UCD Raid Valhalla & Rhinos Get Important Win – AFI Week 8
The Easter Bunny brought us a smaller than usual basket of games last weekend, with only 2 out of 3 games going ahead in the end due to a waterlogged pitch in Gorey. UCD are on a bit of a rampage recently, and recorded their second 40 point victory in a row (and 3rd overall so far this season) down in the University of Limerick while in Castleknock the Dublin Rhinos shook off their recent shellacking against Louth to bounce back with a 21 point victory over the Antrim Stags. It’s the shortest American Football Ireland league round up of the season and it’s all yours to read below!
Wexford Eagles – Postponed – Louth Mavericks
After the recent spell of good weather, the people of Ireland received a rude awakening when the rain returned with a vengeance last week. Unfortunately, the inclement weather resulted in the Division One clash between Louth and Wexford being postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. After their recent wins, both sides would have benefited from keeping the momentum going but instead will have to wait until the fixture is rescheduled. Our updated playoff prediction has the Mavericks and the Minotaurs squaring off for all the glory, but don’t count the gutsy Eagles out of the fight just yet.
University of Limerick Vikings 00 – UCD 40
For the second week running, the Belfield boys went on the road out west and came back with a pretty emphatic win. In this instance it was a forty burger against a young UL side who seem to be still finding their feet in the premier division. UCD were in cruise control for most of the fixture, and were up by 24 points by the half before adding two more to complete the shutout. Arun Mooney continued his fine form with two touchdown passes, before making way for Joe Carroll who also threw for a brace of his own. On the receiving end of the scores were Jack O’ Riordan and Jefferson Freeman, while Jack Finnegan earned a rushing touchdown on the ground to round things out. Alex Kusmirek deserves a special mention as well for 5 successful 2 point conversion attempts.
While the result may be disheartening for the home side, the Vikings never quit on defense. Brett Switzer and Matej Sheiß had interceptions, while Jack McClain and Jack Grace earned a sack each and Chris O’Mahony added a fumble recovery. UL also seem to have found themselves a nifty little runner in Francis Onaloye who made multiple gains of 10+ yards throughout the game. Now all they need to do is figure out how to win.
Dublin Rhinos 21 – Antrim Stags 00
Boy did the Rhinos ever need that win. After their recent outing against the Mavericks in which they gave up 68 points, the West Dublin side were in dire need of a victory to save their season. And the result? A 21 point shutout at home to get things nicely back on track. Scores for the hosts came courtesy of Craig Usher and Eoin O’Donoghue on the ground while rookie QB Kevin Kelly earned his first ever career touchdown on a passing score to Richard Grimes. The defense earned their keep as well with an array of sacks, as John Lawlor, Padraig Lalor, Dean Osborne Noah Garza and Muhammet Sahin all got home.
Speaking after the game, Stags Head Coach Gerry McCabe commented: “Even though the results aren’t what we want we are happy with the progress we are making in our first season.” And that’s exactly the kind of attitude you need to have when things aren’t going your way. Knuckle down and keep working!
