DUBLIN REBELS 42 - 12 DUBLIN DRAGONS

Venue: Lucan Community School, Lucan

Scorers

1st quarter: REB Chris Winton 10 yd run and 2xpt (8-0); REB Chris Winton 90 yd run and 2xpt (16-0)
2nd quarter: REB Chris Winton 80 yd run, Marcus Naylor 2xpt. (24-0); REB Mick Finucane 20 yd pass from Andy Dennehy. (30-0)
3rd quarter: REB Marcus Naylor 75 yd run. (36-0) DRA John Durrad 15 yd pass from Jeff Schell (36-06)
4th quarter: DRA Robert Pop 10 yd run. (36-12) REB Mike Kresowaty 15 yd pass from Andy Dennehy.

The Dublin Rebels convincingly beat their fierce IAFL Central Division rivals, the Dublin Dragons, in a hard hitting but sometimes scrappy game.

The Rebels opened the scoring on their opening drive when, after some good running for successive first downs, Chris Winton stormed in from ten yards out. Winton converted his touchdown with a run for the 2xpt. The game then got very scrappy and was marred by indiscipline on both sides. Three players were ejected for a fracas halfway through the first quarter (one for the Rebels and two for the Dragons). On the next drive, Rebels’ MVP Winton ran for a 90 yard touchdown run, after some excellent blocking by the offensive line, which was outstanding in this game. Winton again converted his touchdown run.

The second quarter started with a series of four-and-outs, with the Dragons Offence unable to get anything going. When the Rebels got the ball back, Winton ran for his third touchdown of the day, this time weaving and rolling his way to an 80 yard score. Marcus Naylor converted the 2xpt to make it 24-0. On their next drive, after key receptions from WR’s Mike Kresowaty and Conor Ryan, QB Andy Dennehy connected with TE Mick Finucane on a pass and he barrelled home from 20 yards out to score the touchdown, leaving the score at the interval 30-0 to the Rebels.

The second half was a different affair. A resurgent Dragons team started to move the ball effectively on the ground and through the air. However, after penalties stifled their momentum, the Rebels scored again, this time on the ground, with Marcus Naylor running 75 yards for the touchdown. At the end of the third quarter, the Dragons’ fighting spirit finally paid off when they scored through the air on a 15 yd pass, with QB Schell connecting with veteran John Durrad. The Dragons scored again when Robert Pop ran in for a 10 yd touchdown run. After some key defensive plays by Rebels’ MLB Paul Weldon and a Kevin Finnegan interception, the Rebels had the final score, when QB Andy Dennehy connected with WR Kresowaty for a 15 yard touchdown pass, making the final score 42-12 to the Rebels.

BELFAST BULLS 6-6 BELFAST TROJANS

The Bulls and Trojans shared the points in a defensive, yet very entertaining game at Malone RFC in Belfast. The Bulls had the edge early in the first half and the Trojans in the second. Bulls got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter with a 2 yard run by running back Gary Boyle after quarterback Mike Calo completed a couple of passes to get them into scoring range. The Trojans scored mid way through the third quarter in an almost identical fashion through a 2 yard run by Erin Wagner following a good drive led by quarterback Kai Ruggeri. Both teams had opportunities to win the game late in the fourth quarter with both giving away fumbles at crucial times.

UL VIKINGS 28-6 CARRICKFERGUS KNIGHTS

The Vikings guaranteed themselves a place in the IAFL play-offs with a comfortable win over the Knights in Carrickfergus. The Vikings scored 22 unanswered points in the first quarter. The Knights began to come back into the game in the second half with both teams scoring a touchdown each.