CORK ADMIRALS AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Admirals News

Both defenses opened the game well. Walsh and Wilson played well up front for the Rebels, limiting the running room for the Admirals ball carriers. David Lomasney hit Hugh McBratney three times in the opening quarter to help move the chains and give the Admirals defense some better field position. After a scoreless first quarter Liam Keane tipped a deep Andrew Dennehy pass which Martin Mulrey intercepted. A good drive stalled at the Rebels 25 yard line, and the ensuing field goal attempt failed. Paul Smyth and Kevin Finnegan played well on defense on this series.

Another interception, this time by rookie Shane Moriarty gave the Admirals another chance with good starting field position, but good play by the Rebels defensive backfield including Marcus Naylor and Eoin Daly resulted in an interception to end the drive. The game remained scoreless for the remainder of the first half.

The offenses began to find their feet early in the third quarter. Andy Dennehy connected with #92 and Steve Grogan to help move the Rebels downfield along with the running of Kevin Finnegan. The Admirals had an effective drive also during the third quarter. Keith O'Callaghan found some room on a sweep left play and was tackled by Steve Archibald at the one yard line after a long gain. Martin Mulrey followed Conor O'Sullivan and Paul Buchanan up the gut for the TD. On the ensuing tw-point try Kevin Finnegan intercepted a Lomasney pass and outran the pursuing Corkmen to return for a 2-point Rebels score.

The period near the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth was a cagy affair. Defenses did well again, and both teams blocked a punt. Strong running by Kevin Finnegan and #88 put the Rebels in scoring range before a run to the left side pierced the Admirals defence for the go ahead score. Grogan converted the point-after to put the Rebels ahead 9-6. Cork responded well, McBratney turned a Lomasney pass into a first down and Mulrey and O'Callaghan each had yardage to move the Admirals into the Rebels red-zone. Strong blocking by Mulrey and Robert Hennessey in the open field allowed Keith O'Callaghan to score from 15 yards out. 12-9 in favour of the visitors.

After gaining much yardage the Rebels offense couldnt convert a fourth down turning the ball over to the Admirals. After gaining a first down the clock wound down inside the two minute warning, with both teams running out of timeouts. On a second down play O'Callaghan failed to secure a handoff and the fumble was recovered by the Rebels. Chris Gaughan and Barry Rea played some strong football for the Admirals d-line, forcing the Rebels to attempt a field goal to tie the game. Grogan got nice height on the kick which hung in the wind before dropping over the crossbar for the tying score.

Attempting to find the winning score the Admirals were passing. Pressure from Ciaran Tighe force the ball loose from Lomasney, which fell to Steve Archibald who returned for the winning score.

The Rebels now face the Vikings in the Shamrock-Bowl at CIT stadium, Bishopstown, Cork on August 10th.

The Cork Admirals advanced to the semi finals of the 2008 IAFL playoffs with a 34-2 win over the DCU Saints at CIT.

DCU opened the game on offense and came out in a spread passing attack that they would use for the games duration. Good defense from the home side forced the Saints QB to throw an interception to Liam Keane which he returned for the games opening score. Another interception return, this time on the 2pt conversion allowed the Saints to get on the board also. DCU played some good run defense in the first half, but David Lomasney found Brian McCarthy and Hugh MCBratney to keep drives alive. Ger McGowan ran in the second Admirals score from 10 yards out. Lomasney hit McBratney to convert the score. Approaching the second half both teams traded turnovers to leave the score at 14-2 at halftime.

A strong drive after halftime, which featured Shane Galway and Ger MCGowan running hard behind strong blocking, moved the Admirals into the Saints redzone. A fumble prevented the Admirals from scoring. DCU had their best drive of the day using the aerial attack to move to scoring range. Tight coverage in the redzone prevented the Saints from scoring, Nick McSweeney, Ibrahim Khadra and Shane Moriarty all defended passes well in this series. The Cork Admirals began to wear the visitors down as the fourth quarter approached. Strong inside running allowed the Admirals to run time off the clock as they scored again. Martin Mulrey and Shane Galway each added a rushing score. The final score came on a bizarre fumble return touchdown. As a shotgun snap went over the head of the QB martin Mulrey picked up and ran back the score unoppsed as the QB merely watched. This left the score at 34-2.

