AFI Week 15 Round Up – Playoff Football on the Horizon
I’ll be honest okay, I’m writing this round up during work and I really don’t have the energy for a big long introduction so we’ll get straight to it! The weekend’s games went more or less as expected, with few surprises and even a couple of 60 point victories! Keep reading for our American Football Ireland week 15 roundup…
West Dublin Rhinos 08 – Westmeath Minotaurs 35
With a home semi final up for grabs and playoff seeing to be determined, this was an important game for both sides. The Rhinos in particular needed a big win after suffering defeat in the first meeting earlier this season. It would not be their day however as a strong Westmeath outfit proved why they’re back in the postseason. The visitors struck paydirt on their opening possession with a long passing touchdown from Head Coach Conor Brennan to Cathal Dunne. This score would set the tone for the day, as the Rhinos never really got out of the gate.
Both teams traded punts and three and outs before Rafa Monteiro broke out a big run in the middle of the second quarter and scooted untouched into the endzone to give the Minotaurs a double score advantage. Monteiro would score again shortly afterwards, capitalising on a Minotaur interception by Peter Dempsey to give the Purple People Eaters a 21-0 lead at the break.
The scoring streak continued in the third quarter as standout rookie Domas Vilys hauled in a contested catch for six. Vilys almost added another later on in the game, but after somersaulting across the line he was flagged for taunting and the play was called back. Joe Kinahan came to the rescue however, barreling into the endzone on a QB keeper to put the game on ice.
Davit Rubeina made the scoreline slightly more respectable for the Rhinos with a long touchdown run in the final period of play, with a 2 point conversion by Eoin O’Donoghue ensuring they wouldn’t be shut out. Last year’s Harp Bowl runners still have a lot of work to do if they want to run it back and could well face Westmeath again on July 5th, depending on how the next few weeks shake out.
Cork Admirals 30 – Belfast Knights 10
The Admirals’ family fun day has become a fantastic tradition on the AFI calendar, and with playoff football already secured Cork were truly playing for the craic on Sunday afternoon. Belfast on the other hand were hoping for a last gasp shot at the post season, needing to win at all costs after their loss to the Rebels last weekend. Alas it was not to be for the Knights as the Leesiders took care of business in front of the home crowd, sealing the number 3 seed in the process.
Ben Kennedy absolutely went off early and accounted for all four of Cork’s touchdowns, scoring a hat trick in the first half with runs of 25 yards, 80 yards and 55 yards to give the Leesiders a big lead early on. The Knights did manage to pull a score back on a Zac McDowell pass to Marty Caskey, and followed up with a Daithi McShane field goal to make it 22-7 at halftime.
After Quarterback Jake Kennedy suffered a knee injury the offense slowed considerably, only scoring once more in the third quarter. This will surely be a concerning development for the Ads as Kennedy is crucial to the team’s success. The Knights had a few more attempts at scoring during the final period but could not convert thanks to the solid defensive performance of Colin Wolf, Timmy Peyton, Matt Sibanyoni and Marty Mulrey who all had sacks, along with an interception from Liam O’Leary. Cork have really come into their own as the season progressed but can still be viewed as underdogs heading into the playoffs, especially with the Trojans and UCD waiting in the long grass.
Antrim Stags 00 – Louth Mavericks 60
In case you couldn’t guess, this was one of the aforementioned unsurprising results. The Mavericks have been on a collision course with the Harp Bowl since week 1, and nobody was ever getting in their way. Ty Henry and co took care of business in Newforge, as Brandon Poulin, Nathan Hearty, Brendan Simms and Fin O’Donovan all hauled in scores. Andrea Rinaldi rushed for a brace on the ground and Jono Carroll added another for good measure.
There’s not a lot else to say here really. Louth are heavy favourites to lift the Harp Bowl trophy in Athlone on July 19th, and barring an absolute calamity between now and then I really don’t see that outcome changing. Fair play to the Stags for seeing this one out and not throwing in the towel as Louth went through the gears and ran up the score. That can’t have been easy. I sincerely hope they can build on this inaugural season and enjoy success in years to come.
Belfast Trojans 60 – UL Vikings 00
Another formality of a fixture in dire conditions saw the number 1 seed Belfast Trojans hosting the UL Vikings that would have caused absolute chaos had it gone any other way.
Things started out bad immediately for the Vikings on their opening possession as a Jamie Bard forced fumble set up a Rayshawn Boswell rushing touchdown which was converted by Mo Ramadan. They then got progressively worse as the Trojans offense went to work and put on a show. Adam McIlwee was next to cross the whitewash, giving the hosts a 16-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Dom Lynn then connected with Maks Dmitrov and Rayshwan Boswell twice in quick succession (the latter going for 75 yards) to practically put things out of reach midway through the half. Brandon Falconer resumed his ballhawking ways with an interception to gain an extra Trojan offensive possession and Joel McKibbin capitalised to put the Green Machine up 38-0.
To their credit it sounds like the Vikes never stopped fighting, but when Maks housed the second half opening kick return and Michael Ferris found Mo Ramadan for a receiving touchdown this game was well over as a competition. Successive rushing scores from Kevin Sungo and another interception followed, and with the fat lady singing at full volume the game mercifully came to a conclusion. Steven Weir and Gareth Philips also earned forced fumbles for the home team, and the bench was pretty much emptied in the latter stages ensuring everyone got a run out. As for UL, they are now in a precarious position on the precipice of potentially being relegated to Division One. A points difference over the Cowboys may just be their saving grace but whether or not they are completely safe is still TBD.
UCD 35* – South Dublin Panther 00
Well it was bound to happen eventually , and I’m just surprised it didn’t sooner! The Panthers have been depleted all season long and despite doing their best with what they had, a lack of bodies eventually caught up with them in Belfield over the weekend. You never like to see games abandoned, but the safety of all involved is paramount. In this case it might be the best thing for them: a chance to regroup, rebuild and return to previous successes.
UCD were up by 20 points and rolling before this one was called off, with Arun Mooney connecting with Joe Carroll and Sidney Pindi and Jack Finnegan rushing for a score as well. Evan Quigley meanwhile snagged two picks on defense. In all likelihood the score line would have at least doubled if the game had continued, and with UCD sitting comfortably with the second seed in the playoffs the boys in blue wouldn’t have been too fussed about making any statements. Their path back to the bowl might not be as straightforward as originally thought with a visit from Cork on the cards for the playoffs and they’ll have to amp up the firepower if they want to beat Belfast in the bowl, but this is still a very experienced side who are well used to being in these scenarios. Whatever you do, don’t let their less than perfect regular season performances dampen your expectations for what UCD can accomplish in the next few weeks.