Est. 2007

Fairfax Eagles Rugby League Club

News Archive - August 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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August 26, 2007 - Eagles Merchandise Now Available…..

The Fairfax Eagles are pleased to announce that club merchandise is now available.  The current range includes t-shirts, polo shirts, and limited edition retro playing jerseys.  Please check out our on-line store for more details…..

 

August 25, 2007 - Cats Edge out Bulls in Nail Biter…..

It took a last-minute try but the Connecticut Wildcats held-on to defeat the Aston Bulls in Jacksonville to retain their status as AMNRL champs.  The Cats are now unbeaten in two years after back-to-back flawless seasons.  Congratulations to the Wildcats who will no doubt be looking for the hat-trick of titles in 2008.  Final score on the day was 22-18. 

 

August 22, 2007 - Grand Final Preview…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Connecticut Wildcats, unbeaten in the last two seasons, will face the Aston Delco Sports Club Bulls for the fifth successive year in the AMNRL Grand Final.  This season's championship final will be hosted in the first class facilities at Hodges Stadium at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. The Wildcats have a 2007 season record of 9-0, and defeated the New Haven Warriors 42-18 in their semi-final match-up to advance to their fifth consecutive championship final appearance.   The Bulls finished the regular season with a 7-2 record and defeated the Bucks County Sharks in a tense semi-final match by 26 -16, with the game going right down to the wire.  The Wildcats will go into the match the biggest title favorites in the ten-year history of the competition with a squad full of in-form talent featuring Danny Bull, Will Brazier, Ben Kelly, Tim Gee, Matt Pittman, and star half back Damien O'Malveny.  The Bulls will be hoping to overcome the injury to star loose forward Marcus Vassilakopoulos, who suffered a career-ending concussion in the semi-final match against the Sharks.  The loss of Vassilakopoulos is a huge blow to the Bulls aspirations to regain the championship title and they will rely heavily on the experience of veteran players Shayne Mains, Chris Craig, Greg Stelutti, Ric Dortone, Erik Hollingsworth, and Ed Woodbridge.   The biggest crowd in the history of the AMNRL is expected to be on-hand to witness the battle between the Wildcats and Bulls, with tournament organizers confident that between 3,500 to 5,000 fans will flock to Hodges Stadium on Saturday.  With the event hosted by the Jacksonville Axemen, fans will have the opportunity to enjoy a full day of fun and entertainment on and off the field, with prizes and giveaways to accompany the on-field action.

CLICK HERE TO SEE TV COVERAGE OF THE BUILD-UP TO THE BIG GAME…..

August 18, 2007 - Bulls Win to Set-up Rematch With Cats…..

For the fifth straight season the Aston Bulls will take on the Connecticut Wildcats in the AMNRL Grand Final.  Congratulations to the Bulls who earlier today defeated the Bucks County Sharks 26 to 16 to ensure their trip to Jacksonville next Saturday.  This Grand Final will mark the tenth consecutive appearance in the final by the Bulls. 

 

August 17, 2007 - Cats Reach Fifth Straight Final…..

Congratulations to the Connecticut Wildcats who defeated the New Haven Warriors this evening to reach their fifth consecutive Grand Final.  The Cats ran out convincing 42 to 18 winners on the day, and will face either the Bulls or Sharks in Jacksonville on August 25th.

 

August 12, 2007 - Warriors Crush Knights…..

The New Haven Warriors victoriously returned to Connecticut this evening after getting the better of the New York Knights at The Castle 38 to 8.  A great result for the Warriors who will now face the Wildcats for the third time this season in the semis. 

 

August 11, 2007 - Sharks Defeat Slayers…..

The New Jersey Sharks defeated the DC Slayers in round one of the playoffs to set-up a round two match-up next week with the Aston Bulls.  Final score was 44 to 24, ending a solid 2007 campaign by the Slayers. 

 

August 11, 2007 - Knights / Warriors Game Postponed…..

Last night’s first round playoff match-up between the New York Knights and New Haven Warriors was cancelled due to inclement weather.  The Knights’ home field, The Castle, was flooded on Friday afternoon leaving no alternative but to postpone the game.  A make-up date will be announced in the next day or so.  Check back here this afternoon for the result of the Slayers and Sharks game. 

 

August 4, 2007 - Slayers Crush Fight to Claim #6 Seed…..

