CRYSTAL BOWL 51- GAME REVIEW

Crystal Bowl 51 | 28/02/21 | DIY Depot Arena, Adelphia

ADELPHIA	13	14	14	0	41
CALIGARA	0	3	0	7	10

Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter:
ADE McGuire 22 pass from Kelly (Hernandez XP); 7-0
ADE Hernandez FG 39; 10-0
ADE Hernandez FG 47; 13-0
2nd Quarter:
CAL Wright FG 49; 13-3
ADE Walters 60 pass from Kelly (Hernandez XP); 20-3
ADE Walters 20 pass from Kelly (Hernandez XP); 27-3
3rd Quarter:
ADE Floyd 4 run, (Hernandez Kick); 34-3
ADE Walters 85 pass from Kelly (Hernandez XP); 41-3
4th Quarter:
CAL Slater 18 pass from Slater (Wright XP); 41-10

The 51st Crystal Bowl was an uncomfortable affair for the defending champions, Caligara. The Adelphia Phoenix capitalised on playing in their home stadium, on their home turf, even though it was a 50-50 crowd.

Following the opening kickoff, the Bulldogs went three-and-out, paving the way for the Phoenix to march down the field and take the lead on Matt Kelly’ s 22 yard pass to Jayson McGuire. On the next possession, Zack Slater was tackled by Michael Keys, forcing a fumble. Charlie Clayton recovered for the Phoenix.

Keys forces the fumble

Adelphia scored two field goals on their next two possessions, whilst the Bulldogs flustered. Eventually, the Bulldogs gained some first downs and kept momentum but scoring with a Chester Wright field goal. it was 13-3.

What happened next possibly finished off the game. A good return from Jamarcus White got the Phoenix to the 30. Kylian Floyd ran twice for 10 yards, picking up the first down. Matt Kelly then threw a quick dart to Kyle Walters, who went 60 yards for the score, untouched. 20-3.

Kyle Walters celebrates in the endzone.

With the Bulldogs in disbelief, they tried to comeback. A good drive followed by then stalled, as Morales dropped a Slater dime. Chester Wright hooked the 51 yard field goal attempt wide.

Minutes late, Matt Kelly had taken the shortened field and finished off the game with a 20 yarder to Walters. 27-3 at half-time!

Any thoughts of a comeback, a miracle from the Bulldogs were dashed following the half-time show, featuring The Miracle Workers and SJ White. The Bulldogs marched down the field on the opening drive of the second half, ending with a four yard Kylian Floyd scoring run. 34-3.

It got worse near the end of the third. a good punt put the Phoenix on their own 15 yard line. Two plays later, Walters went 85 yards to the house on a short bubble screen pass. 41-3

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs got a consolidation score, when Zack Slater found Seth in the endzone from 19 yards. There wasn’t much celebrating there.

Matt Kelly and Kylian Floyd ran a well executed offence in the big game.

CRYSTAL BOWL 51 PREVIEW

Crystal Bowl 51- Adelphia Phoenix vs Caligara Bulldogs
Sunday 28th February 2021, 6pm at Adelphia’s DIY Depot Arena

The 51st Crystal Bowl is a matchup of two powerhouses- one old and one new. The storied franchise, the Bulldogs have more pro football titles than anyone else in Eborian history. They are making it three trips in a row this year, having lost the first to the Tigers and beating the Wasps last March.

The Phoenix, who only joined the league in 2008 are appearing in the big game for the fourth time, having won two of their previous games. Chip Bailey, 61, who has been the Head Coach since 2010, has once again taken the offensive guru-ness to new levels with the 2020-21 attack.

ADELPHIA ATTACK vs CALIGARA DEFENCE:
Quarterback Matt Kelly, a 13 year veteran, has lots of help around him in Jayson McGuire, Kyle Walters, Patrick Schwartz (Anchor, TE in US) and Jamarcus White. The two-headed run game is fronted by rookie sensation Kylian Floyd and backed up by Jamal Davies. Both can catch passes too. The O-Line is solid, not spectacular. Fullback Jon Lucas runs, blocks so well and, of course, catches passes too.