June 15th, Woodburn Road Carrickfregus.

The Carrickfergus Knights looked sharp from the opening kickoff. A nice defensive series forced the Admirals to punt. On the ensuing possesion Adam Devenney threw to Clint McDowell to put the Knights in scoring range before Calum Morrow finished off the drive with a nice touchdown run to the offense left side. Another ineffective possesion from the Admirals resulted in a fourth down play. A high long-snap gave the Knights a scoring opportunity which they converted soon later, Morrow again scoring on the ground.

Now in the second quarter yet another high long-snap rolled into the endzone and was recovered by the Knights for a touchdown to make the score 18-0.

The Admirals seemed to wake up after the opening Knights surge. Dave Lomasney directed a nice driveto move the ball into scoring range, Kieran Bracken catching a first down pass on the drive. On a dive right play Conor O'Sullivan and Roger McDonagh blocked well and allowed room for Keith O'Callaghan to reach open field and put the Admirals on the board.

Strong defensive play by Barry Rea and JP Murphy on the next Knights possesion gave the Admirals another chance to drive downfield. Martin Mulrey ran aggressively inside, moving the ball to the home team redzone before O'Callaghan followed good blocking from Robert Hennessey and Chris Gaughan up-front to another rushing score.

Near the end of the second quarter more strong o-line performances gave the Admirals another red-zone posession which resulted in another rushing score to tie the game at 18-0 at the half.

The Knights received the ball in the second half andon the very first play from scrimmage Devenney threw a strike to McDowell who ran the rest of the way to put the Knights ahead. Strong running from the Admirals ball carriers behind Paul Buchanan allowed a long Admirals drive before O'Callaghan put in the score to tie the game once more at 24-24.

McDowell showed his receiving skills once more on the next drive, snaring a long pass before evading defenders for another nice catch and run effort. Morrow caught a pass from Devenney to convert, leaving the score at 32-24 in favour of the hosts.

The ensuing kickoff was a low kick, which bounced in the hard surface allowing the Knights to recover. Ger McGowan at safety for the Admirals had a timely interception which prevented the Knights from extending their lead. After reachign a first-and-goal the Knights defense solidified and shut out the visitors. Montgomery, and McBurney playing well on defense.

Later in the third, staying with the power attack the Admirals again moved upfield through Mulrey, Gates and O'Callaghan. This time Marcus Gates followed Barry Rea for the score on a dive play to bring the Admirals within two points.

Now in the fourth quarter the Admirals defense managed to force a punt with McGowan, McBratney and Lomasney playing well in coverage. Mulrey broke a long run off to put the Admirals in the Knights redzone before he converted the score to put the Admirals ahead. Lomasney found Ibrahim Khadra to convert the score, 38-32 to Cork.

Forced to pass due to an injury to effective RB Morrow, the scoreline and the game-clock Devenney found some receivers but the Knights were forced to go for a fourth down situation which was unsuccesful. A final drive featuring the running of Gates and Mulrey resulted in another score for the Admirals, Gates with his second.

On the Knights final possession Devenney moved the offense downfield. On a fourth down pass he found McDowell who sprinted down the sideline before being ushered out of bounds by McBratney. Ger McGowan had another timely interception to allow the visitors to kneel out the clock.

Tymon Park in Tallaght was the venue for the double header between the Tallght Outlaws and Cork Admirals and Trinity Thunderbolts and Cork Admirals DV-8's squad.

Good football conditions allowed both passing attacks to connect well. Dave Lomasney found Dave Barry on the sideline on the first play from scrimmage to set up a rushing score led by strong blocking from Barry Rea, Conor O'Sullivan and Roger McDonagh. The Admirals passing attack performed well for the first period, Kieran Bracken catching his first TD pass, and Dave Barry adding another.

The Outlaws passing attack performed well in the face of a strong pass rush from Marcus Gates. QB #8 found #21 on several occasions, moving the chains in the process.

