NationStates

Groups
Group 1
Sarzonia
Kriegiersien
The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans
Soldera

Group 2
Baggieland
Hebitaka
Copper Cuprum
StrayaRoos

Group 3
Sylestone
HUElavia
The Alani
StrayaRoos Barrier Islands

Group 4
TJUN-ia
Ko-oren
Alice Bay
Illahee

*All groups were assigned using random.org

Scorination schedule
MD1 November 8
MD2 November 10
MD3 November 12
Quarter finals November 14
Semi finals November 16
3PPO and final November 18

Group 1 Schedule
MD1
Kriegiersien vs The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans @ Amphitheatre 3 (1st game)
Soldera vs Sarzonia @ Amphitheatre 2 (1st game)

MD2
The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans vs Sarzonia @ Amphitheatre 2 (1st game)
Kriegiersien vs Soldera @ Amphitheatre 3 (1st game)

MD3
Soldera vs The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans @ Amphitheatre 4 (2nd game)
Sarzonia vs Kriegiersien @ Amphitheatre 2 (1st game)

Group 2 Schedule
MD1
Baggieland vs StrayaRoos @ Amphitheatre 1 (2nd game)
Copper Cuprum vs Hebitaka @ Amphitheatre 4 (1st game)

MD2
StrayaRoos vs Hebitaka @ Amphitheatre 4 (1st game)
Baggieland vs Copper Cuprum @ Amphitheatre 1 (2nd game)

MD3
Copper Cuprum vs StrayaRoos @ Amphitheatre 4 (1st game)
Hebitaka vs Baggieland @ Amphitheatre 1 (2nd game)

Group 3 Schedule
MD1
HUElavia vs The Alani @ Amphitheatre 1 (1st game)
StrayaRoos Barrier Islands vs Sylestone @ Amphitheatre 3 (2nd game)

MD2
The Alani vs Sylestone @ Amphitheatre 1 (1st game)
HUElavia vs StrayaRoos Barrier Islands @ Amphitheatre 3 (2nd game)

MD3
StrayaRoos Barrier Islands vs The Alani @ Amphitheatre 1 (1st game)
Sylestone vs HUElavia @ Amphitheatre 2 (2nd game)

Group 4 Schedule
MD1
Alice Bay vs TJUN-ia @ Amphitheatre 2 (2nd game)
Illahee vs Ko-oren @ Amphitheatre 4 (2nd game)

MD2
TJUN-ia vs Ko-oren @ Amphitheatre 2 (2nd game)
Alice Bay vs Illahee @ Amphitheatre 4 (2nd game)

MD3
Illahee vs TJUN-ia @ Amphitheatre 3 (1st game)
Ko-oren vs Alice Bay @ Amphitheatre 3 (2nd game)

Knock-out Schedule
Quarter finals
A. W group1 vs RU group2 @ Amphitheatre 2
B. W group 2 vs RU group 1 @ Amphitheatre 1
C. W group 3 vs RU group 4 @ Amphitheatre 3
D. W group 4 vs RU group 3 @ Amphitheatre 4

Semi finals
E. W game A vs W game B @ Amphitheatre 1
F. W game C vs W game D @ Amphitheatre 2

3PPO
G. L game E vs L game F @ Amphitheatre 1 (1st game)

Final
H. W game E vs W game F @ Amphitheatre 1 (2nd game)

The Kingdom of The Alani is a medieval country where modern comforts are hard to find: there are no planes, trains, cars, bicycles, computers, Wi-Fi, nor even electricity. However, The Alani is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty, such as the majestic mountains in The Caucasus, The Alps and The Pyrenees and all the rivers are clear-blue and pollution free. The Alans are a warrior race, but as long as you don't spook them, you will find them welcoming and hospitable. Not spooking them is recommended as you will need to negotiate accommodation in their homes as there are no hotels. Whilst staying in their homes it is considered polite to help with the daily chores such as ploughing the field, grinding grains into flour and wattle and daubing

Sport in The Alani

All international games – of any sport – are played at the Maghas Amphitheatres. There are four in total: Amphitheatre 1 (124,742), Amphitheatre 2 (65,317), Amphitheatre 3 (59,481), Amphitheatre 4 (50,548).



Getting to the Game

The only way to get to the Maghas Amphitheatres is to fly into Hawthorn International Airport in the capital city of Baggieland, then take a train to Baggieland's port city of Albion. From there, take a ship to The Alani port of Alenquer. Be wary of HMS Onslaught, which is a rogue submarine that patrols the territorial waters of Baggieland and the international waters between Baggieland and The Alani. They are constantly on the look out to steal booty and will sink the ships if they're not satisfied with their takings. HMS Onslaught does not patrol inside Alanian territorial waters as even these pirates consider a diesel submarine armed with torpedoes up against medieval wooden ships as unfair.

