Newsflash 17 May

Newsflash 10 May

Newsflash 3 May

Mid-season update on field Audit results – one clear leader……..

Trinity College 22-8 UCD

Report by Trinity College reporter.

Friday 27^th April saw history take place in Ireland on the grounds of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) as Trinity Football and UCD competed in a “colours game”, the name given to the rivalry games played in any sport between the two colleges. This game was made special however for two reasons; firstly it was being held on a Friday night, but secondly and more importantly it was the first time the two colleges had ever played each other in an IAFL regular season game on Trinity’s historic campus in the heart of Dublin City. 

Around 400 people turned up to witness the historic game being played on College Park. Coach Darrin O’Toole’s Trinity team came into the game on the back of a 3 game streak and sat at 3-2 in the league standings. John Collins UCD came off a defeat the previous Sunday to the UL Vikings but found themselves at a respectable 2-3, with UCD knowing a victory would see them level with Trinity on points, but a win over their rivals could give them a vital advantage if a tie breaker was needed in deciding the playoff spots. On the flip side Trinity knew a win would put them at 4-2 and eliminate UCD from playoff contention.

Trinity took the opening possession and drove down the field well, however nerves on the big occasion were apparent as Trinity’s receivers dropped two big passes. Trinity kicked a field goal to finish the opening drive with a 3 point lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, a gutsy onside kick by Daniel Murphy saw Trinity catch UCD off guard and regain possession. Trinity again moved the ball well but saw some drops by their still nervous receiver corp. Trinity made a big passing play on a fourth down on the UCD 30 to keep their drive going, and on the next play RB Rob McDowell broke one to the endzone, however the officials incorrectly ruled him out at the time. Video later showed he did indeed break the plane. On the next play, QB Daniel Flynn pushed into the endzone behind Trinity’s O-Line. A UCD DT pulled the ball from the QB’s grasp, but he had broken the plane and a Touchdown was given.

Trinity’s defense, led by Dave Barker and Vince Ngo held firm on the UCD drive. On Trinity’s next possession rookie Rb Josh Megan towards the endzone but a tremendous tackle by UCD’s outside linebacker prevented him from getting the final two yards required. Megan pulled a hamstring on the play and was ruled out for the rest of the game. On the next play McDowell found the endzone.

The half wound down with Trinity once again getting into the redzone, but an excellent stop by UCD on this series saw the half come to a close with Trinity leading UCD 16-0.

The second half saw UCD galvanise their defense and Trinity found plenty of field possession but little reward for it.   On offense UCD struggled to move the ball despite some catches, but most were for short gains and Trinity coach Danny O’Callaghan’s defensive unit swarmed to contain any threats. Andrew Redmond, Shane De Lappe and Adam O’Shea all started to find their way through the UCD O-Line, whilst Brian O’Driscoll, Alex Gurnee and Cian Lafferty shut down the UCD deep passing threat.

Near the end of the 3^rd quarter Trinity’s offense took to the field and executed a solid drive which saw Rob McDowell make a big run through the heart of the UCD defense, then WR Alex Gurnee catch a deep ball in the middle of the endzone. Trinity now led 22-0.

On Trinity’s next drive, RB Sam Whelan fumbled the ball and UCD regained possession, however an inadvertent whistle meant Trinity retained the ball. Trinity however could not capitalise and missed a FG on fourth down. UCD remained a constant threat, and early in the fourth quarter they managed an excellent pass on fourth and long to keep their drive alive. On the very next play, UCD QB Colin O’Meara struck a laser through the Trinity secondary and UCD scored on a 50 yard pass. O’Meara then scored on the two point conversion, giving UCD hope with time on the clock and the score at 22-8.

UCD onside kicked the ball, but Trinity DE Adam O’Shea had little trouble regaining possession for the home team. The fourth quarter ebbed and flowed with Trinity failing to capitalize on good field possession and UCD starting to gain some momentum. However a third down saw the play of the game, as DT Cormac “Too Tall” Coughlin burst through the UCD line to deflect a Colin O’Meara pass, and Trinity Safety Gareth O’Shea made a diving, second attempt fingertip catch, barely keeping the ball off the ground. Trinity once again were held by the excellent UCD defense, but on UCD’s next possession O’Meara threw a deep bomb which was intercepting by Alex Gurnee.

The game finished 22-8 in Trinity’s favour and saw Trinity storm on the back of a four game winning streak to 4-2. UCD sat at 2-4 as a result and were eliminated from playoff contention. The win also saw TCD take a 2 game winning streak in the IAFL against their collegiate rivals. The Twentyone Club and Lounge MVP was given collectively to Trinity’s Offensive Line.

Both team now break for exams and return to the field May 20^th, with Trinity playing the 1-3 West Dublin Rhinos.UCD travel to Belfast the same day to play the 1-4 Craigavon Cowboys.

www.trinityfootball.ie

Newsflash 26 Apr

Additional this week is the full IAFOA Qualified Membership listing for 2012 season.

