[tps_title]Preview: Irish American Football[/tps_title]
Shamrock Bowl Conference North Preview
This is it!….this is the final week before the opening kickoff of the 2015 Irish League season! Ten teams will battle it out to make the Shamrock Bowl 29 final and carve their name into the Irish American Football history books. As the league continues to expand and the strength and depth of each team becomes tested; competition in Ireland’s toughest division remains as fierce as ever, and this year promises to be the most competitive and action packed IAFL season to date! We begin our preview of the Shamrock Bowl Conference by analyzing the five teams who will compete for honours in the North division.
Belfast Trojans (7-1 in 2014)
The reigning National Champions have proven over the last three years why they are considered to be the strongest force in Ireland. Back to back championships have made the Belfast outfit the team to beat in the country, and they relish the challenge! Having suffered their first defeat in 26 games at the hands of Trinity College last term, the Trojans went through a temporary transformation that helped them regroup heading into the playoff’s. They eventually went on to defeat the students in last year’s final after a hard fought contest and the Trojans will be looking to head back to Tallaght Stadium once again this year to win their fourth Shamrock Bowl trophy.
Keys to Success: The Trojans are blessed to have numerous talents on the offensive side of the ball as well as an impressive defence, but the key aspect for them this year may be how the offensive line plays. With a number of experienced players missing this time round, including the loss of their offensive line coach, Conor Leckey, the emphasis will lie heavily with the upcoming rookies of last year and present. However, they showed a lot of promise last term in tough situations and should be more than ready to fill the void this season.
Prediction: The boys from Belfast will be early favourites to reclaim a place in this years final, and they still possess one of the most talented squads in the league comprising of James McKelvey, David Richardson, Patrick McElkerney and Neil Graham just to name a few. Teams may not suffer from the same fear factor of old, but when the Trojans are on form, they are ‘almost’ impossible to stop! 1st
[tps_title]Preview: Irish American Football[/tps_title]
Carrickfergus Knights (3-5 in 2014)
The Knights have been on the brink of entering into the semi finals of the playoff’s over the last few years, and were close to doing it again last term until they suffered defeat against the Dublin Rebels in the wildcard round. Despite 2014 not being their best year, the men in ‘Black and Gold’ still showed enough grit and determination in the latter stages to cement their place in the playoff’s. With an increasingly healthy squad, both in numbers and talent, the Knights have been developing a side capable of taking them back to the top of Irish Football. With the makings of a good youth set-up in the place, the Knights will have a squad capable of challenging for honours well into the future, as well as now!
Keys to Success: The Knights generally have a well-balanced team and are capable of putting up plenty of points on both offence and defence, with Paul McKillop, Chris Ireland, Darren Montgomery and Aaron McNaughton all scoring. The task they face will be how they cope against the top teams in their division, as they failed to register any points in their last meetings with the Rebels and Trojans. The Knights will need to find ways of outscoring their biggest opponents; but they do have the firepower to do it!
Prediction: The Carrickfergus side have been a constant presence in the post-season and have come agonisingly close on several occasions to making the semi-finals. The Knights have huge depth in their squad and will have plenty of talent to boast over the next few years, but they need to start making progress on the field now otherwise they could be caught by the likes of the Craigavon Cowboys and South Dublin Panthers. 3rd
[tps_title]Preview: Irish American Football[/tps_title]
Craigavon Cowboys (2-6 in 2014)
Although they finished 2-6 in 2014, the Cowboys still showed a lot of promise throughout the season and were still very close to clinching a playoff berth as their season drew to a close. With a fine balance between youth and experience, the Cowboys were still able to compete against the likes of the Knights and Trinity College early in the season, before injuries and player fatigue took there tole on a depleted squad. They were able to get victories against their closest challengers whilst also showing fight against the top sides in the league, and with a very promising u19’s side; the future looks bright in Craigavon.
Keys to Success: The Cowboys have a number of individual talents on their side, but struggle when it comes to squad depth. Peter Loughran will prove to be the catalyst of the team once again, but after a number of first team appearances, big things may be expected from the upcoming stars like Peter Cowan and Luis Alberto. Craigavon had the tendency to fade away late in the fourth quarter last year, so if they can remain in games and solidify the defence, the Cowboys could turn heads this campaign.
Prediction: Losing the experience of defensive end Chris Bell to retirement will be a major loss to the defence, but maintaining him in a coaching role was a major step forward. The Cowboys have an excellent future ahead of them with a great youth set-up in place and plenty of talent coming through the ranks, however with a lot of younger players still gaining playing experience, this season may prove to be an experimental one for the Cowboys. 5th
[tps_title]Preview: Irish American Football[/tps_title]
Dublin Rebels (7-1 in 2014)
The most prestigious American Football team in Ireland, the Dublin Rebels have won the Shamrock Bowl a record 7 times and have been a constant presence at the top of the IAFL, as they set to commence their 20th season in the league! The Dubliners have always been challenging for trophies since they were founded back in 1995, but their last domestic triumph came at Shamrock Bowl XXV in 2011. The most recent final appearance for the Rebels came two years ago, when they were defeated by the Belfast Trojans in 2013. However with exceptional talent and experience throughout the squad, the Rebels have been knocking at the door in recent years as they look to clinch their 8th Shamrock Bowl title!
Keys to Success: Scoring. It’s not often the Rebels will be highlighted for a lack of scoring, but this season may prove more problematic than most. With two huge losses on offence with wide receiver Chris Purdy leaving and running back Simon Mackey potentially missing most of the season after undergoing surgery, quarterback Andrew Dennehy will have less offensive weapons to work with. More pressure will be added to the shoulders of new running back Sean Leamy and the reliable tight end Paul Grogan to rein in the points. The Rebels failed to register any defensive touchdowns last year, so scoring points on defence will be crucial in order to help out the offence!
Prediction: With a number of key absentees out on both sides of the ball, the Rebels may look a little weaker on paper, but they still have bags of experience and individual talents who know how to get the job done. Games against the Trojans, Trinity and the Knights will be crucial, but they will be fully expected to reach the playoff stages once again, and it would be foolish not to back the seven time champions on making yet another Shamrock Bowl bout. 2nd
[tps_title]Preview: Irish American Football[/tps_title]
South Dublin Panthers (1-7 in 2014, as Dublin Dragons)
After undergoing a revaluation at the end of 2014, the Dublin outfit decided it was time for a change, and rebranded themselves from the historic Dublin Dragons, to the flashy new South Dublin Panthers. A lot of work has gone on in the offseason in order to improve upon a (1-7) season and many will be expecting big things from the Panthers this year, particularly themselves! After a huge recruitment frenzy and bringing in some of the most respected coaches in Ireland, with the likes of Russell Kerley previously of Drogheda Lightning joining the defensive ranks, the team has built a formidable coaching staff to bring out the best in the players this season. Much has been made about how the Panthers will perform this year, but they have huge ambitions to improve not only on last seasons performances, but to rival the best teams in Ireland!
Keys to Success: Last year, the Dublin side conceded four times as many points as they scored! So improving their offensive production and stabilising the defence will be the obvious improvements needed. They had one of the biggest squad sizes last year and if they can make adjustments across all phases of their game, the Panthers may have a success in the 2015 campaign.
Prediction: Its too early to call how well the Panthers will do this season, but they are heading in the right direction. It’s great to see the high ambition across the team but whether those ambitions are fulfilled this year remains to be seen. They do have strong foundations to work from and with the majority of the Dragons backbone still intact and a new offensive scheme in place, the Panthers do have the ingredients to be a success story in the IAFL. 4th