The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post

the phantom · 06-09-2012, 05:41 PM

Group C @ Moria

The Group C games were scheduled a bit closer together in the second round at Moria, for the host committee simply could not justify a late-morning start for the highly anticipated match between Erebor and Wilderland. Pretty well every publication had both teams ranked in the top 10- some of them in the top 5. The much-respected TTN Power-Rankings had Wilderland slotted at #2 and Erebor at #6 heading into the clash.

Wilderland was the favorite in the eyes of most, and with Galadriel, Orome, Elwe, and Scatha making the attacks it was easy to see why. But Erebor was nearly dismissive of the threat at the pre-game interviews. Defender Girion said: "Gwaihir is right up on par with Thorondor himself- he's a swift-flying defending menace, and has a lightning quick beak and huge size to boot. Frankly I think he'll lock up anyone he's on. And his relatives Meneldor and Landroval have similar skills, and I'm no slouch, and even if we grant the edge on a play or two we've got Beorn minding the nets. This end of the field is going to be even. The difference will be at the other end- and we've got the advantage there."

And the publications didn't entirely disagree with the second half of Girion's statement. Bolg, Bard, and Nazgul #7 were all solid supporters of the attack, and Thranduil is of course a proven play-maker, and there was absolutely no question that Smaug could prove too hot to handle. Monster Magazine dragon-columnist Ruharg the Red noted before even the first round of group play that Wilderland's Ent defenders were not going to match up well with Erebor. "Fire-breathers like Smaug freak Ents out to be honest, even if they're not allowed to blow fire. But when he's breathing hard out there, the air directly in front of his face is going to get spicey like it or not, and should there be ready kindling close by (in the form of Ents), well... they will certainly be nervous about it."

And when the late afternoon game in the beautiful Dimrill Dale kicked off Ruharg and other such critics looked smart indeed, as the Ents were definitely giving the dragon too much space, and already in the fifth minute Thranduil found him open and the Great Warg was lucky to keep it out. After applying steady pressure to open, Erebor cracked the scoreboard at fifteen minutes, and no surprises- it was the dragon.

The Ents were sending some passes at the back and Smaug suddenly launched forward to challenge, momentarily panicking Beechbone. The frightened Ent mis-kicked a ball over to Skinbark, and the Ent was not quick enough changing directions and Smaug swooped over and beat him to it with a flick of his tail, and Erebor had the well-deserved lead!

The defenders got verbally hammered by Orome and Galadriel after that- told that like it or not they had to D-up on Smaug. The ashamed Ents took the advice to heart and got up close to the dragon, matching their tough bark to his iron scales. Smaug appeared flustered by it, as the Ents had the strength and size to upset his movements and give him a bruise or two. Skinbark even drew a card for being a bit excessive. Fumes emerged from Smaug's maw and it looked certain he would start retaliating in a big way, but Dain and Thranduil ran to calm him, pointing out that Wilderland's tactics were probably to get him carded out of the game.

Smaug and company countered by sending the dragon to the air, having him dive down for quick touches and constantly threatening to beat the defenders on a long-ball behind them should they push up the field. In the meantime Wilderland was finally getting some threats of their own at the other end with some nifty passing from the front four, but the great eagles were equal to them and always took up enough space to clutter up the box, forcing their shots to be ones that Beorn could handle.

Just before the half, Erebor executed to perfection to gain the two-goal lead. With Smaug distracting the defense, Thranduil and Bard outmaneuvered the back line of Wilderland with some delightful back and forth, sharp as the archers they were, and it ended with Bard finding a sliver of space through just inside the right post and the Erebor crowd screamed, high-fived, and exchanged looks of shocked delight. The world hadn't expected this!

During halftime there was much discussion in the Erebor locker room as to the tactics they should follow in the second half. Bolg and Bard wanted to ride the wave of momentum and put up some more goals, but Girion, Dain, and Thranduil insisted on focusing on their defensive efforts. Eventually caution won the day thanks to the support of Beorn. "We can't leave ourselves open for them to jump back into the match in the opening minutes. We could lose doing that. We're playing fantastic, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking we're far and away superior. Let's just lock this thing down. If we do, I can't see any way we give up three goals. We have points in our hands- let's make sure and capitalize."

