Dublin Rebels go 2-0 after defeating Trinity College Dublin 39-06.Photos by Martin Connolly.
With Trinity students and alumni in Rebel uniforms and former Rebel Darrin O’ Toole marching the Trinity sideline as head coach, there was an incestuous backdrop to the first meeting of the two teams in the IAFL proper. Some DV8 skirmishes in 2008 meant the two teams were somewhat familiar with one another and over the course of the game it became clear that Trinity had come a long way.
However, the league newcomers didn’t get off to the best of starts. On the first two plays, against a fired up Rebels defense, the students unfortunately lost starting LG David Kane followed by TE Richard Withey to injury. Against the venomous Rebel D-line, such losses would prove difficult to overcome. After trading 3 and outs, Trinity QB Hal Hodson was pressured into an errant pass which landed in the hands of middle linebacker Ross McCooey. Aware as ever, the defensive standout used the blocks of his teammates and his own considerable might to rumble to within inches of the goal line. On the next play RB Sam Hodgins gladly took the ball over the goal line giving the visitors an early 7-0 lead.
Trinity’s ensuing drive stalled once again, but a booming punt, a helpful bounce and the ambition of return man Shahin Nikroo ended with the young receiver losing yardage, setting the offense up inside their 10 yard line. With Trinity stacking the box with as many as 9 defenders and coming relentlessly at the line of scrimmage, RB Aaron Smith found open space hard to come by. Under pressure, a healthy QB Andy Dennehy looked to take advantage of the single coverage on the outside. Forced into low-percentage throws, the Rebels managed to string a number together in succession, with WR Barry Flinn eventually ending up in the end zone to cap a long drive.
The Rebels defence continued to shut down Hodson and co. Pressure up front forced the QB to scramble often into the closing arms of other Rebel defenders on hand to mop up. McCooey continued to dominate from MLB, finishing with 3 and a half sacks to go with his pick. The Rebels extended their lead when Dennehy once again found Flinn in single coverage on the outside. The receiver came down in the corner of the end zone and was judged to have kept a foot in bounds, though the Trinity secondary, on the wrong end of such a tight call, had reason to feel aggrieved.
Desperately seeking to get a score before the half the students came out passing for the sidelines. However, the reliably solid coverage and pass break ups by defensive backs Eoin Daly and Marcus Naylor quashed any hopes of a late score for the newcomers. At half time the scoreline read 19-0 after a second missed extra point.
Down three scores, Trinity had not lost belief, and an interception by Conor Campbell gave them the perfect start to mount a comeback. They finally made inroads when speedy rookie RB Rob McDowell scampered up the right sideline on an excellent run to the outside. Eventually tracked down by safety Kevin Finnegan after a 70 yard gain, McDowell had brought play to within ten yards of the goal line. This was RB McDowell’s 4th run for 50 yards or more in his first 2 games,marking him as a star to watch this year.
After runs for no gain in their first visit to the redzone, FB Connor Logue eventually plunged the students as far as the 1 yard line before Hodson himself took it in on a QB sneak behind the big students up front.
The deficit reduced, the Trinity offense retreated back to Coach O’ Toole on the sidelines, but could only watch their handiwork be undone by another Rebels score. Again under pressure, as Trinity continued to commit defenders to the line of scrimmage, Dennehy looked for Paul Grogan downfield. Staying on the hash marks to the left of the post, not unlike his wild extra point kicking, Grogan prevented the middle safety from making a play on the ball, though the covering defender, and former Rebel, Sam Whelan did manage to cause a distraction. The ball jumped off Grogan’s hands and floated dangerously for just a moment. Somehow, he managed to juggle the petulant pigskin and convince it to come with him all the way to end zone, stretching the visitors lead to 25-6 and producing gobsmacked howls and hollers from the visitor’s sideline. With renewed confidence, the multi-talented kicker stroked the extra point through.
Though the lead at this point seemed irreversible, the Trinity offense continued to push at the dominant Rebels machine. Rotating back ups to gain valuable experience against arguably the toughest defensive unit in the league Trinity’s back up QB Alex Canepa improvised with his legs and his wits, connecting with WRs Lorcan Smullen and David Corcoran on lofty rainbows while also lateralling to his RG Bash Hassani le under duress from the enclosing Rebels defense, in what is surely lead candidate for wackiest play of the season already. Hassani, a former sprinter, took full advantage and ran for 30 yards.
The students sustained drives and hopes with difficult catches and unorthodox tactics however, neither could break the plane of the goal line and an interception by CB David McKeating would eventually stall their final attempt of the day.
Trinity preformed well enough to have shown the Rebels that down the line the IAFL Central may not be as dominant as some thought, but the Rebels showed their hunger for this years Shamrock Bowl. WR Barry Flinn stood out today in what was possibly the single best WR performance ever in the IAFL, and if Flinn carries that form into the rest of the season many teams will find him simply unstoppable.
Trinity go on to play Belfast Trojans April 18th in Trinity Sports Grounds, meanwhile the 2-0 Rebels next play a DCU team seeking their first win of the season on April 11th at DCU Sports Grounds.