In the playoffs there’s been a reliance on Anchor Patrick Schwartz on third downs and when the receivers are well covered. The Bulldogs will need to cancel him out as an option.

The Bulldogs ‘D’ boasts ALL-PFL players, Shareece Franklin, Calvin Thomas and Jason Randle will cause headaches to the front line. The secondary is strong, with Nick Williams, Kyle Neal and J.J. Peters starring.

EDGE: Adelphia Attack, by a small margin. A close call.

CALIGARA ATTACK vs ADELPHIA DEFENCE
Quarterback Zack Slater was a second round pick in XXXX. He has gone on to prove all doubters wrong as the Bulldogs reach there third consecutive Bowl appearance. His namesake, Seth, is the Star receiver who attracts a lot of double coverage. This helps Mike Harvey and Dennis Morales to find open spaces. Veteran Anchor Mark Martinez is a good safety valve to have. Slater is nursing an elbow injury to his non-throwing arm, which may distract him slightly.

Similarly to the Phoenix, the ‘Dogs have a good ground game. Jeremy Franklin and Glen Norman share duties, with Franklin the number 1. The O-Line is one of the league’s best. veteran Shyrone Hall stands out at LT.

The Phoenix defence was mainly built in the last five drafts – DT Dez Williams commands the middle, whilst Ends Eddie Blake and Terrell Houston are always useful. The midfield (Linebackers) is stacked with tackle-machine Michael Keys lining up with Charlie Clayton and rookie Keith Walker. The secondary is boom or bust. When on they shut down, when off they seem to fall apart. Which one turns up on Sunday?

EDGE: The Bulldogs eek out, with a great O-line to protect Slater, it should be advantage Caligara.

SPECIAL TEAMS: This is evens, good kickers, punters and long snappers. Returners Mike Harvey (Bulldogs) and Jamarcus White both had two return TDs this season.

COACHING: Chip Bailey has the edge on coaching experience with 11 years in the PFL and three CB trips, Jon Palmer has experience as a player and coach at the big game. Palmer prodigious rise from defence co-ordinator to head coach has culminated in three bowl appearances in his first three seasons! How much of last year’s success was pure motivation from failing the year before? That remains to be seen.
Advantage to Adelphia due to longevity of Bailey.

OVERALL– This seems to close to call on paper, but we’ll give the advantage to the experience of the Bulldogs in this one. Their third trip in a row, they will be prepared. Expect a high-scoring affair with the Bulldogs coming out on top, maybe in additional time.

SEMI-FINALS REVIEWED – CB51 TEAMS SET

Crystal Bowl Playoff Semi-Finals | PFL

On Valentine’s Day, the PFL brought the Eborian public the playoff semi-final double-header. It might not have been romantic, but it was some good hard-fought action.

SEMI-FINAL 1;

ADELPHIA PHOENIX	31	F
NEW CHESTER KNIGHTS	20

The Adelphia Phoenix went into ‘blackout mode’ for the semi-final- and it worked a treat for them. The Phoenix defence shut down the Knights as the offense scored three touchdowns in the first half. QB Matt Kelly passed to Anchor (TE) Patrick Schwartz for a long score and to Kyle Walters for a second. Rookie running back Kylian Floyd scored on the ground from three yards out. At Half-time it was 21-3.

Patrick Schultz got open and beat the coverage to score a touchdown in the first quarter.

The Knights rallied for ten points at the beginning of the 3rd Quarter, with Elijah Brooks scrambling in from 8 yards, plus a field goal. To answer, though, the Phoenix ran a 80 yard drive, culminating in another Kelly pass to Schwartz.

The fourth quarter started with another field goal from the Phoenix to make it 31-13. The Knights scored a consolation TD late in the game, when Brooks found Rogers from 7 yards out. It just wasn’t enough.

