The Rhinos have defeated the Cork Admirals in an 8-6 slugfest that went down to the wire.
The Rhinos opened the scoring in the first half but missed the extra point to leave the score at 6-0. Later in the half a fumbled snap forced the Admirals QB to make a heads up play by kicking the ball out the back of the endzone before the closing Rhinos players pounced on it. The safety gave the Rhinos an 8-0 lead going into the half.
Like the rest of the game, a defensive affair ensued in the second half with both teams playing good football on defense. The Admirals broke through the Rhinos defense with less than 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter to bring the score within a 2 point conversion of a tie. With overtime looming the Rhinos defense busted through the Admirals line and forced an errant throw from the Cork QB which led to Cork being forced to try an onside kick. The kick rebounded off a Rhino only to land in the hands of another, the Rhinos took a knee to close out the game – their first playoff victory in Rhino history.
Now we’re drunk on a bus!
Full report to follow, as well as the usual pictures and game tape will follow.
Though losing 48-0 to the Dublin Rebels on the day, results elsewhere this 4th of July pushed the West Dublin Rhinos into the IAFL post season for the first time in team history.
The Rhinos will travel to take on the Cork Admirals on Sunday the 18th of July which is set to be a cracking game of football as the Rhinos plan to make their mark on the playoffs.
The Rhinos travelled to Carrickfergus Sunday and for a record second time in a row the game started under clouds pouring rain on the players below.
Full game report to follow.
More great pictures in our media section.
Full game report to follow.
For now, please visit the media section for some great pictures (despite the weather) of yesterdays game.
The West Dublin Rhinos Sunday will look to further improve a record best season.
With only one loss this season the Rhinos are full of confidence and will bring their A game yet again when they face cross town college rivals Trinity.
Only 2 weeks previous the Rhinos overcame the Trinity students in a thrilling 24-20 victory and will look for the same result when they host Trinity at their home grounds in Castleknock.
Kick off is at 2pm and it is set to be a great day of football both for the teams involved and the spectators. Feel free to bring family and friends as the Rhinos create a friendly atmosphere on their sideline each and every week.
To prepare yourself for Sunday why not view our photos from the last game in our media section.
The Rhinos 2010 roster has been posted.
It is still in progress with media for every player to follow, if players have a preference for their roster photo get in touch with me otherwise I get to pick!!
On a baking Sunday afternoon the West Dublin Rhinos made the short trip north to take on their cross town collegiate rivals Trinity College Dublin in a battle for for second place in the Dublin division.
The Rhino’s knew going into the game a win against Trinity would give them hopes of reaching the play-offs for their first time. And win is exactly what they did. However, a poor start to the game led to Trinity taking advantage through their passing game. A number of big gains through the air and some costly missed tackles from the Rhinos defense ultimately led to Trinity taking an 8-0 lead. Quarterback Stephen Macken and his offence attempted to even things up but they were shut down by Trinity and forced to punt the ball. Things looked bad for the Rhinos when the Trinity students punched in a second touchdown in the second quarter to give them a 14-0 lead.
A revival came immediately though when the Rhinos successfully stopped the two point conversion. Macken got into his usual form and connected with all of his receivers including two catches from stand in tight end Stevie Moon helping to move the ball down the field. However, Macken’s biggest pass came when he found Sean Power on a deep pass near the Trinity sideline. Power put his finishing touch to the play when he ran it in for a touchdown. The Rhino’s star quarterback then plunged the ball into the endzone himself on the point after try to give his side the extra two points and put them within a score of Trinity at the break.
At the beginning of the second half the score was 14-8 in the home sides favour but the Rhinos were not about to let go of this game yet, stepping it up a gear to open the second half and put their mark on the game. The Rhinos offence showed pure grit and determination when they started to run the ball successfully on their opponents. Running back Dan Breslin gained hard earned yards on consecutive carries before he eventually took the ball into the endzone to bring his side level. On the resulting two point conversion Sean Power gave a second and third effort to stretch the ball over the goalline to put the Rhino’s ahead for the first time in the game.
On the ensuing drive, Trinity had the ball near the halfway line when a lateral from the Trinity running back to his quarterback led to Gary Cullen punching the ball loose where it was smothered by Rhinos defensive end Barry Bolton. This gave the Rhinos excellent field position and they stuck with what worked by giving Breslin the ball. And he duly obliged when he ran in his second touchdown of the day with Power again adding the two extra points. This gave the Rhinos the lead at 24-14 after putting up 24 unanswered points.
But the Trinity students didn’t lie down and they brought themselves back to within a score of the Rhinos in the fourth quarter when their quarterback found their tight end open in the middle of the field, the Rhinos once again stopped the 2 point attempt which left the score at 24-20. The Rhinos should have extended their lead when Breslin ran in what seemed to be his third touchdown of the day from 40 yards out. However, a dubious illegal block call not flagged by the closest official against Barry Bolton (be the judge yourself, see below) brought the ball back and gave Trinity a breath of relief.
Though a late defensive stand held out Trinity and the Rhinos rode out of the Trinity Sports Grounds with a 24-20 win over their hosts. The return fixture is now set to be a thriller as the Rhinos host Trinity in Castleknock College on the 6th of June.
See the Media section for more photos from the game.
