The 2010 DV8s schedule has been updated with effect from today. Games involving Craigavon Cowboys 2nds and Trinity College 2nds have been added to the schedule and the IT Carlow schedule has been scaled back.

Trinity College 2nds will host Tullamore Phoenix on May 23rd as part of a double header at TCD Sports Grounds. Trinity’s first team plays West Dublin Rhinos that day. Craigavon Cowboys 2nds will travel to Tullamore to play the Phoenix on May 30th.

Please check the DV8s schedule on this website for confirmation of times/dates/venues of all DV8s games.

DV8s Tournament – July 18th.

A DV8s blitz tournament will take place in Tullamore on Sunday July 18th. It is expected to feature Tullamore Phoenix and Erris Rams along with 2nd teams fielded by a number of IAFL teams who miss out on the play-offs.  Points will be awarded as follows and will count towards the DV8s league table:

1st Place: 3pts, 2nd Place: 2pts, 3rd Place: 1pt.

Scoring

Q1
0-3 Cowboys: #17 Shane Bell, FG.
Q2
0-11 Cowboys: #33 Conal Walsh, reception from #2 Chris Bondi. 2XP #34 John Murray, run.
Q4
0-17 Cowboys: #34 John Murray, 1 yard run. XP blocked.
8-17 Trinity: #26 Rob McDowell, 60 yard run. 2XP #84 Niall Clarke, reception from #4 Alex Canapa.

Game Photos

Photos by Máirtín Ó Conghaile
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Photos by Ariane Boudias
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Game Report

Game Report by the Craigavon Cowboys:

Craigavon Cowboys 17 Trinity 8

The Craigavon Cowboys hosted Trinity College, Dublin at the Brownlow Sports Campus on Sunday 25th April.

The Cowboys were looking to bounce back from an 18 – 6 defeat in their last game against the West Dublin Rhinos while Trinity wanted to capitalise on their 42 – 8 victory over the Belfast Trojans.

Trinity received the kick-off with good field position but the dependable defense of the Cowboys, spearheaded by Marty Devlin #72 and brothers James Loughran #69 and Peter Loughran #75 prevented any movement of the ball and Trinity had to punt the ball away on their first drive. The loss of defensive tackle Chris Bell to injury did not take away from the solid Cowboys front.

The Cowboys took the ball and steadily drove to within field goal range, from where #17 Shane Bell put three points on the board.

The strong gusting wind played havoc with Trinity’s passing game and a long completion was always a finger tip away from a major gain.

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Cowboys drove to Trinity’s five yard line thanks to the strong running of #40, Bobby Murray and #34, John Murray. A pass from new boy #2, Chris Bondi in his first start at quarterback to #33, Conal Walsh put another six points on the board and John Murray ran in a two pointer to make the score 11 – 0 and that was how the half ended.

The third quarter was a mixture of mistakes and penalties by the Cowboys and a succession of deep passes by Trinity that were almost completed. Sound work from #18, Geard Gillen and #32, Keelan Walsh at cornerback prevented many completions and gains by Trinity.

The final score by the Cowboys came in the fourth quarter and this was a one yard power dive by John Murray which was made possible by sound blocking of #79, Paul Braniff and #56 Brian Vernon. The point after was blocked and the score was 17 – 0.

With three minutes left in the game Trinity running back #26, Rob McDowell found a gap in the tiring Cowboys defense and broke a couple of tackles to run for sixty yards for a touchdown and tight end Niall Clarke scored the two point conversion to bring up a score of 17 – 8.

Trinity’s attemped onside kick was recovered by the Cowboys, who ran out the clock.

This gives the Cowboys a two wins and two defeats record in their first year in full league status and they travel to the Carrickfergus Knights for their next game this Sunday.

The Super Fry MVP trophy was awarded to #32 Keelan Walsh.

Video Clip

Scoring

1st Half
0-6 Vikings: Adrian Garvey, run. PAT no good.
6-6 Admirals: Eric Tcasik, reception from Dom McHale.
6-12 Vikings: Adrian Garvey, run. 2PAT no good.
Q3
12-12 Admirals: Shane Mulcahy, 1 yard reception from Dom McHale.

