Back to future – Broekwater edition – Interview with Coach Arcayn.

Having not long been back in Middenheim after visting the Patriots in Lyonesse it is, with trepidation, that your correspondent sets off once again to more familiar (and enemy) territory.

As a general rule of thumb, Middenheimers don’t fare well when they travel south to Broekwater.

But, this time, it may well be different…

As we arrive at the High Tide stadium, it is strange to see something so familiar, but yet different.

There is the sounds of a team hard at practice, the bustle of a stadium in use and no longer abandoned, but the colours and iconography do not necessarily match the memory.

It would be disconcernting, if it was not for being met by an old DLE favourite on arrival.

Coach Arcayn and his assistants could not make more of a fuss if Karl-Franz himself had arrived. A generous (as to be expected) spread awaits us and after sampling to our fill, your correspondent sits down with the Coach to catch up.

Die Fauschlag Nachrichten: Coach Arcayn, its with pleasure that Blitz! welcomes you back to the league, how does it feel both to be back in the league generally, and to be in the SHC now, being a previous KFC alumni?

Coach Arcayn: Thanks for the welcome. It feels both great and a little odd to be back. Always great to be back in a successful league that I helped to create and lay the foundation for so many years ago. But it feels a little odd with so many different faces. It’s good to meet some new coaches, but this league for so many seasons had so little turnover in the coaching ranks that many names became synonymous with their franchises. I miss the likes of SpecialOne, Kaiowas, sonrises, Doofr, Wreckage, bghandras and many more. But as I say, new rivalries are fun to build. The SHC vs KFC thing might play more on me if more of the same coaches were still present. But with so many new faces, I honestly feel indifferent about that change.

DFN: What prompted the move to Broekwater? Surely the sun, sea and sand is better in Estalia then the Wasteland!

Coach A: Estalia and Tilea are surely more beautiful to the eye, but the game of bloodbowl is about brutality and blood. Broekwater has a very strong fan base, and for them to be without a DLE team seemed wrong to me. I considered taking the Bruisers to Remas, as the Capital of the World, Remas surely deserves a Blood Bowl team, but IMO that team should be the Eagles.

I tried to move the Marauders there a few seasons back and got ran out of town really quickly. Remans love their Eagles and really don’t seem to want any other team there. So I chose Broekwater, plus it has such a nice ring to it… Broekwater Bruisers, don’t you agree?

Plus, how could I turn down the chance to move into High Tide Stadium. State-of-the-art facility with a strong history. Hopefully by midseason we can have all of the ugly blue and red around the stadium repainted to the new Bruisers’ purple and black.

DFN: How did you find the first Draft back? You were active in trading out, do you think there is anything you will look to do differently next draft?

Coach A: After 6 games last season, I felt pretty good about the team. The girls held their own. Our 3/0/3 record last season, since I’ve taken over was every bit as good as coach Diuraskel’s 1/0/1 record in the regular season. AND don’t forget, it was us. We were the ones to keep the Wreckers from winning the division and forcing them into the wild card slot win a convincing 2-0 victory. [Coach A winks at me and the leans closer and speaks a little softer] this is how we build these rivalries with new coaches.

But I felt like we seemed to have most boxes checked. So in the comp draft we added a little Guard. But I have always been a coach here that loves Strength, and we had no Strength enhanced Blitzers or Line. Plus we were picking too late in the draft to have any hopes at drafting one. So I pulled the trigger on a trade with my old pal monkeyboy [he referes to Coach Chimp2010] and brought Saquon to town at what I considered a good price.

Then we had the opportunity to send a few late picks and our former Ogre to the Pats for All-World, Legendary DLE Ogre Kendall Reyes. Returning the former Pats fan favorite Reyes to Broekwater for next to nothing was a no brainer.

So this season we traded away our draft picks to bring in 2 established DLE Super Stars and a solid lineman to add to the already strong foundation.

Next season’s approach could be similar, or could be totally the opposite. We have no plan yet, we will have to see how the dominoes fall this season before making that determination.

DFN: Have ownership set you any targets for S14?

Coach A: The playoffs is the target for this season. We have a strong team here, but also have a very tough schedule going forward. Of my remaining 14 games, 10 are against teams that ranked in the top half of the league (according to the ARC rankings). However, we still believe we have what it takes to make the post-season.

DFN: How do you feel your SoS has gone to start the season what do you make of your rivals start in the SHC?

Coach A: SoS went pretty well. I would have liked 5 or 6 Points, but I believe 4 is a success. And to be +10 in the CAS category makes for a solid beginning

I think both my division rivals in the South and the main threats in the SHC are all about where I would expect them after SoS. Vikes, Manticores, Legion at the Top of the Conference. My division is going to be a dogfight, but currently is almost exactly where I’d expect them to be.

DFN: What has surprised you most about the DLE on your return?

Coach A: For me the biggest surprise in the DLE is that the Vikings have not won a Superbowl and that they have only reached 1. As for the league itself, I find it amazing that through all the change to both the game itself, the admin of the league, and the coaching turnover, a league of 32 franchises has continued to run so smoothly. Thanks to you and so many others for that.

DFN: The bruisers have a solid, if not spectacular history, how do you plan to add your name into that legacy?

Coach A: I hope that I can be more successful this go around in the DLE. My coaching history here is far less than spectacular. If it wasn’t for being one of the founders of the league, being the Enforcer in those important fledgling seasons, and being a vocal presence, I would probably not be regarded as highly as I am in the DLE. I hope this go around I will be able to take this strong roster I have built and play it up to it’s potential against these other world-class coaches in the DLE. If I can do that, I believe the writers of the history books in some years from now, will be kind about the legacy I leave here.

Your correspondent wants (for a change) to spend longer in Broekwater and he puts that down to the bonhomie of Coach Arcayn, but Coach has work to attend to.

Remas wasn’t built in a day and there is a still a long road ahead for the Bruisers. For sure the ghosts at the High Tide will not be satisfied until the name of Broekwater is back on top, and Coach A is off to a very encouraging start.