Warriors Dominate in Opening Round

2008-06-09

Opening day of the 2008 American National Rugby League season produced big scores and a stunning upset of two-time defending champs the Connecticut Wildcats.

The Cats were beaten 52-28 by instate rivals the Warriors Saturday in New Haven, CT. Other winners included the Aston DSC Bulls, and the New York Knights.

In the biggest upset in some time, the New Haven Warriors shot out of the blocks early against the Wildcats and quickly built a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. The Warriors led 30-12 at halftime and eventually outscored the Cats by nine tries to five.

New Haven’s Siose Muliumu paced his side to victory with a hat-trick of tries, all in the first half. He was subsequently sent off, reducing the Warriors to 12 men for virtually the entire second period.

Ewan Robinson scored a pair of tries, while Derek Roma, Amosa Lio, and new player/coach Matt Doeg from Australia’s Gold Coast added singles. Goal-kicker Luke Carr had a stellar day with the boot going 8/9.

“We hadn’t really had a full team session so the result was very pleasing,” New Haven’s Matt Doeg told ARN. “The effort of our guys won the game; they showed a lot of heart.”

It was the first defeat in two seasons for the Wildcats, although they earned a bonus point for tries. Their try-scorers included Danny Bull, Curtis Cunz, Dan Power, and Scott Genninges.

“I’m glad we got it out of the way now,” said Wildcats CEO Rich Portale. “Sometimes you forget what the game is all about. It’s hard to win.”

Further south just outside of Philadelphia, the Aston DSC Bulls faced off against close rivals the Bucks County Sharks from New Jersey with Aston posting a 66-20 victory. Eleven tries to four was the final margin.

The game was played over four, 20-minute quarters because of player safety concerns due to the searing heat. The heat index was well over 100 degrees at game time.

The Bulls led 40-0 at the half after going almost the whole second quarter without having to play defense. Former Philly-Whitemarsh standout Conway Malaki led the way with three tries, while Rick Dortone dotted down twice and skipper Greg Stelluti added another as last year’s Grand Finalists powered home.

“The first quarter was tough, then we came out in the second quarter and opened it up,” Aston captain Greg Stelluti told ARN. “We were worried about this game, but our defense wore them down.”

The day wasn’t a total loss for the Sharks, however, as they picked up a bonus point for tries.

Elsewhere in the league’s opening rivalry round, the New York Knights beat the New York Raiders 48-0, and in the late game, the Washington DC Slayers traveled to neighboring Virginia to tackle the Fairfax Eagles. The Slayers won 40-14.

The Jacksonville Axemen and Philadelphia Fight had a bye as they met last week in a game won by the Floridians 36-8.

Standings (unofficial):

1. New York Knights (1-0)
2. Aston DSC Bulls (1-0)
3. Jacksonville Axemen (1-0)
4. Washington DC Slayers (1-0)
5. New Haven Warriors (1-0)
6. Connecticut Wildcats (0-1)
7. Bucks County Sharks (0-1)
8. Fairfax Eagles (0-1)
9. Philadelphia Fight (0-1)
10. New York Raiders (0-1)