Irish Football Preview

Irish Football Preview

The Shamrock Bowl Conference North and South both have champions now but there is still a lot to play for in the top Irish division.

Meanwhile in the IAFL-1 the season is shaping up to be an absolute stormer. A big game that has been brewing into a rivalry for the past few years in the DV8s looms this weekend.

 

Premiership South Power Rankings Week Seven

1. London Blitz (1-0)

The last week in which some random prose has to be written to cover a team that hasn’t played in ages. They’ll be itching to play with so much time off, with the Cats their first opponent in a two game streak. Unless we see a shock result, we don’t expect to see a change in this power ranking until the final game of the season.

2. London Warriors (4-0)

Another high scoring shut out victory for the Warriors. With comparable scores, the score could have been in the 80's (given the Warriors beat the Cats by 50+, and the Cats beat the Saxons by 28), but we saw a little lower score. Judging by the score breakdown, with the majority of points coming in the 1^st half, it might be reasonable to assume the Warriors put their backups in early to improve their depth. The Warriors role on to another week in the second game of a three game stretch against Berkshire.

3. London Olympians (0-1)

The O’s may be 0-1, but any other team (with the exception of possibly the Blitz), if they had only played 1 game against the Warriors would also be 0-1. If the rankings were based on record, this would just be a league table.

Premiership North Power Rankings Week Seven

1. East Kilbride Pirates (2-0)
There is some debate in Double Coverage Towers as to whether East Kilbride are all that, but our man in the know is convinced last year's division winners haven't even got started yet. This weekend's game - where they welcome in form Doncaster - will be intriguing.

2. Tamworth Phoenix (3-0)
Three wins, zero points conceded. Whatever they're feeding them in Tamworth, it's working. Nottingham are next in line this weekend, so it looks like Caesar Salad is on the menu...

3. Doncaster Mustangs (4-0)
Are Doncaster the real deal? We should find out this weekend when they travel north top take on current #1 East Kilbride. If they win, we'll see a new team atop the rankings.

4. Sheffield Predators (2-0)
The Predators remain at #4 in the hit parade, still riding the crest of the wave they created by beating Yorkshire last weekend.

National League Power Rankings Week Seven

1. Chester Romans (3-0)

Again, no game for the Romans this week. They’ve gone from dark horses in the division to one of the favourites now, can their young team handle the pressure? We’ll see come the 9^th June as they head to Merseyside to take on the high flying Nighthawks.

2. Bedfordshire Blue Raiders (4-0)

The Blue Raiders remain undefeated with a 44-6 win over Maidstone. Other teams have put more on the Pumas and those six are the first the team have scored in four games but Bedfordshire are looking convincing early on. Can they keep up the undefeated run?

3. Solent Thrashers (3-0)

Solent beat last week’s number 10 team, the Gloucester Centurions, 26-19 to cement their place in the top three of our Power Rankings. The newly rebranded Thrashers have made a solid if not overly impressive start against some tough opposition but they’ll be happy to continue their unbeaten run. Next up they host Farnham who they beat convincingly 24-6 in their first game.

EFAF European Championships 2014 in Austria.

Courtesy of Europlayers.

The EFAF European Championships 2014 will be held in Austria. EFAF has assigned the organization of the elite six-team tournament to the Austrian federation AFBÖ. The tournament will be held from May 30 until June 7, when it will conclude with the final game at Ernst Happel Stadium at Vienna. The game for third place will also be played in Austria's biggest and state-of-the-art arena. Preliminary group matches are scheduled in St. Pölten and Graz. The matches in the preliminary group of reigning European champion Germany and the fourth and fifth-placed teams of the last A-pool tournament from Sweden and Finland will be played in St. Pölten. France, runner-up in 2010, and the European Championships bronze medalist of 2010 and 2014 host Austria and the winner of the upcoming B-pool tournament in Italy for group play will join in Graz.

Sussex Thunder vs South Wales Warriors Highlights

Four more to join BAFANL

The British American Football community got a little bit bigger this weekend with the announcement that four more teams will potentially be joining the National League for the 2014 season. 

Teams from Aberdeen, Leeds, Sandwell and Torbay satisfied the league's initial assessment to become associate teams, meaning that they are likely to become full members of the league next season.