The Phoenix would now host the winners of the second semi-final.

SEMI-FINAL 2:

CALIGARA BULLDOGS	27	F
BRISTOW BEARS	24

The Bulldogs eeked out a win against the Bears in a stormy, snowy Caligara on Snday. The Bears led several times and looked that they might sneak an upset for the second consecutive week.

Jeremy Franklin burst through to get the Bulldogs into the endzone for the first time.

It took QB Zack Slater to shake off an early pick six and bring the ‘dogs back with 4th quarter drives for a field goal and winning touchdown to his namesake Seth Slater. The Bears’ final drive ended with a game-tying 54 yard field goal falling agonisingly wide with 00:08 left.

The Bears left it all out on the field and will be raring to go for next season. Their return to the league was phenomenal!

The Bulldogs were battered (Zack Slater- elbow, Morales- Knee) but will take time off to get ready for an imposing visit for the Crystal Bowl, the third time there’s been a ‘home side’ in the championship finals.

CRYSTAL BOWL 51 NOW SET

Crystal Bowl will take place on 28th February 2021 at 6:00pm local time from Adelphia’s DIY Depot Arena.

QF WEEKEND- TOP SEEDS FALL EARLY AT HOME

PFL Post-season | Play-off Quarter-finals

The Quarter-final weekend was a memorable one, with four interesting games. We ended the dreams of four teams, leaving us with the final four teams for next weekend.

QUARTER FINAL 1:

HALLAS STARS	32	AET
NEW CHESTER KNIGHTS	35

The Hallas Stars suffered another devastating home defeat as the Knights came from behind to win on the road. Chase Hand had a great first half with the Stars, but they faded, especially in the fourth quarter. The Knights came back from 32-17 and 29-24 to take the lead late on.

The Stars levelled things up at the death, so an additional period was called for. In ET, the Stars went three and out, leaving the Knights to march downfield and Potter kicked the game winning field goal from 24 yards out.

QUARTER FINAL 2:

LANDOR 96ERS	27	F
BRISTOW BEARS	29

The number 8 seeds pulled off a huge upset on Saturday night as the came from behind to beat the heavily favoured Landor 96ers in the capital.

Bears QB Brad Robinson was in tremendous form on Saturday.

The number one seeds had beaten the Bears in both divisional matchups this season, so it was third time that was the charm for Bristow. The Sixers led 17-16 at the half and 20-19 after three, with Frank Bowman getting two scores on the ground, before Kurt Sierra found Asante Brown for a TD in the final period. The 96ers led 27-26 with 2:18 left to play.

QB Brad Robinson threw for 256 yards and 2 TDs. He was instrumental on the final drive, producing the field position for kicker Rick Bell to kick his fifth , and game winning field goal. The team from the Capital bowed out in a historic night for the Bears.

QUARTER FINAL 3:

CALIGARA BULLDOGS	35	F
OAKLAND RAVENS	20

The Ravens blew a 14 point first quarter lead to the number 2 seed Caligara Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon. Dante Fulcher scored on a 76 yard screen pass and then a 4 yard run as Oakland stormed out in front.

The Bulldogs comeback began in the second quarter with a 88 yard drive, capped off with a 2 yard Tony Franklin run. Zack Slater then threw TD passes to Mark Martinez and Dennis Morales. It was 21-14 at the break. Ravens QB Tayvon Coles was intercepted at the end of the half.

The Bulldogs attack is cool in the face of pressure.

In the second half , the Ravens could only muster up two field goals, whilst the Bulldogs scored two more touchdowns, via Franklin and a Seth Slater reception.

