We have a week’s break from Irish fixtures this week with no games in both the Shamrock Bowl Conference and IAFL-1. Time to reflect on the Leagues so far and bring you a spot of news then!
Firstly IAFA announced that they have given formative
membership to a new team in the hope that they can field a team in 2014. The
Dundalk Mavericks are still looking for players, coaches and off-field
personnel but the skeleton of a squad is there, and with youth and potential in
bags.
Shamrock Bowl
Conference
What has surprised us most in the Shamrock Bowl Conference
this year? Firstly the main talking point has to be the UL Vikings’ drop in
form. They’ve headed to the last seven Shamrock Bowls and, although they’ve
lost the last three, they were favourites to make it again this year.
The season opener was a nervy one, with the Vikings taking a
narrow 11-0 win against UCD, but then came the 20-0 shocking defeat against
Trinity. The Vikings have had to deal with a few retirements including captain
Liam Ryan and Head Coach Ciaran O’Sullivan, as well as injuries to starting
quarterback Marc Ashworth but they still have bucket-loads of talent on the
team.
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| The UL Vikings will want to bounce back against UCD - photo by Nathan James Sharrocks |
They get another crack at UCD next week, this time away from home, to convince the League that they are still contenders for this year’s Championship but they have their work cut out.
Meanwhile the reigning Champions, the Belfast Trojans, and
Ireland’s most successful team, the Dublin Rebels, have had to postpone their
bout, with the temperamental weather making the pitch unplayable for last
week’s scheduled game. Many have the Rebels, who won their 100th
Irish League game a couple of week’s ago to the West Dublin Rhinos, as the main
contenders to stop Belfast sweeping the division and the Championship again.
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| The Trojans-Rebels games are likely to be hard fought battles - photo by Ariane Boudias |
The Trojans started slowly, conceding early to the Craigavon
Cowboys, but they soon picked up where they left off last year, with
quarterback James Mckelvey throwing 4 touchdowns in a 46-13 win. But by the
Trojans’ own high standards conceding 13 points on defence will be a
disappointment.
The Rebels meanwhile shutout the Rhinos, the Trojans’ next
opponents, 22-0. The Rebels will take heart from a win against their strong
cross-city rivals but will be looking to score more points in the coming weeks.
Next up, the impressive-looking Carrickfergus Knights.
With one game played and one won apiece, it’s looking like
the two games between the Rebels and Trojans could be instant classics.
The Northern Ireland-based Knights sit atop the SBC North at
present with two wins from two. A 2-0 victory over the Rhinos in a defensive
battle was topped off by last week’s 20-0 win over Craigavon, on a mud bath of
a pitch and in horrible conditions, which included a 3rd quarter
snow storm.
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| The Carrickfergus Knights sit atop SBC North, can they stay there? - photo by Ariane Boudias |
We’re still yet to see the Cork Admirals play a game. They
had a quiet off-season with very few people hearing anything coming out of
their camp so their match up next week at Trinity could be an intriguing one.
Trinity meanwhile will be riding high on the back of their
shut out of UL. Quarterback Alex Gurnee had a game to remember, passing for one
touchdown and rushing for two others. If he, and the rest of the Trinity team,
can carry this form through the next few weeks then they’ll be looking pretty
for playoff football again.
IAFL-1
Only three IAFL-1 matches have been played, and there won’t
be another until mid-April, but it’s looking intriguing already.
The most experienced 11-a-side team, the Dublin Dragons sit
atop the division but they scraped a 2-0 victory against the impressive Meath
Bulldogs. The Dubliners have to wait until May for another game where they’ll
face off against old foes the Tullamore Phoenix.
Meath, graduates of the DV-8s, will take heart from their
game against the Dragons. Holding an experienced team to a 2-0 score line says
a lot for their first competitive 11-a-side game and the organisation and
coaching ability of Coach Drake and his team will be seen by the end of this
year.
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| The Dublin Dragons have bags of experience, will that tell in IAFL-1 2013? - photo by Ariane Boudias |
Meanwhile the Phoenix were held to a 6-6 tie by another
inexperienced 11-a-side team, the Drogheda Lightning. That’s not to say that’s
an upset though. The Lightning are another well-drilled, well-organised team
with Coach Russell Kerley boasting impressive past experience and knowledge of
the game as part of the old London Olympians.
The Lightning will play their first home game next on the 14th
April against the Mullingar Minotaurs, who we are yet to see take the field.
The Waterford Wolves overcame the North Kildare Reapers
14-12 in the other fixture. The Reapers will be disappointed with this one but will
have to wait until the last game of the season in August to attempt revenge in
the return fixture.
The Wolves have impressed though, going about their business
quietly but efficiently, and it looks like their squad has talent throughout
and the ability to make waves in the IAFL-1 this year.
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