As with most decisions made by BAFANL, the news has split opinions across Britball, particularly with many teams struggling to keep their heads above water. Aberdeen and Torbay have a unique market to target - both play over 60 miles from the nearest team - but Leeds and Sandwell are situated in already saturated markets (Yorkshire and the West Midlands), so it will be very interesting to see how they will conjure up new players and if they end up poaching players from other teams.

The debate that will follow the entry of these teams will likely be a microcosm of the grander issues around the sport's development in the UK. Adding more teams without getting more coaches qualified to BAFCA Level Two (Lead Coach) level is likely to mean that player education suffers, and will only serve to dilute an already disparate talent pool.

We really do wish the four new teams the best of luck for getting into the league in 2014, but the debate about how best to develop the National Leagues is likely to rumble on for much longer than that.

Irish Football Round-Up

Firstly an apology for the lack of an Irish football preview this weekend past on Double Coverage. However it was still a great weekend of football in the Shamrock Bowl Conference and IAFL-1 and another division champion was crowned, without a match even being played in that division.

Photo by Nathan James Sharrocks

BAFANL full time results

Premiership North

Coventry Jets 0 vs 19 Tamworth Phoenix

Birmingham Bulls 6 vs 14 Lancashire Wolverines

Premiership South

London Warriors 47 vs 0 Peterborough Saxons

Sussex Thunder 20 vs 0 South Wales Warriors

National Central

Staffordshire Surge 7 vs 28Leicester Falcons 

Lincolnshire Bombers 0 vs 65 Merseyside Nighthawks

National North

D C Presidents 56 vs 18 Dundee Hurricanes

National South

Bristol Apache 37 vs 3 Cornish Sharks

Farnham Knights 41 vs 0 Swindon Storm

Oxford Saints 19 vs 12 Bournemouth Bobcats  

Gloucester Centurions 19 vs 26 Solent Thrashers

National South Central

Maidstone Pumas 6 vs 44 Bedfordshire Blue Raiders

Milton Keynes Pathfinders 20 vs 7 Watford Cheetahs

National League Predictions

National Central

Staffordshire Surge vs. Leicester Falcons

This could well be an intriguing match-up. Leicester have proved that they are not the Leicester of old with most of their Premiership staff having moved on whilst Staffordshire seem much improved on the disaster that was last season.

Both teams are 1-2 with Leicester having beat Crewe on the opening game of the season but having lost to both Chester and Manchester without scoring a point.

Staffordshire on the other hand beat Crewe in one game but lost to them in another whilst also losing to Shropshire. Home advantage for them could be a big thing but the Falcons might still have too much for the Surge at this point.

Leicester Falcons to win by one score

Lincolnshire Bombers vs Merseyside Nighthawks

The Bombers can consider themselves a little unlucky. They are 0-3 but have faced up against Shropshire, Manchester and Chester in their opening three fixtures. And it doesn’t get much easier against the Nighthawks who opened their season with a 39-7 whupping of the Revolution.

The Bombers rapid improvement last year has earned them a tough ride in a competitive division but the experience could prove good for them in the long run.

Meanwhile the Nighthawks will be flying high after their win. Many of their first year returners learnt valuable lessons in the 1-9 season in Division One last year and with one of the most experienced and talented wide receiver corps in the country along with a quarterback who spent time at the San Antonio Longhorns, they have the ability to put points on anybody.

Merseyside Nighthawks to win by three scores

National North

D C Presidents vs Dundee Hurricanes

The Presidents overcame the Edinburgh Wolves in their last and only game so far this season and will be looking to continue on their long term plan of taking this team to the top of British football both on and off the field.

The Hurricanes have struggled though, currently sitting bottom of the division on an 0-3 record but they have potential, having scored points on all three of their opponents so far.

With home-field advantage at the “White House” it is hard to look past DC for this game.

DC Presidents to win by two scores

National League South Central

Maidstone Pumas vs. Bedfordshire Blue Raiders

To say it’s been a poor season for the Pumas would be an understatement. Three losses out of three and a points conceded average that’s just under 62 points per game is a record that’s so bad, it makes the Worcester Royals look like world beaters. But credit where it’s due, the Pumas are still turning up to games each and every week regardless of their margin of defeat.

Following an impressive 3-0 start to the season, the Blue Raiders find themselves atop of the National League South Central conference and sitting in the number two spot in our weekly power rankings. Given all of the previous information and the fact the Blue Raiders defeated the Pumas 52-0 earlier on in the season; expect Bedfordshire to extend their winning streak this weekend.

