The Austrian Football League returns on AFI.TV as the Swarco Raiders Tirol will take on the Projekt Spielberg Graz Giants Saturday, April 10 in Graz.
For the Giants this is a great chance to bounce back at home from last week’s 35-16 loss to the Danube Dragons. On the other sideline, the visiting Swarco Raiders are looking to start their 2021 season right where they left off in 2019, as one of the best teams in Europe and, more importantly, Austrian Bowl champions.
Swarco Raiders @ Projekt Spielberg Graz Giants, Apr. 10, 16:00 CET (10:00 am ET)
The Raiders go into 2021 with new head coach Kevin Herron leading the Innsbruck squad. Herron has been a part of the Raiders for years as an assistant and was named head coach in the fall of 2020. Another familiar face in Innsbruck is quarterback Sean Shelton, who returns for his sixth season with the Raiders.
The MVP quarterback is excited to finally be back on the field after a year away.
“ It feels great. We are very excited to finally get to compete against someone other than ourselves! It’s been too long.”
Some other key components returning to this Raiders offense are running back Tobias Bonatti and offensive lineman Michael Habetin. Stefan Numi Stefansson, an Icelandic offensive lineman, is one of the new faces on this Raiders squad, the 6’5″ lineman looks to help block for a championship offense.
On defense, the Raiders have brought linebacker AJ Wentland who was named to the AFI All-Pandemic Team in 2020 while helping the Kuopio Steelers win the Finnish crown. Wentland was one of the best defenders in Germany during the 2018 and 2019 seasons playing for the Dresden Monarchs before playing in Finland with the Steelers last summer. He brings experience and speed to an already athletic and cohesive defense. The Raiders defensive unit is also bringing back key players in safety Vincent Müller and defensive linemen Sebastian Schaar and Nicholas Melcher.
The home team Graz Giants lost two weeks ago to the Danube Dragons 35-16 and will look to bounce back against a tough Raiders team. Quarterback Conor Miller will look to get the ball to his play makers Darrell Adams, Florian Bierbaumer, and Phillip Sommer.
Miller on the matchup with the Swarco Raiders.
“We’re disappointed with the result of the Dragons game, but we had a good week of practice, now it’s important to finish the preparation strong. Everybody knows what a great team the Raiders are, and we know we will have to be at our best on Saturday. We are looking forward to the challenge!”
Defensively, linebacker Thomas Schnurrer had a standout game last week against the Dragons making eight tackles including an enormous fumble-inducing hit. Schnurrer and the Graz defensive line will have to step up and play well against a physical Raiders offense that loves to pound the rock.
Look for this game to be full of hard hits and tough runs as these two teams are both motivated for this key AFL matchup.
Watch the game live here on AFI tv. Swarco Raiders @ Projekt Spielberg Graz Giants, Apr. 10, 16:00 CET (10:00 am ET)
Projekt Spielberg Graz Giants roster (Click image to enlarge)
Swarco Raiders roster (Click image to enlarge)
