Shamrock Bowl Conference and IAFL-1 Preview

Shamrock Bowl Conference

The Irish leagues are moving quickly! Too quickly!

The weather has already taken its toll upon the Shamrock Bowl Conference with the season opener between Trinity and UCD being called off a few weeks ago. And so the same has happened again, with probably the most anticipated game of the season so far. The reigning champions, the Belfast Trojans, were scheduled to head to Dublin to take on the Rebels, the first team to notch up 100 IAFL wins last weekend.

With that in mind we turn our attentions to the other games. First up the clash of two Northern teams as the Craigavon Cowboys head to Carrickfergus to take on the Knights.

Photo by Ariane Boudias

The Cowboys opened their season with a 46-13 loss against the reigning Champions, the Trojans. But those numbers are encouraging. They led the game early on and managed to score twice on a Trojan defence that was nigh on impenetrable last year. They’ll rely on quarterback Peter Loughran’s ability to pass and run the ball himself to mix this game up and keep the Knights’ defence on its toes.

National Championship Predictions

Stirling Clansmen vs. Birmingham Lions

Our writers unanimously picked Birmingham, however I think this game is less of the foregone conclusion that it might appear to many to be (judging by the perceived weakness of the Saltire division by many). Birmingham hammered Leeds Met in the wild card round, and seemed to dominate on all sides of the ball, scoring on O and D. However, rumours have been flying about an injury to star QB Tristan Varney, with news of apparent reinjury to his knee being rife. While its not possible to know until Sunday whether he will play or not, his absence could hamper the team somewhat. That being said, they got to the final last year without him, and they have plenty of backups on the team to take his mantle and make plays.

Stirling have been posting scores this season that have some people shifting uncomfortably in their seat. Grant Isdale scored numerous touchdowns for Team Europe at Houston, and they have depth all across the board. I think the Clansmen will be very much looking forward to getting their teeth into this game, but their lack of experience against quality opposition (especially along the OL and DL) might hamper them significantly.

Prediction – Tough one, but we think the Lions will edge it.

Hull Sharks vs. Bath Killer Bees

Bath pulled out the biggest upset since David beat Goliath in the bible! Seems some people were genuinely upset too, with a 4^th and 33 being converted being somewhat reminiscent of Ray Rice against the San Diego Chargers this year (ok, it was a pass interference penalty, but let’s ham it up). Bath are now turned from the underdogs to the favourites by our writers, with only Rich and Piachaud going for Hull over the Killer Bees. 

Hull are somewhat less impressive than some other conference champions in the posting of their scores, but they are still deserved of the position, and this should turn out to be a great game. I think the question must be, how can they stop spectators eyes bleeding with the kits on show?

Prediction – Hull to rely on home field advantage and win by a score.

Derby Braves vs. Portsmouth Destroyers

Could we all be having déjà vu from two years ago. The Destroyers post a quiet season, then really start to pick it up post season, with Hell week (4 games in a week) out of the way, and sweeping aside (albeit not easily at 22-18) TVC rivals Kingston, they are now well and truly on the path to the final. The advantage for a predictor in the wild card round is you can judge the relative strength of a conference based on the outcome of a game between two cross conference opponents. As Portsmouth played someone in the TVC, it’s incredibly hard to tell how they might fare outside of the conference, and on the road, especially against a team like Derby.

Now, call me old school, but the old adage used to be that the South was better than the North at football, no matter what. Although the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th seed are all held by Northern teams! Also, having seen film, it seems they have learned to throw up there too! Perhaps this is why Hallam’s double wing has been less effective this year, although Saul’s turncloak may have more to do with it!

Derby, horrible uniforms aside, look good this year, and the Destroyers must be somewhat exhausted from so much football! Only Luke (repping the TVC) thought the Destroyers would pull out the win on this one.

Prediction – Derby win this by a score.

Hertfordshire Hurricanes vs. Sheffield Sabres

The champion fixture. National champs vs Challenge champs. Sheffield have impressed this year, scoring lots, and conceding few, and if they were going into any other fixture than this, I’m sure there would be something more to be said about their possibility of victory, especially given how easily they dispatched SWAC champs UWE. However, they are playing the only remaining purple people eater team, Hertfordshire. Firstly, I’m sure the Hurricanes are Killer Bee fans allowing them to avoid Loughborough (a fixture that is always tasty). Secondly, the Herts offence has been on fire this year scoring 440, and their D only conceding 33.

I really wish I could dish out an upset prediction here if only because the Sabres have finally emerged from the Warriors shadow and are a real force, but this Hurricane is blowing all the way to the final say DC towers.

Prediction – Herts to run away with this one.

Challenge Trophy Predictions

Southampton Stags vs. Manchester Tyrants

I had the pleasure of scouring the internet for score updates on Manchester/Kent last week, and in fact I fleeced myself after someone incorrectly reported the scores based on the seedings that I had posted, and I thought this was a score! Fool to me, this game actually went into 2OT with both teams scoring! In the end, possibly the gutsiest call a coach can make, go for 2. It was a tense 2 minutes sitting at the keyboard, but Manchester scored the 2pt and went through (seems odd both teams scored twice in OT when they didn’t the rest of the game).

Southampton are probably not exactly happy with how their season has panned out. Losing to Brighton in such a close fought game (3-2) more reminiscent of a soccer score than football, and then losing out to bitter south coast rivals Portsmouth, the mood must have been a little dark in the changing room come the end of the season. However, they have the opportunity to still seal some silverware, and are probably one of the favourite to do so, our writers certainly think so.

