BUAFL Breakdown: Northern Conference (Part 2)

Manchester Tyrants

With the introduction of a new set of coaches this season, including new Head Coach Hugh English, the Tyrants are clearly a team in transition. Despite being involved in a number of close fixtures against Bradford and York, losing by a single score or less, Manchester seem to have taken a backward step when it comes to putting points on the board.

With fixtures against local rivals Manchester Met Eagles, Sheffield Sabres and conference leaders Hallam Warriors to come, there are sterner tests ahead for the Tyrants this season and it seems unlikely that the Lancashire side will see their 0-4 record improve.

Manchester Metropolitan Eagles

Manchester Met have been involved in some close battles so far this season against York and a nail-bitter with the Celtics, which took two periods of overtime to decide. Head Coach Jim Blinkhorn may be regretting going for the win in that one, but it shows the confidence he obviously has in his offence. But for a forceful hit in the end zone, he may have been vindicated in that decision.

Out of the sides in the bottom half of the table, the Eagles arguably have the easiest run-in to the end of the season with fixtures against the also winless Stallions, Fury and bottom-of-the-table rivals, Manchester Tyrants. With the defensive showing displayed against York, a rampant Bangor offence and Leeds Celtics it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Eagles finished the season strongly, but in these tight defensive battles it all comes down to who is able to get that ball into the end zone.   

BUAFL Breakdown: Northern Conference

Sheffield Hallam Warriors
The Hallam Warriors are looking unstoppable at the moment. Their offence is averaging over 76 points a game with MVP candidate Danny Pyle leading a potent rushing attack. Their defence is also strong having conceded only to Hull and they have only one real challenge left this year against their cross town rivals the Sheffield Sabres. That said, the Steel Bowl will probably only be a formality for Coach Batty and his boys.

Without a serious upset, Hallam are destined to go 8-0 in regular season games, but they have everything to prove in the playoffs. Many have written off Hallam as soon as they come up against one of the big four (Portsmouth, Hertfordshire, Birmingham and Loughborough), so it’s up to the Warriros to show that they have the versatility to cope with the other teams that are regarded as the league’s best.

Sheffield Sabres
With a relatively easy first half of the season, Sheffield will have to step it up for the second. The Sabres have played some of the north’s worst in Huddersfield and Lancaster and although they still have bottom of conference Tyrants to play, they also have to take on Hallam, Carnegie and Bradford. 

Losses against Bradford or Carnegie will put them out of the playoffs and perhaps out of the plate, however the biggest game of them all will be against Steel City rivals Hallam. If they win, they will clinch the conference. If they lose they will be in a ‘points conceded’ battle against Hull who have only been scored on by Bradford and Hallam – two teams the Sabres have yet to play.

UH Sharks
Hull have an easy schedule after Christmas which is probably a good thing as they have had some close run ins in their last three games. Their special teams did the scoring against Carnegie, but they conceded over fifty against Hallam and couldn’t get their offence to finish against Huddersfield. With games against three teams whose offences have only managed to put up a combined 117 points in 13 games, the Sharks will be looking to their defence to win them some games.

If Hull can go the last three games without conceding a point then they’re in with a good shot at the playoffs. Either way, they are likely to see some form of postseason football.

Bradford Bears
Although the Bears had a slow start, it looks like they are starting to find their form. Perhaps this is what you’d expect from a rookie team with a large and experienced coaching staff and with Hull being the only team to have scored on the Bears, they look to have taken on the ‘Defence wins championships’ philosophy. 

Bradford will be looking to build on their momentum and come in to the Sabres game with all guns blazing. This is a huge game for both teams because if Bradford cause an upset and win, they could be in the plate in their first season and depending on how Bangor do against Carnegie, could potentially push the Sabres out of postseason all together! However This eventuality is unlikely, leaving Bradford as a long shot for postseason and a favourite for 5^th place in the conference.

Bangor Muddogs
Bangor have had a great season so far. Their first victories came this year, with the only loss being to the Sabres. With talk of some new imports coming over from the states for the start of 2012, Bangor will look to continue their form and hit post season football. They have two obstacles in their path though. 

The first is Carnegie and their stingy defence, a game which has the potential to be one of the highlights of the Northern Conference in the New Year.

The second is their schedule; they have already missed a game against Huddersfield and Bangor need to ensure that this game is replayed. Failing to do so could result in the game being awarded a tie, which could potentially cost the Muddogs a place in the plate.