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.
Shamrock Bowl
Conference
West Dublin Rhinos
vs. Belfast Trojans
This will be the first time the solid defence of the West
Dublin Rhinos and the dynamic offence of the Belfast Trojans have met this
year. The Rhinos had a rough start to the year but picked up with a surprising
7-6 win over the Dublin Rebels.
But the Trojans defence is equally intimidating. They boast
the best points conceded average in the Shamrock Bowl Conference and they
shouldn’t be troubled against the lowest scoring offence (just 3.5 points per
game). But the Rhinos have caused upsets before…
Craigavon Cowboys vs.
Carrickfergus Knights
The Knights are looking for a strong end to the season in
the fight for second place in the division. The Rebels currently sit two points
above them but they do have a game in hand.
The Craigavon Cowboys (right) are walking wounded right now but still play with pride - photo by Ariane Boudias |
The Cowboys meanwhile have fought valiantly for the entire
season but with the amount of rookies they have and the amount of bad injuries
to experienced players it is no surprise that they currently sit bottom of the
division. This is their last game of the year and they will want to go out with
a win though, and the potential to leapfrog the Rhinos is always something to
aim for.
The Knights and Cowboys have both scored an average of 8
points per game but Craigavon have conceded more than double per game on
average. However with their number one quarterback playing on defence because
of broken fingers suffered at the Trojans and having played three rookie
quarterbacks this year the team was always facing an uphill battle this season.
They’re an incredibly resilient team the Cowboys and the fact that they’ve
played their entire season and some of their guys have played iron man football
should be commended.
IAFL-1
Meath Bulldogs vs.
Drogheda Lightning
It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Lightning in action
as they last took the field in a 6-0 loss against the Waterford Wolves so
they’ll no doubt have been drilled hard in training by Coach Russell Kerley.
The Bulldogs meanwhile will be flying high after their impressive
19-6 victory over the experienced Tullamore Phoenix.
The Meath sibling partnership of quarterback Eddie and
running back Pete McMahon could be one to watch this year, as they both picked
up a score apiece last time out.
However the real match up to watch in this game could be the
head coaches. Coach Kerley of the Lightning is a long student of the game,
having played for the London Olympians a few years back, whilst Coach Drake
Garland is equally able as a coach.
It’s the first time these two have met in 11-a-side format
but they met four times in competitive DV8 games, when Meath were known as the
Trim Bulldogs, and Drogheda won all four. Meath have vastly improved on last
year though and this game should be a battle!
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