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