Bedfordshire by a lot. Probably around the 40 margin.

Milton Keynes Pathfinders vs. Watford Cheetahs

Before the season began, we wonder how many people would’ve said that when this game came around, the Cheetahs would be the team with the winning record and they’d already hold a 1-0 lead in this season’s head to head against the Pathfinders.

Normally, two early season losses against teams who you’re battling with for playoff positions would all but confirm you’ll be spending the post season prepping for next season, but fortunately for MKP, it’s looking like the South Central is shaping up to be a conference full of upsets and will most likely go down to the wire meaning they’re still in the playoff hunt. However, another loss to the Cheetahs and their season will be all but over.

Despite having the second highest scoring offence in their conference, the Cheetahs were unable to overcome the high flying Bedfordshire Blue Raiders and suffered their first loss of the season. But with confidence high due to a winning record, and the confidence they should have from their earlier victory over the Pathfinders, the Cheetahs should be feeling confident that they can get their season back on track this weekend.

We’re seeing the Pathfinders gaining some vengeance in this one and winning by a score.

National League South

Bristol Apache vs. Cornish Sharks

Following an impressive 2-0 start to the season, the Apache found themselves coming back down to earth when they fell to the Gloucester Centurions 30-18. Should the Apache lose this weekend; their hopes for post season football will be all but over.

Following a narrow one point victory over the Farnham Knights, the Sharks find themselves in a tie for the number two spot in the south conference. Having never lost to the Apache, the Sharks should be confident heading into this weekend’s game and if last year is anything to go by (41-6 and 40-0 victories), the Sharks will walk this one.

Sharks by two scores

Gloucester Centurions vs. Solent Thrashers

The Centurions got off to the perfect start when they defeated the Bristol Apache 30-18 in their first game of the season, showing that both teams (BUAFL and BAFANL) in Gloucester are on the up. However, with the early favourites for the conference heading to town this weekend, the Centurions may find themselves with a ‘1’ in the losing column when all is said and done.

Two games, two wins for the Thrashers following their impressive victories over the Farnham Knights and Oxford Saints, and thanks to those two wins, the Thrashers are sitting pretty atop of a conference that is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the country. With a defence that’s only conceded six points in two games, the Thrashers should be the favourites to remain undefeated.

Solent by two scores

Oxford Saints vs. Bournemouth Bobcats

After their 13-0 loss against the Thrashers, the Saints will be hoping to get their season back on track this weekend when they play host to the Bournemouth Bobcats. Having already played and defeated the Bobcats this season, the Saints should be confident that they can get their pursuit for the playoffs back on course.

In a conference as competitive as the south, the Bobcats 0-3 start may be enough for the team to miss the post season for another season. If that is the case, Bournemouth now have the opportunity to play the spoiler role and ruin a number of teams playoff pursuits. With that in mind, we can see this being a trap game for the Saints!

Tough one. Oxford to edge it by a score.

Farnham Knights vs. Swindon Storm

We’ll keep this prediction short and sweet after our last Knights prediction seemed to upset a few people from within the ranks, even though we did correctly predict them to lose.

Hand on heart, how many people said that the Storm would have a better record than the Knights when they finally squared off? Not many people, that’s for sure, but that may be down to the fact that now many people had the Knights pencilled in to go 0-2 at the start of the season. Should they lose to the new boys in the league, the Knights hopes of making a return to the top division will be put off for the foreseeable future.

With it being four weeks since the Swindon Storm last played a game, they should be fairly prepared and refreshed for this one. Should the Storm be able to come away with a victory at the weekend, it would be a huge victory for a team who are in their rookie season.

Can’t see the Knights going 0-3. Farnham to win by a score

GFL Predictions

Dusseldorf Panther @ Dresden Monarchs
This one isn’t so hard to predict. With Dresden building very well in the off season adding Kiel duo Quarter back Jeff Welsh and Running back Trevar Deed to the team they are very possible German Bowl contenders. After spanking the Hamburg Blue Devils last week we have begun to see their true potential.

Dusseldorf disappointed us in their first game two weeks ago losing by three scores to Cologne Falcons, someone who we had initially put in the possible relegation group, now it looks as if Dusseldorf haven’t been building very well in the off season and they may struggle this year, they have always relied on their German talent, which is abundant but they may have begun to run out of local talent.
Dresden by five scores

Franken Knights @ Rhein-Neckar Bandits 
With the Bandits getting the 1 point edge over Wiesbaden Phantoms and Franken impressively getting the one point edge over Schwaebisch Hall, this game ‘should’ go to the Knights on paper predictions based on statistics. 

