Warriors Finish Undefeated

2008-08-02

The playoff teams are all set after the final whistle blew on the American National Rugby League regular season Saturday.

The two frontrunners Aston DSC Bulls and New Haven Warriors emerged unbeaten and have earned a first round bye, while the Jacksonville Axemen, Connecticut Wildcats, New York Knights, and Washington DC Slayers are through to the quarterfinals.

The Bulls finished in the top spot with a 52-18 victory over the Slayers. Aston led 24-0 at the half, eventually tallying a nine tries to three margin in a hard game. Head coach Marc Vassilakopoulous rested several starters in order to give other players a chance to impress for the postseason.

In the AMNRL, teams can suit up only 19 players for each playoff game. Former Philly-Whitemarsh trio of John Grace (2), Conway Maraki (1), and Louis Tulio (1) paced the Bulls to the win with their outstanding play. Other try-scorers included Rick Dortone, Brian Trotter, Mike Mertz, Chris Craig, and Lou Mansi, while Blair Wards was 8/9 on conversions.

“It was a very physical game, especially in the first half,” Aston captain Greg Stelluti told ARN. “We made a lot of mistakes and allowed them to stay in the game. We were flat in the first half.”

The New Haven Warriors also ran the table during the regular season finishing with a 30-10 triumph over the New York Knights. The Warriors led 18-6 at halftime and outscored New York by six tries to two.

There was no scoring through the first quarter, then the home team got on the board first only to see the Knights hit right back with a try of their own. Two more scores put the Warriors in front at the break. The second half started the same way before the Warriors overpowered the opposition.

New Haven skipper Siose Muliumu (2) led the way and was assisted by the likes of Ed Reed and Justin Deveaux, who each got on the board. Luke Carr went 3/6 with shots at goal.

“Both teams were sizing each other up in the first period and there were some pretty ferocious hits,” Warriors CEO Adam Hamon told ARN. “We finished strong again and I think the Knights eventually succumbed to our big defense.”

Reigning champs the Connecticut Wildcats cemented their playoff berth with a big 86-24 win against the Bucks County Sharks. A total of 16 tries saw the Cats clinch a valuable bonus point that secured them fourth place in the standings and a home quarterfinal next week.

Veteran Danny Bull led the way with four tries, while Nick Vornley (2) and Dan Power (2) were among the long list of scorers.

“Hopefully we’re coming into form,” Wildcats CEO Rich Portale told ARN. “It’s down to a three-game season, you win three in a row and you win the championship.”

The Sharks, who trailed 46-18 at halftime, earned a bonus point for tries, but they’ve had a topsy turvy season that saw them finish out of the playoff picture.

Further south in Jacksonville, FL, the hometown Axemen did a number on the Philadelphia Fight winning 74-4.

The bonus point win clinched third place on the table for Jacksonville and a home quarterfinal. Simon Moate paced the Axemen to victory with no fewer than six tries. The home team led 40-4 at the main break.

It was one-way traffic pretty much from the get go with Jacksonville up 16-0 after the first quarter and never taking their foot off the gas. Another bumper crowd was on hand to witness the Axemen’s fourth straight victory.

“It was actually a fairly good game despite the score,” Jacksonville’s Simon Moate told ARN. “There were some big hits, we played alright and there wasn’t too much dropped ball.”

The scheduled match between the Northern Raiders and Fairfax Eagles was forfeited by the Raiders, giving the Eagles a bonus point win. Fairfax finished even with the DC Slayers on points, but miss out on the playoffs because they lost their head-to-head during the regular season, which was the tie-breaker.

Next week’s quarterfinals will see the Axemen at home to the Slayers and the Wildcats will host the Knights.

Standings (unofficial):

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