Game Report

Game Report by the Cork Admirals:

Conditions on Sunday 25th started poorly but improved quickly as kickoff approached. By 2pm any rain had dried and the pitch surface was ideal for the exciting divisional matchup between visitors Cork Admirals and hosts UL Vikings.

The Admirals kicked to UL to start the game and strong defense and excellent pursuit from the visitors prevented the Vikings from moving the chains. On the series following the punt Cork handed the ball back to UL with a third down interception after a great diving catch by #24. Two plays later Adrian Garvey converted the turnover to points with a run to the right corner of the endzone. Roger Mc Dongagh broke through the UL line to stop the point-after conversion leaving the score at 6-0 to the hosts.

Later in the quarter QB John Kenny directed an effective drive for the Admirals featuring the passing attack. Stephen Forde made an excellent diving grab converting a third down play. QB Dom McHale finished the drive with a scoring catch-and-run pass to Eric Tcasik to make the game six a piece.

Following another Admirals interception The UL Vikings drove the ball into scoring range, following a jump-ball catch by Brendan McCarthy. Two plays later Adrian garvey punched in the score to re-take the lead. This time the Vikings went for the 2-point try but the Admirals linebacker pursuit cut off any outside running lanes before the Vikings reached to end-zone.

The Vikings again took over after an interception and approached scoring range. An interception by Nick McSweeney, who had two picks in the game, stopped the drive and prevented the Vikings from extending their halftime lead.

The Admirals received the ball to start the second half. After a few penalties had stalled the offensive momentum McHale connected with Dave Barry on a sideline pass, placing the ball at the one yard line. On the next play McHale found Shane Mulcahy who made an impressive grab in the corner of the endzone. The game was tied at 12-12.

Both defenses each did well on the next two possesions. The Admirals first drive of the fourth quarter began deep in their own territory. The drive progressed well with Martin Mulrey and Kenny each having third down conversion runs. A balanced attack also featured passing gains to Mulrey, Jason Dowling. Around midfield the Admirals faced a fourth down conversion which McHale converted to Barry to maintain possesion. A second fourth down conversion was successful when Mulrey made the required short yardage. From the Vikings ten-yard line the Admirals attempted to pass, going for the win but #55 stepped in front of the Admirals receiver to prevent the go-ahead score.

With the Vikings attempting to drive and take the lead late in the game Liam Ryan connected with his receiver to move the ball near to midfield. A few plays later Admirals rookie lineman Brendan Kelleher had another Admirals interception when he batted down a swing pass into his hands. The Admirals moved into Vikings territory with a great catch by Shane Mulcahy while being hit near the sidelines.

Another interception on third down however doomed the Admirals hopes of the win. With less than a minute to play the Vikings tried to move into field goal range. The Admirals defense stood firm however and prevented the Vikings from advancing. A penalty on third down for an out-of-bounds hit gave the Vikings the yards they were looking for for a long-field goal attempt. The ensuing field goal fell short however leaving the game to end in a tie.

The teams meet for the return fixture in Cork in mid-June.

Scoring

Q1
0-6 UCD: Colin O’Meara, run.
Q3
0-12 UCD: Shane Kenny, 30 yard reception from Colin O’Meara.
0-18 UCD: Larry Doyle, 1 yard run.
Q4
0-26 UCD: Colin O’Meara, run. 2 PAT: Paddy Duffy, reception from Colin O’Meara.

Game Photos

Photos by Jeff Dowling
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Game Report

Game Report by UCD:

The Dublin Dragons travelled over to the North side of the City to play UCD American football in ALSAA. This was an encounter of two teams who moved up from the DV8s league from the season previous. UCD beating the Dragons both times last year. This game was about revenge for the Dragons and pride for UCD.

The first quarter was a defensive battle. Both offenses slowly trying to move the ball and both defenses making life hard for either team. UCD had problems on offense when starting centre Paddy Buttner suffered an injury to his good hand forcing Coach Collins to change his centre, with Niall Daniell stepping in.

5 mins into the 1st quarter UCD’s defense came up trumps when Larry Doyle stripped, and recovered, the fumble by the Dragons QB Griffen Soule. This put UCD in good field position on the Dragons’ 30 and UCD rookie QB Colin O’Meara fired a ball on 4th and long to Darragh Mooney who acrobatically made a catch on the Dragons’ 6 yard line. O’Meara’s confidence was growing and after a couple of attempts to drive the ball in O’Meara held onto to the ball for UCD’s first TD of the game and season.