But moving away from the freak result, GFL.TV Showed us that Knights Quarterback Cedric Townsend had an impressive game and was unstoppable against the Schwaebisch defense, arguably one of the best German defenses. So if Townsend can perform again, there is no reason he can’t rush and pass all over Rhein.
Franken by 2 scores

Wiesbaden Phantoms @ Stuttgart Scorpions
This game should be interesting, both teams lost their first games to pretty evenly matched opponents, both teams don’t have any particularly impressive import resumes and their German players aren't stand outs either, with Stuttgart often losing better players to Schwaebisch Hall just north of Stuttgart that’s going to be hard to retain talented locals. Wiesbaden are looking like they could be relegated this year but its so hard to tell at this time, for this game we’re going to give it to Stuttgart though.

Stuttgart by 1 score

Munich Cowboys @ Saarland Hurricanes
Last week Saarland beat Wiesbaden, Saarland sporting a good group of imports look to be in a good position to take the Cowboys, but the Cowboys are so unpredictable. We've discussed on here the rumours of disgruntled players and players jumping ship to GFL2 teams such as Starnberg Argonauts. We still think the Cowboys are a tough outfit though after a big win over Franken 30-14, we don’t see why Saarland would really be in their way.
Munich by 3 Scores

Braunschweig Lions @ Berlin Rebels

Braunschweig’s first game of the season is upon them in this crazy German schedule. In the off season they managed to snag Swarco Raiders play maker John Clements who whilst at the Raiders became an all-round player when the AFL rules changed from 4 game day imports to 2 he was forced to play both sides of the ball, this has only benefitted him. 

Berlin shocked the football world by beating Wanja Mueller’s Berlin Adler at the start of the season, but they haven’t had a game since then so anything could happen. The Lions seem to be stepping things up this year and with John Clements we think they will have no trouble beating Berlin.

Braunschweig by 2 Scores

BAFANL Premier Division Predictions

Premiership North

Coventry Jets vs Tamworth Phoenix

OK, we're as sick of all the "Jets Grounded" puns as you all are, but the brutal facts are that their offence looked good against Nottingham (whose wouldn't?), but has done very little since then. Defensively they've been OK, keeping East Kilbride to a respectable score and blanking Yorkshire (although they did concede a score on offence), but they'll have to be on top form against their West Midlands rivals.

Tamworth seem to be shifting through the gears nicely in their games so far, looking comfortable without ever ripping anybody apart. This may be the weekend for that, with one of British football's emerging stars in Brad Thompson leading the offence.

Tamworth by four scores

Birmingham Bulls vs Lancashire Wolverines

Stifled by their own redzone ineptitude as much as a dominant Martyn Lee performance last time out, Birmingham will be smarting at 1-1, and desperate to move back to a winning record against Lancashire.

Despite being in different divisions last season, there really isn't much between these two teams. Lancashire got bashed by Tamworth in their only game so far, but that seems like it happened in a different lifetime, so long has their "break" been. Expect a refreshed Wolfpack to prove tough for the Bulls.

Birmingham by less than a score

Just Threw it teams up with EWP

The Elite Women Project teamed up with Just Threw it to put on a QB clinic for six female Quarterbacks.

The all-day session at Warwick University included both practical and classroom sessions led by Great Britain’s Ryan Baker and former Leicester Eagle and multiple national champion, John Pimperton.

Chloe Baton and Natalie Parker go through footwork drills with John Pimperton and Ryan Baker watching

Berkshire Renegades vs East Kent Mavericks MATCH REPORT

The Berkshire Renegades held their first home game of the 2013 season against rivals East Kent Mavericks.  With better conditions for the game than the season opener against Bristol, the Renegades were looking for the first win of the season and to find that first win against the Canterbury side.

Opting to put the Renegades defense on the field first, the Berkshire side kicked-off and the defense immediately responded with Rory Buckley forcing a fumble on the Mavericks first possession and veteran Neal Kent coming up with the ball.  Despite a penalty marred drive, the Renegades offense struck first with rookie running back Dan Howland taking the ball in from the 3 yard line, with the point after successful, the home side led 7-0 mid way through the first quarter.

