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Game of the Week: Jacksonville
Posted in: Rugby League
By Brian Lowe
Jul 15, 2010 - 6:27:58 AM
Round 6 of the American National Rugby League includes some very competitive matchups with the best looking to be Philadelphia at Jacksonville.
The Axemen have featured in our Game of the Week preview for the past few weeks, but that’s for a very good reason – they’re pretty good.
Jacksonville (4-0) has been unstoppable to date and the Fight (2-1) will really have to lift their game if they’re to upset the apple cart.
Brent Shorten, Apple Pope and Akarika Dawn are just three of the standouts for Jacksonville and all have been causing problems galore for the opposition since the season started in early June.
The Axemen’s offense has been almost flawless with hard, straight running lanes, particularly from dummy half, while their first up tackling on defense has been as rock solid as any team in the league.
Philly has an improved roster that includes the likes of captain Brad Kielinski, James Brunson and Zack Padgett and so far they’ve been getting it done for the most part.
The big question is, however, can they overpower an Axemen side that has shown very few weaknesses on either side of the ball.
The US Air Force will hold an induction ceremony as the highlight of the pre-game ceremonies.
"We cannot begin to imagine the emotion of the families who will be in attendance during the event, so all we can do is be there in numbers to show support and respect what their loved ones are about to begin," was the comment from the Axemen.
To watch this game ‘live’ go to
www.iknowjax.com and click on the ‘Axemen Rugby’ link at the top of the page. Kickoff is scheduled for 5p (EDT).
Also on tap Saturday is the top ranked New Haven Warriors hosting the Northern Raiders.
On paper, this one looks to be a foregone conclusion with the unbeaten Warriors (4-0) showing excellent form so far, while the Raiders (0-4) have been doing it tough, although they have been improving.
The New York-based club has brought in two Australians in Dan Sansone and Mathew Bailey, who made an immediate impact on the Raiders’ game last week against Connecticut. Other players to watch include Robert Ploth , Paulo Reis and Joel Venables.
In other news, the Pittsburgh Vipers will forfeit their scheduled match with the New York Knights due to a lack of numbers to travel to the big apple.
Weekend schedule (home team listed first):
Jacksonville Axemen v Philadelphia Fight
New York Knights v Pittsburgh Vipers (Vipers forfeit)
Boston 13s v Connecticut Wildcats
Fairfax Eagles v Washington DC Slayers
New Haven Warriors v Northern Raiders
Aston DSC Bulls (bye)
