Game Preview

The University of Limerick Vikings will face the Cork Admirals at UL Sports Grounds in Limerick to determine who will be the 2007 IAFL Champions in Shamrock Bowl XXI. The game will feature two Munster teams for the first time ever. The UL Vikings are the more experienced of the two teams having been runners up in 2006 and are the current IAFL South division champions. They qualified for the Shamrock Bowl with a comprehensive 44-2 victory over IAFL North division champions, Belfast Bulls. The Cork Admirals finished second in IAFL South and qualified for the play-offs as a wild card team. They defeated defending Shamrock Bowl champions and current IAFL Central winners, Dublin Rebels in a close 8-6 semi-final game. Neither team has ever won the Shamrock Bowl, so the trophy will be going to Munster for the first time on Sunday.

University of Limerick Vikings

The University of Limerick Vikings finished the regular season with a 7-1 record and played at a consistently high level throughout the season. The team is extremely well drilled and does not seem to miss a beat, even when their starting line-up has changed. The team has significantly improved since last season, when they were the losing finalists. They appear to have added a lot of size to the speed the team was noted for in recent years. The team has improved to the extent that many believe they would give a US College football team a good run for their money.

Their power offense will be led by Quarterback Liam Ryan, who has only taken over the position in recent weeks. Star player on offense is tight end Glen Carr who is very mobile and scores a lot of touchdowns. Wide receiver Marc Ashworth is the most spectacular player on the team and will make difficult catches. Expect the Vikings offensive line to grind down the opposition as the game progresses.

The Vikings defense has been noted in recent years for its great pass defense, known in IAFL circles as the “No Fly Zone” defense. As with the offense, the Vikings have added more size to their speedy defense and have shut down most of the offenses they have met this season. Cornerback Rob Ryan is the star of the No Fly Zone and Damian Laffan and ex-Admirals player Alan O’Carroll lead a solid linebacking core. The defensive line is the most improved unit on the team this year and is good at plugging the middle of the field.

Cork Admirals

The Admirals finished the regular season with a 6-2 record – only one game behind the Vikings in the IAFL South division. The team has dramatically improved over the past 2-3 years after following a strategy focused on improving the coaching at the team. They have improved steadily as the 2007 season progressed getting better with every game. The winning margins in each of their final three league games was over 60 points!

Quarterback David Lomasney has improved greatly in his third full season as starter, showing good awareness in the pocket. Rookie WR Dave Barry has complemented veteran Dominic McHale fantastically. This has lead to the Admirals being able to employ a balanced attack. In previous seasons the run-heavy Cork side used an outside rushing attack as their main strategy. Keith O'Callaghan and Alain Pezeron are the two starting runners; however the entire RB corps has contributed hugely this season, each of ball carrier scoring at least two touchdowns. The multitude of offensive weapons has been effectively utilised by HC/OC Alan Lomasney. The offensive line is anchored by Paul Buchanan, who has won British Championships with the London Olympians, at centre. Rob Hennessey and Rich Bos have continued their fine play of the 2006 season into this year.

Of the other side of the ball Trevor O'Connell calls signals to his aggressive defense, which excel in run defense. Defensive linemen Patrick DuBoucher, Marcus Gates and Ross McCullagh give great pressure up-front. American Linebackers Ibrahim Khadra and Martin Mulrey have played well this year. 2006 team MVP Barry Rafferty leads the defense from his safety position. John Duggan, Peter Lucey and John O'Sullivan make up the rest of the secondary, all four were part of last years starting group also. This has been all down to the ever growing dedication and commitment by the Coach’s and players to improve and promote American football in Cork and Ireland

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