From the port city of Alenquer, you then need to trek to Carthago Nova on the other side of the island, either bring a sturdy pair of hiking boots or rent a horse. Upon arrival, take a boat to Palma. Change boats there to get to Caralis, change boats again to get to Carthage. Then, you will need to change boats once more to get to Dar-i Alan. Upon arrival at 'The Gate of The Alans' (Dar-i Alan), you have two choices. You can take another boat to the mouth of the Kuban river and from there change to a river boat which will take you straight to the centre of Maghas. Alternatively, you can take a river boat into the heart of the Caucasus mountains, then trek through the mountains (not recommended for people who suffer from altitude sickness) until you reach the other end of the Kuban river. Finally, take another river boat straight into Maghas.

See you at the game!

Nickname:
The Nobles.

Home Ground:
Maghas Amphitheatre (capacity: 124,742).


Colours:


Manager:
Alan Latchley.

Starting 18:
1. Alan Kelly (full back).
2. Alan Judge (full back).
3. Alan Julian (full back).
4. Alan Quaife (half back).
5. Allan Baldwin (half back).
6. Allan Anderson (half back).
7. Marcus Allan (centre line).
8. Johnny Allan (centre line).
9. James Allan (C) (centre line).
10. Alan O'Connor (centre line).
11. Alan McDonald (centre line).
12. Alan Byron (centre line).
13. Alan O'Donognue (half forward).
14. Allen Christensen (half forward).
15. Allan McDonald (half forward).
16. John Allan (full forward).
17. Alan Shearer (full forward).
18. Allen Jakovich (full forward).

Reserves:
19. Allan Nyom (back).
20. Alan Ball (centre).
21. Alan Gow (centre).
22. Alan Smith (forward).

If my opponents RP first:
Choose my goalscorers- Y.
Godmod scoring events- Y.
Roleplay injuries to my players- Y.
Godmod injuries to my players- Y.
Godmod other events- Y.
Suspend my players- Y.
*NOTHING RIDICULOUS PLEASE.

Colours:


Manager:
B.A.R.F.

Starting 18:
1. George Ayres (full back).
2. Kevin Moore (full back).
3. Alan Mills (full back).
4. Chris Austen (half back).
5. Collin Mew (half back).
6. Phil Knights (half back).
7. Bobby DiPierdomenico (centre line).
8. John Bohan (centre line).
9. Ben Edwards (centre line).
10. Dave Scott (centre line).
11. Matty Tuck (centre line).
12. Luke Matthews (centre line).
13. George Arthur (C) (half forward).
14. Dan Brereton (half forward).
15. Graham Buckenara (half forward).
16. Johny Dunstall (full forward).
17. Paul Hudson (full forward).
18. Jason Platten (full forward).

Reserves:
19. Carlos Langford (back).
20. Iggy Law (centre).
21. Rich Simmonds (centre).
22. Peter Salmon (forward).

International tournament records:
ARWC I: runners up.
ARWC II: runners up.
ARWC III: quarter finals.

First ever game:
Baggieland 13.21.99
Megistos 6.12.48

Biggest win:
Central Shaneville 2.4.16
Baggieland 27.18.180

Biggest defeat:
Baggieland 10.6.66
Sarzonia 20.15.135

If my opponents RP first:
Choose my goalscorers- Y.
Godmod scoring events- Y.
Roleplay injuries to my players- Y.
Godmod injuries to my players- Y.
Godmod other events- Y.
Suspend my players- Y.
*NOTHING RIDICULOUS PLEASE.

Name: TJUN-ia
Trigram: TJU
Nickname: Jaguars or Jags
Governing Body: TJUN-ia Association of Australian-rules Football (TJUN-ia-AAF/TAAF/"the TAAFy")
Home Colours: Light Blue/Orange
Away Colours: Orange/Light Blue
Clash Colours: Black/Dark Orange

OH YEAH, WE'RE BACK AGAIN AND BACK IN...The Alani? Yes, it's that time again as the 4th Aussie Rules World Cup has finally arrived and, for the first time, someone other than Baggieland or Sylestone will host the biggest competition in the sport. Yes, Baggie's mates and debutants The Alani will host, with all games being held at one of their 4 massive Maghas Amphitheatres - a trip that takes so long, we wish they would've just built a little airfield just for this tournament. Don't worry, David Scott and the gang have all made it here safely and with the Manager celebrating his 50th before making the long trip, he and Captain Steven Cox will be hoping to prove that our first 2 Finals wins and that bronze medal weren't flukes at all. This team feels like it is getting close to its prime and with the Group of Death in sight (Ko-oren, the team we beat to make the Semis, Alice Bay, the last ranked team, and unranked Illahae), we all hope that this ARWC is better than the rest.

