Mavericks Bullrush UCD – AFI Week 3 Round Up
Three games were down for decision in the Irish American football league this past weekend, as the Louth Mavericks faced their first test in the top flight against UCD, UL made the long trip up north to face the Knights and Westmeath travelled to West Dublin for a Division one clash with the Rhinos. Keep reading to find out how they all went down!
UCD 12 – Louth Mavericks 28
In what was the most anticipated fixture of the weekend, last year’s Harp Bowl winners took on the two time Shamrock Bowl champions in a test that would truly determine whether or not they belonged in the top flight of Irish American football. And they got the job done, with plenty to spare. In fact, I wouldn’t have even really rated the Mavs as proper underdogs in this one, considering the skill and talent on the roster, coupled with who’s playing QB and running the show now. It was all Louth early on as Ty Henry connected twice with Brandon Poulin for scores, and punched one in himself on the ground. But for a timely pick six from UCD rookie Thomas Quigley in the first half, this clash could have been over before it even started! Things slowed down considerably in the middle period, as the sides traded 3 & out and both Ty Henry and Arun Mooney exited the game with injuries, the latter limping off the field with an apparent knee ailment. Louth’s defense smothered UCD for a lot of the game, tallying 5 sacks in total between Declan Mulvihill and Ben Arulogun. The nail in the coffin came late in the fourth quarter as Nathan Hearty, filling in for Ty Henry, lofted a beautiful pass which was reeled in by Oisin Finn for a touchdown. The score put the game out of reach for UCD, despite a late consolation score from Tadgh O’Connor to Pete Masterson. Hearty coincidentally became the first Mavericks Quarterback to score in Division 2, Division 1 and now the Premier Division of the league. Victory for Louth sets them up well for the rest of the season, while UCD will need to figure out their offensive issues quickly if they wish to make it back to another Shamrock Bowl Final.
Belfast Knights 15 – UL Vikings 6
Limerick to Belfast is some fecking trek, so it’s a credit to the Vikings that they made this as much of a contest as it seemed to be. Proceedings began slowly in Malone RFC with just a lone Daithi McShane field goal the difference at halftime, before the hosts began to pull away. A William Boal safety tacked on two points before birthday boy Harry Salt ran almost the length of the field for a phenomenal touchdown – evading Viking defenders as he weaved his way to the endzone for 6 points. Adam O’Mahony pulled a touchdown back for the Vikings late in the game, but it wasn’t to be, as another McShane kick put the game beyond their reach. Both defenses were on point as well throughout, with Chris O’Mahony and Riain Byrne earning sacks for the visitors, while Isaac Searle nabbed an interception for the Knights and Thomas Wilson forced and recovered a fumble. With the win, Belfast now move to 2-0 on the season and are beginning to build some momentum. Their squad is still very young, but the outlook is promising. The rematch was initially slated for next weekend but instead we’ll have to wait until June 28th for the next installment of this underrated rivalry!
West Dublin Rhinos 2 – Westmeath Minotaurs 0
Not much went right for either team in horrible conditions in Castleknock on Sunday. A defensive slugfest throughout saw the lone score come on a high snap flying out the back of the endzone for a default 2 points. The Rhinos defensive front had a field day, with sacks from Nico Marrimpoey, Niall Phelan, Damian Kendrick, Fernando Canete, Padraig Lalor and Kevin Mulligan, while Kaan Akkaya and Noah Garza earned forced fumbles. The Minotaurs were understandably disappointed by the result, acknowledging afterwards that they have much to improve on, particularly on offense. The same could be said for their hosts as well, as 2 points isn’t going to get you very far in this league! Both sides are capable of much more and should equally contest for a Division One final in July. They’ll just need to get their respective offenses moving, which will be a hell of a lot easier to do when the sun is shining!