Safety Neal Kent makes an interception c/o Simon Wardle

With the Mavericks offense back on the field and memories of last year’s two high scoring losses to the Mavericks, the Renegades defense stepped up the tempo and forced the normally potent Mavericks running game to small gains, forcing them to take to the air.  Running out of steam and excellent coverage from safety Jamie Kingston gave the Renegades offense the ball inside their half.  With either team unable to move the ball, the momentum shifted towards the Mavericks after receiver Josh Smith fumbled the ball after a 7 yard gain leaving the Mavericks offense with 30 yards to score.  A sustained drive ended with a 12 yard pass to the end zone to level the score at the start of the 2^nd quarter at 7-7.

1991 Coke Bowl Birmingham Bulls - London Olympians

From: The Britball Film Archive

A blast from the past in a classic match up, as the dominant London Olympians took on a great team from Birmingham in a game that came down to a single point!

Brian Urlacher retires

From CBSSports

Long time Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher has announced his retirement from the NFL. He had garnered little interest in the free agent market, with the favourite landing spot, the Minnesota Vikings, ruling themselves out. On his retirement he had this to say:

"Although I could continue playing, I'm not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that's up to my standards. When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after 13-year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear."

"I want to thank all the people in my life that have help me along the way," Urlacher continued. "I will miss my teammates, my coaches, and the great Bears fans. I'm proud to say that I gave all of you everything I had every time I took the field. I will miss the great game, but I leave with no regrets."

Premiership South Power Rankings Week Six

1. London Blitz (1-0)
As predicted, the Blitz have confirmed not a new stadium, but some significant moves with their current stadium. The Blitz are the model by which all other teams should attempt to follow if they want to help grow the game, the first team to have vested interests in their home ground will go down as a landmark in Britball. Now just to play games.

2. London Warriors (3-0)
This Sunday sees the breaking of a three week hiatus for the Warriors, who unlike so many others in the division are churning through their game. It seems whoever made the schedule wanted the Warriors to get all of their games done quick while giving them 5 weeks to prepare for the Blitz, which in reality is probably not at all that helpful. Peterborough to face this weekend, who will have a real test on their hands.

3. London Olympians (0-1)
It's hard to keep the O's up this high when they are sitting at 0-1, but as has been pointed out before that  was against the Warriors. They will no doubt earn their place once they get a few more games under their belt.

Premiership North Power Rankings Week Six

1. East Kilbride Pirates (2-0)

No game at the weekend means the Pirates hold onto the top spot for another week. With another bye week before their huge game against the Mustangs, the Pirates spot atop of our rankings should be secure for another week.

2. Tamworth Phoenix (2-0)

Similar to the Pirates, the Phoenix were out of action at the weekend. With a trip to Coventry on the cards this weekend, Tamworth could claim the number one spot with a convincing victory over their Midlands rivals.

3. Doncaster Mustangs (4-0)

And that’s a hat-trick! Just like the two teams above them, the Mustangs found themselves enjoying a bye week at the weekend. Doncaster now have another week to prep for their game vs. EKP. Here’s hoping it will be as close as last year’s 26-20 (to EKP) game up in Hamilton!

National League Power Rankings Week Six

1. Chester Romans (3-0)
No game for the Romans this weekend past means they get at least one more week at the top of our Power Rankings. Bask in the glory Legion.

2. Bedfordshire Blue Raiders (3-0)
As with the Romans the Blue Raiders didn’t have a game in this week’s sparse fixture list. They’re currently holding off the impressive Solent Thrashers for second place.


3. Solent Thrashers (2-0)
The Thrashers overcame the Oxford Saints 13-0 in their second game after whupping the Farnham Knights in their first. If they keep up this form then they’ll be rising up our Power Rankings in the coming weeks.

4. Colchester Gladiators (2-0)
No game for the Glads, so they hang around in fourth place. Next up for them is the Watford Cheetahs in just under a fortnight.

5. Merseyside Nighthawks (1-0)
The highest place team with only one game played. The Nighthawks impressed against the Shropshire Revolution and fully deserve their top-5 spot. They face off against the Lincolnshire Bombers this weekend looking to move up again.

Microsoft lands NFL partnership

Source: engadget.com

On the same day that Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, they also announced that they will be forming a partnership with the NFL to "optimize experience that better integrates fantasy football, including score displays, onscreen updates and Skype."