---

TEAM
Manager: David Scott (50)
Assistant Manager: Alex Noongar-Wardandi (36)

STARTING 18
RBP: #1 Nic Fulton (26)
FB: #2 David McCarrow (27)
RBP: #3 Andre Oceanique (26)

LBF: #4 Peter McGovern (25)
CHB: #5 Micky Fuller (25)
RBF: #6 Ang Wanganeen (27)

LW: #7 Chris Rowell (24)
C: #8 Logan Markus (25)
RW: #9 Lewis Hamish (27)

LFF: #10 Joe Kelleher (23)
CHF: #11 Jack Wood (24)
RFF: #12 Harry Christoff (25)

LFP: #13 Logan Jackson (26)
FF: #14 Gregor McHulton (27)
RFP: #15 Steven Cox (27) (C)

Ru: #16 Killian Clegg (28)
RR: #17 Jason Carters (26)
Ro: #18 Hamish McWillson-Pakatawa (27)

INTERCHANGE
INT: #19 Liken Davidson (23, FF/HF)
INT: #20 Finn Todd (22, HF/C)
INT: #21 Jack Petawanni (24, HB)
INT: #22 Hamish McGollah (25, FB)

---

THE CALL
The Jaguars are here to win it all,
For TJUN-ia, we'll play for all!
Our flag is raised, Orange and Blue,
And we all know just what to do!
We'll fight, fight, fight and we'll win, win, win
Until the flag is ours to win!
So come aboard and sing, sing, sing
FOR THE JAGUARS ARE HERE TO WIN!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 4, all games at the Maghas Amphitheatres, Maghas, The Alani)
MD1: vs Alice Bay (9) - Amphitheatre 2
MD2: vs Ko-oren (5) - Amphitheatre 2
MD3: vs Illahee (UR) - Amphitheatre 3

---

PERMISSIONS

If my opponent RPs first:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
Roleplay injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Godmod other events: Y (no death/murder)

Manager: Katie Sampson
Assistant: Corey Sands

Full Forwards:
Left: Reggie Brown
Centre: Devontae Booker
Right: Hal Sanchez

Half Forwards:
Left: Rebekah Lee (she HATES being called Becky)
Centre: Davide Goldman
Right: Jack Wilson

Centre
Left Wing: Vontae Springer
Centre: Quincy Johnson
Right Wing: Keiana Briggs

Half Backs:
Left: Royce Diaz
Centre: Cullen Andersen
Right: Dani Sayers

Full Backs:
Left: Jackson Clark
Centre: Xavier Ferguson
Right: Greg Bolton

Followers:
Ruckman: Alvin Percival
Rover: Steve Hill
Ruck-Rover: Allyson Lee

Interchangers:
Wilma Maastricht (Full-Forward, Half-Forwards
Skylar Hanifer (Half-Forward, Centre
Vondell Blake (Half-Back)
Emmanuel Reniere (Full-Back)


If my opponents RP first:
They may do anything, just no killing.

Perhaps it's for the best that the Sarzonian national Aussie Rules Football team are a collection of amateurs.

They've been training hard and manager Katie Sampson has been working on getting the team's focus on their opening match of the fourth Aussie Rules World Cup against newcomers Soldera. Not only that, but coverage of the Aussie Rules World Cup has been minimal. The Associated Sarzonian Press has published a few stories, which several newspapers in the country have run. But the blanket coverage of the sport that exists in Baggieland and perhaps Sylestone is nowhere to be found.

Perhaps that's for the best. The Stars won't be weighed down by the pressures of expectations you might expect for a two-time world champion; in particular, one that has won two titles in three total World Cups. The only time Sarzonia walked off the platform without gold was ARWC II, when they had bronze medals dangling from their necks instead of gold. Two championships and three medal stand appearances from three World Cups would be a recipe for massive scrutiny if the Stars failed to accomplish anything less than another title if the sport were anything beyond a niche sport.

For her part, Sampson is doing her best to change that. She was rewarded with a new contract, not merely a contract extension. The new contract would pay her a salary six times higher than her previous compensation package. It would keep her under contract for the next two World Cups. It gave her complete control over all decision-making related to the team. It gave her a platform to grow the sport in Sarzonia. She admitted to being relieved to now focus her attention on the meetings with assistant manager Corey Sands and the team and to football.

"I've spent enough time in boardrooms and discussing finances," she said of her efforts to support the launch of the new SARF League (Sarzonian Australian Rules Football). The league will begin with a small number of teams and a strict salary cap of $10 million, although the teams would be allowed one exception to sign a player for up to $10 million per annum and not have that count against the cap. The league would disperse the national team players among its six entrants and look to draw other players, whether they be Sarzonian or from other countries. She'd made her pitch to the Sarzonian interUniversity League (OOC: Sarzonia's equivalent to the U.S. NCAA) to establish a Top Division league of university sides, several of which would be elevated from informal club teams.

