Dublin Dragons 12-46 Dublin Rebels

Sportslink, Santry

Scorers:
1st quarter: DRA: Barry Reynolds 10yd run (6-0); REB: Chris Winton 2yd run (6-6); REB: Sam Hodgins 60yd run, Simon Mackey 2xpt (6-14).
2nd quarter: REB: Sam Hodgins 2yd run, Simon Mackey 2xpt (6-22); DRA: Dave Wheeler 57yd int return (12-22); REB: Carl Faichney 14yd pass from Andrew Dennehy, Fearghal O’Hanlon 2xpt (12-30).
3rd quarter: REB: Sean Shanahan 29yd int return, Andrew Dennehy 2xpt (12-38).
4th quarter: REB: Paul Smyth 9yd pass from Dennehy, Marcus Naylor 2xpt (12-46).

Game Report.

The Dublin Rebels finished their regular season with a perfect 8-0 record after defeating the Dublin Dragons at Sportslink. Both defenses made their mark on the scoring with no less than 3 interceptions having a big impact on the game.. This is not surprising since the Rebels and Dragons entered into the game as the #1 and #3 ranked defenses in the IAFL.

The Dragons defense got on the scoreboard first when linebacker Nick Newby intercepted a pass on the Rebels 22 yard line and returned it to the 10. Barry Reynolds carried the ball in for a touchdown three minutes into the first quarter. The Rebels responded quickly. Some first down runs from their rotating backfield of Simon Mackey, Sam Hodgins and Chris Winton got the Rebels a first and goal which rookie Winton converted into a score to tie the game at 6-6. The Rebels scored again on their next possession to take the lead. Running back Sam Hodgins broke free for a 60 yard touchdown run to make the score 14-6 in favour of the Rebels following the conversion. The Rebels defense came up with a crucial turnover early in the second quarter when a Steve Archibald interception got them the ball in good field position. Sam Hodgins extended the Rebels lead with another short yardage touchdown. Later in the same quarter, the Dragons defense then scored their second touchdown of the game when Dave Wheeler intercepted a Rebels pass and took it into the endzone. However, a relatively high scoring first half ended when the Rebels Carl Faichney pulled in a touchdown pass as time expired in the half to give the Rebels a 30-12 lead.

The second half turned out to be a defensive struggle with only one offensive touchdown being scored. Lez Connolly, Nick Newby both had good games for the Dragons along with Dave Wheeler who had an interception in the second quarter. The Rebels defense was led by Al Kelly and Paul Smyth, but the player who had the greatest impact on the second half was linebacker Sean Shanahan. Shanahan got the only score of the third quarter when he returned and interception 29 yards to effectively seal the game for the Rebels. He then put on a great defensive display throughout the rest of the half making several tackles in the Dragons backfield. The Rebels got the only offensive score of the half early in the fourth quarter when Paul Smyth, lining up as a goal line offense tight end, caught a short pass from quarterback Andrew Dennehy to make the score 46-12 in favour of the Rebels. The Rebels had one further scoring opportunity in before the game ended, but John Durrad of the Dragons stripped a Rebels ball carrier on the 1 yard line thus preventing a score and reclaiming possession. The Dragons attempted to chase the game in the fourth quarter, but the Rebels defense was strong and the game ended with the Rebels running out the clock inside the 2 minute warning.

The other game played today in the IAFL saw the Cork Admirals defeat the DCU Saints 28-6. Next weekend is the final regular season weekend for the IAFL and both fixtures have major play-off implications. The Belfast Bulls travel to the Cork Admirals with both teams needing a win to see if they can clinch a place in the Shamrock Bowl semi-finals. In the other game, the Carrickfergus Knights travel to the Dublin Dragons. The Knights need a win to get home field advantage in the semis, the Dragons need a win (along with a Cork loss) to clinch a place in the play-offs. As things stand, the Dublin Rebels have won the league stage and will be at home to either Cork, Belfast or Dragons in one semi. The UL Vikings will play the Carrickfergus Knights in the other semi with home field advantage depending on the outcome of the Knights final game.