The Dragons fought back and late in the 1st O’Meara was picked off by Alex McGuirk. The first quarter ended with a Dragons player being carted off to the hospital with a suspected shoulder dislocation.

After the delay, the ambulance returned and the rain poured. UCD struggled to keep hold of the ball. Daniell, in at centre, had never snapped a ball in the rain. The 2nd quarter was a defensive battle throughout. The Dragons offensively making better strides, with Soule finding WR Paul Keane a couple of times. But the UCD defense held on. UCD’s biggest drive of the 2nd quarter saw Darragh Mooney fumble the ball after a 25 yard run. Mooney was on fire since the first quarter already pushing treble digits in yards total. With the clock winding down the game went into half time at 6-0 UCD.

In the 2nd half UCD started the stronger and, after a couple of short drives, drove downfield and QB O’Meara threw a 30 yard pass into the endzone to WR Shane Kenny making it 12-0 UCD; Kenny making his second catch of the game. The Dragons again moved the ball but failed to capitilise. With a few injuries the difference in numbers began to show. Soule’s first interception of the game came in the 3rd as free safety Kevin McFadden, a native of New Tripoli, Pennsylvania, picked off Soule and returned it for near 50 yards. Unfortunately for McFadden the good yardage was brought back due to a block in the back. This interception led to UCD’s 3rd TD with RBs Darragh Mooney and Larry Doyle making some huge gains to drive back downfield with great blocking from their O-line rookies. OL Eoin Heffernan, WR Emmett Travers and veteran Vitaly Levdonski making some great blocks downfield to open up running lanes. Doyle eventually ran it in from a yard out for his 1st TD and UCD’s 3rd making it 18-0.

The 4th quarter the Dragons battled on with 10 men and Veteran John Durrad and his defense battled to hold off UCD as long as possible and they put up a brave fight. Finn O’Dwyer Cunliffe had two long punts putting the Dragons within their own 10 yard line, one of which put the Dragons on their 2 yard line. UCD’s defense had 2 more turnovers in the 4th with New Zealander Finn O’Dwyer Cunliffe picking off Soule for a second and third time. Tom Lenihan, the Dragons RB, had a solid game throughout but the UCD defense forced a fumble from him, with four of the UCD D-linemen making the tackle to bring him down and get the takeaway. UCD got their final TD with a long scramble by QB Colin O’Meara. The 2 point conversion was scored by Paddy Duffy on a pass from QB O’Meara. UCD’s second QB Dave Farrell, who normally starts, saw out the game and ran down the clock to give UCD their first win of the 2010 IAFL season.

UCD Game Video

Scoring

Q1
0-7 Trinity: James Marron, 9 yard run. PAT good (James Marron).
0-14 Trinity: Rob McDowell, 50 yard run. PAT good (James Marron).
0-21 Trinity: Rob McDowell, 60 yard run. PAT good (James Marron).
Q2
0-28 Trinity: David Corcoran, 30 yard reception. PAT good (James Marron).
Q3
0-34 Trinity: Rob McDowell, 90 yard run. 2 PAT no good.
Q4
8-34 Trojans: Chris McKeown, 35 yard reception. 2 PAT good.
8-42 Trinity: Hodson, 5 yard run. 2 PAT good, Connor Logue 3 yard reception.

Game Report

Game Report by Darrin O’Toole:

Game Photos

Photos by Máirtín Ó Conghaile
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A warm but overcast day at Trinity Sports Grounds, Santry was the setting for a game that would show how two of the IAFL’s dark horse teams would fare this year. Trinity College Dublin stood at .500 going into the game against a 0-1 Trojans team that travelled to Dublin with the intention of getting their first win. Having seen Trinity dismantle DCU, only to falter to the Rebels, Belfast must have thought they could achieve their goal of a first victory. Trinity, however had other plans and by the end of the game TCD would show that Trinity can more than hold their own in their debut season…

On the opening possession TCD unleashed its 3 headed monster at the running back position with great effect. Big plays from rookie RB Rob McDowell and new RB Ricardo Carbonell brought Trinity to the red zone. Senior RB James Marron was given his first carry and seized his opportunity, running into the Trojans’ endzone to give the Red & Black a 6-0 lead. Marron, who also is the teams special teams’ captain, kicked the PAT to give TCD a 7-0 start.