To say she and the team were excited about getting back to preparation for football itself was an understatement. Focusing on tactics against an unknown Soldera and a match against rival Kriegiersien would be a welcome change. So, too, would seeing Kriegiersien's players clothed.

"We don't want to see anyone's bits dangling about," left full forward Reggie Brown said.

Six years ago, Sylestone's first-ever Australian Rules Football team was established. It was one young side, with all players being 25 years or below. Now, with the team one of the most experienced in the multiverse and the majority of the players at their peak, the chance for a second title is at its absolute highest, even more so than it was on home soil during ARWC III. However, with the likes of HUElavia, hosts The Alani and StrayaRoos Barrier Islands in the same group, the Hawthorns will certainly be put up to the test, with their status as the second-best side in the multiverse not giving them too many favours against some determined underdogs. Can they fulfil their expectations, or will the Hawthorns finally meet their match? No one knows, but one thing's for sure: it will be a thrilling journey to watch.

Nickname:
The Hawthorns

Full Forwards:
Left: James Stevenson (30)
Centre: Lachlan Fiedler (26)
Right: Brian Cleavey (27)

Half Forwards:
Left: Karyn Eamers (29)
Centre:Daniel Little (31)
Right: Felix Armstrong (31) (c)

Centre
Left Wing: Cory Brocklehurst (31)
Centre: Shannon Heart (29)
Right Wing: Hamish Medford (21)

Half Backs:
Left: Riley Mershert (21)
Centre: Steven Mead (25)
Right: Ashlyn Mead (27)

Full Backs:
Left: Jason Crow (21)
Centre: Jordan Bride (23)
Right: Fergus Boult (30)

Followers:
Ruckman: Percy Jones (27)
Rover: Jack Grange (28)
Ruck-Rover: Rhonda Kirkgard (26)

Interchangers:
Peter Mackay (Full-Forward, Half-Forwards) (28)
Anil Garagar (Half-Forward, Centre) (25)
Chloe Smudge (Half-Back) (31)
Tristan Nair (Full-Back) (30)

If my opponents RP first:
They may do anything, just no killing or cheating of the sort. If you plan on doing something drastic, please gain my prior permission.

Manager: George Calvin
Assistant: Joe Brighton

Full Forwards:
Left: Tricia Raneri
Centre: Elvis Faustina
Right: Marika Ajello

Half Forwards:
Left: Trace Agostini
Centre: Lex Akers
Right: Malachai Barnes

Centre
Left Wing: Vontae Springer
Centre: Quincy Johnson
Right Wing: Keiana Briggs

Half Backs:
Left: Royce Diaz
Centre: Cullen Andersen
Right: Dani Sayers

Full Backs:
Left: Ronnie Lando
Centre: Craig Bowman
Right: John Tolliver

Followers:
Ruckman: Kenton Monk
Rover: Neil Corwin
Ruck-Rover: Camilla Deering

Interchangers:
Bill Borghi (Full-Forward, Half-Forwards
Porsche Ermacora (Half-Forward, Centre
Salomè Darcy (Half-Back)
Roxanna Adelardi (Full-Back)


If my opponents RP first:
They may do anything, just no killing.

First cut off.

Group 1.

Kriegiersien 27.8.170 def. The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans 12.4.76
Soldera 5.10.40 def. by Sarzonia 17.30.132

*                                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Kriegiersien                              1    1  0  0  170  76 +94    4
2 Sarzonia                                  1    1  0  0  132  40 +92    4
3 Soldera                                   1    0  0  1   40 132 −92    0
4 The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans      1    0  0  1   76 170 −94    0

Group 2.

Baggieland 21.20.146 def. StrayaRoos 4.6.30
Copper Cuprum 6.12.48 def. by Hebitaka 12.21.93

*                       Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Baggieland             1    1  0  0  146  30 +116   4
2 Hebitaka               1    1  0  0   93  48 +45    4
3 Copper Cuprum          1    0  0  1   48  93 −45    0
4 StrayaRoos             1    0  0  1   30 146 −116   0

Group 3.

HUElavia 18.8.116 def. The Alani 12.13.85
StrayaRoos Barrier Islands 4.4.28 def. by Sylestone 10.33.93

*                                Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Sylestone                       1    1  0  0   93  28 +65    4
2 HUElavia                        1    1  0  0  116  85 +31    4
3 The Alani                       1    0  0  1   85 116 −31    0
4 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands      1    0  0  1   28  93 −65    0

Group 4.