QUARTER FINAL 4:

ADELPHIA PHOENIX	31	F
BALLYMORE TIGERS	17

Ballymore got off to a great start in Adelphia , with Tito Hawkins busting out a 49 yard touchdown run in the first minute. The Phoenix equalised when Matt Kelly connected with Anchor (TE) Patrick Schwartz from 2 yards out. Both teams traded touchdowns and field goals, with it tied at 14-14 at the half, 17-17 after three.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Matt Kelly hit Kyle Walters to take their first lead of the game. On the subsequent drive, Tigers’ QB Cam Rogers threw a pick-six to Phoenix defender Adrian Sheppard (39 yards). That was it for the Tigers.

Matt Kelly threw for 323 yards and 3 Touchdowns in the win.

Semi-Finals
That means that, following rule changes for 2020-21 onwards, the re-seeding occurs as the no.1 team were eliminated. The revised bracket means home games for Adelphia and Caligara.

Caligara Bulldogs vs Bristow Bears
Adelphia Phoenix vs New Chester Knights.

The winners will face off in the Crystal Bowl at Adelphia’s DIY Depot Arena.

THE COACHING CAROUSEL BEGINS!

Head Coach – Personell | By Ryan Sollis |

The Professional Football League’s version of Black Monday began with three Head Coaching firings and one stepping down from their post with immediate effect.

HARTEFORD HAWKS HC Chris Zucker was sacked as his team deteriorated to a 2-15-1 season, with the number one overall draft pick. i.e. the worst team in the league, for the second time in three seasons. This was another disastrous season for the Hawkmen. They need to pick up soon.

ST. GEORGE SHARKS HC Gary Levicek was sacked following a 2-15-1 season, where the team regressed so badly. Both co-ordinators had been fired during the season. This wasn’t enough to the save him his job.

EREGON EAGLES HC Ali Mack was fired. They finished 4-14, lost the main QB early and never recovered. A slight raising of their game in midseason offered hope. It all flittered out into endless losses.

MELBORO GIANTS HC Neil Fagan resigned, following a very disappointing 5-13 season. He never got Tom Tomkowski comfortable in his offensive scheme and they paid for it all season. The defence regressed too.

We’ve yet to hear from the Rochester Trojans and Iomagh Steelers‘ camps. We gather that the Chakota Wasps will not be making a change, as this season is put down to being a ‘blip’. After all, they made it to the Crystal Bowl last year with pretty much the same squad of players.

REG SEASON ENDS- PLAYOFFS SET

2020-21 Regular Season | Week 20

That’s it! Eighteen games over twenty weeks. 144 games in total. This has now finalised the 8 play-off seedings and matchups.

HOW WE GOT THERE

There were head-to-head title deciders matchups in the PFL East and Central. Landor 96ers took the East with a 30-24 victory over New Chester Knights. The Adelphia Phoenix clung on to a 27-24 win against the Oakland Ravens, ensuring at least one home play-off game as no.3 seed.

Caligara Bulldogs already had sewn up the North and needed a late touchdown to beat Iomagh Steelers 19-16. They rested most of their stars in that game. The Ballymore Tigers lost to Harteford Hawks 20-17 in a way that only they can! They always slip up to a losing team late in the season.

The Chakota Wasps restored some pride with a victory over Rochester. The Trojans led early, but Chandler threw two fourth quarter TD passes to bring them back to a 24-17 win.

Hallas wrapped up their regular season with tidy 37-24 win against the St. George Sharks. The Stars are the no.4 seed. At 2-15-1, the Sharks know they need to rebuild. Relocation is also a possibility.

This left two teams fighting over the number eight spot:

San Andreas, knowing they had to better the Bears’ score, stormed out to a 31-13 first half- lead against the Eregon Eagles. The Bears were losing at half-time to the Melboro Giants 21-14, even though the Giants had only three first downs at that stage.

In the second half, the Miners added two more TD’s – Ryan Bruce passed for 413 yards and 5 touchdowns… but it was to no avail.
The Bears rallied to lead 34-31 with a game-tying 45 yard field goal set up for the Giants with just one second left on the clock. Veteran kicker Billy Young hooked the kick wide right.

AND SO, THE BEARS GO THROUGH VIA HEAD-TO-HEAD.