On the Trojans’ opening possession, they struggled to move the chains and had to punt. Two plays later, RB McDowell broke to the sideline on a 50 yard run to put the students up 13-0. Marron again kicked one down the middle to put it at 14-0. If those in attendance were impressed with McDowell’s 50 yard run, they were to be shellshocked by his encores later on.

Belfast again had little success moving the chains. On the second play of the 3rd TCD drive, McDowell stormed right through the heart of the Trojans defense at lightening speed to score a blistering 60 yard TD, effectively ending the game early. Marron kicked the PAT to give TCD a 21-0 lead and leave the Trojans wondering how 21 points were on the board so quickly.

In the second quarter the Trojans rallied. They managed to move the ball with more success; although the red zone alluded them, thanks to the excellent defensive performance of Yousef Abdul Wahab, who terrorized their backfield.The TCD offense rolled back on to the field. New signing from Valencia Ricardo Carbonell ran riot down the field, although the Trojans held firm and finally kept Trinity out of the endzone.

The Trojans offense came on again and had little success. On the next TCD drive, QB Hodson threw a 20 yard pass to WR David Corcoran. Corcoran dodged the oncoming DB and jinked into the endzone on what ended up a 35 yard play. Again, Marron hit the PAT and Trinity’s sideline were ecstatic at having a 28-0 lead at the half.

At the beginning of the second half, the Trojans came out firing. Some good completions got the ball rolling, followed by an excellent 50 yard screen pass which had touchdown all over it until CB Brendan O’Sullivan’s last gasp tackle on the 3 yard line. Over 4 big plays, TCD’s defense marshalled by Senior LB Connor Logue, held fast and stopped what looked like a certain score for Belfast. The play of the drive was a fingertip deflection by CB Conor Campbell.

Belfast now had Trinity’s offense on its own 1 yard line, and surely must have been thinking safety. However, on 3rd down Rob McDowell gave the IAFL a moment of magic, exploding for a 90 yard run. McDowell had over 300 yards on the day and is emerging as one of the most exciting players in the IAFL. TCD went for a 2 Point attempt, but good Trojans coverage kept Hodson from completing.

The fourth quarter saw Belfast hit an excellent route to score their first points of the day. Going for two, they powered into the endzone to make it 34-8.

Trinity used much of the second half giving valuable game time to rookies and back ups and, to their credit, they performed well. The Red & Black rolled down the field. In the red zone, TCD brought its starter package back on, and on 3rd down QB Hodson scored himself. An excellent pass to TE Connor Logue saw TCD at 42-8 and 2-1 as the game ended.

Trinity now travel to play the 1-2 Craigavon Cowboys in Craigavon this Sunday. The Trojans must lick their wounds and prepare to revive their season May 2nd against the Dublin Dragons.

Scoring

Q1
6-0 Rhinos: Ross Carrick, reception from Steven macken. PAT wide.
Q2
13-0 Rhinos: Barry Bolton, fumble recovery in endzone. PAT good (Sean Power).
Q4
13-8 Saints: Dave McMahon, run. 2 PAT good (Dave McMahon).
15-8 Rhinos: Safety.

Game Photos

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Game Report

Game Report by the West Dublin Rhinos:

An outstanding defensive performance coupled with some big plays on the offense saw the West Dublin Rhinos pick up their second win of the season.

The Rhinos received the ball and immediately began to move the ball on the Saints’ Defense. Quarterback Stephen Macken linked up with his talented receivers as they drove down the field. Running back Sean Power put in some important runs to set up a field goal attempt. It was Power himself who would take the shot but his attempt missed wide of the upright.

The Saints took over possession deep in their own half and the Rhinos’ defense swarmed their Quarterback at every opportunity.