Alice Bay 12.13.85 def. by TJUN-ia 14.12.96
Illahee 10.12.72 def. by Ko-oren 18.11.119

*                       Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                1    1  0  0  119  72 +47    4
2 TJUN-ia                1    1  0  0   96  85 +11    4
3 Alice Bay              1    0  0  1   85  96 −11    0
4 Illahee                1    0  0  1   72 119 −47    0

Name: Illahee
Nickname: Thunderbirds
Colors: blue & gold

Head Coach: Adam Russell
Assistant Coaches: Brett Smith, Matt Beveridge, Luke Petrie

Starting 18:
RBP: Liam Richards
FB: Jake Vandemeer
RBP: Andrew Hunter

LBF: Dom Martin
CHB: Brad Hannan
RBF: Elliot Sweet

LW: Zac Gardner
C: Jack Dunkley
RW: Nic Cordy

LFF: Tim Wallis
CHF: Oscar Crozier
RFF: Luke Williams

LFP: Liam Parker
FF: Dylan Kent
RFP: Ryan Sharman

Ru: Sebastian Wicks
RR: Bradley Taylor
Ro: Jack Highmore

Interchangers:
Isaac Hickey
Dan Wilkie
Callum Heath
Leo Kirk

Permissions:
Choose my goalscorers- Yes
Godmod scoring events- Yes, nothing ridiculous
Roleplay injuries to my players- Yes
Godmod injuries to my players- Yes, nothing permanent
Godmod other events- Yes, within reason
Suspend my players- Yes

Ko-oren's EAGLES at the Fourth Aussie Rules World Cup

Why the Eagles? In absence of players from the central bits of Ko-oren, and as long as Aussie Rules isn't that popular in those areas at all, the team has opted for Eagles over Dragonflies.
Colours: Brown, with yellow, green, and blue elements. Away: White, with green and blue trim.
Which languages are spoken by this team? About half of the team speaks the rarest language within the Ko-orenite language family: Tarrashall. The rest speaks Mawr (a Gaelic language). A small minority speaks English, French, Gehrenna, or Dutch. The names of the players should speak for themselves.

Starting XVIII
LBP Cadeyren yAtcion (20) - yNelseg
FB Dodtwr yGeollrhom (25) - Mawrystwyth
RBP Targabiddy Winnlip (27) - Eaglebury
LBF Angus Clarke (22) - Eaglebury
CHB Corringoora Pundaroo (32) - Aralla
RBF Cemrwd yFfachwis (29) - Llandy
C Sauronu Thunjerdindhen (25) - Llandy
Ro Culludie Yarragee (23) - Eaglebury
Ru Eogan yWenenys (20) - yDremdwn
RR Mallerbury Lawarjarro (24) - Aralla
LW Peswfis yGwllcwl (25) - Llandy
RW Jowlee Minrong (23) - Eaglebury
LFF Aart Trutman (25) - Llandy
CHF Limbie Yembeane (31) - Myaranowra
RFF Max Girault (22) - Mawrystwyth
LFP Melvin Archer (23) - Mawrystwyth
FF Kagageera Wanbin (27) - Tarrashall
RFP Jongalin Curramback (24) - Myaranowra

Interchange
RBP Pelishwl yMidwol (27) - yNelseg
Ru Seortawl yPaeblws (24) - Mawrystwyth
RW Edmond Sabilline (27) - East ARL
FF Lewrnhael yFidcawd (28) - yMhinem

Further selections
LFF Caddas yGorllaenanach (20) - Llandy
Ru Jowella Loomerra (24) - Aralla

Choose my (goal)scorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: N
Roleplay injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Godmod other events: Within reason

Amphitheatre 2 was packed to see the return of Aussie Rules on The Alani's home soil for the very first time. It was nice to see such a big turnout for a humble sport like this one and the Jaguars were ready for such an occasion. David Scott felt he made progress by reaching our first Semi last time out, but he also knew that in order to cement ourselves as a member of the "New Big 4", we had to do that again...maybe go one further as well. That was the plan but our first test would be good ol' Alice Bay, a team that fellas over in Baggieland seem to think aren't cut out for a sport like this.

AB is ranked #9 in the world for a reason and they certainly proved that today, going toe-to-toe with us in a tournament well known for its blowouts. Orange and Blue vs Red and Blue would be an absolute belter of a game, where both teams found ways to score and the play was all about "attack or be attacked". The Full-Forwards were the main men of this contest here today as Ashton Liane, Luke Teara, Elan Yaringarra, Logan Jackson, Gregor McHulton and Steven Cox all decided to ball out today. The scoreline was a bit back and forth as both goals and behinds galore but the deciding factor would be shown late on. Alice Bay pressed us on but was just too inaccurate to keep it up towards the end. The Jags would slowly pull away before the siren sounded, signalling a tough but deserved 11-point win.

