The Marauders were playing as fairly well as could have been hoped for, unbeaten through the first six games of the qualifiers and looking at the next international window with the intent to try and keep it that way. Losing the perfect record in the last match against the Warriors of Milchama had been a bit disappointing but getting perfect qualifying records in the past had not been a signal that the team was going to do well in the Finals. The Finals was the ultimate goal, it was where push came to shove and you either were able to stand your ground or you were sent home. While there was now a few more safety ropes in place with the expansion of the Finals to forty-eight and the inclusion of another knockout round, letting most third placed teams make the knockouts as well, there was still an edge to the World Cup Finals that could not be replicated in any other environment. That edge, that intensity, the gauntlet that you have to run through in order to be crowned as champion was exactly the same reason that winners were given as much respect as they were and multiple time winners all that much more. It is more a dream than reality and yet all who enter into the fray pursue that dream regardless.
If there was a pleasant surprise from this version of the team that was in pursuit of the sixth title, it was that the defense was playing at a far greater standard that what was typically expected of them. Defense is a necessity in Vanorian football but it is hardly ever the priority, a match won five to three or six to two is far more pleasant than one that is won one or two to nothing. While no one is going to look down at getting three points in that sort of game where the defense does shine and is the main factor in the Marauders coming away with the victory, it is not going to be the focal point. In the past the national team has usually relied on highly athletic keepers that could make up for defensive lapses with their reflexes, while letting individually great defenders make up the backline. While it was expected to be more of the same with this team, the back four have found some sort of chemistry where they are playing incredibly well as a complete unit and Propst behind them has been quite a wall when the team has had their shape be broken down by the opposition. A better than average defensive effort will turn the Marauders into an even more imposing team than what they already are.
What was not in short supply was the quality of the attack, although the combination of getting to play Laborious Hawk as a false nine and then have Imre Haaland as the tip of the spear is perhaps a bit of an unfair advantage for the Marauders. You have one of the most technically gifted players to have ever played the game, the captain of each and every one of the Marauders World Cup triumphs and he is playing the support role to a striker who has all the tools as well as the footballing IQ to know where to be and when more often than not. Some explosive wingers who can score when it is needed and it is a recipe for disaster for most of the opposition as they try to figure out who to try and mark out of the game, as there is no clear answer as one of the other attackers or even the midfield could just as easily step up to be the difference. Averaging three goals a game thus far in the qualifiers is a testament to how difficult the free flowing attack of the Marauders is and that the Drawkian's tactics have allowed players a bit of freedom to get forward whenever they want, even if it at times does leave the defense a bit exposed.
The next international is a bit of a point about the oddness of the campaign though, with the team hosting Frayston at the Hatire Memorial, who are winless though they have three draws through their first six. Surprisingly they are not last in the group as Qasden beneath them has had an even more dreadful beginning to their campaign and it comes as a bit of a shock, considering it was not that long ago that Qasden was battling to qualify. On paper it is a game that should be quite like their game against Nueva Compostela, a relatively straightforward game where the side had won three to nothing at the end of the ninety. While that should be the case, they do have three draws to their name and could have a bit of a fight back as they attempt a late start at getting their own qualifying campaign back in order and try to reach for fifth and the last playoff spot. After that, it is a trip to Baker Park, and the Bees are owed a bit of vengeance after winning the last encounter between the two teams when they won in the third placed game against the Marauders in the Empire at the end of the ARC. While the Bees might have the home advantage in the match, and have played exceptionally well to begin the campaign, the Marauders clinical finishing, improved defensive cohesion, and desire to get one over on the Bees should provide ample motivation to grab at least a draw if not a victory to keep the side at the top of the table heading to the halfway point.
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