NUMBER ONE DRAFT PICK

The race for the number one draft pick was nearly lost by the Hsrteford Hawks, who only went and beat the play-off bound Ballymore Tigers. The Sharks also finished 2-15-1, with the tie the game between the two.
Following confirmation of the tiebreakers in this case- The Hawks retained the worst record by virtue of conceding more points and worst points- difference.

They have the first pick in June’s draft.

NEXT WEEKS PLAYOFF MATCHUPS:

Hallas Stars	4	vs	5	New Chester Knights
Caligara Bulldogs	2	vs	7	Oakland Ravens
Landor 96ers	1	vs	8	Bristow Bears
Adelphia Phoenix	3	vs	6	Ballymore Tigers

Just seven games remain before we crown the 2020-21 champions. Who will it be standing in the podium at Crystal Bowl 51?

WEEK 19 RECAP- FINAL WEEK PREVIEW

The Professional Football League’s regular season comes to an end this coming weekend. With 17 games played in the 19 weeks to date, Seven of the eight play-off spots are secured, with the final week bringing up some intriguing encounters.

To recap: with the Caligara Bulldogs lost 29-24 to the Ballymore Tigers, they relinquished the number one seed position to the Landor 96ers (as they lost in the head-to-head encounter). Meanwhile, the Hallas Stars secured their PFL West divisional championship with a 37-10 victory at Eregon Eagles. The San Andreas Miners kept in the play-off chase with their shaky 16-9 win over the St George Sharks – they will need to better the Bristow Bears result in the final week.

The New Chester Knights kept up the pressure on the Landor 96ers with their victory over the Melboro Giants. They will win the PFL East division with a win against the 96ers on Sunday and the team from the capital would fill the number 5 seed as the best runner-up!

The Adelphia Phoenix absolutely dismantled and embarrassed the Chakota Wasps in the penultimate game 56-14. Matt Kelly threw for 6 touchdowns and no interceptions in a clinical display. The Wasps defence capitulated in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, leading to calls for the coordinator to lose his job. Chakota will make their decisions after Sunday.

Wins for the Ballymore Tigers and the Oakland Ravens give them good momentum going into the play-offs in the 6th and 7th respectively. In fact, the Ravens could win the PFL Central with a win against Adelphia – so the Phoenix would be on their travels in the play-offs with a loss. This would have been unthinkable about 5 weeks ago!

W2WO4- What to Watch out for! Wk20 Implications

Divisional title deciders: the PFL East comes down to the final confrontation between the Knights and the 96ers. The Knights must win or they will be on the road in the play-offs. Whoever is the runner-up, will be for definite the number 5 seed and will travel to the Hallas Stars.

In the PFL Central: the Oakland Ravens must be the Adelphia Phoenix to win the division on a tiebreaker, otherwise they will be the number 7 seed. Both of these games are great matchups.

Seed jostling Depending on what happens in the Oakland/Adelphia game, the Tigers the 6 or 7 seed, regardless of whether they win or not.

The final play-off spot will be decided by 2 matches: the Bristow Bears at Melboro Giants and the San Andreas Miners hosting the Eregon Eagles. The Bears have the head-to-head advantage, so will automatically go through if they win or if the Miners do not win. In the rare event that the Bears lose and the Miners tie, the Miners would ‘sneak’ in.

The race for the number one draft pick: at the moment the Harteford Hawks have a one-game advantage over the St. George Sharks. If the Hawks however manage to win and the Sharks lose on the final day, were not quite sure of the tiebreaker here because they drew head-to-head and would have the same divisional records! I think it might come down to points conceded, which still heavily favours the Hawks, but this might require further consultation!