So with that strategy in mind Erebor came out and tightened their defenses. Wilderland accepted the tactics grimly- they had guessed what was coming, and put their own plans into operation. Knowing they weren't going to beat the three eagles back on a counter anyway, Wilderland didn't mind Erebor falling back to defend, and focused on a fast-moving passing game to cross up the defense.

Erebor cleared it whenever possible, happily handing Wilderland corners. And indeed Wilderland barely ever tried to send it all the way in on corners, as with three giant eagles and now even Smaug back in the defense, header opportunities were as scarce as mushrooms after a hobbit dinner party.

Erebor's defenses held until 74 minutes, when finally Scatha muscled his mark away and tail-struck a deft one-touch pass from Elwe after a wonderful flipping of attack-sides by Wilderland. The riotous Erebor supporters quieted somewhat and chanting began to spill out from the Lothlorien Elves in the west side of the stadium, but as the minutes passed Erebor cranked it up again, particularly after minute 84 when Beorn professionally handled Wilderland's best last hope- a distant free kick taken by Orome.

The Dwarves in particular began partying in earnest as the final seconds ticked off. King Dain and Erebor had won. Perhaps today was the day of the Dwarves. Perhaps this victory foreshadowed a win by Dwarves United in the underground night match.

Erebor 2-1 Wilderland
on target 7-7
tot shots 18-16
GOALS:
*15, 1-0 Smaug
*42, 2-0 Bard (Thranduil)
*74, 2-1 Scatha (Elwe)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Erebor- Bolg, Bard
*Wilderland- Skinbark, Beechbone

The contest between Dwarves United and Anduin got off to a later start than planned, as it took a bit longer than expected for the crowds to funnel across the famed Bridge of Khazad-Dum and on down to The Underground, the famed arena at the roots of the Misty Mountains.

There was plenty of optimism in the cheers of the Dwarf crowd as the teams warmed up. Erebor had pulled off the upset earlier, so why couldn't they follow suit? And once the match started up, the home squad looked like it believed as well. Anduin had a bit more possession, but the iron will of the Dwarves was unwavering when meeting the attacks of Anduin.

Aule countered the size and strength of Grimbeorn, while the nimble of deft-footed Celebrimbor hounded Haldir. Azaghal and Durin took it in turns to body up on the athletic Boromir II, doing their best to make things rough-going for him. On the opposite end Legolas and Gimli both gave their friend an opening with a nice through ball, but Fram managed to get in the way of both of them enough to give Amroth a manageable save.

Late in the half Anduin managed a couple quality headers from Boromir II, but Bombur's girth denied them both, and there was little else brewing for either side. The fans were restless, waiting for something to happen.

After the half it was more of the same- solid defending on both ends, careful attacks nicely foiled. Anduin had more chances and possession, however no tale of this was seen where it counted- on the scoreboard. But the imbalance could not last forever without telling, and predictably it was Boromir II breaking the tie with a header over top of his marks and the home crowd was silenced.

The mood was worse than a one-goal deficit dictated, but the fans couldn't help it. They hadn't seen much to cheer for in the opening game either. Could their squad score? Could the dwarves on their back line do anything about headers?

The squad on the field on the other hand had not given up- they were fighters. And as the final fifteen minutes arrived their big-name defenders, Celebrimbor and Aule, thrust themselves forward into the action, taking command of the offense and hoping Anduin wouldn't take advantage at the other end. And indeed they did not, for Anduin had fully committed to defense.

And to the delight of the shocked home-crowd Anduin paid for their conservative play, as they passed up two quality chances to run and push the lead and gave up the goal anyway. The equalizer came on the foot of Celebrimbor, who caught the Anduin defenders entirely unprepared for the skill of the Feanorian line, and he cut through the heart of them after receiving it from Zirak and Amroth had no shot at stopping the point-blank drive!

At first the Dwarves were too shocked to cheer, but then they exploded with the beating of drums and the clashing of cymbals. Boromir II and Grimbeorn bellowed at their teammates to shake away the cobwebs and mount a push in the final minutes to retake the lead, but the Dwarves were energized and committed to securing the draw they had forged, and there was nothing Anduin could do.

The hosts were still alive in Group C!

