Only 8 teams left in the fight for the throne, after a 1st round full of surprises. Only 2 settled AA teams have made it to round 2, and both of them in the Lion conference. In Elephant the new teams have cleaned house, and are 4/4 to go on.
4 of the biggest favorites to the title, EEORG, RSW, BoB and Cairo Crocs, are sure to spend another season in AA, and the fans are not at all happy. EEORG's official representative have even aired ideas of shutting the franchise down, and look for a better place to start anew.
It really says something about the strength of AA#1 when that strong teams can be eliminated in round 1, and in those numbers.
Round 2 features 4 excellent games, and all 8 teams have what it takes to go to the conference finals. Each game ofc has its favorite, but more on that later. With the new promotion system in play for a 2nd season, it looks like 4 teams could be promoted, making a win in these games a ticket to AAA. More on the line usually means better games, so lets hope that we arent disappointed.
Warriors of Anubis at Cape Verde Headhunters
Cape Verde gave Freetown a solid beating in round 1, in a game that looks pretty even in all stats except the final score. After their week 16 win against Katanga, and the win against Freetown last week, they have to take the favorite role here. WoA is an underdog with a nasty bite tho, and last round they showed RSW the way to the exit with an impressive showing. RSW was predicted the pre-season favorite to win Lion conference, and probably had the highest avg lvl in the league. All this makes WoA's win that much more impressive. They seem to just get better as the season goes on, and Cape Verde's 45-38 win from earlier this season looks pretty good to WoA atm, their development taking into consideration.
CVH as favorites, but not by much
Cairo Cannibals at Richmond Raiders
Richmond came into the league on one of the "wildcards" last season, but have fought their way to the top with some great signings and solid performances. They finished #1 in Elephant, and are perhaps the biggest favorite to the title as at this point. Their only loss came against RMoG, who they have a chance of facing again in the conference final if they can beat Cairo. They won a close games against the Crocs in round 1, but will have to do even better to win out here. Cairo is defending A#2 champions, and finished the season in #4 spot with a 12-4 record. They sent Rwanda packing last week in a game that might have caused a few heart attacks. They will need to reduce turn overs today, or it will be uphill all the way. Their previous meeting resulted in a 42-28 win for Richmond, but Cairo have probably had the biggest improvement since then. Should be a close game, and hard to name a favorite here.
Richmond as slight favorites.
Dakar Dragons at Real Men of Genius
RMoG finished in #2 spot, with only losses against BoB and EEORG blemishing their season. They are the only team so far to defeat Richmond, a good statistic to have as they stand a good chance of facing them next week in the conference final. They blew out Lake M in round 1 with an astounding 71-10 final score, and they are right up there with the favorites to the title. Dakar send out the guys from EEORG in a 1 pt game decided with 18 seconds to go last week, and are now facing RMoG in a copy of last years All #A teams tournament. Both then and earlier this season RMoG defeated the Dragons, and this is the perfect opportunity for revenge. The Dakar leadership has indirectly already rolled over on their backs, but the chance is there for Dakar. They finished #6 with a 11-5 record, and have shown signs of great talent all season, so they shouldn't be counted out, and if they can find the motivation, should be able to give RMoG a run for it.
RMoG as favorites
4 of the biggest favorites to the title, EEORG, RSW, BoB and Cairo Crocs, are sure to spend another season in AA, and the fans are not at all happy. EEORG's official representative have even aired ideas of shutting the franchise down, and look for a better place to start anew.
It really says something about the strength of AA#1 when that strong teams can be eliminated in round 1, and in those numbers.
Round 2 features 4 excellent games, and all 8 teams have what it takes to go to the conference finals. Each game ofc has its favorite, but more on that later. With the new promotion system in play for a 2nd season, it looks like 4 teams could be promoted, making a win in these games a ticket to AAA. More on the line usually means better games, so lets hope that we arent disappointed.
Warriors of Anubis at Cape Verde Headhunters
Cape Verde gave Freetown a solid beating in round 1, in a game that looks pretty even in all stats except the final score. After their week 16 win against Katanga, and the win against Freetown last week, they have to take the favorite role here. WoA is an underdog with a nasty bite tho, and last round they showed RSW the way to the exit with an impressive showing. RSW was predicted the pre-season favorite to win Lion conference, and probably had the highest avg lvl in the league. All this makes WoA's win that much more impressive. They seem to just get better as the season goes on, and Cape Verde's 45-38 win from earlier this season looks pretty good to WoA atm, their development taking into consideration.
CVH as favorites, but not by much
Cairo Cannibals at Richmond Raiders
Richmond came into the league on one of the "wildcards" last season, but have fought their way to the top with some great signings and solid performances. They finished #1 in Elephant, and are perhaps the biggest favorite to the title as at this point. Their only loss came against RMoG, who they have a chance of facing again in the conference final if they can beat Cairo. They won a close games against the Crocs in round 1, but will have to do even better to win out here. Cairo is defending A#2 champions, and finished the season in #4 spot with a 12-4 record. They sent Rwanda packing last week in a game that might have caused a few heart attacks. They will need to reduce turn overs today, or it will be uphill all the way. Their previous meeting resulted in a 42-28 win for Richmond, but Cairo have probably had the biggest improvement since then. Should be a close game, and hard to name a favorite here.
Richmond as slight favorites.
Dakar Dragons at Real Men of Genius
RMoG finished in #2 spot, with only losses against BoB and EEORG blemishing their season. They are the only team so far to defeat Richmond, a good statistic to have as they stand a good chance of facing them next week in the conference final. They blew out Lake M in round 1 with an astounding 71-10 final score, and they are right up there with the favorites to the title. Dakar send out the guys from EEORG in a 1 pt game decided with 18 seconds to go last week, and are now facing RMoG in a copy of last years All #A teams tournament. Both then and earlier this season RMoG defeated the Dragons, and this is the perfect opportunity for revenge. The Dakar leadership has indirectly already rolled over on their backs, but the chance is there for Dakar. They finished #6 with a 11-5 record, and have shown signs of great talent all season, so they shouldn't be counted out, and if they can find the motivation, should be able to give RMoG a run for it.
RMoG as favorites
