HFL: Wild Card Weekend kicks off playoff season in Hungary
Four teams are competing for the two semifinal berths as the Hungarian Football League (HFL) heads into the post season. The Budapest Wolves and Budapest Cowbells finished one and two and advanced automatically to the semifinal round.
The Fehérvár Enthroners will host the Miskolc Steelers on Saturday, while the Kyiv Capitals visit the Győr Sharks one day later.
Fehérvár Enthroners (3rd seed) – Miskolc Steelers (6th seed), June 15, Székesfehévár
Photo: Digitalphoto
After falling to the Budapest Cowbells at home and losing the second seed, the Fehérvár Enthroners will try and make up for that game by qualifying for the semi-finals. The offense and the defense put up a decent performance this season, nevertheless, the HFL-playoffs will be a brand new experience for a lot of players in the roster. In addition, the Enthroners already had a road win against the Steelers, and they want to repeat at home.
Photo: Mika Lindholm
The injury woes of last year’s runner-up team are starting to disappear. Although there are still key players missing in the quarterback position, Andre Whyte served as a good back-up solution against the Győr Sharks. Moreover, important players are set to return to the defense, like Máté Jónás and Dániel Szatmári. Thus, the Steelers are hoping to avenge the regular season defeat.
Kyiv Capitals (4th seed) – Győr Sharks (5th seed), June 16, Nyúl
Photo: Péter Szabó
Although the Capitals acquired fourth seed in the regular season, the team will not be able to play at home. Their game always made a step forward throughout the championship. The defense has been solid, but the offense had its ups and downs. Kyiv was able to get an important road win against the Sharks earlier, but this time Győr will not be that easy to beat.
Photo: Mika Lindholm
The Sharks made an awesome offensive performance against the Miskolc Steelers by scoring 44 points. That was the game when the team really showed off its potential. Dustin Hawke Willingham had a great sync with the receivers and it seems that the special team also has a few trick of its sleeve. Thus, the Sharks might mean a potential danger now at home.