Final Week Fixtures:
All games kick off at the same time on Sunday 31st January-

Melboro Giants		vs		Bristow Bears
New Chester Knights		vs		Landor 96ers
Adelphia Phoenix		vs		Oakland Ravens
Rochester Trojans		vs		Chakota Wasps
Harteford Hawks		vs		Ballymore Tigers
Caligara Bulldogs		vs		Iomagh Steelers
San Angelo Miners		vs		Eregon Eagles
Hallas Stars		vs		St. George Sharks

TwO WEEKS TO GO- THE PLAYOFF RUN-IN

There are just two weeks remaining now and the PFL regular-season. 9 teams remain in contention for the 8 play-off places, with Chakota Wasps being eliminated with their defeat against the Oakland Ravens.

In the PFL East, the New Chester Knights still remain one game behind the Landor 96ers, with the two facing each other in the final week of the season.The Bristow bears still hold the eighth slot, with a one-game lead over the San Angelo Miners who remained in contention following their win last night at home to the Hallas Stars.

Adelphia Phoenix’s lead in the PFL Central is back to one-game, following their loss and Oakland’s win. Again, these two teams go head-to-head on the final day. Adelphia will take on the Chakota Wasps this weekend, whilst the Ravens will be looking to do the double against the Rochester Trojans. Adelphia hold the tiebreaker, which will be neutralised with a Ravens win on final day.

The Caligara Bulldogs still hold the best record in the league with a 14-2 record and dibs on the first seed. Behind them, the Ballymore Tigers have gone past the .500 humdrum in the past few weeks and are now sitting pretty at the number six point with a head-to-head advantage over the Oakland Ravens. The less said about the Iomagh Steelers and the Harteford Hawks, the better. Disastrous campaigns for both teams.

Out in the West, the Hallas Stars remain in control of the division, but have slipped to a 10-6 record.Following three successive defeats, the Stars will need to get back into the winning ways before the play-offs start. It is possible for the Miners to win the division if they win out and the Stars lose out. The Miners would win on divisional record. The Eregon Eagles have fared better since Cameron Reed returned, but have still been shaky opponents. The (St. George) Sharks’ dismal season continued with a loss to the Eagles and their reputation has sunk this season.

W2WO4 -What to watch out for

So looking at this penultimate weekend, the Bears can guarantee a play-off spot with a victory and a Miners defeat. A Bears defeat and Miners victory would make the run for the final play-off spot interesting. If the Knights lose and the 96ers win, then Landor will win the PFL East. If the Phoenix win and the Ravens lose, the PFL Central will go to Adelphia.

The Stars win the PFL West with a win and a Miners defeat, which would seal up the fourth play-off spot.

Playoff standings right now:

	PFL	P	W	L	D	PF	PA	PCT	PD	DIV
1	Caligara Bulldogs	16	14	2	0	460	319	.875	141	4-0
2	Landor 96ers	16	13	3	0	452	353	.813	99	4-0
3	Adelphia Phoenix	16	12	4	0	496	344	.750	152	3-1
4	Hallas Stars	16	10	6	0	487	375	.625	112	2-2
5	N.C. Knights	16	12	4	0	420	356	.750	64	3-1
6	Ballymore Tigers	16	11	5	0	410	373	.688	37	3-1
7	Oakland Ravens	16	11	5	0	413	358	.688	55	3-1
8	Bristow Bears	16	9	7	0	359	369	.563	-10	1-3
–	San Angelo Miners	16	8	8	0	391	368	.500	23	4-0
x	Chakota Wasps	16	6	10	0	430	393	.375	37	0-4
x	Rochester Trojans	16	5	11	0	358	450	.313	-92	2-2
x	Melboro Giants	16	5	11	0	333	377	.313	-44	0-4
x	Eregon Eagles	16	4	12	0	298	398	.250	-100	1-3
x	Iomagh Steelers	16	4	12	0	262	438	.250	-176	1-3
x	St. George Sharks	16	2	13	1	298	408	.156	-110	1-3
x	Harteford Hawks	16	1	14	1	227	415	.094	-188	0-4

Week 19 fixtures:

