REBELS WIN SHAMROCK BOWL XX

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UL Vikings 12-44 Dublin Rebels
Sunday 20th August 2006
Venue: Sportslink, Santry, Dublin.
SCORERS:
1st Quarter: DUB: Carl Faichney 11yd pass from Andrew Dennehy, Simon Mackey 2xpt (8-0); DUB: Chris Winton 1 yd run (14-0).
2nd Quarter: UL: Chris Bassitt 1 yd run (14-6).
3rd Quarter: DUB: Carl Faichney 19yd pass from Dennehy, Mackey 2xpt (22-6); DUB: Sam Hodgins 19yd run, Mackey 2xpt (30-6).
4th Quarter: DUB: Chris Flinn 10yd pass from Dennehy (36-6): DUB: Chris Winton 5yd run, Conor Ryan 2xpt (44-6), UL: Daniel Smith 28yd pass from Chris Bassitt (44-12).

REPORT:
The Dublin Rebels won a record fourth consecutive Shamrock Bowls with a 44-12 win over the University of Limerick Vikings on front of a large crowd, which included His Excellency, the United States Ambassador to Ireland, at the specially erected “Shamrock Bowl Stadium” at Sportslink in Santry. Rebels linebacker Ross McCooey won the Thomas Street Jewellers Most Valuable Player Award after making two key interceptions and numerous tackles in the game. Receiver Carl Faichney and rookie running back Chris Winton each contributed two touchdowns and Rebels quarterback Andrew Dennehy contributed three touchdown passes to the Rebels offenses scoring tally.

UL Vikings Quarterback Chris Bassitt (#14) looks to pass.

The Rebels got off to a quick start in the game, putting together two touchdown drives in the opening quarter. Their running back rotation of Simon Mackey, Chris Winton and Sam Hodgins helped the Rebels move the ball effectively on the ground. Tight end Paul Smyth and receivers Conor Ryan and Carl Faichney also contributed several catches to help the Rebels move the ball on both scoring series. Tall receiver Faichney got the opening score when he caught a 11 yard pass at the back of the endzone to give the Rebels the lead. The Rebels second score came from a short yardage run by Chis Winton after being set up by a pass to Smyth and run by Mackey.

The Dublin Rebels (black) defense lines up against the Vikings offense.

The Vikings were not without their scoring chances in the first half. Quarterback Chris Bassitt used wing back Liam Ryan, tight end Glen Carr and running back Daniel Levy to effectively at times. Twice in the second quarter they failed to score in the red zone. Early in the quarter, they missed a 32 yard field goal attempt and later were stopped on fourth and goal by the excellent Rebels defense. They finally got on the scoreboard 15 seconds before half time when Chris Bassitt scored on a short yardage quarterback sneak after Ryan, Carr and Levy got their team a first and goal.

Seamus Hogan (#2) is tackled by Patrick Quinn (#28).

The Rebels defense dominated the third quarter stopping the Vikings on all their possessions. Defensive lineman Conor Walsh had a number of stops for losses and linebacker Ross McCooey, in only his second year in the sport, his first as a middle linebacker, had his breakout game recording some crucial tackles. The Rebels got two scores in the quarter, the first coming on their first possession after half time when Faichney caught a 19 yard touchdown pass from Dennehy. They stretched their advantage later in the quarter thanks to a 19 yard run from Sam Hodgins.

Sam Hodgins (#8) of the Rebels swerves to avoid a tackle.

McCooey had two interceptions in the final quarter which effectively ended the game as a contest. His first came early in the quarter when he made a diving interception at mid field to twart a Vikings drive. The Rebels quickly converted this turnover into a score when, after picking up a couple of first downs, Dennehy hit receiver Barry Flinn for a touchdown pass. Mc Cooey had his second interception on the Vikings next possession. He nabbed a one handed interception at the 25 yard line and took it back to the Vikings 8 yard line to give the Rebels a first and goal. Again the Rebels capitalised with Chris Winton running in for a touchdown a couple of plays later. The Vikings managed to put together a scoring drive as they chased the game late in the fourth quarter. Passes to Glen Carr and Liam Ryan got them in scoring range and receiver Daniel Smith caught a touchdown pass with just over two minutes remaining to make the score 44-12. The Rebels ran out most of the time in the final two minutes to get the victory.

Captain Andrew Dennehy and Team Manager Marcus Naylor were presented with the winning trophy by IAFL Commissioner Steve Stacher to cap a memorable 20th Shamrock Bowl event. They are now officially the greatest IAFL team of all time, with 5 Shamrock Bowls (4 in a row to date).