Prediction – Stags to win by two scores

Warwick Wolves vs. Leeds Celtics

No offence to Edinburgh intended, and they have themselves admitted they were surprised to be in the post season, but can you really call playing a 2-4-2 record team a playoff game? This week is the real playoff game. Warwick have emerged this year with a tough D, however the offensive production has been somewhat lacking. This is the first game which has been a little more undecided from our writers with Willy and Simon both choosing Leeds, but can the Celtics tame the Wolves?

Prediction – Warwick edge this one by less than seven.

#TeamPHD vs. NTU Millergades

NTU may wear pink, but they handed the Pirates a good old fashioned pummelling in the wild card round, they will be running high off that impressive win. Sometimes a bye week can serve to lose focus or momentum as opposed to helping, and it could be a case of this happening this week, with NTU riding high as opposed to having extra week training.

Cambridge also beat UEA during the regular season; however the score was a little less impressive. In DCs opinion it boils down to one thing with NTU, if you want a chance to win, you have to stop Danny Miller, who consistently makes plays through the air and ground. Although even if you manage to stop Miller you need to score against a tough, blitz heavy, offence. Perhaps the Pythons can compute their way round this one, but our writers don’t think so (Pikachu has a vested interest). We will look forward to seeing this encounter through InkSpot next week!

Prediction – Expect some highlights next week as NTU leave Cambridge with the ‘W’!

Glasgow Tigers vs. BNU Buccaneers

Let’s face it, such a long journey is perfect for a team named after Pirates. Swash buckling along the M1, they aim to plunder ye olde treasure protected by exotic Tigers. BNU brought it close with Gloucester, with their Doublewing pushing through in the second half, a very physical offence that is hard to stop for all four quarters. Gloucester will most likely be kicking themselves for not being able to contain them.

The tigers on the other hand pose a different kind of conundrum, some definitive wins against the other teams in the Saltire, but some severe beatings by Stirling pose a real thought provoker. Will Glasgow show the rest of the league the Saltire means business by pulling out a win? All of our writers say no, but we’ve been wrong before!

Prediction – BNU run wild and win by two scores

NFL Draft: AFC Team Needs

We covered the NFC yesterday, but what will teams in the AFC be looking for in the off season?

AFC North 

Baltimore Ravens – Pick #32
The Super Bowl Champs are yet to feel the full repercussions of Joe Flacco’s new deal, but the economic fallout is bound to shape how their picks are used. Personally, I don’t see a stand out, need position player who will be available in this spot for the Ravens and think that they should look for a team willing to trade up and stockpile another second round pick.

If the Ravens were to keep hold of this pick then I think they look at either a corner or safety due to the likely departure of Cary Williams and quite possibly Ed Reed. Another position to watch for when the Ravens are on the clock is the inside linebacker spot with Hall of Famer Ray Lewis hanging up the cleats post Super Bowl.
Team Needs: WR, CB, S, ILB

Cincinnati Bengals – Pick #21
The Cincinnati Bengals in recent years have had varied success within the division but with two years of successful playoff appearances they now seem to have a solid, dependable core of players.

Putting the extra pieces into place is what is going to take this team to the next level, and that means getting help in both the safety spot as well as at running back. Chris Crocker is now an unrestricted free agent but is nothing special and the rest of the secondary is a similar story.

Upgrading the running back spot is vital as the Andy Dalton – A.J. Green connection is now overplayed and ‘The Law Firm’ isn’t exactly a game changer.
Team Needs - LB, S, RB


Cleveland Browns – Pick #6
I can tell you what the Browns don’t need, and that’s a running back! The pickup of Trent Richardson looks a surefire hit for years to come in Cleveland, now they just have to follow that up with another impact player.

Defensive end is the clear need in Cleveland who haven’t had a consistent pass rush in quite some time. Finding a edge rusher is tough in the AFC North as whoever it is needs to be very stout against the run as well as obviously getting to the QB.

The other big need that the Browns could be looking to address is finding an offensive lineman who is going to clear the way for Richardson and with the number 6 pick they’re in a perfect spot to have a star at either one of those positions.
Team Needs: TE, DE, OL


Pittsburgh Steelers – Pick #17
As with the two teams listed above, the Steelers need help at safety with both Polamalu and Clark on their way out of the building soon and a lack of top tier talent waiting in the wings. Age is a real concern all across the board in Pittsburgh who have very good players at almost every spot on the field but need a lot of young blood to develop if they are to rise to the top again.

Wide receiver is looking like an area of need with the possibility of Mike Wallace hitting free agency, so they'll need a new deep threat for Ben Roethlisberger to sling the rock to.
Team Needs: ILB, NT, WR

UAE Football: Desert Bowl

From Sport360

Image c/o Sport360

The inaugural Emirates American Football League (EAFL) comes to a close this weekend with the highly anticipated Desert Bowl.

After a grueling first season that has seen teams for the first time in the UAE participate in an organised league, the playoffs come to a close this Friday - March 8 - and only one team can take home the first ever Desert Bowl and mark their name in Emirati American football history.

The playoffs have already thrown up thrills and spills after two heart-stopping semi-final games that saw the Abu Dhabi Wildcats controversially avoid a shock defeat to the Al Ain Desert Foxes, while the Dubai Stallions marked out their championship credentials with a huge win over local rivals Barracudas.

Starting off as a fledgling idea from a few American football enthusiasts, the league has blossomed, attracting fans every week, gaining new sponsorships and creating the much needed story lines that propel any league anywhere in the world.