The DC Slayers traveled to Philly today and easily defeated an under-strength Fight team to claim the final playoff spot and set-up a first-round match-up away to the Bucks County Sharks next weekend.  Congratulations to the Slayers on making the playoffs for the second year in a row. 

 

August 3, 2007 - Knights and Warriors All Square…..

The New York Knights held-on at The Castle on Friday night for a 22-22 draw to secure the #4 seed and take home field advantage for next week’s playoff rematch.  Match report.  The rematch will be played at The Castle on Friday night at 8:30 pm. 

 

August 2, 2007 - Sharks Beat Bulls to Claim #3 Seed…..

The Bucks County Sharks upset the DSC Bulls 48-24 tonight at Shark Park to secure the #3 seed going into the playoffs.  Check out the latest on the AMNRL playoff picture and the rest of this weekend’s match-ups with Eagle Eye. 

 

August 2, 2007 - Eagles Train with West Potomac RFC…..

The Fairfax Eagles trained this evening with the West Potomac Rugby Football Club in Arlington, Virginia.  Several current Eagles players have expressed an interest in playing rugby union this fall and West Potomac extended an invitation to the Eagles to send guys along to compete for roster spots.  The two teams are currently working on a player-sharing agreement where Eagles will play rugby union during the fall and some of the West Potomac squad  will play rugby  league during the summer.   Said

President Steven Grant about practicing with West Potomac, “This is a great opportunity for some of our guys to get some playing time in the fall.  We are grateful to West Potomac for this opportunity and look forward to strengthening our relationships with them and other local rugby clubs over the course of the next few months.  This is a very positive move for the Fairfax Eagles”.  West Potomac are a Division 3 rugby club and are members of the Potomac Rugby Union.  The Eagles will continue to practice with the West End Old Boys on Mondays and Wednesdays at ‘The Ditch’, and with West Potomac on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Gravelly Point.    

 

August 1, 2007 - Scanlan Bags Hat-Trick for Spitfires…..

On-loan Eagles half-back Steve Scanlan switched teams this past week and took the field for the Southampton Spitfires against the Kent Ravens.  Steve put on a standout performance, scoring three tries and connecting on 9 conversion attempts.  The match report, composed by southamptonrugby.co.uk, is provided below…..

 

 

Kent Ravens A 16 - 56 Southampton Spitfires

 

Southampton Spitfires travelled to Dartford on Saturday to take on Kent Ravens A team in their first London League match of the season.  The long journey took its toll on the Spitfires as it was Kent who struck first as their winger cut inside to break the defensive line and then outpaced the fullback to score under the posts.  Kent easily added the extras to give the home side a 6 point lead.

 

Southampton then found their form and it was the forwards who led the way making great yardage in the middle of the field.  Mark Mauger was the pick of the bunch and it was his barnstorming 60-yard run and great offload that allowed hooker Nathan Morris to score and cut the deficit to just 2 points with the Ravens still leading 6-4.

 

The Kent Ravens then piled on the pressure at the end of the first half and Southampton spent most of that time defending on their own line after giving away possession through mistakes in their own quarter.  The pressure eventually told and the Ravens managed to power over from close range to extend their lead to 10-4.  The Spitfires again responded, this time through hat-trick hero Steve Scanlan who threw a dummy and went 40 yards to level the scores at 10-10 after a successful conversion.

 

With the scores locked at 10-10 and half time looming, it was the Spitfires who took their last chance of the half with yet another great offload in the tackle allowing winger Julian Robins to race in 50m to score under the posts.  With a successful conversion, it was the away side who lead 16-10 at the break.

 

The Spitfires then started the second half the better and great defence limited the yardage of the Ravens and forced the home side to make numerous errors. The Spitfires, using the possession, went on to score 5 well worked try’s in 20 minutes with Andy Beal, Mark Mauger, Steve Scanlan, and Lee and James Hodges all crossing the try line.  With the Spitfires leading 46-10 the game was as good as over but the Ravens rallied in the last ten minutes to score after Southampton failed to deal with a high kick.  The fight back was short lived however, as another clean break by Scanlan and an excellent inside ball to support runner Nathan Morris put the Spitfires up to 50 points for the day.  Scanlan then went on to again break the home defence and beat two players to cross for his hat-trick, giving the Spitfires their first ever win 56-16.  Scanlan also went 9 for 11 on the day in conversion attempts. 

 

 

Scanlan leading another charge for the Southampton Spitfires