2018 was a big year for the club, marking the inaugural season of the League of Legends Oceanic Professional League (OPL) under the Bombers branding after acquiring the ‘Abyss Esports’ OPL licence and roster at the start of the year. 

In Split 1 of 2018, our team finished in seventh place in the OPL, falling short on the expectations of both our team and the pundits.

However, this result did not disappoint or dishearten our players, but instead gave them the motivation and fire. The players realised they had a lot to learn and had one more chance and so committed to giving everything to perform better in Split 2.

This positive response and dedication shown by the players made it clear to the organisation that better results could be achieved with the same players.

In Split 2 this hard work and faith in each other paid off with the Bombers team proving a threat to any team in the League, taking at least one game win from every other team in the League, including Dire Wolves.

The team also achieved their first ever playoffs. This turnaround is a testament to the motivation and hard work of the players, but also the coaching structures around them.

With the 2018 season officially at its end, we have taken the time to reflect on the 2018 season and evaluate our processes, support structures and roster moving forward. It is through these evaluations that we have come to an incredibly tough decision to not renew the contracts of any of our 2018 starting roster.  

Today we officially say goodbye to Christian ‘Sleeping’ Tiensuu, Sebastian ‘Seb’ De Ceglie, Carlo ‘Looch’ La Civita, Alan ‘Tiger’ Roger and Andrew ‘Rosey’ Rose.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players for their service to the organisation over the last one to three years and wish them the best of luck moving forward.

Bombers esports first year wrap-up

Our Head of Esports Nathan Mathews discusses each of the departures below:

‘Sleeping joined the Bombers team at the start of the year, taking a huge leap to move from Finland to Australia to play in the OPL. 

Christian showed an incredible amount of resilience over the course of 2018. He had to endure a lot of personal issues that would take a major toll on anybody, but Christian was determined to push through and deliver the best performances he could for his team.

If there is one thing that I will miss the most about Christian, it’s his uncanny ability to make his teammates laugh, no matter what the situation. His personal growth over the course of the year was staggering and I wish him the best of luck moving forward. 

Captain and second-longest-serving member on the Bombers line up, Seb, joined the organisation in 2016, Split 2 as a replacement for an underaged player. Throughout his time at the club, Seb was a consistently a leader and friend for all of the players. 

It’s hard to know where to begin when describing Seb and what he has done for the team. Seb was an extremely selfless person who was always doing the best he could to support the team no matter the circumstance and this was something that the public never truly got to see.

He was always pushing the players outside of their comfort zone (and rooms!) and was a leader for all the other players on the team. Seb has been a great servant to the organisation over the last three years and I will forever be thankful for his efforts and commitment.

Looch was the longest-serving player for the organisation. Carlo’s journey was not without its ups and downs, but we are eternally grateful for his contribution to the team over the last 3 years.

Carlo joined the Abyss OCS team in 2016 and played a major role in the promotion of the club into the OPL. Since then, Carlo has gone from stride to stride in his development as a player and teammate.

I am extremely humbled to have had the opportunity to watch Carlo grow as not only a player but also a person over the last three years. Carlo has always been at the centre of our team’s success. He consistently was able to perform under pressure.

Despite his early reluctance, Carlo took major steps to push forward with his development and step outside of his comfort zone. He went from an incredibly self-focused play style to becoming a leader on the team.

His growth, especially over the last six months, has been truly inspiring. Whichever team he goes to next will be incredibly lucky to have him.

Joining the organisation at the start of the 2018 season, Tiger demonstrated an excellent work ethic and drive to succeed. We wish Alan the best of luck moving forward.

Alan made a big decision to move overseas to Australia and we couldn’t be more grateful to him for his contribution to the team.

Alan was exceptionally hard working and resilient, but most importantly, he was a true friend to all of the members on the team. I have no doubt he will have a bright future.

Rosey joined the organisation under the Abyss brand in the middle of 2017. Over the last 15 months Andrew has played an important role in the development of the team and was a vital reason for the team's first finals campaign. 

We would like to thank Andrew for his time at the club and wish him the best of luck for the future.

Throughout 2018 the team had a lot of ups and downs, but Andrew was always committed in the improvement and development of the team. Andrew played a huge role in enabling the team to qualify for gauntlet and I wish him the best of luck in the future.

The players above will also be remembered as important members of the organisation, but it is now time for us to finish the chapter and begin writing a new one. To all of our fans, we thank you for your continued support, the best is yet to come.’