There was only two games over the weekend, as unfortunately the other three games were called off due lack of player numbers, whilst the lack of an ambulance impacted on another.
The two games that did go ahead were hugely important in terms of playoff implications. In the Shamrock Bowl Conference the reigning champions the Dublin Rebels came out victorious against last season’s runners-up the Belfast Knights, while in IAFL 1 the West Dublin Rhinos were comfortable winners over the Antrim Jets.
The Rebels, coming off a defeat in Belfast to the Trojans, knew a win was vital if they were to keep pressure on the Cork Admirals in the race for the SBC South. Touchdowns from running-back Pete McMahon and receiver Jonas D’Agostin gave them a 12-9 victory over the Knights, with quarterback Spencer McDowell scoring their Touchdown along with a Marty Caskey Field Goal.
The win for the Rebels moved them onto 4-2 for the season, and they sit just one win behind the SBC South leaders the Cork Admirals.
In IAFL 1 the West Dublin Rhinos had a very comfortable 42-7 victory over the Antrim Jets at Castleknock College, to keep the pressure on the Wexford Eagles in the Southern Conference.
The Rhinos Head Coach Barry Bolton was thrilled with the win, “Delighted with the win today, another strong performance through all three phases of the game. The win guarantees us over the .500 mark for the season cementing our first winning regular season in team history.”
He continued, “And no better time to do it. Earlier losses against the Eagles and Minotaurs has left us chasing a home playoff game and we’re doing everything we can to go get it.”
Commenting on the performances of some of his players Bolton said, “We had huge performances on offense and defense today. Quarterback Ethan Foster bagged three scores for himself and threw another. On defense a stout performance with 3 sacks from game MVP Matthew Groves was capped off with an interception for a touchdown by Rui Almeida.”
“It was a great team performance today, and I couldn’t be more proud of all our players, coaches and volunteers.”
For the Jets, Offensive Coordinator and joint Head Coach Donal McCloskey was very disappointed. He said, “Well it’s certainly not the result we were hoping for to be honest…we were missing a load of players from what is a large roster at the Jets, though the Rhinos did have similar numbers and we both had to play in the blistering. The best team won the day.”
Commenting on the Jets season to date McCloskey said, “The season so far has saw a lot of missed opportunities in games and just too many penalties, but as a team in only it’s second year I’m confident that the foundation is strong for the future. And whereas this loss was a tough one we always see losses as a learning tool for future improvement.”