Sunday’s matchup was the first ever IAFL2 game as the South Kildare Soldiers and the Dundalk Mavericks made their debuts. Because of a flooded home pitch, the game took place in Edenderry, Co. Offaly (the original home of the 2007 Soldiers). Funnily enough it was on the very pitch where the Edenderry Soldiers were supposed to play their very first match but they to had to play elsewhere. But enough about history and onto how the IAFL’s newest league is shaping up!
The game started off slow with the Soldiers receiving possession. The offense looked rather shaky and a tad nervous, missed handoffs and a dominant D line led to a 3 and out as the kicking team took to the field for the first ever time. They didn’t look much more settled as Dundalk made all the right moves and Ruairi Mac Artain returned it for a touchdown, not the greatest of starts for South Kildare but the best for Dundalk.
A similar story followed with another 3 and out, but this time the host’s kicking team’s coverage held up well. The Mavericks’ offense moved the ball with a powerful running game but they failed to capitalise as the Soldiers’ defense stood strong when it mattered. The rest of the first half followed the trend with both defenses looking quite stingy as the teams continued to swap possession with no change in score. Penalties and turnovers spluttered offensive drives and neither offense could put any points on the board; the only other score in the first half was a safety from Dundalk’s immense defensive line, Conor Lennon credited with the score.
Looking for a spark the Soldiers started off the second half with an onside kick which they recovered, although to no avail as the offense could not make use of their luck.
The third quarter saw both offenses settle into the game as they moved the ball down the field but the relentless defenses seemed impervious. It was once again in special teams the Mavericks found success as miscommunication on a Soldier’s punt saw Guntis Vitolins scoop up the ball and run it home for a touchdown. Not to be disheartened though the Soldiers got the ball back deep in their own territory and on 2nd down(and on their own 2) QB Shane Farrell tossed a 25 yard pass to Sean Douglas who stepped two defenders on his way to the endzone. Refs confirmed the 98 yard TD was a new IAFA record!
The score was not enough to inspire a comeback as the South Kildare offense failed to repeat the feat. Dundalk’s offense flirted with the redzone a few more times but a domineering linebacker core kept the run game at bay. Nothing came easy in this game, but the Maverick’s special teams superiority was the decider. Both teams saw plenty of positives to build on, but naturally there’s a lot of hard work to be done ahead.
This article has been syndicated from Double Coverage and any opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinion of IAFA. Any references to non-IAFA websites are provided for convenience only and do not in any manner serve as an endorsement of those websites.