Bristow Bears		vs		Landor 96ers (FRI)
Eregon Eagles		vs		Hallas Stars (SAT)
Chakota Wasps		vs		Adelphia Phoenix (SAT)
Oakland Ravens		vs		Rochester Trojans
St. George Sharks		vs		San Angelo Miners
Harteford Hawks		vs		Iomagh Steelers
Melboro Giants		vs		New Chester Knights
Ballymore Tigers		vs		Caligara Bulldogs (MON)

PFL WEST 2020-21 REVIEW

PFL West: Eregon Eagles | Hallas Stars | San Angelo Miners | St. George Sharks

EREGON EAGLES

What type of Eagles team will turn up for the 2020-21 season? It is not helped by QB Cameron Reed having to return to the US over family issues. Veteran QB Bo Mills has just been added in. The Eagles have a good balanced team, who on their day can compete. The problem for the past three seasons has been if the do in fact, show up.

HALLAS STARS

The Stars are looking to rebound from THAT defeat in the playoffs. Chase Hand had a terrific season under Centre, throwing for 5,000 yards and 39 TDs. The defence, for most part played excellently. If not for that second-half slump in a playoff game, we could have been looking at the new champions. They will have to shake off that loss to be stronger this time around.

SAN ANGELO MINERS

The Ryan Bruce era begins! The former Trojan QB is now heading up the Miners. San Angelo are stacked with talent as they have gone all in for the ‘now’. Last season, it didn’t work, but with Bruce’s relatively cap-friendly deal (for a starting QB), it allowed them to other key retain players. Allen and Higgins are hungry young runners, the receiving corps is great. Should be challenging for top of the PFL West- with the Stars.

ST. GEORGE SHARKS

The Sharks are another team that are hard to read, They often struggle against lesser teams, whilst bringing it on against the league’s finest. QB Dre Nalen is a top-tier passer, whilst the defence, lead by Finnish nationals Heikki Karppinen and Niku Laukkanen is good enough to challenge anyone. The hardest team to predict, as they could as easily win the division as sit at the bottom.

PFL NORTH 2020-21 PREVIEW

PFL North| Ballymore Tigers | Caligara Bulldogs | Harteford Hawks | Iomagh Steelers

The PFL North is a balanced division, in that there are two very strong teams and two very weak teams! Due to the new format, Ballymore and Caligara faced off for the championship in 2018-19. Harteford and Iomagh have been battling it out at the bottom, not what either fanbase would like.

BALLMORE TIGERS

The Tigers are still a strong team, with Cam Rogers at the helm, the Tigers are still the main team that took the title two years ago.

The defence is still the focus of the team, with a little bit of sprucing up, they could become elite in 2020. Drafted Alfred Foster to pick up from Sam Randall as the pass rusher. Patrick Harper left under FA, so Bob Taylor and Freddie Boyle will compete.

CALIGARA BULLDOGS

The defending champions are still stacked with talent, but do they have the hunger after successive Crystal Bowl appearances? Jon Palmer is a great young head coach, who let’s his experts do their jobs. If there’s no need to tinker with a winning formula, they could well be biting their foes in the playoffs. Zack Slater (QB) to Seth Slater (WR) is still an extremely good combination.

HARTEFORD HAWKS

Last season was a progression for the mean green flyin’ machine. The Hawks went from 2-16 to 6-12. This year they will look to build on that siccess (9-9?). They are a balanced team, they will need either rookie QB Aaron Murphy or Dexter Williams to come good. If the defence is stronger, it should help even out the scores too. Veteran RBs Marshall Knight and Donovan Kelly were massive upgrades for the run game.

IOMAGH STEELERS

Iomagh were a disaster last season, going 2-16, with a couple of horrendous blowouts. Off-season trades were aplenty, and they were very active in the free agent market. Brandon Mullen and Kelvin Stewart (remember when he was the golden boy?) will compete for the starting role at QB. Thomas Linderholm returns from injury to help what was a leaky front line last term. Will do well do double their victory count from last year, though.