Brunel vs Portsmouth: Tuesday night lights prediction

The top half of the TVC will be tuning in to this clash tonight, as the playoff implications for this game are huge.

The most important factor to deciding the outcome of this match is Portsmouth’s nigh suicidal 4 games in 8 games. If they win out they take the TVC title and the carrot could not be bigger. Southampton, the toughest of those 4 opponents fell on Sunday and the big question is whether Portsmouth left enough in the tank after stopping them.
 
Brunel also need to win out to have any hope of a first post season trip in their history. Regarded as the most athletically talented TVC team they will have the ability and health to cause the more experienced Destroyers a number of problems. 

With star RB Orion Modebe injured the workload will fall upon Arland Craik and Marcus Kumolu and  they’ll need both to be on form in a bid to break a defence that is notoriously stingy and concedes less than 8 points a game. 

Portsmouth won’t have faced a decent aerial attack this year. Southampton without Dana Neale were limited in their ability to throw downfield, so the arm of Charley Calles for Brunel could be the deciding factor.
 
Expect this to go down to the wire in a low scoring game.
 
Portsmouth by 6

Current Playoff Seedings

Following the release of the new tie-breakers and last weekend’s fixtures, we can finally reveal the playoff seedings for the championship and plate playoffs.

First thing to remember is that the tie-breakers state WLT record percentage, not record. Therefore, a 7-0 team can be ranked higher than an 8-0 team due to the fact they’ve both got a 1.000% record. The next tie-breaker is the average points conceded against the top four teams before the average points conceded per game regular season game.

Therefore, using these tie-breakers, we can reveal the rankings are as follow. Remember, the top four teams earn byes.

Also remember that it goes – seven conference champions plus the top five second place records go to the champ playoffs. The next two second placed teams plus the third placed teams and the three best records from the fourth seeds go to the challenge trophy playoffs.

The Writers Poll - Week Ten

Our latest writers’ top 25 sees a huge change following a week of shocking victories. Once again, Birmingham and Hertfordshire top the list after completing their undefeated regular seasons and winning their respective conferences.

The surprise of the top five is the fact that Loughborough still remain in the number three spot after their loss to Birmingham. Even more surprising when we see that Stirling moved above Hull despite both teams winning at the weekend.

The biggest movers on this week’s rankings are the Cambridge Pythons following their three point victory over the UEA Pirates. The Pirates dropped seven places after this loss. 

Other teams dropping down on the list are Southampton, Kent, Brighton and Plymouth due to their losses last weekend.

Finally, two new teams prop up the bottom of the rankings as the Gloucester Gladiators and Leeds Celtics end week ten with a ranking next to their name.

The poll.

1.     Birmingham -

2.     Hertfordshire -

3.     Loughborough -

4.     Derby -

5.     Stirling +1

6.     Hull -1

7.     Bath -

8.     Sheffield +1

9.     UWE +1

10.  Kingston +2

11.  Portsmouth +6

12.  Southampton -4

13.  Cambridge +9

14.  Kent -3

15.  NTU -

16.  Warwick +2

17.  Carnegie +2

18.  Glasgow -2

19.  BNU +1

20.  UEA -7

21.  Manchester +2

22.  Brighton -8

23.  Plymouth -2

24.  Gloucester NEW

25.  Leeds NEW

Week Ten Powerless Rankings

Another week is in the books and we’re slowly advancing towards the end of the regular season. Actually, after this week there’s only one more powerless ranking left! What are we going to do until next season? Well, we have the end of season big board to look forward to, BAFANL football, then the pre-season Top 25 and powerless rankings!

Unfortunately for the teams on this list, their respective seasons are all but over after less than impressive seasons. No need to worry though because we always like to provide some positives at DC, so here’s ours for today. Players, coaches, fans, random man with his dog who seems to be at every game, just remember what Professor Brian Cox and the rest of D’Ream said – things can only get better!

Neil Edwards returns to the London Olympians

NEIL EDWARDS has returned to the London Olympians, where he will use his vast experience - including playing semi-professionally in Germany and participating in NFL Europe training camps to coach the club's defensive backs.

After playing as a junior with the Finsbury Park Stallions and London Capitals, Edwards joined the Olympians in the early Nineties and won national titles with the O's, Farnham Knights and Coventry Jets as well as overseas with the Landsberg Express and Stuttgart Scorpions.
He has learnt from some impressive names, including Jeff Reinebold, who last year worked under the Chicago Bears' new head coach, Marc Trestman, as defensive coordinator of the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes.

“Before I flew out to NFL Europe camp in 2001, [Olympians head coach Riq Ayub] set up a meeting with me and him and and he told me what was expected of me, what I was going to be facing and broke down things for me,” Edwards said of his time with Reinebold, who is a regular on Sky Sports' NFL coverage and is now special teams coach of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. “He kept an eye on me and told me how I was doing in terms of my progression.”

Now Edwards is back with the South London side and is eager to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of the 13-times champions of Britain.