has to be based on their pre-season friendlies and they have certainly made an impressive start there! Their first game saw them savagely maul the Vampires of Bite Club, walking away with a 3-0 win and injuring a full half of their team! They also defeated the Frosthold Falcons 3-1. The only blip on their record so far was a draw against the High Elves of the Chracian Wildcats though we suspect this was more through mutual respect than any lack of desire to win.
Their names being largely un-pronounceable to us makes it hard to let you know about players to watch out for! Suffice to say, the bigger, meaner ones are going to hurt a lot while the more lithe ones will likely be getting the Touchdowns in! Expect these women to be in the running for the Division Title…
D'Orcland Raiders
The D’Orcland Raiders are a team forever flitting in and out of the ABBL. They made their debut way back in Season 4 and came back for another go in Season 7. Unfortunately, success eluded them in those 2 seasons and so they figured 3rd time lucky and here they are again! With the new regulations and team restrictions, what they bring to the table this time around is a completely different set-up however so maybe this will be the key to the success that they seem to have missed so far? Previous seasons have seen them take part against all manner of opponent but this Division gives them some teams and playstyles they won’t have come across before. The Raiders have a challenge ahead of them that’s for sure but maybe this season will finally be the one they make the Play-Offs?
Coming back to guide this new team is old-timer, Mad Stork, the Captain of the team, bringing with him his ages-old professionalism. More focused on guiding his new players than utilising his own skills, it’s almost as if he’s a brand new Orc and perhaps this old squig can learn some new tricks as the season goes on? Joining him is the Big’un Blocker, Jack Takum and, rounding off the Veterans pool is the Goblin, Ken. Although we’re not sure if it’s actually the same Goblin! Don’t think he is either…
The veterans are merely there to highlight the exciting new talent the Raiders have brought for Season 9 however. Keep an eye out for Tim Hellot, a Lineman with a real chip on his shoulder, the self-named Billy Blitz whose ego has him thinking he’ll soon be out-stripping Mad Stork with his on-pitch achievements and the Troll from Season 7, Pete Tongue who may finally have worked out which bit of the Goblin he should hold when he lumps them up the pitch…
Beerwolf's Brawlers
For the first time since Season 2, there was no Norse team in the ABBL during Season 8! Eager to ensure this terrible turn of events would never happen again, a drunken Beerwolf instantly signed up his team of fellow drunkards after finding out the Wiccan Wonders had withdrawn their application following just 1 disastrous game against the Dietfurt Destroyers - Norse fans the world over cheered in celebration at the very likely increase in violence as a result with tavern owners feeling a strange mixture of avarice and terror… Formed after Beerwolf’s historic victory over Grendel’s Brewsters, the Brawlers are seeking to write their name large in the on-going saga’s of the Norse and enjoy as much ale as they can in the process!
The Brawler’s had managed to get a couple of games played in the Conference before entering the League. The first was against the Goblins of the Shroom Valley Charlatans and involved a tremendous comeback from 2-0 down to an eventual 4-2 victory! The enthusiasm generated from this game was quickly dampened after a game against the Carroburg Cryptstealers however which they lost 3-1. Their final game at time of writing was against the Khorne team, Crimson Death and they walked away with another victory there, overcoming their bloodthirsty opponents 2-1. They’re quite likely going to be a tough prospect for the rest of the Division to overcome.
Players to watch out for include the Valkyrie, Hygd – a natural Leader who hasn’t missed a pass in all 3 games and with over 160 paces rushing is also a serious running threat. Breca the Berserker has a 66% Block success rate and is starting to rack up the casualties while Hrothgar, a Norse raider finding his flow hitting players whether they are standing or lying down could well end up being a thorn in many an opponent’s side!
Dietfurt Destroyers
The Dietfurt Destroyers are back! And they’re coming back fighting… Originally formed as the Dietfurt Arms Antagonists before joining the ABBL way back in Season 4, only 1 player from that original line-up is present in this current iteration of the team. The Dwarf Runner, Snorri Surefoot had retired but, after seeing the success the Destroyers had in their first 2 pre-season friendlies, he couldn’t resist slipping the old running shoes back on and rejoining his old team. Part of the reason he returned was due to the far more open and friendly recruitment policies the Dietfurt administration has adopted. Gone are the days where team-mates eyed each other with hostility or the Dwarves were ‘accidentally’ told the wrong venue for training sessions and what has emerged is a far more harmonious whole.
Early results seem to have certainly proved the benefit of such a policy! With 3 games played and 3 Wins, 10 Touchdowns and 11 Casualties to boast of for just 3 TD’s conceded and 3 casualties suffered, the Destroyers are feeling pretty confident going in to the regular season. The first win was an emphatic 4-1 against the Wiccan Wonders with the following a tighter affair against new Tomb King team, the Sakkaran Slaughterers, 2-1 the final score there. Finally, they took on an Underworld team, Blunderworld Density, and racked up another 4-1 win.
Some players have already started to carve out a name for themselves and top of this list is the Catcher, Montegue DeFroyne with 7 Touchdowns already in just 3 games and with 256 rushing paces, fans are hopeful this is the start of a good run for the season for him. The Slayer, Gronti Elgdrengi has got his casualty tally up and running with 4 already and with a 55% injury success rate, expect this number to creep higher as the season progresses. The final player to keep an eye on is the Dwarf Blitzer, Balgur Drokdun. With an almost 70% successful block rate and 3 casualties already chalked up, he’s going to cause many a problem for the opposition…
Bite Club
Many old-time fans of the ABBL may well remember the Vampire team, Necks & Necromancy from Season 4. Although they failed to set their Division alight with a mid-table finish and failure to qualify for the Play-Offs (mainly due to jealousy and infighting it must be said), they did manage to produce the GIT of the season, Charlotte Fenton, daughter of Lady Fenton, the owner of the team. Lady Fenton deigned the ABBL to be beneath her after the clearly biased results not favouring her team and disbanded the team. Charlotte dutifully attended the endless tea parties her mother kept throwing and gradually got more and more frustrated, her yearning for the baying of the crowd and the smell of fresh blood mixed with turf eventually getting the better of her. Deciding that playing wouldn’t give her the thrill she needed, she decided to form her own team to guide to success, if only to rub it in her mother’s face when she won the whole League!
Charlotte Fenton’s Bite Club has rules. Lots of them. In an effort to avoid the in-fighting that plagued Necks & Necromancy, Fenton is keeping a tight ship and part of this philosophy is to rename all the Vampires Durden (one of her favourite Thralls that tragically succumbed to a fatal bout of insomnia… we didn’t ask too many questions of a deadly Vampire about that little fact, would you?!) in order to bring about a sense of unity in the team. So far, it doesn’t seem to be a too successful approach with their first pre-season friendly being a savage loss against the Amazons of the Ocelots, 3-0. They also suffered fully half of their team being injured in this game, leading to a re-think in strategy. The second game was a much more satisfying affair. Although only a 1-1 draw against the Frosthold Flacons, they inflicted 3 casualties for 1 in reply. Looks like that intense training after the first game paid off!
Players to watch out for include Fylar Durden, a Thrower with an eye for picking out targets in the middle of the chaos of the Blood Bowl pitch, Mylar Durden, a Runner that, more often than not, is the very target that Fylar is aiming for! At the risk of attracting Lady Fenton’s ire, we’re going out on a limb and highlighting one of the Thralls to keep an eye on. Marvin has shown an innate sense of game-flow so don’t be surprised if his name crops up again and again as the season progresses.