"You can't catch ussss out thisss time, Nuffle! We're not ssssssaying anything gloaty in this presss conferenssse!"
580k of ratty inducements culminate in two mercenaries, a master chef, drugs, booze, and a reroll loss. Not the best start ever, but at least it isn't another thrice-damned ogre like last match.
The skinks elect to receive, the ball sailing through the air. A quick snap at the cost of every skink reroll leaves the ball in Ravv's claws, but the initial rush fals short as Jarr proves his worthlessness. Scalpad charges forth and smashes Ravv down, running to the ball and grabbing it for a very early kicking team touchdown. Mazz slips past the rat defence to bring down Scalpad, and the ball bounces to Ravv, still staggered from standing and helping the block and unable to do anything with it. Rhiel is KO'd with a smack from Mejj, but only Novv is able to help out with the ball.
In the end, it doesn't matter as Deelutch smashes into Ravv, the ball bouncing to the repositioned Skread. With a bit of frentic bullying, Sorr shoves Skread and grabs the ball, but gets a fist to the back of the head after a charge from Deelutch. The ball goes free, and the downed Knidle has a chance to scramble up and score, but the sheer numbers of skink around him precludes anything more than ending back on his face in the astrogranite. A few more shoves leaves Weyy with the ball in his claws, escaping the rat ogre and his prehensile tail, but tripping up on a thrown bottle as he goes for it, looking to make a long pass to the deep Garr. Kindle runs deep, sitting in the endzone, as Deelutch grabs the dead ball and hurls it, safely and accurately, for the rats to go 1-0 up with a little under quarter of the match gone.
At the kickoff, Mejj smashes down the recruit Rhiel, then stomps on his face hard and rips up his face. Rexx mimics that with a cleaner punch, putting Deelutch out, while Takk makes it three for three on the line of scrimmage with a snapped neck, but Garr messes things up as he fumbles a hand-off from Rijj. Scalpad knocks the unsure-clawed Garr down with a thump, KOing him. In return, the skinks shove the ball-collecting Knidle almost off the pitch, boxing the dodgy rat in. A few tackles and a rat ogre bearing down on the skink defence puts Deelutch in possession of the ball once more, but the lizards can't do anything against the plague-ridden side, only able to shove Deelutch with time ticking away.
Deelutch in turn sends the ball to an awaiting runner in the endzone, or... tries, at least. The ball goes wide, out of range of almost anyone. A few creative blocks and Mazz dives for the ball, slipping past the guard and grabbing the ball, sending it on a long bomb to the awaiting Novv... who, against all odds, catches the perfect pass and runs it in to equalise as the half draws to a close. A token skaven kickoff leaves a few bruised skink, but after actually having scored a touchdown, they go to halftime rather elated.
The second half starts with Ravv utterly failing to kick the ball an appreciable distance, instead being plainly given to Knidle. A short pass leaves the ball in the agile paws of Deelutch, boxed in safely by the ratty muscle. A sudden blitz from Rexx leaves him sprawling, the ball bouncing through ten or fifteen pairs of claws before settling next to four lizard and one skaven, which rapidly becomes more even. Scalpad takes advantage of the situation, slipping past a diving Nirr to get within reach of the endzone. Three lizards pile on, but the rat is too slippery, sliding past the tackle and running in the ball easily.
At the kick off, the ball goes high, allowing Tyrr the Slipstreamed to catch it easily. Novv surges forward after Tyrr dumps it to him, but he goes down hard after receiving a rack of horn to the face from the mutated Scalpad. Deelutch grabs the ball in turn, passing it over the heads of Nirr and Vorr to get to Knidle, who ends up safely boxed in.
Well, allegedly, anyway. With a little support, Takk shoves downKnidle and... picks up the ball in his clumsy claws, replacing his position in the middle. Almost at once most every Stormer runs in, boxing in the box with a lot of blue-scaled muscle. Unfortunately, Broslash seems more interested in licking himself, as Novv is shoved off-pitch, and the box seems more intent on picking off the squishy skinks rather than the threat of lizardly muscle. Takk breaks free, running endzone-wards, the rest of the skaven team hemmed in by being down and surrounded by lizards. Nirr manages to bring down Scalpad, letting Takk and his foul breath to grace the team with a touchdown to equalise with less than a quarter of the match to go.
The next kick off sees Knidle receiving easily, quickly throwing the ball to Deelutch. His support, Broslash, is once more licking himself excitedly, and the skinks falter on their initial push, holding at the halfway line. The lizards respond by defending hard, a wall of blue scales inbetween the ball and their endzone. Jarr ends up stunned for his efforts, but Deelutch fails to make good on a pass to Knidle. Rexx scores an almost-fatality, the apothecary doing his job for once and bringing back Knidle from the brink. However, the ball remains dead, and the skinks can't score in the time remaining, ending with a well-deserved draw.
(I got... really lucky with three consecutive injuries. And a long pass that landed. Against a team that are basically my speciality with knobs on (being slippery and fast), I'll take a draw...)