The run game was utilised more in the second half. Jason Dowling scored his first touchdown late in the game, while running backs Shane Galway and Alain Pezeron also played well throughout. Robert Hennesey and Chris Gaughan blocked well for each of the Admirals runners also.

The Outlaws are much improved since the early season games and despite the scoreline showed some promising signs for the future.

SCORERS

O'Callaghan rush TD, Spada 2xpt; Bracken rec TD, O'Callaghan 2xpt; Barry rec TD; Galway rush TD; Pezeron rush TD, Lomaney 2xpt; O'Callaghan rush TD, Barry 2xpt; Bracken rec TD, Dowling 2xpt; Dowling rush TD, Spada 2xpt.

In the DV-8's contest both defenses started well. Shane Moriarty tackled well for the Admirals. The deadlock was broken when Matte Spada caught a long Lomasney pass for a score, which was converted by Dowling.

The end of the first quarter saw Jason Dowling suffer a horrific injury after a strong run up the gut. Thankfully the paramedics on hand were skilled in treating the injury.

The second half saw the Trinity offense become more effective. QB #14 ad some good scrambling yardage, and some untimely drops by his receivers hurt their chances. The final score, which was unconverted, came from a Dave Lomasney scramble from about 20 yards out.

Scoring:
1st quarter - No Scoring
2nd quarter -
Vikings TD 11 yard pass from JP Nerbun to Seamus Hogan. 6-0
Vikings TD 7 yard pass from JP Nerbun to Seamus Feehan. 12-0
3rd quarter -
Vikings TD 11 yard pass from JP Nerbun to Glen Carr (2xpt - JP Nerbun to Glen Carr). 20-0
4th quarter -
Admirals FG Matteo Spada. 20-3

With clear sunny skies over Limerick, the conditions couldn’t have been better for football. The heralded Cork Admirals offense took the field with good field position after the opening return, and had success moving the ball both on the ground and the air before finally being stopped deep in Vikings territory. Both teams traded possessions during the first quarter, with the defenses stamping their mark on the game.

It wasn’t until the 2nd quarter that the Vikings started to gain success on the ground. With a 30 yard run from Adrian Garvey and consistent moving of the chains from RBs Seamus Hogan and James Twomey, the Vikings moved the ball into the Admirals’ redzone. QB JP Nerbun hit RB Seamus Hogan on a pass into the flats and Hogan evaded Cork’s tacklers to find his way into the endzone to make it 6-0 Vikings.

Both teams had limited success on offense for the rest of the half. Alain Pezeron was able to move the chains several times for the Admirals but they never really looked like scoring before the half.

With the Vikings getting the ball back with less than 2 minutes to go in the half, penetrating runs from Seamus Hogan moved them down to the 7 yard line. With 30 seconds left in the half, Nerbun threw a pass to uncovered receiver Seamus Feehan to put the score at 12-0. 

On the kick-off to start the second half, Vikings' returner Brendan McCarthy, returned the ball all the way back to the Cork Admirals 11 yard line. Two plays later JP Nerbun connected with TE Glen Carr in the flats, and Carr rumbled into the endzone for another Vikings TD. The two hooked up again on the 2 point conversion to make it 20-0.

The Admirals took to the air on their next drive, with some great gains made by Martin Mulrey. However, the drive was killed by penalties and the Vikings were let off the hook.

The Vikings defense adjusted to the Admirals passing game well, and Cork turned back to the run. With some good gains from Pezeron through the middle and O’Callaghan on sweeps, the Admirals moved into scoring range. However with less than two minutes left in the game, and 4th down in the Vikings redzone, the Admirals decided to kick a field goal, as head to head points difference will be a crucial tiebreaker for the division should the Admirals win the return fixture.

April 20th, Sportslink, Santry.

In 2007 the Admirals and Rebels played two close games, each winning one game by two points. Both teams expected another close battle and the game materialised into just that.