The official release stated that:

"Microsoft Corp. and the National Football League (NFL) today announced a multiyear, landmark partnership that will deliver truly unique interactive NFL television experiences for the next-generation Xbox One and leverage Microsoft devices and services to evolve the in-game, sideline experience for coaches, players and other personnel."

An interesting development will be inside stadiums, with Microsoft providing surface tablets to NFL teams (one has to wonder how Apple feels about this). Other innovations will effect the viewing experience of the fan at home..

Irish Football Round-up

We have our first division champions! The Belfast Trojans remain undefeated in the Shamrock Bowl North and their now 6&0 record gives them enough to claim the SBC North crown. Meanwhile an unpredictable SBC South means the three remaining teams have it all to play for. In IAFL-1 the league is still close with just a few games played but some teams are beginning to look a little more dominant.

David Colvin scored his 10th rushing and 11th overall touchdown of the season on Sunday - photo by Nathan James Sharrocks

Warwick Wolverines - Coventry Cougars Game Report

by Philip Gaydon

A well-fought, highly-charged contest ended as a 6-6 draw on Saturday when the Warwick Wolverines hosted the Coventry Cougars.

The highly-experienced Cougars came into the game as favourites after dishing out some convincing defeats to the Elite’s Hybrid teams in the past months. However, a full-strength Wolverines squad (something not yet seen this season) was determined to defeat the odds.

Coventry Cougars (left to right): Millie Barrett, Sophie Jones, Becca Haw, Holli Milner, Kellie Barrett

Coventry Cougars (left to right): Millie Barrett, Sophie Jones, Becca Haw, Holli Milner, Kellie Barrett

Shropshire Revolution Vs Manchester Titans HIGHLIGHTS

Revolution move to 3-1 with late game pandemonium.

by David Reid

Sheffield Hallam one-armed American footballer: I never thought I could do it.

By Adam Capper

Channer stands in front of his team mates at this year’s Varsity defeat to The University of Sheffield

A one-armed Hallam student has expressed his delight at becoming a key player for the university’s American football team – a sport he never thought he could play.

Sheffield lad Channer Bal, 21, is a second year Marketing and Retail student who, despite being born without a limb, has started every single game in his debut season for theSheffield Hallam Warriors.

AFL Week 8 Review

Raiffeisen Vikings 58 - AFC Rangers 7

The Friday evening opening of the AFL's eighth week went very much as predicted as the home town Vikings once more proved their dominance with a very easy and routine 58-7 win over the still winless Rangers.

The Vikings gave the Rangers a strong dose of their running game on Friday night.
© Kellner Holly Thomas/Gridiron Photography

Despite the huge margin of victory the Vikings pulled off the win in a quite un-Viking way as they fed the ball to their running backs for a total of 236 yards whilst Christopher Gross only had 148 yards passing with two touchdowns. The Rangers on the other hand were even more lacklustre than usual with Craig Maynard missing from the lineup meaning that they only totalled 82 yards on offence as Brandon Moore was handed the job of carrying the offence.

Not much else needs to be said about this game as it was easy pickings for the leagues top team which sent them to 7-0 and only leaves them with three more games to end up with a perfect regular season record and the top seed in the playoffs.

Player of the Game: Jesse Lewis, Running Back #22. Lewis came up one yard short of triple figures to lead all of the Vikings rushers to go along with his two touchdowns.

Prediction: Not going to call myself a genius for getting the result right but I was only a few points away from getting the score spot on.

© Kellner Holly Thomas/Gridiron Photography

JCL Graz Giants 58 - Prague Black Panthers 14

With the Vikings having put up such a big score, the Giants decided that the time was right to really open up their offence against Black Panthers and put up a fifty-burger. With Christopher Gross leaving us without the huge passing statistics that we're used to each weekend, Alex Good decided to step up and register 5 touchdowns along with 267 yards.

Good and the Giants were far too much for the hapless Black Panthers

The Black Panthers looked fairly competitive for the first half as Andrew Shoop both ran in a score and threw for one to keep the Black Panthers within touching distance of the Giants. However, the floodgates really opened in the third quarter as the Giants put together four unanswered touchdowns that included two long touchdown passes from Good as well as a 55-yard interception return by Promitzer which put the icing on the cake for a overall dominant day for the Giants.

Since losing their head coach a few weeks back, the Black Panthers have looked a shadow of the team that occasionally threatened to pull off upsets at the start of the season and I don't see life getting any better for them I'm afraid.

