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SHAMROCK
BOWL XVIII
Who
will get their hands on this trophy in 2004?
SHAMROCK
BOWL XVIII PREVIEW AND DETAILS
SUNDAY
29th AUGUST 2004 - KICK-OFF 2PM
CARRICKFERGUS
KNIGHTS v DUBLIN REBELS
Venue: Greystones Rugby Club,
Co. Wicklow.
Shamrock Bowl XVIII, the Championship game
for the IAFL is taking place on Sunday 29th
August at Greystones Rugby Club. Due to
the increase in interest, and consequently
player numbers in the league, this will
probably be the most competitive Shamrock
Bowl ever. Even though both these teams
qualified for last years game, which was
won by the Rebels, qualifying was a lot
harder than in previous years as every team
in the IAFL fielded a much larger and more
talented squad than in 2004.
THE
TEAMS:
The Dublin Rebels qualified for the play-offs
with a 7-1 record and defeated cross town
rivals, Dublin Dragons in the semi-finals.
The Knights finished the regular season
with a 6-1-1 record and defeated the Belfast
Bulls, who had tied with them only two weeks
previously, in the other semi-final. Both
teams have contrasting styles - the Rebels
have a tough ground game and the Knights
have an explosive passing game.
Dublin
Rebels:
The Rebels offence is build around elusive
running back Brian Dennehy (#88), who won
MVP in last years Shamrock Bowl. Their passing
game focuses on tight end Simon Mackey (#86)
and tall receiver Carl Faichney (#83). Quarterback
Andy Dennehy (#16) reads the game very well.
Marcus Naylor (#80) and Mark Kelly (#20)
will also feature in the offense. On defense,
Alan Kelly (#74) and Kenny Hudson (#40)
are tough to run against. Linebacker Sean
Shanahan (#25) always plays well in big
games and Darragh Farrell (#26) and Patrick
Quinn (#28) are both rising stars in the
secondary.
Carrickfergus
Knights:
Quarterback Stephen McDowell (#12) is the
top quarterback in the IAFL and heads up
the Knights explosive offense. However,
the player to watch is receiver Paul McKillop
(#86) who is rapidly becoming Ireland's
best ever receiver - he scored an 81yard
touchdown in last years Shamrock Bowl. The
Knights like to use big fullback Bobby Murray
(#40) for short yardage and tailback David
Wright (#28) has been in form in recent
weeks. The Knights best defender is cornerback
Mark Pollock (#24) who had two interceptions
in the semis. Linebacker Spencer McDowell
(#90) - no relation to Stephen & Clinton
- is a great sideline to sideline defender
and veteran Mark Harris (#39) is good against
the run.
THE
EVENT:
Following on from last years successful
Shamrock Bowl at Suttonians RFC, the IAFL
has decided to repeat and improve on the
formula which saw the Shamrock Bowl transformed
into a family friendly event that can be
enjoyed by all sports fans. The idea is
to showcase the game in a manner that is
familiar to what people are used to seeing
on television - field with full markings
and trimmings, dial-a-down chains, stripped
officials. There will be live play by play
commentary over the pa system and a DJ will
entertain the crowd during timeouts and
breaks. This years venue, Greystones Rugby
Club has great facilities including covered
seating with excellent sightlines, full
bar and food service. Like last year, the
IAFL hopes to have highlights of the game
broadcast to an audience of 100,000s on
Sky Sports.
HALF-TIME
SHOW:
This
years Half-Time show will feature the Coyote
Cheerleaders and pop group No Way Out who
have had 2 top 10 singles in the Irish Charts
in recent months.
SPONSORS:
The
IAFL is thankful for the generous sponsorship
support which has made the Shamrock Bowl
possible. Click on the following link to
see our sponsors:
SHAMROCK
BOWL XVIII SPONSORS
GETTING
TO THE GAME:
DART
Getting
to the game is easy this year as full weekend
DART services have resumed on the southside
after a break of several months for construction
work. Greystones Rugby Club is only 5 minutes
walk to the south of Greystones DART Station.
BUS
The
no. 84 Dublin Bus from Dublin City Centre
stops directly outside the Rugby Club –
click on the link below for details/timetable.
http://www.dublinbus.ie/your_journey/viewer.asp?route=84
ROAD:
Greystones
Rugby Club is on the R762, just south of
Greystones town centre. Greystones is just
of the main N11 road (Dublin to Wexford)
– south of Dublin/Bray, north of Wickow
town. Click
on the link below for map of Greystones
- zoom in and out.
Greystones
Map
Action
from last years game.
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