THE CALL
The Jaguars are here to win it all,
For TJUN-ia, we'll play for all!
Our flag is raised, Orange and Blue,
And we all know just what to do!
We'll fight, fight, fight and we'll win, win, win
Until the flag is ours to win!
So come aboard and sing, sing, sing
FOR THE JAGUARS ARE HERE TO WIN!

We are still good, but maybe the nations around us are starting to creep up and show their worth as well. The Big Game against Ko-oren will be very telling as we look to try and make it back to the Final 4 once again. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 4, all games at the Maghas Amphitheatres, Maghas, The Alani)
MD1: vs Alice Bay (9) - Amphitheatre 2 W 14.12.96 def. 12.13.85 (2nd)
MD2: vs Ko-oren (5) - Amphitheatre 2
MD3: vs Illahee (UR) - Amphitheatre 3

The Sarzonian national Aussie Rules Football team started off the previous Aussie Rules World Cup with a 102-99 defeat at the hands of HUElavia. After that, the Stars rolled to their second title from three World Cups, knocking out Baggieland in the quarterfinals and seldom-defeated Sylestone in the final to capture the crown.

This fourth edition, the second one to see Sarzonia as defending champions, got off to a much different start as they defeated Soldera 132-40. The Stars are in second place in the extremely early going courtesy of Kriegiersien defeating The Islamic Caliphate of The Balkans 170-76, but Sampson said she isn't concerned about where the teams are after one matchday.

"It's only one matchday," she said. "We have no margin for error, but we can't put much stock in what happens after one matchday. We've got work to do, and we can't afford to be distracted."

One of the distractions Sampson warned against involves the Matchday 3 tilt against Kriegiersien, as many observers expect the teams to battle to determine which team earns the higher seed in the quarterfinals round and which one will face a tougher climb to the semifinals. For Sampson, that talk was also premature.

"We've got our match against The Balkans," she said. "If we don't win that one, we risk being eliminated at the group stage." That's something that's never happened in the brief history of this World Cup, as Sarzonia have advanced to at least the semifinals in all three iterations of the competition. A Stars team that can count on one hand the number of defeats it has suffered in history may not necessarily have to be concerned about a team like The Balkans, but that may be part of why Sampson and her teams are so successful. They focus on the task at hand, and it's a trait that certainly has gotten noticed by rivals Baggieland.

Sampson said she was never contacted by Baggieland for their then-vacant managerial position, saying that she was focusing on building the programme in Sarzonia. That said, she admitted if Baggieland were to come calling, it would have been "flattering, for sure."

"It's a good sign that we're doing well in this competition," she said.

As for Soldera, manager George Calvin admitted after the match that his team were expecting "a reality check" against a team with Sarzonia's pedigree in the sport.

"They're defending champions," he said. "They've won two of the three championships this sport has ever contested. We're making our international debut. The thought that we could walk in and expect an upset against that team is rather far-fetched. That said, we've got a lot of work to do to compete. Playing a team of that calibre showed us where our weaknesses are."

Granted, one of those might be cohesiveness. The Solderans played like a team that weren't familiar with each other, as they'd only just had a training camp. As for the Sarzonians, the Stars played like a team that were a well-oiled machine.

"We've got a tough one against Kriegiersien," Calvin said. "They're another experienced side."

Sometimes, a team wins its first-ever match and can chalk it up to anything from beginners' luck to actual talent.

That didn't happen for Soldera. The kingdom's national Aussie Rules Football team was hastily-assembled and it showed against top ranked defending champions Sarzonia in a 132-40 defeat to the Stars.

Manager George Calvin acknowledged that his Snakes had a tough fight on its hands against a team that won two of the three World Cups in the history of the sport and finished third the other time out.

"It was a definite reality check for us," he said. "They're defending champions. "They've won two of the three championships this sport has ever contested. We're making our international debut. The thought that we could walk in and expect an upset against that team is rather far-fetched. That said, we've got a lot of work to do to compete. Playing a team of that caliber showed us where our weaknesses are."

One of the weaknesses was clearly cohesion. The Snakes were called for 23 penalties that gave the Stars multiple free-kicks and even a 50-yard penalty that directly led to a first-quarter goal that gave the Stars a 19-2 lead. Right full forward Marika Ajello scored the first goal in Solderan team history to cut the deficit to 19-8, but the Snakes could get no closer.

"They ran away with it," Calvin said. "We're going to have to regroup."

It doesn't get a whole lot easier in their next match, as they face Kriegiersien, another side with experience. Only groupmates The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans are a team with comparable experience to Soldera's. That team lost to Kriegiersien 170-76. The Balkans side will face Sarzonia next. As for the match between the Snakes and Kriegiersien, Calvin said he wanted to manage expectations straight away.