With the immense pressure from the defense the Saints failed to get near the goal line on the opening drive and were forced to punt, but after a botched snap was recovered by the Rhinos, Macken took back over possession with good field position. Ross Carrick made a big catch to pick up a first down. Power once more made yards on the ground thanks to a huge block by receiver Stevie Moon. The block shook DCU to the core and was sure to have been felt at the nearby Trinity College sports grounds where Trinity hosted the Belfast Trojans.

Once in the redzone Macken and co. were not going to come away pointless and the young quarterback found Carrick for the opening touchdown of the game. Power missed the extra point which gave the Rhinos a six point lead over their bitter rivals.

The defense remained relentless and put massive pressure on the Saints who couldn’t manage to get any momentum going. The Rhinos second touchdown came as a direct result of that pressure when Oisin Russell-Conway penetrated the Saints’ line and got his hands on the quarterback who panicked and flung the ball towards his own endzone. David O’Connor and Barry Bolton pounced on the opportunity with Bolton smothering the ball for the first touchdown of his career. Power added the extra point before the half to send the visitors in with a 13-0 lead.

Rhinos’ Head Coach Mark Lawless emphasised the fact that the Saints would come out all guns blazing and they did just that with running back David McMahon causing problems on the ground. The Saints made it into the Rhinos’ ten yard line and pulled off a reverse which saw them cross over for six points. They then went for two points where McMahon squeezed in at the corner to pull his side within one score of a victory. Déjà vu was nearly setting in for the Rhinos after they had led by two scores in the same fixture last year only to lose the game. However, the defense stood strong and got the ball back for the offense who kept pushing for the win.

Deep in the fourth quarter the Rhinos’ defense pulled off another master stroke when the Saints fumbled the ball in their endzone and were forced to dive on the ball giving up a safety. This brought the score to 15-8 in the Rhinos favour. There was still time on the clock when the Saints recovered the ball from the ever impressive offense. Saints quarterback Scott Mifsud had no choice other than to air it out and that’s when veteran linebacker Nick Newby sealed another win for the Rhinos with a vital interception.

This win keeps the Rhinos in touching distance of division leaders, the Dublin Rebels, and sets up a scintillating fixture in two weeks time when the Rhinos host the Saints in Castleknock College.

Scoring

Q2
6-0 Cowboys: #2, reception from Michael McGregor. PAT blocked.
6-6 Rhinos: Sean Power, run. PAT no good.
6-12 Rhinos: Sean Power, run. PAT wide.
Q4
6-18 Rhinos: Sean Power, run. PAT no good.

Game Photos

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Game Report

Game Report by the West Dublin Rhinos

The Rhinos turned up to Castleknock on a glorious Sunday morning ready for action, and it was action they found from the opening whistle all the way to the closing seconds of the game. A battle of two well matched teams played out before a large crowd who were treated to some hard, clean football all game long.

The Rhinos opened the game meaningfully, driving the ball through the air and on the ground into the Cowboys redzone only to be halted by a Cowboys interception on an unfortunately tipped pass. The first quarter was a tight, defensive affair with neither team willing to give up a score. Injured in the process and taken to hospital was Rhinos running back Dan Breslin #23 who had started the game with a spectacular catch (above). The Cowboys were first to break the deadlock, scoring a touchdown pass on a short reception to their tight end. 6-0 Cowboys.

The Rhinos were fired up now and immediately answered back. Veteran Sean Power #15 stepped in at running back and would not be stopped as he powered his way almost half the pitch to score the above touchdown, though the extra point was no good the score was tied now at 6-6. It was not long again before Power #15 made it into the endzone, a fumble recovered by Barry Bolton #69 on a backwards pass by the Cowboys QB was taken advantage of as the Rhinos managed to plunge the ball into the endzone once more to put the Rhinos ahead 12-6 going into the half.

The Rhinos defense clamped down in the second half, shutting down the Cowboys almost every drive and forcing turnovers at the right times. The third quarter was all defense for both teams, the weather clearly taking its toll on both sides as they struggled to get and keep fluids in.

It was not until the 4th quarter after both teams had gone back and forward with the ball before Sean Power once again put in extra effort and stretched the ball across the goal line after a brave attempt to stop it from the Cowboys. The Rhinos defense once again took over charged with holding on to the lead to haul in the Rhinos first victory of the season. And did they ever, recording a number of sacks on the Cowboys quarterback including one by Oisin Russell-Conway #34 that forced the ball out of his hands only to be recovered by Bolton #69. The Rhinos wasted no more time, kneeling out the clock for their first win of 2010.

