Shamrock Bowl in Belfast

This years Shamrock Bowl will be played in Belfast at Cooke RFC, with the Dublin Rebels and Limerick Vikings battling each other for the win.  While unfortunately the local teams won’t be playing in the final this will still be a great game between two sides setting the standard for the rest of the league.  The Vikings beating the Rebels 14-12 in last years final but in their first meeting in the league this year the Rebels came out on top 12-7 while the honours were split in the second game 14-14.

The final kicks off at 2pm on Sunday 9th August.

Trojans fail to make playoffs

For the first time in their short history the Trojans failed to make the IAFL Playoffs finishing the season with a loss to the Carrickfergus Knights, the Trojans are now in their third year within the IAFL.  In their debut season they attained the wildcard slot, followed up the next year by making the semi-finals, losing to eventual champions the Limerick Vikings.

The loss to the Knights represented the Trojans season.  Players were absent due to injury and a small squad faced the Knights only to lose a few more.  At times on the field things were impressive while at others not so much – lack of consistency telling again and this was combined with the effects of some players going both ways for 4 quarters.

Looking at the season in a more positive light players have been called into action more than they would have with a fully fit squad, while others have played their way into starting positions and the experience gained will set them up well for the future.  New faces have also been added, some experienced and some not, but all have played.  Almost all of the injuries will quickly be recovered from and as such the Trojans will rise again.

Trojans defeat Rhinos. Still in with a shot?

The Trojans enjoyed a good win over the Dublin Rhinos.  The first half ended 24 – 3 to the Trojans, with the final score 52 – 9.  WR TJ Reynolds scored 2 TDs and then in his role as safety ran back an interception to add another.  RB Mark Malone in his first start at RB ran in 2 TDs.  Veteran Chris Mikhael scored his first TD picking up the ball after a high snap on a Rhinos punt to walk into the endzone.  WR Jay Kay added another passing TD from QB Chris McKeown.  Kris Donaghy added a TD following a short pass from McKeown and a long run down the sideline.  Two 2PATs were ran in by QB Chris McKeown and HB Ian Hay.  The Rhinos scored on a FG and a short run into the endzone after some good build up play. Game played 14th June.

While the win is most definitely welcome the Trojans can get better.  Their next game is in Carrick against a rejuvenated Knights side showing the form that has been missing for a season or two, the Knights are guaranteed at least 3rd place in the league.  The game is on the 5th July which will be the final week of the regular season.  With the top 3 spots in the league tied up all 3 teams in contention for 4th place will be playing that week.

The Admirals travel from Cork to Dublin to play DCU while the Trojans play the Knights.  A win for DCU will see them into the playoffs no matter what. A win for Cork will see them relying on the Trojans losing.  For the Trojans to progress they must first defeat the Knights and then hope that DCU lose to Cork.

Rebels complete double over Trojans

The Trojans poor run of results continued with another loss to the Rebels.  The team from Dublin scored on the opening kick return and carried on from there.  The Trojans did get their first TD of the first quarter this season with a pass from QB Chris McKeown to WR Jay Kay.  This unfortunately was to be one of the few bright spots as the Trojans were outclassed by the Rebels.

An already depleted squad suffered some minor injuries but also a more serious injury to RB Erin Wagner.  It’s unlikely Erin will be back this season.  The score accelerated away from a tiring Trojans team as the secong half came to a close.  The final score 56 – 6 to the Rebels, game played 7th June.

Trojans lose round 1 of local encounter

The Trojans lost 23 – 18 to the Carrickfergus Knights on 24th May.  The Knights had the better start to the game behind a strong running game and quickly moved into the lead.  The Trojans were then forced to play catch-up throughout the entire game.  They moved to within a TD with about 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter but then were unable to get the ball back for another shot at the winning score.

Rebels continue league dominance

The Rebels continued their good start to the season notching up another win by defeating the Trojans as they continue to be the pace-setters.  They completed a 47 – 6 win over a spirited Trojans team.  At times the Trojans were able to move the ball on offense and make stops on defence but as with their previous game with DCU they couldn’t do so in a consistent manner.  The Rebels passed and ran the ball well all day whilst frustrating the Trojans Offense and making the most of any opportunities.

Mistakes made against the Rebels tended to be swiftly punished and while the Trojans are a young team must learn from their mistakes quickly in order to make a playoff run.

Next up are the Carrickfergus Knights who after a dissapointing couple of seasons by their standards are back to winning ways with 3 wins in a row.  The game is at Malone RFC, 24/05/09 KO 2pm.

Trojans suffer disappointing loss to Saints

Having seemingly gotten their season back on track with their win over the Admirals the Trojans fell to the Saints 26 – 22 in Dublin.  The Trojans while leading at times during the game were unable to get consistency in the play of both offense and defense.  The Saints meanwhile consistantly found paths to run the ball, stiffle the Trojans offense, and thoroughly deserved their win.

While the IAFL is wide open the Trojans need to get back to winning ways quickly if they are to progress to the playoffs again.  However they face a stern test in their next game against the Dublin Rebels on 10th May in Dublin.  The Rebels are the current pace setters in the league with 3 wins and 1 draw.