IAFOA Qualified Membership List 2012

Restructuring:

The most significant outcome of the AGM was that the Association approved the adoption of a new structure for the sport which will hopefully be implemented with effect from early 2013. This new structure follows the Irish Sports Councils corporate governance recommendations and will involve all aspects of the sport coming under the umbrella of an expanded Association Board and many of the day to day functions being carried out by an executive appointed by the Board. A Working Group was established to draft new statutes and consult with the member organisations regarding the detailed implementation.

Board Members & Appointees:

The incumbent officers were reappointed to their positions. In order to smooth the transition to the new structure, the alternate Board members from the IAFL, IAFOA, IFFA and representatives of the IAFCA will also attend all Board meetings. The new Board is as follows:

President: Greg Loughran

Secretary: Cillian Smith

Treasurer: Michael Smith

Alternates/Representatives:

John Judge, Chris Gaughan, Russell Kerley, Ken Farrell & Tony Rivers.

Auditor: Terry Lynch.

IAFA Coaching established:

The IAFA approved the establishment of a new Coaching Department.  John Judge was appointed as the Associations first ever Director of  Coaching and Chris Gaughan will be the departments administrative coordinator. This Department has taken over the registration, regulatory and education functions that were previously carried out by the IAFCA. Coaching in Ireland is expected to undergo significant changes over the next couple of years consequential to the sport transitioning from BAFCA certification to Coaching Ireland certification courses/standards. Two coaches are currently enrolled in Coaching Ireland’s tutor course at UL.

Other topics discussed at the AGM include the big events taking place later this year, IFAF/EFAF matters and the recently announced ISC grant.

Newsflash 19 Apr

DV8s is an 8-a-side (as opposed to 11-a-side) version of full kitted American football. It has two important development aims – firstly it allows newly established teams who are in the process of building player/equipment levels to gain valuable on-field experience while they recruit players/staff. A typical DV8s squad is c.16-20 players,  as opposed to c.40 in the main IAFL league. New IAFL teams typcially spend 2 years at DV8s level before advancing into the main league.  Secondly, it allows some of the larger IAFL squads to field 2nd teams consisting of young inexperienced players who will benefit from game experience against similar opposition. The number of games scheduled per team varies and is taylored to their particular development needs.

2012 DV8s Development League Schedule

Week 1	Away Team		Score			Home Team		Venue
May 6	Drogheda Lightning		32	@	26		Trim Bulldogs	Boyne Community College, 2pm
Week 2
May 13	Trim Bulldogs		19	@	33		Belfast Trojans 2nds	Shorts S&R Club, Belfast, 2pm
Week 3
Jun 17	Dublin Dragons 2nds			@			Trim Bulldogs	Boyne Community College, 1pm
Jun 17	Carrickfergus Knights 2nds			@			Drogheda Lightning	Boyne Community College, 3pm
Week 4
Jul 22	Dublin Dragons 2nds			@			Drogheda Lightning	St. Olivers CC, Drogheda, 1pm
Jul 22	Belfast Trojans 2nds			@			Craigavon Cowboys 2nds	St. Olivers CC, Drogheda, 3pm
Week 5
Jul 29	Carrickfergus Knights 2nds			@			Craigavon Cowboys 2nds	Boyne Community College, 12pm
Jul 29	Tullamore Phoenix 2nds			@			Drogheda Lightning	Boyne Community College, 2pm
Jul 29	Dublin Dragons 2nds			@			Trim Bulldogs	Boyne Community College, 4pm
Week 6
Aug 5	Belfast Trojans 2nds			@			Drogheda Lightning	Lurgan Park, 1pm
Aug 5	Trim Bulldogs			@			Craigavon Cowboys 2nds	Lurgan Park, 3pm
Week 7
Aug 12	Carrickfergus Knights 2nds			@			Tullamore Phoenix 2nds	St. Olivers CC, Drogheda, 1pm
Aug 12	Dublin Dragons 2nds			@			Drogheda Lightning	St. Olivers CC, Drogheda, 3pm
Week 8
Aug 19	Trim Bulldogs			@			Drogheda Lightning	Shorts S&R, Belfast, 12pm
Aug 19	Dublin Dragons 2nds			@			Craigavon Cowboys 2nds	Shorts S&R, Belfast, 2pm
Aug 19	Tullamore Phoenix 2nds			@			Carrickfergus Knights 2nds	Shorts S&R, Belfast, 4pm
Week 9
Aug 26	Belfast Trojans 2nds			@			Drogheda Lightning	Boyne Community College, 12pm
Aug 26	Tullamore Phoenix 2nds			@			Trim Bulldogs	Boyne Community College, 2pm
Aug 26	Craigavon Cowboys 2nds			@			Dublin Dragons 2nds	Boyne Community College, 4pm

Newsflash 12 Apr

The IFAF Team of the Month is given to teams who have done something significant such as winning a major title or going unbeaten or a pioneering achievement (as with St. Marys). Winners of the award can come from any level of American football worldwide in IFAF’s 62 member countries - from top professional teams down to local level teams.

St. Marys are third Irish team to win the award since its inception several years ago. Dublin Rebels (August 2010) and UL Vikings (June 2010) have been honoured for having a perfect season and for winning the EFAF Atlantic Cup respectively.

LINK  TO ANNOUNCEMENT ON IFAF WEBSITE

St. Marys GNS, Edenderry.