Ireland: Rebels sweep Admirals & Panthers claw top spot
After a week off due to Easter, Irish American football returned last weekend with another full slate of mouthwatering games. 6 tilts in total were due to be played, with just a single fixture affected by the fuel protests – as the Crusaders/Stags game was postponed at the request of the travelling team. The ones that did go ahead went largely as expected, with just the odd surprising result! Keep reading for our full American Football Ireland week 6 round up!
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UCD 08 – Belfast Trojans 50
This rematch of last year’s Shamrock Bowl was, at least for me, the most anticipated game of not only the weekend but the season so far. Alas, it was a thoroughly one-sided affair – as the reigning champs rolled into Dublin 4 and very nearly pitched a shutout. From the first drive you could tell it was going to be a long day for UCD, as Trojans Quarterback Dom Lynn marched his side down the field with relative ease, before capping the series with a rushing touchdown. He connected with brother James for a successful 2-point conversion to give his team an early 8-0 lead which they would never relinquish. From then on out it was the Dom and Ray show – the duo combining for 5 total touchdowns.
The latter was almost unstoppable, accounting for four scores on the afternoon – two on the ground and two receptions from his QB. UCD to their credit never gave up fighting, despite a couple of heads dropping on the sideline, and battled hard in windy conditions. Despite moving the ball relatively well they suffered numerous wasted opportunities on empty drives and missed connections that if converted could have put a different hue on the outcome. Tadgh O’Connor eventually connected with Arun Sen in the waning moments to narrowly avoid the shutout, but at that point the game was well over as a competition. This UCD side have plenty of talent and pedigree, but for reasons I cannot fathom are majorly struggling in 2026. Will they make a third straight Bowl appearance in July? As of right now, I’m having a hard time envisioning that scenario.
South Dublin Panthers 19 – Westmeath Minotaurs 09
The slightly nomadic South Dublin Panthers continued their impressive start to the season in Santry on Saturday to move to 4-0 and top spot in their league. Leading the charge once again was none other than Conor Hoskins, who added a trio of rushing touchdowns, including this rampaging effort, to his ever growing tally. The “home” side took an early 12-3 lead in Trinity Sportsground as the Minotaurs could only manage a Jay Bruton field goal – but the Westmeath men battled back hard and earned a late Rafa Monteiro rushing touchdown to make this a closer affair in the end. An earlier Peter Dempsey interception provided an excellent opportunity for them to take the lead, but ultimately they couldn’t capitalise. With this victory the Panthers have virtually sealed playoff football with 4 games to spare, and I fully expect them to be in the division decider this summer. As to who their opponents will be is still to be decided, because as of right now there is no clear distinction between the rest of the challengers!
Dublin Rebels 32 – Cork Admirals 08
The Dublin Rebels are quietly having a really good season. Their latest win on Saturday saw them sweep the Admirals and move to 3-0 and in my mind, they are still one of the best teams in the Premier Division. Their clash with the Mavericks in less than two weeks’ time is going to be an absolutely fascinating match up to watch and could actually be the game of the season (I know I say that a lot!) Anyway, back to their game against Cork, which they won quite handily in the end thanks to a pair of Jack Cronin touchdowns and a massive receiving touchdown from Tadgh Fitzsimmons – beautifully thrown by QB Sam Doran.
The home team dominated throughout, with Mike Massari earning himself an interception on defense to scuttle any chance of an Admirals come back. Taking a 22-point lead into the break, the home side relented only briefly in the second half, allowing a passing touchdown from stand in QB Jahn Dasini to Evan Quigley. Matt Sibanyoni earned the 2-point conversion to make this a slightly more respectable outcome. Sam Doran put the finishing touches to the victory with a QB sneak in the fourth quarter to see this one out, and a Rebels safety moments later sealed the resounding victory. Next up is a trip to north Louth where their former QB and spiritual leader Ty Henry awaits along with his newly super charged Mavericks. It’s going to be a good one!
UL Vikings 00 – Louth Mavericks 45
Speaking of the Mavericks, their 2026 campaign continued its stellar trajectory over the weekend with another dominating performance down south against the Vikings. Oisin Finn hauled in a hattrick of touchdowns from Ty Henry, who also connected with Finn O’Donovan through the air for six. Finn and Ty also earned rushing touchdowns, the latter causing quite a stir online as a result of an apparent fumble into the endzone that was returned by the Vikings. The score would ultimately count – but have a look yourself here and see what you think! The Mavs defense had a day for themselves as well with multiple sacks from Ben Arulogun, Declan Mulvihill and Maleek Abdul, while Ty Henry also nabbed an interception. Limerick did manage to score towards the end of regulation, but alas the touchdown was called back, and the Mavericks maintained their shutout. The Vikings now find themselves on the wrong end of a three game losing streak and must find ways to win if they want to stay afloat in the top flight. As for Louth, something tells me the only real challenges they’ll face will be the Rebels on April 25th and the Trojans on June 13th. Am I wrong? Then come at me!
Wexford Eagles 18 – Northwest Vipers 26
The Eagles/Vipers rivalry is one of the best in the league, and whenever these sides clash you never know who is going to emerge victorious. On this occasion it was advantage Vipers, who with the win tighten their grip on 2nd place in the division and move another game close to a spot in the playoffs. Their hosts did not go down easy however, fighting to the very end and running their opponents closer than they would have liked. The Vipers took an early 7-6 lead, which they had extended to 26-6 by the end of the third quarter before Wexford mounted their comeback attempt. Mike Mallon earned a pair of rushing scores for the serpents in his debut appearance, while QB Mike McNaulty connected with his Tight End Lorcan McCartney for six and Darren Quinn added another score on the ground. Their defense was no slouch either, as JP McKee grabbed an interception, Jonbrad Duncan earned 4 sacks and Niall Lyons got himself 2 strip sacks. Despite going down early, the Eagles never gave up and battled back to within a score by the time the whistle went. Old Faithful Terry Carey was instrumental as always, earning 3 receiving touchdowns and 100+ yards from scrimmage – his scores going for 15, 10 and 70 respectively. Head Coach/Quarterback Ross McCooey has also played a key role in his side’s competitiveness so far this season and on Sunday he continued his fine form with over 200 passing yards and a trio of passing touchdowns. His brother Eamon also made a big play on defense with a forced fumble and recovery. Their efforts ultimately fell just short, but they can be very proud of the way they played.
Division One is shaping up to have a VERY competitive ending this season!
