Belfast Bulls 8-24 Belfast Trojans

Under raw, overcast skies, Belfast’s American football derby kicked off between the Bulls and Trojans at Malone Rugby Club. With plenty at stake in both league tables and pride, both sides came out hitting. With a key injury to kicker/punter/free safety James Kay on the opening kick, the Trojans defence was immediately forced to reorganise an already short-staffed line-up. For the second game in a row, wide receiver Scott Fischaber was equal to the task, patrolling the depth of the secondary well all afternoon. With Trojan-mainstay Chris Weir out for the match, Rookie Rich also filled a huge gap on the day at linebacker. Despite a nagging injury, the converted running back was all over the Bulls run game from start to finish, logging a near-dozen tackles and providing much needed stops on short-yardage situations.

The Bulls were also down #40, though found strength in their depth to stuff each Trojan drive. Both defences shone brightly during the opening quarters, with crucial third- and fourth-down stops on all sides, plus a Trojans fumble recovery by Mark McGrath which stalled a Bulls drive late in the second quarter. Though after the physical, heated first half, the scored remained 0-0. With an unwanted ten quarters without a point, the Trojan offence was ready to explode. Quarterback Chris McKeown was on target all day, though some big drops kept the team off the board early. With excellent protection from the offensive line, he combined with Erin Wagner to earning Trojan score on the season via the ground, when Wagner ran in for a 6-0 lead. McKeown then found Kai Ruggeri in the end zone for the 2-point conversion.

After some more back and forth battles, McKeown used some crafty footwork and manoeuvring to find paydirt early in the fourth, followed by Wagner’s 2-point carry. The Trojans carried the 16-0 lead with under 8 minutes.
When the Bulls were forced to abandon the run game and move to the air, they found success with Mike Calo connecting on a long throw to #5, followed by a conversion run. With the lead cut and ensuing chaos, the Trojans were pushed to the wall before a critical stop gave them possession inside six minutes. Jeroen Egge made a pivotal sack which stalled what had been a feisty Bulls passing game. Another fine series by the offensive line set up a perfectly timed option between McKeown and Wagner, which resulted in a near-unscathed sprint down the sideline. McKeown found Ruggeri again at the sideline for the conversion, cementing the lead at 24-8.

The final long drive for the Bulls had just moved inside the red zone when Calo was picked off by Stephen McDowell, thus ending hopes of a comeback.