Derby Mayhem hit Newcastle when Australia's number three ranked league: Adelaide Roller Derby's Adeladies, took on new power Newcastle's Dockyard Dames in a bruising encounter.
"Oh my god, I think I nearly cracked 3 blood vessels tonight" said Adelaide Roller Derby (ADRD) legend Vaderella, when speaking to RDAU post bout. "This is what we play for" "when we play shit hot derby and the crowd are stomping their feet".
Adelady Kit Cat Krunch, started the bout with a bang taking the first lead jammer of the night. Tussling hard in the pack until she finally bust through to score the first points of the night in what proved to be indicative of what was in store for the remainder of the bout.
Hippy Hardarse got her dancing skates on to weave her way through a fast skating pack to claw back the initial South Australian advantage. It wasn't until the Adeladies pack trapped Team Australia skater, Susy Pow that a gap was struck on the score board with the Adeladies scoring a massive 18 point jam.
Tight packs, strong walls and massive hits saw jammers barely managing a point or two before being forced to call off the jams. Both The Dockyard Dames & the Adeladies played fast tactical derby until penalties begun to take their toll on the well laid plans of the benchies.
Defcon Dani taking full advantage of having the Adelady jammer in the penalty box lapping hard and sneaking through for a 14 point jam before the Adeladies jammer could be sprung from the box and end the jam.
Late in the 1st half with the penalties still piling up team Zebra and the NSO crew were being kept very busy needing more than a couple official time outs to sort out the facts.
Kit Cat Krunch stormed around the flat track before a flying Susy Pow bounced off barely registering a hit as she continued around the apex to mow down DangeRass a moment later. Newcastle started the last jam of the half with the only jammer on the line as Kit Cat Krunch had been sent off following a review of play by the NSO's. The Adeladies blockers played a hard defence and forced a no point jam to end the half Adeladies 63, Dockyard Dames 51.
The second half saw a renewed Dames side begin to chip away at the rock solid defence of the Adelaide team, bringing the score tantalizingly close at Dames, 72 to the Adeladies 74. The home crowd rallied as the Dames begun to take control. Newcastle took lead jammer jam after jam eating into the point buffer the local fans going crazy in the stands stomping their feet creating a deafening sound. When the Dames took the score to 78-76 in their favour the sound climbed another decibel level still.
Adelaide fought hard trying to recapture their advantage but got a little loose with their tactics which resulted in both their jammer and a blocker off to the penalty bin to join Newcastle's, The Cramp, leaving the way open for the Dames to score freely.
Pressing their advantage DangeRass squeezed her way through another tight pack and begun her attack, not even the Adeladies jammer being sprung from the box could stop her 16 point jam.
Adelaide's Tricksey Belt'em struck from the jammer line and smashed her way through, lapping at a lighting pace. Dame's, Babycakes is set loose from her trip to the penalty box as the jam clock ran down.
With just a couple of Adeladies on the track the Dame's DangeRass again skates at a furious speed while the opposition belt her from all angles. Continuing to skate for her life while taking serious enough punishment for the crowd to collectively wince and groan each time she takes another hit though she still manages an amazing 12 point jam!
Penalties continued to play a major part in the bout with just four players stepping up at one point to begin the jam. Just one jammer and a pair of blockers from each side.
As the end nears the score locks up at 119 at the beginning of the last jam of the night. The local fans put up the chant "NEW-CAST-LE, NEW-CAST-LE, NEW-CAST-LE!" Cheering and stamping their feet expecting to see the local heroines takeout the night with just one jam left, expectations ran high and the emotion was palpable.
Both sides skated hard and fast, fans cheered and jumped with excitement. The jam was a furious blur and confusion. Fans ran down for slaps only to be sent back to the stands as the ref's and officials gathered to decided what was needed. Ref Major Puddles called it, with two ghost points saw the Adeladies taking out the night 122 to the Dockyard Dames 121.
Ref Terence Trent Derby, later explained to RDAU that it was "yellow 79" and the points were 2 for 2 and the South Aussie ghost point tipping the balance.
The hard and fast nature of the bout showed off the skills and experience of the teams, suggesting that New Zealand's Pirate City Rollers who will play host to both within the next month better be on guard for an Aussie derby assault.
By Pepa la POW!
Photos by Roaringstorm Photography & Nick Nav Sullivan
Atricle by Roller Derby AU