The Rebels played with the wind in the first quarter and a nice Paul Grogan kickoff sent the Admirals deep in their own territory. The home side defense played well in the first quarter, preventing the Admirals from gaining a first down on three consecutive possesions, with Ross McCooey and Steve Walsh playing some excellent run defense. The Admirals' defense matched the intensity of the home sides' and prevented the Rebels from scoring despite being given poor field position by the offense early in the game. Marcus Gates, Danny Deinert, Martin Mulrey and Willy O'Brien played well in the Admirlas front seven.

With the change of ends at quarter the Admirals offense managed to help out their defense by gaining a couple of first downs in a better offensive series, one each through Alain Pezeron and Keith O'Callaghan. Despite this the Rebels defense held strong and stuffed the Admirals attack, preventing the score. At halftime the score was still tied at zero.

The Admirals played with the wind in the third quarter but the Rebels offense put together tehier best drive of the day. Sam Hodgins had some nice runs, reading his blocks well. A stop by the Admirals defense forced the Rebels to punt. In the most bizarre event of the day Marcus Gates partially blocked the rebels punt, but it was caught beyond the line of scrimmage by the Rebels Marcus Naylor who managed to pick up the first down yardage and keep the offensive series alive. Cork's Peter Lucey managed to end this promising offensive drive with a diving interception. On the next series David Lomasney threw deep to Matteo Spada who scored on a 70yard catch and run effort.

A penalty for excessive celebration meant the Admirals conversion attempt failed. This exact scenario occurred in last years semi-final game when the Rebels took the lead, so both teams were well aware that a single score could yet win the game for either side.

Now in the fourth quarter the Rebels put together a nice drive, to build some momentum and again reached Admirals territory. An Andy Hempel interception of a tipped ball swung the momentum back in the visitors' favour for now. With littel time left on the clock the Admirals offense did not manage to make first down yardage. After the punt the Rebels had just over one minute remaing to move 70 yards to score. Andrew Dennehy directed and effective drive that used the sideline well to stop the clock. Sam Hodgins picked up some good yardage on screen passes while Barry Flinn caught three passes on the sideline to stop the clock. With three seconds to go Dennehy connected with Barry Flinn just shy of the Cork goalline. However a defensive penalty gave the Rebels one last try from twenty-five yard line. A nice pass to the corner of the endzone to Barry Flinn was barely tipped by Peter Lucey and Andy Hempel to preserve the 6-0 lead for the visitors.

In the DV-8's game the defensive excellence continued. Good tackling from Brian Leonard for the Admirals and Michael Stackard for the Rebels set the tone for this game also. In the first half Liam Keane had some good rushing yardage for the Cork side, while (no name or number on shirt) was elusive for the Rebels attack. Liam Keane opened the scoring on a play action boot. On the ensuing possesion (no name or number on shirt) ran in the tying score.

In the second half both offenses took to the air. Shane Galway and Brian McCarthy caught mulitple passes from Keane, and Flinn connected with Sahin Nikroo and James Butterly. On a 4th quarter drive Dave O'Neill caught a Barry Flinn pass for the winning score.

6th April 2008

Dublin Dragons @ Admirals (DV-8's)

Tallaght Outlaws @ Admirals (IAFL)

Carrigaline Rugby Club was the venue for last weeks Cork Admirals double header of DV-8's and IAFL league play.

The Dublin Dragons were the visitors for the opening fixture of the day. A dry firm field meant underfoot conditions were good, however strong winds dictated that the running game would be the staple of both teams attacks.

The Dragons opened the game on offense and proceeded to move the ball well through some powerful running. After a number of first downs the Admirals defense rallied and managed to stop the Dublin attack at the 20 yard line.

Quarterback Liam Keane directed a good drive on the home sides opening possession, Jason Dowling fought for tough yardage up the heart of the Dragons defense, while Brian McCarthy took advantage of the outside space this created.

Both sides managed to move theh ball well at times in the first half and both defenses tackled well also trhoughout the game. At halftime the score was 12-0 to the home side, Brian McCarthy scoring on a pitch-right play and Keane on a bootleg run.

