Gaelic Gamers
Presents...
Presents...
The Lacrosse Lamentations
with Aisling Keane
And thus it starts. The true test of our mettle. This is the start of the time where we prove if we are actually as good as this Casaran group stage has made us appear to be or if we're still bottlers of the highest calibre.
This has been a strange World Lacrosse Championships from the start. First of all, the new "Casaran" format. I'm pretty sure I already tried to explain this whole thing as best as I can in a previous post, but just ICYMI, the Casaran format is where you pit all the teams against other teams that are of similar strength to them according to ranks or statistics or whatever, meaning that great teams face off against other great teams and poor teams face off with other poor teams. The more you win, the more chances you'll face other teams on great streaks of their own, and vice versa. And if you continue beating all those other great teams then you become the top dog, as shown by our own Amazons in Northwest Kalactin. In the group stage, that is. The playoffs are an entirely different matter altogether, but we'll get back to that later.
Delaclava, Lovisa, Sarzonia, Banija, Baker Park. Those were the five teams we faced in the Casaran stage, and those were also the five teams that we beat to secure the top seed for the playoffs. As a list, it starts off meh before rapidly going to the top come the middle item. I wouldn't say that Delaclava and Lovisa were pushovers, but our Amazons certainly made them look that way when we played them. Sarzonia was the first team we faced in this tournament that looked like they could take a result away from us, and they did manage to keep it close, but eventually we managed to walk away with the big W in the fourth quarter. Then we were all hyped up for Abanhfleft vs. Banija, thinking it was gonna be a titanic clash for the ages. And then it turned into an outright arse-whooping. Only Baker Park came close, and even then only because we had already done the damage in the first half and were resting players in anticipation for the playoffs. But if we're being really honest though, it was more like Jenelle Eure made everyone look like pushovers. I mean, Christ above, I literally can't remember the last time any player had ever dominated entire teams on her own.
This isn't my thing really, but let's try to break down Jenelle's stats, like the pundits do. 49 goals in five games, just under ten goals per game. She's also good for a few assists here and there, but her true power really lies in her goalscoring. I have never seen someone who looks at the net and goes "Yep, I'm gonna score ten goals today just because." That is the mindset of someone who knows what they're doing, knows that they're doing well, and doesn't give a rat's arse about anything else. Some might call her a ball hog (and some already have) but when she's banging them in from all angles like Jenelle Eure does, it kind of gives her the right to be a ball hog. Not saying that she should be a ball hog; God knows that if the opposition shuts her down we're as good as dead if she does become like that. And even though she's been the focus of the team this whole game, the New Fearsome Threesome is still a thing. Pearline Cordes and Tomiko Legaspi are still there, doing their thing even after they've been overshadowed by their new teammate. They might be getting a little bit old but they're still able to do their jobs as attackers. They sure did come in handy in the game against Baker Park after all.
Well, here comes the true test. Abanhfleft versus Natanians and Nosts. I feel like we've faced them a fair few times before, but it just doesn't feel like some kind of grudge match it would have probably been if it was against, say Vangaziland or Wrexwic. I just hope it doesn't end up being to our disadvantage because the lasses might check out mentally and say "Oh, it's just Natanians and Nosts." It's still a playoff game, ladies (and gents). We only get one chance to win this. One mistake could very well be the thing that sends us packing despite being the top seed. There is simply no room for both overconfidence and overthinking this.