"We've got a tough one against Kriegiersien," Calvin said. "They're another experienced side."

Cut off!

Matchday Two.

Group 1.

The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans 4.0.24 def. by Sarzonia 34.18.222
Kriegiersien 10.6.66 def. by Soldera 27.8.170

*                                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                                  2    2  0  0  354  64 +290   8
2 Soldera                                   2    1  0  1  210 198 +12    4
3 Kriegiersien                              2    1  0  1  236 246 −10    4
4 The Islamic Caliphate of the Balkans      2    0  0  2  100 392 −292   0

Group 2.

StrayaRoos 6.10.46 def. by Hebitaka 20.15.135
Baggieland 24.15.159 def. Copper Cuprum 6.6.42

*                       Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Baggieland             2    2  0  0  305  72 +233   8
2 Hebitaka               2    2  0  0  228  94 +134   8
3 Copper Cuprum          2    0  0  2   90 252 −162   0
4 StrayaRoos             2    0  0  2   76 281 −205   0

Group 3.

The Alani 18.4.112 def. by Sylestone 21.8.134
HUElavia 23.16.154 def. StrayaRoos Barrier Islands 4.8.32

*                                Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                        2    2  0  0  270 117 +153   8
2 Sylestone                       2    2  0  0  227 140 +87    8
3 The Alani                       2    0  0  2  197 250 −53    0
4 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands      2    0  0  2   60 247 −187   0

Group 4.

TJUN-ia 22.13.145 def. Ko-oren 6.10.46
Alice Bay 14.10.94 def. by Illahee 14.13.97

*                       Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 TJUN-ia                2    2  0  0  241 131 +110   8
2 Illahee                2    1  0  1  169 213 −44    4
3 Ko-oren                2    1  0  1  165 217 −52    4
4 Alice Bay              2    0  0  2  179 193 −14    0

After a nervy win over Alice Bay kicked off our 4th ARWC, the main message being received back from TJUN-ia was a simple one: Beat Ko-oren. While our performance against Alice Bay was far from perfect, it was enough to take the dub and give David Scott's Jaguars the confidence boost it needed heading into a very important matchup with the Eagles back at Amphitheatre 2 here in The Alani. Ko-oren were the team we beat at the 3rd tournament in order to break into the Top 4 in the first place and so everyone knew the Eagles would want some revenge heading into this monster game for the Group.

What would follow would turn out to be one of the most surprising results in the history of TJUN-ian Aussie Rules Football. Blowing a team out of the water is par for the course in this tournament, it happens all the time. But to do it to a top team, a team that was Top 4 not that long ago, may not have ever happened before in the young history of this tournament. Ko-oren only managed 46 points in this game, most of them through the play from Melvin Archer and Limbie Yembeane, but other than that it was one-way traffic for most of this contest and that was a surprising revelation for everyone involved. Out of the 22 goals we scored, 9 of them came from Captain Steven Cox, who simply had a field day with everything turning out as it did. In the end, the Eagles were simple flightless and the 99-point gap exemplified one of the most shocking results between two ranked teams in this sport's history.

THE CALL
The Jaguars are here to win it all,
For TJUN-ia, we'll play for all!
Our flag is raised, Orange and Blue,
And we all know just what to do!
We'll fight, fight, fight and we'll win, win, win
Until the flag is ours to win!
So come aboard and sing, sing, sing
FOR THE JAGUARS ARE HERE TO WIN!

Now you may think we're safe at 2-0 but losing to unranked Illahee, a nation who just beat Alice Bay by 3 points in the other game, could make things a lot interesting for Finals berths. We shall celebrate tonight but once we get to Amphitheatre 3, game mode shall return to us all. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 4, all games at the Maghas Amphitheatres, Maghas, The Alani)
MD1: vs Alice Bay (9) - Amphitheatre 2 W 14.12.96 def. 12.13.85 (2nd)
MD2: vs Ko-oren (5) - Amphitheatre 2 W 22.13.145 def. 6.10.46 (1st)
MD3: vs Illahee (UR) - Amphitheatre 3

Two remote regions with few people in them are the entire reason there's an 'Aussie Rules' scene in Ko-oren. Aussie Rules being the international name of the sport, known locally under various monikers, but usually called 'Southern Rules Football'. The international ruleset is now accepted in both regions, but back in the day they both played similar (but slightly different) versions of a ruleset of Ko-orenite football, which itself shares similarities with a lot of internationally known football codes, from gridiron, to either rugby family, to soccer. It's a complicated family tree that we're sure we'll one day draw out entirely - once the experts are clear on what ruleset (and which rules, exactly) come from what inspirations.

