Final Standings
| P | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts | |
| IAFL North | |||||||
| *Belfast Bulls | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 98 | 85 | 9 |
| *Belfast Trojans | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 126 | 110 | 8 |
| Carrickfergus Knights | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 82 | 96 | 7 |
| IAFL Central | |||||||
| *Dublin Rebels | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 260 | 50 | 14 |
| Dublin Dragons | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 52 | 194 | 4 |
| Dublin City University Saints | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 216 | 4 |
| IAFL South | |||||||
| *University of Limerick Vikings | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 299 | 70 | 14 |
| *Cork Admirals | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 327 | 70 | 12 |
| Tallaght Outlaws | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 389 | 0 |
Playoff Results
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Wildcard Playoff | ||||
| 15.07.07 | Cork Admirals | 30 | Belfast Trojans | 0 |
| Semi-Finals | ||||
| 22.07.07 | UL Vikings | 44 | Belfast Bulls | 2 |
| 22.07.07 | Dublin Rebels | 6 | Cork Admirals | 8 |
| Shamrock Bowl XXI | (UL Sports Grounds, Limerick) | |||
| 29.07.07 | UL Vikings | 22 | Cork Admirals | 14 |
Regular Season Results
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | ||
| Week 1 | ||||
| 25.03.07 | Dublin Rebels | 8 | DCU Saints | 0 |
| 25.03.07 | UL Vikings | 54 | Tallaght Outlaws | 0 |
| 25.03.07 | Belfast Bulls | 6 | Cork Admirals | 13 |
| Week 2 | ||||
| 01.04.07 | UL Vikings | 34 | Dublin Dragons | 6 |
| 01.04.07 | Belfast Bulls | 14 | Belfast Trojans | 12 |
| 01.04.07 | Tallaght Outlaws | 0 | Carrickfergus Knights | 22 |
| Week 3 | ||||
| 15.04.07 | UL Vikings | 0 | Cork Admirals | 30 |
| 15.04.07 | Belfast Trojans | 60 | Tallaght Outlaws | 12 |
| 15.04.07 | DCU Saints | 0 | Dublin Dragons | 6 |
| Week 4 | ||||
| 22.04.07 | UL Vikings | 42 | Belfast Bulls | 0 |
| 22.04.07 | Carrickfergus Knights | 24 | Dublin Dragons | 0 |
| 22.04.07 | Belfast Trojans | 12 | Dublin Rebels | 6 |
| Week 5 | ||||
| 29.04.07 | Tallaght Outlaws | 6 | UL Vikings | 55 |
| 29.04.07 | Dublin Rebels | 28 | Cork Admirals | 26 |
| 29.04.07 | DCU Saints | 20 | Carrickfergus Knights | 12 |
| Week 6 | ||||
| 06.05.07 | DCU Saints | 0 | Dublin Rebels | 46 |
| 06.05.07 | Cork Admirals | 20 | UL Vikings | 36 |
| 06.05.07 | Carrickfergus Knights | 6 | Belfast Bulls | 18 |
| Week 7 | ||||
| 27.05.07 | Dublin Dragons | 12 | Dublin Rebels | 42 |
| 27.05.07 | Belfast Trojans | 6 | Belfast Bulls | 6 |
| 27.05.07 | Carrickfergus Knights | 6 | UL Vikings | 28 |
| Week 8 | ||||
| 03.06.07 | Cork Admirals | 30 | Tallaght Outlaws | 0 |
| 03.06.07 | Dublin Dragons | 14 | Belfast Trojans | 28 |
| 03.06.07 | DCU Saints | 2 | UL Vikings | 50 |
| Week 9 | ||||
| 10.06.07 | Belfast Bulls | 24 | Carrickfergus Knights | 0 |
| 10.06.07 | Cork Admirals | 64 | DCU Saints | 0 |
| 10.06.07 | Dublin Dragons | 14 | Tallaght Outlaws | 0 |
| Week 10 | ||||
| 17.06.07 | Belfast Bulls | 30 | DCU Saints | 0 |
| 17.06.07 | Cork Admirals | 60 | Belfast Trojans | 0 |