Anduin 1-1 Dwarves United
on target 5-4
tot shots 15-9
GOALS:
*68, 1-0 Boromir II (Leod)
*82, 1-1 Celebrimbor (Gamil Zirak)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Anduin- Lenwe, Borondir, Amdir
*DwUnt- Gimli, Azaghal, Aule

06-09-2012, 05:41 PM	#123
the phantom Beloved Shadow Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Stadium Posts: 5,971	Group C @ Moria The Group C games were scheduled a bit closer together in the second round at Moria, for the host committee simply could not justify a late-morning start for the highly anticipated match between Erebor and Wilderland. Pretty well every publication had both teams ranked in the top 10- some of them in the top 5. The much-respected TTN Power-Rankings had Wilderland slotted at #2 and Erebor at #6 heading into the clash. Wilderland was the favorite in the eyes of most, and with Galadriel, Orome, Elwe, and Scatha making the attacks it was easy to see why. But Erebor was nearly dismissive of the threat at the pre-game interviews. Defender Girion said: "Gwaihir is right up on par with Thorondor himself- he's a swift-flying defending menace, and has a lightning quick beak and huge size to boot. Frankly I think he'll lock up anyone he's on. And his relatives Meneldor and Landroval have similar skills, and I'm no slouch, and even if we grant the edge on a play or two we've got Beorn minding the nets. This end of the field is going to be even. The difference will be at the other end- and we've got the advantage there." And the publications didn't entirely disagree with the second half of Girion's statement. Bolg, Bard, and Nazgul #7 were all solid supporters of the attack, and Thranduil is of course a proven play-maker, and there was absolutely no question that Smaug could prove too hot to handle. Monster Magazine dragon-columnist Ruharg the Red noted before even the first round of group play that Wilderland's Ent defenders were not going to match up well with Erebor. "Fire-breathers like Smaug freak Ents out to be honest, even if they're not allowed to blow fire. But when he's breathing hard out there, the air directly in front of his face is going to get spicey like it or not, and should there be ready kindling close by (in the form of Ents), well... they will certainly be nervous about it." And when the late afternoon game in the beautiful Dimrill Dale kicked off Ruharg and other such critics looked smart indeed, as the Ents were definitely giving the dragon too much space, and already in the fifth minute Thranduil found him open and the Great Warg was lucky to keep it out. After applying steady pressure to open, Erebor cracked the scoreboard at fifteen minutes, and no surprises- it was the dragon. The Ents were sending some passes at the back and Smaug suddenly launched forward to challenge, momentarily panicking Beechbone. The frightened Ent mis-kicked a ball over to Skinbark, and the Ent was not quick enough changing directions and Smaug swooped over and beat him to it with a flick of his tail, and Erebor had the well-deserved lead! The defenders got verbally hammered by Orome and Galadriel after that- told that like it or not they had to D-up on Smaug. The ashamed Ents took the advice to heart and got up close to the dragon, matching their tough bark to his iron scales. Smaug appeared flustered by it, as the Ents had the strength and size to upset his movements and give him a bruise or two. Skinbark even drew a card for being a bit excessive. Fumes emerged from Smaug's maw and it looked certain he would start retaliating in a big way, but Dain and Thranduil ran to calm him, pointing out that Wilderland's tactics were probably to get him carded out of the game. Smaug and company countered by sending the dragon to the air, having him dive down for quick touches and constantly threatening to beat the defenders on a long-ball behind them should they push up the field. In the meantime Wilderland was finally getting some threats of their own at the other end with some nifty passing from the front four, but the great eagles were equal to them and always took up enough space to clutter up the box, forcing their shots to be ones that Beorn could handle. Just before the half, Erebor executed to perfection to gain the two-goal lead. With Smaug distracting the defense, Thranduil and Bard outmaneuvered the back line of Wilderland with some delightful back and forth, sharp as the archers they were, and it ended with Bard finding a sliver of space through just inside the right post and the Erebor crowd screamed, high-fived, and exchanged looks of shocked delight. The world hadn't expected this! During halftime there was much discussion in the Erebor locker room as to the tactics they should follow in the second half. Bolg and Bard wanted to ride the wave of momentum and put up some more goals, but Girion, Dain, and Thranduil insisted on focusing on their defensive efforts. Eventually caution won the day thanks to the support of Beorn. "We can't leave ourselves open for them to jump back into the match in the opening minutes. We could lose doing that. We're playing fantastic, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking we're far and