Player of the Game: Alex Good, Quarterback #7. Put together some great numbers in the passing game and added 75 yards on the ground from only two attempts.

Prediction: Picked the result, but the Black Panther defence was so bad that the Giants put up way more points that I predicted.

Swarco Raiders 24 - Danube Dragons 0

The Raiders continued their impressive run of games with a second shutout in the past three games and in doing so kept their undefeated home record against the Dragons alive. In what was quite a defensive struggle on the day, the Raiders managed to snag themselves a total of three interceptions with two coming from standout performer Markus Krause and the other finding the hands of import Jaycen Taylor.

The Raiders defence completely neutralised a powerful Dragons offence.
© Florian Schellhorn from www.footballpics.info

The biggest story from me at the end of the day was the stellar play of their defensive secondary which has been a focal point of my recent criticism towards the Raiders in recent weeks, but have proven to me now that they have the ability to shut down one of the leagues better passing offences on their day.

If anyone remembers my prediction you'll have noted that I said the Dragons needed both Ogun and Dally to perform on the same day to give their team a chance of the upset, and whilst usually it's just one or the other, this week it turned out that neither star was able to produce and their lack of production really told on the scoreboard.

Krause's sticky hands restored the Raiders rep in the secondary.
© Florian Schellhorn from www.footballpics.info

Funnily enough, these two teams are slated for the return fixture next weekend giving the Dragons a week to change up what they've been doing but at the same time giving the Raiders another week to practice the same thing and maybe record a shutout in both fixtures.

Player of the Game: Markus Krause, Defensive Back #21. Usually this awards goes to a offensive player in the AFL, but Krause rightly deserved the nod this week with his two picks for 30 yards.

Prediction:  The result went to the home team as I expected but my high scoring prediction was off, the Raiders only scored half the points I had predicted whilst the Dragons didn't even get on the board!

Gronkowski's forearm surgery successful.

Source: NFL.com

Per NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport, New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski's latest surgery on his broken forearm has been labeled a success by surgeons. No new infection was found and new plates were put in to help with the healing process.

Though it isn't a definite conclusion that Gronk will be back for training camp, it is certainly looking more positive for the 4th year veteran, who only recently signed a contract extension. Concern will now be focused on his back when he visits spine specialist Robert Watkins in three to four weeks. The need for treatment on his back would certainly start the alarm bells ringing, after it was this a back injury that caused Gronkowski to drop to the second round in the draft.

The Patriots still have Aaron Hernandez on the roster, but he also suffers from injuries and hasn't had a full season during his short career. The pick up of Jake Ballard last season from the New York Giants looks even more astute.

BAFANL Full Time Scores

Sheffield predators 28-19 Yorkshire rams

Berkshire renegades 14-15 east Kent mavericks

Edinburgh wolves 0-26 Gateshead senators

Shropshire revolution 27-26 Manchester titans

Solent thrashers 13-0 Oxford saints

Tim Tebow's NYJ Highlight

Speaking at a the New Life Christian Fellowship, Tim Tebow described this as his biggest New York Jets highlight. Would you agree?

BAFANL Predictions

Premiership North

Sheffield Predators vs. Yorkshire Rams

An intriguing battle in prospect as two of the division's three teams from the White Rose County face off on Sunday.

Sheffield put a solid beating on West Coast in their first game at the top level, and will be relishing the opportunity to test their abilities against a team that we had pegged as the third best team in the division pre-season.

It's been a mixed bag so far the Rams, scuppering Coventry last weekend after a couple of defeats to open their season. It's a cliché to talk about their solid defence, but it'll be in sharp focus against the Predators' high octane offence. They'll probably need to score three times to win this one.

Sheffield to win by a score

Premiership South

Berkshire Renegades vs. East Kent Mavericks

Following their two scores loss to the Aztecs, the Renegades will be looking to gain their first victory of the season when they take on the East Kent Mavericks. If the Renegades are hoping to claim their first win of the season, they’ll need to perform better than last season. Two losses against the Mavericks last season should provide Berkshire with enough motivation heading into this game.