| 17.06.07 | Tallaght Outlaws | 0 | Dublin Rebels | 70 |
| Week 11 | ||||
| 24.06.07 | Dublin Dragons | 0 | DCU Saints | 12 |
| Week 12 | ||||
| 01.07.07 | Carrickfergus Knights | 12 | Belfast Trojans | 6 |
| 01.07.07 | Cork Admirals | 84 | Tallaght Outlaws | 0 |
| 01.07.07 | Dublin Rebels | 54 | Dublin Dragons | 0 |
| Week 13 | ||||
| 08.07.07 | Dublin Rebels | 6 | Belfast Bulls | 0 |
| 08.07.07 | Belfast Trojans | 0 | Carrickfergus Knights | 0 |
Note: 2 Pts, Win, 1 Pt Tie, 0 Pts Loss, *Qualify for Playoffs
Shamrock Bowl XXI Box-Score and Match Report
29 July 2007 – University of Limerick Vikings 22 Cork Admirals 14
Seamus Hogan, who scored two touchdowns, won the Most Valuable Player Award in the Irish American Football League Shamrock Bowl XXI in 2007, as the University of Limerick Vikings beat the Cork Admirals 22-14 in a close Munster Derby.
Cork had a great start with kick returner David Barry returned the opening kickoff well into Limerick territory. They were stopped short of the goal-line, however, as were the Vikings on the next drive. On their next possession the Cork Admirals got into good field position following a 40 yard draw play by full back Alain Pezeron, leaving them on first and goal on the 3 yard line, which Keith O’Callaghan capitalized on with a 3-yard rushing touchdown for the first score of the game. Pezeron converted for two points.
The vikings got back into the game immediately, with Quarterback Chris Bassitt driving them downfield, helped by Running Backs Andrew Gordan and Seamus Hogan. Hogan got the equalizing touchdown, with a 5-yard run up the middle, converted for two points by Bassitt. The second quarter was scoreless as both defenses held the opposing offense, with good defensive plays by Vikings defenders Eoin O’Sullivan, Declan O’Donnell, Damien Laffan and Alan O’Carroll. The Admirals defensive line of Marcus Gates, Ross McCullough and Barry Rea forced a number of tackles for losses. The Vikings got the first turnover of the day with less than 5 minutes to go to halftime, when their defensive back intercepted the ball, however, they missed the resulting field goal, leaving the score 8-8 at half-time.
The first play from scrimmage of the second half yielded the second turnover of the day, as Admirals linebacker Martin Mulvey recovered a Vikings fumble to leave them in good field position on the Vikings 20-yard line. Shortly afterwards, the Admirals went 14-8 up as Quarterback David Lomansey connected with Wide Receiver Dominic MacHale for a 30-yard touchdown pass. Limerick then drove deep into Admirals territory, but a fierce goalmouth stand for the Cork side on their own 5-yard line prevented the Vikings from scoring. The Vikings defense, however, ensured their offense got another chance before the quarter was out, as they forced the Admirals to punt, giving the UL offense the ball at midfield. Through runs by Bassitt and Gordon they got to the 10-yard line, where Seamus Hogan scored his second running touchdown, on a draw play up the middle, pushing the ball over the goal-line as the Admirals defenders attempted to tackle him. The Single Point Kick conversion put the Vikings 15-14 up at the end of the third quarter.