away superior. Let's just lock this thing down. If we do, I can't see any way we give up three goals. We have points in our hands- let's make sure and capitalize." So with that strategy in mind Erebor came out and tightened their defenses. Wilderland accepted the tactics grimly- they had guessed what was coming, and put their own plans into operation. Knowing they weren't going to beat the three eagles back on a counter anyway, Wilderland didn't mind Erebor falling back to defend, and focused on a fast-moving passing game to cross up the defense. Erebor cleared it whenever possible, happily handing Wilderland corners. And indeed Wilderland barely ever tried to send it all the way in on corners, as with three giant eagles and now even Smaug back in the defense, header opportunities were as scarce as mushrooms after a hobbit dinner party. Erebor's defenses held until 74 minutes, when finally Scatha muscled his mark away and tail-struck a deft one-touch pass from Elwe after a wonderful flipping of attack-sides by Wilderland. The riotous Erebor supporters quieted somewhat and chanting began to spill out from the Lothlorien Elves in the west side of the stadium, but as the minutes passed Erebor cranked it up again, particularly after minute 84 when Beorn professionally handled Wilderland's best last hope- a distant free kick taken by Orome. The Dwarves in particular began partying in earnest as the final seconds ticked off. King Dain and Erebor had won. Perhaps today was the day of the Dwarves. Perhaps this victory foreshadowed a win by Dwarves United in the underground night match. Erebor 2-1 Wilderland on target 7-7 tot shots 18-16 GOALS: 15, 1-0 Smaug 42, 2-0 Bard (Thranduil) 74, 2-1 Scatha (Elwe) YELLOW CARDS: Erebor- Bolg, Bard Wilderland- Skinbark, Beechbone The contest between Dwarves United and Anduin got off to a later start than planned, as it took a bit longer than expected for the crowds to funnel across the famed Bridge of Khazad-Dum and on down to The Underground, the famed arena at the roots of the Misty Mountains. There was plenty of optimism in the cheers of the Dwarf crowd as the teams warmed up. Erebor had pulled off the upset earlier, so why couldn't they follow suit? And once the match started up, the home squad looked like it believed as well. Anduin had a bit more possession, but the iron will of the Dwarves was unwavering when meeting the attacks of Anduin. Aule countered the size and strength of Grimbeorn, while the nimble of deft-footed Celebrimbor hounded Haldir. Azaghal and Durin took it in turns to body up on the athletic Boromir II, doing their best to make things rough-going for him. On the opposite end Legolas and Gimli both gave their friend an opening with a nice through ball, but Fram managed to get in the way of both of them enough to give Amroth a manageable save. Late in the half Anduin managed a couple quality headers from Boromir II, but Bombur's girth denied them both, and there was little else brewing for either side. The fans were restless, waiting for something to happen. After the half it was more of the same- solid defending on both ends, careful attacks nicely foiled. Anduin had more chances and possession, however no tale of this was seen where it counted- on the scoreboard. But the imbalance could not last forever without telling, and predictably it was Boromir II breaking the tie with a header over top of his marks and the home crowd was silenced. The mood was worse than a one-goal deficit dictated, but the fans couldn't help it. They hadn't seen much to cheer for in the opening game either. Could their squad score? Could the dwarves on their back line do anything about headers? The squad on the field on the other hand had not given up- they were fighters. And as the final fifteen minutes arrived their big-name defenders, Celebrimbor and Aule, thrust themselves forward into the action, taking command of the offense and hoping Anduin wouldn't take advantage at the other end. And indeed they did not, for Anduin had fully committed to defense. And to the delight of the shocked home-crowd Anduin paid for their conservative play, as they passed up two quality chances to run and push the lead and gave up the goal anyway. The equalizer came on the foot of Celebrimbor, who caught the Anduin defenders entirely unprepared for the skill of the Feanorian line, and he cut through the heart of them after receiving it from Zirak and Amroth had no shot at stopping the point-blank drive! At first the Dwarves were too shocked to cheer, but then they exploded with the beating of drums and the clashing of cymbals. Boromir II and Grimbeorn bellowed at their teammates to shake away the cobwebs and mount a push in the final minutes to retake the lead, but the Dwarves were energized and committed to securing the draw they had forged, and there was nothing Anduin could do. The hosts were still alive in Group C! Anduin 1-1 Dwarves United* on target 5-4 tot shots 15-9 GOALS: 68, 1-0 Boromir II (Leod) 82, 1-1 Celebrimbor (Gamil Zirak) YELLOW CARDS: Anduin- Lenwe, Borondir, Amdir DwUnt- Gimli, Azaghal, Aule __________________ the phantom has posted. This thread is now important.