Though a team effort, quarterback Steven Macken #8 and Ross Carrick #80 both had stand out games, coming up big when needed and keeping the ball alive. #4 David O’Connor had a big game on defense as did the everlasting MLB Nick Newby #45 who was welcomed back after injury.

Scoring

Q1
7-0 Rebels: Barry Flinn, 25-yard reception from Andy Dennehy. (PAT good).
Q2
13-0 Rebels: Sam Hodgins 95-yard run. (PAT failed).
Q3
20-0 Rebels: David McKeating recovered blocked punt in the endzone. (PAT good).
Q4
26-0 Rebels: Aaron Smith 25-yard run. (PAT failed).
26-6 Saints: David McMahon 7-yard run. (2xpt failed).
33-0 Rebels: Sam Hodgins 12-yard run. (PAT good).
40-0 Rebels: Aaron Smith 15-yard run. (PAT good).

Game Photos

All photos by Jeff Dowling
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Game Report

Game Report to follow

Scoring

Q1
3-0 Vikings: FG.
Q2
3-7 Knights: Trevor Gibson, 13 yard reception from Adam Devenney. PAT good (Paul McKillop).
3-14 Knights: Chris Carson, 40 yard fumble recovery return. PAT good (Paul McKillop).
9-14 Vikings:, Adrian Garvey, 27 yard reception from Liam Ryan.
Q3
16-14 Vikings: Brendan McCarthy, 50 yard reception from Liam Ryan. PAT good (Glen Carr).

Video Highlights

Game Photos

All photos by Jonathan Beattie
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Game Report

Game Report by Carrickfergus Knights

The Shamrock Bowl hat-trick winning Limerick Vikings took the long trip, the length of the island, to Carrick on Sunday past in a game that, perhaps, had more of an intense build up than most.

The last time the two sides met was overshadowed by a freak injury that shook emotions on both sidelines and sent ripples through the entire IAFL, so, without doubt, it was an immense pleasure to see Honorary Captain, Gary ‘Potter’ McElkerney lead his Knights team onto the field for the coin toss. This was followed by a minute’s silence for Captain Larry McDonald ret. of the Philadelphia Fire Dept, who had been a close friend to the UL Vikings in recent years.

The Vikings took the ball to open the game with a blazing 22 yard run on first down but couldn’t gain a single inch thereafter and were forced to kick away possession. The punt found its way down inside the Knights 10 and rolled out of bounds pinning Carrick on their own 1 yard line. The home side couldn’t find any space and went three and out, punting the ball back to Limerick with decent field position. Again the visitors met a solid wall on defense, not giving up a single yard but the short field gave opportunity and success to their highly regarded kicking game. 3-0 Vikings.

Both teams traded punts once more before the Knights began finding room and moving the chains behind the stubborn running of #22, John Wright, nearing the end of the first period. Two plays into the second quarter #14, Adam Devenney found TE, Trevor Gibson across the middle with a pass he turned up field and in for a 13 yard score. It was a 7-3 Knights lead after #86 Paul McKillop converted the extra point.

On the next down for Limerick after the kick off, the Knights #51, Gareth Millar stripped the ball loose and a heads up response from safety Chris Davidson got it back for the home boys. Carrick were moving on offence once more, driving 34 yards until a third down pass was picked off by Vikings safety #43 Michael Guinane.

Yet again the two teams traded punts and on their next possession Limerick fumbled, once more caused by the insatiable #51 Gareth Millar on his way to claiming a sack. This time the ball was picked up by LB Chris Carson who returned it all the way for a score and with the extra point tacked on by kicker Paul McKillop the Knights extended their lead to 14-3.

The Vikings brought the following kick off out to their 35 yard line and scored two plays later but missing the PAT made it 14-9 in favour of Carrick who burned off a couple of big runs before the 20 point second quarter came to an end.

The Knights came out cold after the halftime break and were forced to kick only to regain possession two plays later with #32 Chris Davidson bagging an interception with a ten yard return. The Vikings Defense held up the Carrick O and forced another punt and found themselves in the end-zone three plays after taking over. With the extra point the Vikings retook the lead mid-way through the third period.