A cold sleet shower, coupled with the strong winds gave both defenses the edge in the third quarter, Brian Leonard, Nick McSweeney and Andy Hempel played well for the Admirals while Tom Linehan and Russel Kerley performed for the Dragons.

In the end the scorers from the first half each added one more score to leave the result at 24-0.

Tallght Outlaws travelled to Cork for their season opener to take on the Cork Admirals. Tallaght are a young side so the experience of the home side was a challenge for the visitors.

A violent hail-storm moments after kick off forced both teams to use a ground attack to open the game. Strong tackling from Martin Mulrey, Marcus Gates and Willy O'Brien set the tone for the defense, giving Cork good field position. Keith O'Callaghan and Alain Pezeron scored during this first quarter period. Robert Hennessey and Conor O'Sullivan blocked well in the open field.

Better conditions in the second half allowed a chance at a succesful passing game. Both teams had some nice completions at this stage. Hugh McBratney and Dave Barry were on the receiving end of scoring throws by Dave Lomasney.

The third quarter saw the best drive of the game for Tallaght, some good tough inside running and effective short completions in the passing game saw them move the chains on a few occasions.

Barry Rafferty sealed the Admirals defenses strong play with defensive touchdown returns, while shane Galway had a mazy 70yd touchdown run following good blocks by his offensive back team mates downfield.

The final score stood at 98-0 and many milestones were reached. Pezeron set Admirals records for points and touchdowns in a single game, while the scoreline was the highest recorded for the IAFL, erasing an 88-point mark set by the Dublin Rebels agaisnt the Admirals in 2004.

Scorers;

1st quarter,

O'Callaghan 36yd run; Pezeron 4yd run, McBratney2xpt; O'Callaghan 11yd run, Pezeron 2xpt

2nd quarter

O'Callaghan 10yd run, McBratney 2xpt; Barry 28yd rec; Pezeron 10yd run; McBratney 10yd rec; Barry 40yd rec; Pezeron 60yd run + 2xpt

3rd quarter;

Pezeron 21yd run, Galway 2xpt; Rafferty 5yd fumb ret, Lomasney 2xpt; Pezeron 18yd run, Galway 2xpt; Galway 70yd run; Rafferty 20yd int ret.

A very wet and rainy Sunday afternoon meant poor underfoot conditions would dominate the days play. A slick football made passing difficult and defenders had trouble reacting to ball carriers changes of direction on the muddy field.

The Bulls opened the game on offense but good defensive play stopped the visitors deep in their own territory. The Admirals offense capitalised on the field position scoring on the ground through Keith O'Callaghan three plays later. On the next Bulls attack a Martin Mulrey interception set up the Admirals offence once more, Alain Pezeron broke free for a long-range TD on the very next play, Hugh Mc Baratney converted the score.

Strong line play on both sides for the Admirals set the tone for the rest of the game, Chris Gaughan, Robert Hennessey, Paul Buchanan, Conor O'Sullivan and Roger McDonagh created running room for Pezeron and Shane Galway throughout the game.

Despite the poor conditions David Lomasney twice hit the end-zone, converting with Dave Barry and Matteo Spada.

Defensively the Cork side pled on the pressure all game, forcing the Bulls deep to record safties on four occassions.

Galway and Pezeron contributed good yardage to run out the clock in the 2nd half, Galway being rewarded for his hard running with a 5-yard scoring plunge to finish the scoring at 66-0

Scorers

1st Quarter,

Keith O'Callaghan run + 2xpt (8-0), Alain Pezeron run, Hugh McBratney 2xpt (16-0), Keith O'Callaghan run (22-0), Marcus Gates Safety (24-0)

2nd Quarter,

Keith O'Callaghan run, Alain Pezeron 2xpt (32-0), Martin Mulrey Safety (34-0), Dave Barry reception (40-0), JP Murphy fumble recovery in endzone (46-0)

3rd Quarter,

Matteo Spada reception (52-0), Ibrahim Khadra Safety (54-0),

4th Quarter

Keith O'Callaghan run (60-0), Shane Galway run (66-0)

The 8-a-side fixture against the Edenderry soldiers followed the IAFL game, the field was poor at this stage. A tense first quarter saw both teams exchange interceptions as both defenses stiffened up near midfield. Strong running by Brian McCarthy, Jason Dowling and Matteo Spada was the foundation for the Admirals offense. Defensively Sven Tsankov and Brian Leonard did well up front.