Anyhow, let's look at one of the two regions now. We'll look at West Strand Riding now, and we'll save Mawryshire for later.

West Strand Riding is massive (2nd in size among 30 subdivisions) but harbours a tiny population (barely over half a million, 20th among 30) and ends up with the third lowest population density (after Nordoren and Amandine). It's located on the west coast of Ko-oren - hence 'West Strand Riding', with West Strand meaning 'western beach' and the 'Riding' part explained later. This long yet narrow strip of land is separated from the rest of the country by our nation's tallest mountain range. It is known for bad and cold weather, being on the rainy side of the mountains, steep cliffs, and other nasty geography. The small population shouldn't surprise you, and even then about half of the population lives in and around Eaglebury, the one city with somewhat of an outside connection to Leeshire across the mountains, as well as southwestern Mawryshire.

Riding: that implies there's three. Back in the day, when Ko-oren didn't encompass the entire archipelago, there were only the capitals. The four cities were one riding - the most important one and responsible for well over 80% of the GDP of well over a millennium ago. The next riding is now known as Mayara, the rural hinterland that supplies the capitals with food and such. The third riding was the West Strand, remote and difficult to get to, with barely a population to speak of. That also summarises the region's history: apart from small, pastoral settlements, it wasn't until the growth of the city of Eaglebury - with an English name rather than a name in the local Tarrashall language - that WSR received attention, and that's not all that long ago.

WSR has a big local sports scene, with plenty of top division clubs. Local identity is very strong, and barely any talent slips through the cracks, so they can punch above their weight a bit. With the Eaglebury Emperors, the region even has a club in one of the two largest competitions of the country, the gridiron league. Now that WSR AFC promoted to the top level, there's even a West Strand club in soccer's Top League. Apart from that, one sixth of the rugby union premiership play here: Eaglebury Aquila, and the Tarrashall Travellers, a club made up of players from all over the west coast that usually play in the town of Tarrashall but they have home games all over the coast, from Nyashawill to Myaranowra, to Jillong, to Aralla. And then there are the six Southern Rules clubs: Aralla, Jillong, Myaranowra, Nyashawill, Tarrashall, and Eaglebury.

The governor of West Strand Riding has been here for a while, and as the subdivision didn't change under the new system, will probably stick around for a while. The key interests of the region are its remoteness (and connection to other parts of the country), limited agricultural output, increasing strategic importance (with the addition of Anaian lands to our northwest instead of Ko-oren being the furthest point out in that direction), and varying local interests.

A team just beginning a competition for the first time is expected to go through some growing pains and take lumps against experienced sides.

That was certainly the expectation Solderan national Aussie Rules Football manager George Calvin had as he looked to temper the expectations of the Solderan media out to cover the fourth edition of the Aussie Rules World Cup.

"We just hope we can win a match," Calvin told the media the day after getting shellacked by defending champions Sarzonia in the team's international debut. "We hoped we'd be competitive against The Islamic Caliphate, but we expected to take our lumps against Sarzonia, which we did, and Kriegiersien."

When the final whistle sounded in the match between Soldera and Kriegiersien, it was the more experienced eighth ranked Kriegiersien who took the lumps and the debutant Solderans who dished them out. The Snakes earned their first victory of the Aussie Rules World Cup with a 170-66 throttling that saw the Snakes suddenly in position to potentially advance to the knockout rounds with a victory over The Islamic Caliphate of The Balkans after that team got demolished by Sarzonia 222-24. The scenario is simple for the Solderans: Win and they're through to the quarterfinals.

"I don't think anyone expected this to happen," left wing Vontae Springer said after he scored three goals and added four behinds for the Snakes (1-0-1). "The way we played against the Stars, we looked for all the world like a team that never played together before. This time, we played with a lot more cohesion." The team not only played with cohesion that was surprising given how little the team have been together, they played like a team that knew what Kriegiersien were intending to do before they did it. That was credited to Calvin and his preparation.

"We spent a lot of time going over their tendencies," Calvin said. "We wanted to be prepared for everything, especially any wrinkles they tried to throw at us." Obviously, a victory over fellow debutants The Islamic Caliphate would send the Snakes through to the quarterfinals no matter what Kriegiersien did against Sarzonia, but if the Stars defeat Kriegiersien, Soldera will advance no matter their result against The Islamic Caliphate. Even a defeat against The Islamic Caliphate could potentially send Soldera through. Calvin said he didn't want it to come down to that.

"Obviously, we'd rather get the result and not have to depend on Sarzonia doing their jobs," he said. "I think they're probably going to, but I don't want to have to sneak in through the back door if I don't have to." He chuckled a bit when he thought about what he'd just said. He shook his head and added, "I can't believe we're even talking seriously about the prospect of playing in the quarterfinals right now. That's a heady place for us to be in."