On the next drive the Vikings claimed another pick, from #23 Craig Brouder, and seemed more determined moving the ball, momentum now with them. They drove down inside the 5 yard line but were denied by a resolute Carrick Defense and, failing to score on a 4th down, the Knights took over backed up on their own goal-line. Turnovers continued to plague the Carrick Offence however, as a fumble was recovered by Limerick’s #55 Mark Gaffney 1 yard out. Carrick’s Defence remained unwavering as again and again they refused the Vikings access to the end-zone making a second goal-line stand in a matter of minutes, #53 Darren Montgomery halting the 4th down attempt for no gain.

Punts were traded as time in the fourth faded meaning Carrick got the ball back, finding themselves in gear running behind HB John Wright and with #88 Trevor Gibson making a great grab for 10 yards. But hope fell short on an incomplete 4th down pass. The visiting Vikings got the ball back and kneeled out the clock.

The hard fought, bruising encounter could only be emphasized by the spectacular performances of both Knights MVPs on the day, TE Trevor Gibson and LB Chris Carson.

The Vikings awarded their game MVP to QB Liam Ryan.

The Connor Leckey interview

Who are you and where are you from?

I am Connor Leckey from Templepatrick, Co. Antrim.

How and when did you get into American Football in the first place?

When I was 14 my friend brought an american football video game to my house, and i had never seen any other sport like it. I love playing most sports and when I found out about the IAFL I had to give it a go.

Which IAFL team did you play for?

I played for the Belfast Bulls from 2006 – 2008 and the Carrickfergus Knights in 2009.

Connor in Carrickfergus Knights uniform.

How did you get to go to West Liberty? Do you enjoy your time there? What academic course are you doing?

In my time playing in the IAFL some people had mentioned to me about college football in the US. I knew very little about NCAA football but I searched online and found a free recruiting site, so I made a profile. It took a while but I eventually got interest from some schools and scouts. One scout told West Liberty University in West Virginia about me, as they where looking for Offensive Linemen.

I visited West Liberty in April of last year, where I got to talk to the coaches and work out for them, and was offered a scholarship shortly after

I am greatly enjoying my time at West Liberty, where I am studying Political Science.

What is it like to play for a college team in the US?

Playing at West Liberty is definitely a different experience from playing in the IAFL. We train or work out almost every day and are constantly challenged both physically and mentally

How many hours a week do you train?

We have around 20 hours a week in organized team activities along with any other individual preparation.

Could you make a career at American Football?

It is very difficult to make it to the next level, and more than often than not talented athletes come up short. However, professional football players have come out of West Liberty so anything is possible.

How many IAFL players have made a college football team?

As far as I understand another Offensive Lineman from the IAFL made it to a D3 school a few years back. And I know that a wide receiver that I played with on the Bulls worked out with a team in Carolina. I believe I am the first Irishman to play D2 ball.

Do you do other sports?

I also love Rugby and Basketball, and I race boats in my spare time.

Which teams do you support?

Ulster and Irish Rugby, the St Louis Rams and the Carrickfergus Knights!

What are your plans for next year?

I am currently getting stronger and fighting for my spot on the team. I am trying to become the best Football Player I can be.

Connor at West Liberty, West Virginia

Dublin Rebels go 2-0 after defeating Trinity College Dublin 39-06.Photos by Martin Connolly.

With Trinity students and alumni in Rebel uniforms and former Rebel Darrin O’ Toole marching the Trinity sideline as head coach, there was an incestuous backdrop to the first meeting of the two teams in the IAFL proper. Some DV8 skirmishes in 2008 meant the two teams were somewhat familiar with one another and over the course of the game it became clear that Trinity had come a long way.

However, the league newcomers didn’t get off to the best of starts. On the first two plays, against a fired up Rebels defense, the students unfortunately lost starting LG David Kane followed by TE Richard Withey to injury. Against the venomous Rebel D-line, such losses would prove difficult to overcome. After trading 3 and outs, Trinity QB Hal Hodson was pressured into an errant pass which landed in the hands of middle linebacker Ross McCooey. Aware as ever, the defensive standout used the blocks of his teammates and his own considerable might to rumble to within inches of the goal line. On the next play RB Sam Hodgins gladly took the ball over the goal line giving the visitors an early 7-0 lead.

