Preview: US Super League Final
Fri, 30 May 2008 21:20
Following a season of highs and lows throughout the United States Super League competition, the 2008 competition has boiled down to an East Coast-West Coast showdown between New York Athletic Club and Belmont Shore.
A rematch of the 2005 SL Final, this year's championship game is set to kick off at 18.00 MDT at Infinity Park, in the heart of Colorado's rugby capital, Glendale.
At a glance, the odds appear evenly stacked for the two SL heavyweights.
Led by World Cup scrumhalf Mike Petri, NYAC entered the postseason in the top seed and heads to Infinity Park following a semifinal win over the Denver Barbarians last Saturday, despite an impressive defensive showing from Dave Hodges' side.
"We played a solid defensive game and so did Denver. You have to give the Barbarians a massive amount of credit. They're a great, well-coached team. Dave Hodges has just done a phenomenal job there," said NYAC assistant coach Bruce McLane.
"Next weekend, we will certainly have our work cut out for us against Belmont Shore."
Although Mike Tolkin's bunch was unsuccessful in its regular season meeting with Belmont Shore, the team still puts two feathers in its cap the Long Beach side can't lay claim to in 2008 - it pulled off wins over Denver and San Francisco Golden Gate, which both gave Shore some trouble early in the season.
And let's not forget, NYAC still owns bragging rights to the last championship meeting between the two SL powerhouses in 2005.
"Although we played NYAC earlier in the year and got away with a win, the AC have since gone from strength to strength and defeated back-to-back, the two teams that we lost to earlier in the year," Belmont Shore Head Coach Jonnie Cox said.
"They will be a formidable opponent. Mike Tolkin and Bruce McLane are committed and supremely organized operators so I am certain the Winged Foot will bring the kitchen sink to the party. Hayter, Petri, Mayo, Milton and company are all exceptional footballers who we will need to watch closely."
But the mere mention of the Belmont Shore side evokes a long-standing tradition of success over the course of 12 years in Super League competition – appearing in a whopping nine Finals out of those seasons.
Rolling off the momentum of a 34-15 win over the Chicago Lions in the semifinals, Cox is confident his team has moved past its early season obstacles. Instead, he looks to the strong leadership of his veterans to give the team an added boost down the homestretch.
"It has been a little bit of a rollercoaster season for us, but we have battled our way through early losses, injury, illness and generational change in the club to the Final. The boys are really looking forward to the opportunity to play at Infinity Park. The players are well aware of the legacy of seven straight Final appearances, the loss to NYAC in 2005," Cox added.
"Finally, Belmont Shore is starting to gel; the players are starting to gain confidence and become more comfortable with each other. Finals are one off matches, so anything can happen, but I am certain a Henry Bloomfield led side will give a good account of itself and the club."
Date: Saturday, 31 May
Venue: Infinity Park, Glendale
Kick-off: 18.00 MDT (24.00 GMT
Referee: Chris Henshall
Touch judges: Paul Bretz, Chris Draper
