IAFL 1 Bowl: Westmeath Minotaurs

The Westmeath Minotaurs will enter their first IAFL 1 Bowl this Sunday, following an excellent regular season recording six wins and two losses. This was followed by a hard fought 27-22 win over the Wexford Eagles in the semi-final. The Minotaurs offense stood tall above the rest of the league scoring an average of 32.5 points per game during the regular season whilst the defense recorded three shut outs. We spoke with Minotaurs chairman Adam Ó Corcráin to get his thoughts on the season and the Bowl game:

A scintillating start to the season saw the Minotaurs win six games in a row, including three shutouts, before finishing the regular season with two losses and a second place finish in the league. What was the key to such an impressive season?

“Recruitment was key at the start of the season. We recruited eight new players both young and old who added greatly to our squad. Depth allowed us to keep guys in one position and gave them an opportunity to focus solely on that position. Moving Joe Kinahan from RB/SS to QB has helped us greatly. He has a firm grip of our offense and despite being only 20, he has shown great composure and maturity in the position. The final piece to the puzzle was handing our defence over to previous Head Coach Paddy Lally. Paddy put systems in place that allowed our defensive players to excel in their positions.”

The Minotaurs overcame the Eagles in the semi-final through a 27-22 win, thus completing the double over the Eagles this year. What did you think of your team’s performance in that match?

“We were extremely happy with our performance against a very strong Wexford outfit. We never have an easy game against them so to score 27 points on them in a playoff game was a feat in itself. It helped also that we were at close to full strength with players coming back from injury and holidays such as our captain and anchor of our offensive line JO Coyne. That win has given us great momentum going into the final.”

The IAFL 1 Bowl will see the Minotaurs take on the Craigavon Cowboys. Having already played them this season, what are your expectations for the game and how have you been preparing?

“Looking back on past results, we’ve never beaten the Cowboys but that won’t deter us in the slightest. We expect an extremely tough game against such an experienced team and as we all know anything can happen in a final. We know that we will be at full strength so we’ve tweaked what we’ve needed to tweak so it’s a matter of just bring on the final at this stage.”

Finally, what advice would you like to give to your coaches and players taking to the field on Sunday?

“We’ve learned from previous play-off experience not to focus ourselves too much and to be too serious. Being relaxed and going out to have fun is key. Enjoy the scores, enjoy the hits, and enjoy the atmosphere. Sport is about having fun above all else.”