Play-off race update.

The race for the Shamrock Bowl play-offs is very close with seven teams having a realistic chance of claiming a play-off spot. Each of these seven teams has only two fixtures remaining and it is likely that tie-breakers will have to be used to decide some of the play-off rankings.

Assuming that no team suffers any points deductions, the following teams are all in the play-off race:

IAFL North – Carrickfergus Knights, Craigavon Cowboys, Belfast Trojans.

IAFL Central – Dublin Rebels & West Dublin Rhinos.

IAFL South – Cork Admirals & UL Vikings.

Both the Rebels and Knights are in a commanding position and must be favourites to win their respective divisions. The Admirals and Vikings are both tied for the top position in the IAFL South – the outcome of next Sundays game between the two will have a big impact on who wins the division.

In IAFL North, the Cowboys and Trojans  still have to play each other twice. If the Cowboys win both games, they may claim a wildcard spot. If the Trojans win both games, they can qualify if the Rhinos lose to both the Rebels and Knights – in this scenario, as there is no head to head result, league officials may have to go well down the list of tiebreakers to separate the teams.

In addition to the race to make the play-offs, there is also the race for home field advantage in both the wildcard and semi-final games. All three potential division winners still have a very good chance of hosting a semi-final and it is likely that the seedings will not be known until all games have been completed on the final day of the regular season. The wildcard race is too close to predict who will host the game.

The Shamrock Bowl