In the end experience showed for the Admirals who ran out 22-0 winners.

Matteo Spada, Jason Dowling and Liam Keane were the Touchdown scorers.

On Sunday the 2nd of September, the activites of Edenderry Rugby grounds in county Offaly weren’t how you would expect. The Irish weather gods had once again decided that a greyish skyline would spend more time over our heads than our European counterparts. But to dismiss the weather was easy as the action on the field was more than entertaining. The Cork Admirals were out and about and showing why they are seen as one of Irelands most contending american football teams in the country.As the clash of ash could be heard in Croke Park, it was the clash of shoulder pads that was defining the atmosphere along the sidelines of Edenderry rugby pitch. As a first time spectator, my mouth was open and my eyes were glued. Never before was my heart pounding so fast wanting to see more. Game after game my newly found hunger was being fed by american football. The opening game for the Cork Admirals was a meeting with the up and coming Edenderry Soldiers. The Edenderry Soldiers, a new and developing american football team were strongly tested by the Cork Admirals but it wasn’t long before the Corks boys took the game in hand and possessed the lead.The Cork Admirals hit the touchline four times when Martin Mulrey, Alain Pezeron, Dave Barry and Ibrahaim Khadra found home. It was their runner back Keith O’Callaghan and defensive back Peter Lucey who both added two pointers to their final score. The Edenderry Soldiers put up a great fight for their first game of the tournament but the Cork Admirals just ran away with the game as their experience and skill was standards ahead of their opponents. The game finished the local natives suffering a heavy blow with the Cork Admirals-26 Edenderry Soldiers-nil.
The rebel boys enjoyed their second game when they took a joyous victory in meeting the Dublin Dragons. The Dublin Dragons have built up a great reputation among the american football circuit but once again the Cork Admirals showed why they were finalists in this year’s Shamrock Bowl. Not only did they out-run the Dublin Dragons but their balanced temperament and ability to take opportunities of scoring gaps was inspirational to the team members of the Tallaght Outlaws and Edenderry Soldiers that looked on from the sidelines. The Cork Admirals found the touchline with ease with Martin Mulrey, Shane Galway and Ross McCullagh hitting the scoring line decisively.
It was from the very talented wide receiver Dave Barry hitting the touchline on three more occasions that really saw the Dublin Dragons bearing the full scale injury to their defeated scoreline. Martin Mulrey added a two pointer and also a skilled Shane Galway notched up two - two pointers leaving the score at a victorious 42 – nil. The Cork Admirals were then due to play the Tallaght Outlaws for their final game but due to an unforeseen injury and also to torrential rain that would make even the ducks swim for cover, the tournament ended with a fantastic overall victory for the Cork Admirals. The fun continued on in the rugby pavillon where everyone got stuck into some lovely food along with a charity raffle of many pizes. Our cork boys did indeed manage to take a bottle or two home from the raffle and following this, the presentation of the Christy Farrell plaque saw the Cork Admirals very own admiral Rob Hennessy accept it for his team. A great day was had by all and as the Cork boys took to the road for their long trip home, a very clear consensus was made that the trip was very much worth it. The Cork Admirals were once again shipping home another fantastic success as one of Ireland’s greatest american football teams. Be proud,be very proud- these boys are taking the country by storm and buoy, are they wearing the colours of your very own rebel county!!!

The team was: Rob Hennessy, Martin Mulrey, Peter Glavin, Shane galway, Ibrahaim Khadra, Keith O’Callaghan, Dave Barry, Dave Lomansey, Alain Pezeron, Peter Lucey, Ross Mc Cullagh and coach Ciarán O’Sullivan.

To contact this great team and to find out where they are playing next ( I recommend you go just once, you will definitely be hooked) please check out their website on: www.corkadmirals.com

or leave them a comment on

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