The Mavericks got off to a good start this season when they defeated South Wales Warriors 35-26 to show that their high scoring offence is still running well. If the Mavericks offence can find their groove again, then they should extend their winning streak over the Renegades for another season.
Mavericks by two scores

GFL Predictions

Cologne Falcons @ Berlin Rebels
The Rebels had a surprising but great start to the season beating cross city rivals and GFL giants the Berlin Adler. At the same time Cologne have impressed us beating the Dusseldorf Panthers, a team we rated highly, 38-16. Consequently after one game Cologne are sitting on top of the GFL1 North table. This is a tough one to call, the Rebels have beaten GFL tough guys the Adler by a field goal, whilst the Falcons convincingly beat a team who’ve been promoted in the last 2 seasons and look to have lost players after their first games performance.
Berlin by 1 Score

Berlin Adler @ Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
The Adler a team who look to be struggling after their defeat at the hands of the Rebels. But first games never reveal the end of season outcome. More importantly, the Adler we’re crushed by Kiel the week before at home 26-15. We can’t imagine the score being much better for them playing in front of Kiel’s big European crowd. After Kiel shook up their roster a bit removing Jeff Welsh and Trevar Deed from the picture, Patrick Esume has started to mold a team that he thinks can go all the way and not fall short again.
Kiel by 3 scores

Irish Football Preview

Time is ticking in the Shamrock Bowl Conference and the divisions are lining up. There's not as much to play for as there was a couple of weeks ago but the nature of the sport will see some incredibly competitive matches yet again this weekend. The IAFL-1 meanwhile sees one of the most experienced teams face off against one of the least, with the Meath Bulldogs playing their first 11-a-side season along with quite a few teams in the division.

Photo by Nathan James Sharrocks

Double Coverage does the NFLPA Rookie Premiere

As we revealed earlier this evening, Double Coverage was invited by the NFLPA to the Rookie Premiere. The Rookie Premiere is an event where NFL rookies will have their pictures and autographs taken for Panini and Topps collectors stickers.

All DC Team: Defensive backs

The penultimate article on our All DC University team moves to the guys that do everything backwards. We had a real mixed bag to pick from with ball hawking free safeties to bone crunching strong safeties. Don't even get me started on trying to pick a lock down corner who never had the ball thrown his way over a corner who had a ton of interceptions!

Life as a DB in the UK can be tough with hardly any teams passing the ball around, so kudos to all

Corner backs

First Team All DC

AJ Crabbe - Birmingham Lions

Big time players, step up in big time games c/o Biff Crabbe

A blast from the past as a corner from last years first team makes into into the first team once more. Crabbe has been a cornerstone of a very strong Birmingham Lions secondary that held Derby, Stirling and Hertfordshire's impressive passing offences almost scoreless.

Aaron Olabegi - Hertfordshire Hurricanes

Dramatic...

One of the best DB's in one of the best DB units in the country, Olabegi is more than deserving of his place in the first team.

All DC Second Team

Joe Parsons - Loughborough 

Josh Thompson - BNU Buccaneers

Safety

All DC First Team

Stefan Rivera - Hertfordshire Hurricanes

Shoelace catch/fumble recovery in the final c/o Biff Crabbe

It's tough to leave out players from Hertfordshire or Birmingham, especially when you look at the quality on both teams. However it wasn't difficult at all to include Stefan in this list. A big hitting safety with an eye for making key plays and came up huge in the final with a fumble recovery (as well as some superb punting).

Matt Doherty Portsmouth Destroyers

100lb baller indeed

Normally most people would be happy with a single nickname. However when you have 44 tackles, 10 interceptions, 2 fumble rec and one touchdown (from a blocked field goal) you draw that extra attention and end up with hashtags like #100poundballer, #ABuck05WhenWet or #GingerNinja.

All DC Second Team 

Liam Reynolds - NTU Renegades

David Collis - Southampton Stags

Berkshire Renegades vs. Bristol Aztecs Game Report

Offensive MVP – Sam O’Brien – Photo Courtesy of Simon Wardle

The Berkshire Renegades 2013 Premier Season campaign kicked off at the weekend as they travelled to West Country rivals Bristol Aztecs.  Lydney RFC was the venue for the first game of the season and under blustery conditions the Renegades kicked off to the Aztecs to put the defence on the field.

The Aztecs put the ball in the hands of veteran running back Kenny Saro driving to the 20 yard line before the Renegades defence held firm.  They opted for a field goal which was blocked by #56 Sam Smith.

Starting on their own 2 yard line, the Renegades offense started off their first drive with strong running by running back Sam O’Brien taking the team to the 27 yard line before punting the ball deep into Aztec territory.