Trinity’s ensuing drive stalled once again, but a booming punt, a helpful bounce and the ambition of return man Shahin Nikroo ended with the young receiver losing yardage, setting the offense up inside their 10 yard line. With Trinity stacking the box with as many as 9 defenders and coming relentlessly at the line of scrimmage, RB Aaron Smith found open space hard to come by. Under pressure, a healthy QB Andy Dennehy looked to take advantage of the single coverage on the outside. Forced into low-percentage throws, the Rebels managed to string a number together in succession, with WR Barry Flinn eventually ending up in the end zone to cap a long drive.

The Rebels defence continued to shut down Hodson and co. Pressure up front forced the QB to scramble often into the closing arms of other Rebel defenders on hand to mop up. McCooey continued to dominate from MLB, finishing with 3 and a half sacks to go with his pick. The Rebels extended their lead when Dennehy once again found Flinn in single coverage on the outside. The receiver came down in the corner of the end zone and was judged to have kept a foot in bounds, though the Trinity secondary, on the wrong end of such a tight call, had reason to feel aggrieved.

Desperately seeking to get a score before the half the students came out passing for the sidelines. However, the reliably solid coverage and pass break ups by defensive backs Eoin Daly and Marcus Naylor quashed any hopes of a late score for the newcomers. At half time the scoreline read 19-0 after a second missed extra point.

Down three scores, Trinity had not lost belief, and an interception by Conor Campbell gave them the perfect start to mount a comeback. They finally made inroads when speedy rookie RB Rob McDowell scampered up the right sideline on an excellent run to the outside. Eventually tracked down by safety Kevin Finnegan after a 70 yard gain, McDowell had brought play to within ten yards of the goal line. This was RB McDowell’s 4th run for 50 yards or more in his first 2 games,marking him as a star to watch this year.

After runs for no gain in their first visit to the redzone, FB Connor Logue eventually plunged the students as far as the 1 yard line before Hodson himself took it in on a QB sneak behind the big students up front.

The deficit reduced, the Trinity offense retreated back to Coach O’ Toole on the sidelines, but could only watch their handiwork be undone by another Rebels score. Again under pressure, as Trinity continued to commit defenders to the line of scrimmage, Dennehy looked for Paul Grogan downfield. Staying on the hash marks to the left of the post, not unlike his wild extra point kicking, Grogan prevented the middle safety from making a play on the ball, though the covering defender, and former Rebel, Sam Whelan did manage to cause a distraction. The ball jumped off Grogan’s hands and floated dangerously for just a moment. Somehow, he managed to juggle the petulant pigskin and convince it to come with him all the way to end zone, stretching the visitors lead to 25-6 and producing gobsmacked howls and hollers from the visitor’s sideline. With renewed confidence, the multi-talented kicker stroked the extra point through.

Though the lead at this point seemed irreversible, the Trinity offense continued to push at the dominant Rebels machine. Rotating back ups to gain valuable experience against arguably the toughest defensive unit in the league Trinity’s back up QB Alex Canepa improvised with his legs and his wits, connecting with WRs Lorcan Smullen and David Corcoran on lofty rainbows while also lateralling to his RG Bash Hassani le under duress from the enclosing Rebels defense, in what is surely lead candidate for wackiest play of the season already. Hassani, a former sprinter, took full advantage and ran for 30 yards.

The students sustained drives and hopes with difficult catches and unorthodox tactics however, neither could break the plane of the goal line and an interception by CB David McKeating would eventually stall their final attempt of the day.

Trinity preformed well enough to have shown the Rebels that down the line the IAFL Central may not be as dominant as some thought, but the Rebels showed their hunger for this years Shamrock Bowl. WR Barry Flinn stood out today in what was possibly the single best WR performance ever in the IAFL, and if Flinn carries that form into the rest of the season many teams will find him simply unstoppable.

Trinity go on to play Belfast Trojans April 18th in Trinity Sports Grounds, meanwhile the 2-0 Rebels next play a DCU team seeking their first win of the season on April 11th at DCU Sports Grounds.