Again the Vikings defense forced the Admirals to punt early in the fourth quarter, and in the ensuing drive, the Vikings went to the air with a long pass from Quarterback Bassitt to Wide Receiver Marc Ashworth, setting up MVP Seamus Hogan for his third touchdown of the day, as a he scored on a 5-yard sweep to the right. again the conversion kick was good to put the Vikings 22-14 up. The game was not over yet, however, and the Admirals drove to the Vikings two-yard line on the next drive. In the best defensive performance of the day, the Vikings held, the Admirals on all four downs, and the Vikings punted on their next possession having failed to run out the clock. The punt pinned the Cork side deep in their own territory, and while they picked up a couple of first downs, were stopped on fourth down with less than 30 seconds left. The Vikings could then celebrate their first ever Shamrock Bowl win. [Ref: 4]
| At UL Sports Grounds, Limerick | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
| Cork Admirals | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 |
| University of Limerick Vikings | 8 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 22 |
| Team | Scorers | Score |
| 1st Quarter | ||
| COR | Keith O’Callaghan 3yd Run (Alain Pezeron 2xpt) | 8-0 |
| ULV | Seamus Hogan 5yd Run (Chris Bassitt 2xpt) | 8-8 |
| 2nd Quarter | ||
| No Scoring | 8-8 | |
| 3rd Quarter | ||
| COR | Dominic MacHale 30yd Pass from David Lomansey | 14-8 |
| ULV | Seamus Hogan 10yd Run (1xpt) | 14-15 |
| 4th Quarter | ||
| ULV | Seamus Hogan 5yd Run (1xpt) | 14-22 |
Home Venues
| Team | Home Venue |
| Belfast Bulls | Mallusk City of Belfast Playing Fields, Belfast City |
| Belfast Trojans | Malone Rugby Club, Belfast City |
| Carrickfergus Knights | Woodburn Road, Carrickfergus |
| Cork Admirals | Pfizers Sports Club, Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork |
| DCU Saints | ALSAA, Old Airport Road, Dublin Airport |
| Dublin Dragons | Lucan Community Centre, Lucan, Co. Dublin |
| Dublin Rebels | Sportslink, Santry, Dublin |
| Tallaght Outlaws | Tallaght RFC Pitch @ National Basketball Arena, Tallaght, D24 |
| University of Limerick Vikings | UL Sports Grounds, Limerick City |
Report
The 2007 Irish American Football League season featured 9 teams, with the addition of the Belfast Trojans, who had split from the Belfast Bulls. Tallaght Outlaws replaced North Dublin Marshals. Teams were divided into three divisions – North, Central & South.
The North Division was a close affair, with the Bulls edging it on a 4-3-1 record, half a game ahead of the Trojans on 3-3-2, who were also half a game ahead of Carrickfergus Knights on 3-4-1.
The Central Division had a clear winner in the Dublin Rebels, who finished on 6-2, well ahead of the Dublin Dragons on 2-6 and the DCU Saints.
The South Division was also close, with UL Vikings finishing with best regular-season record in the league, 7-1, just ahead of Cork Admirals on 6-2. Tallaght Outlaws were placed in this Division, which meant long trips down to Munster for them, and in their inaugural season, they were no match for the more established teams, going 0-8.
The Wild-Card Playoff saw Cork Admirals win 30-0 against the Trojans, and then in the Semi_finals, they shocked the Dublin Rebels 8-6. The other Semi-Final saw UL Vikings trounce Belfast Bulls 44-2 to set up the first All-Munster Final, which the Vikings won 22-14, their first ever Shamrock Bowl victory.
References
Websites
[1] Irish American Football Association (2003) IAFL Logo [Internet] Available from: http://americanfootball.ie/iafl/images/logo.gif [Accessed 11 December 2017]
[2] Irish American Football Association (2007) 2007 LEAGUE TABLE, FIXTURES & RESULTS [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/2007results.htm [Accessed 24 September 2016]
[4] Irish American Football Association (2007) SHAMROCK BOWL XXI REPORT[Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/sbxxireport.htm [Accessed 15 May 2020]
Images
[3] Irish American Football Association (2007) SHAMROCK BOWL XXI [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/sbxxiindex.htm?fbclid=IwAR2HPWI-_4RXvnf4dmpZP833AsTMWVqv0w6k_pX02m1OYf6bZosFgXHg7cw [Accessed 15 May 2020]
[5] Irish American Football Association (2007) Game MVP – UL Vikings Seamus Hogan breaks the plane to score his second touchdown . [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/sbxxi0033.jpg [Accessed 15 May 2020]
Acknowledgements
Tim Leadingham, Tallaght Outlaws.
About this document
Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 15 May 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved.