NFFL Week 3 / 4: Preview

Photo: Inside Britball Media

First and foremost, what weekend of flag we have ahead of us! Whilst the travel for these cross-conference gamedays can be a slog, no one can argue that they bring diverse matchups, intrigue, and a whole load of jeopardy to the season.

With the Premiership being in Week 3 and Division 1 in Week 4, we are reaching the halfway mark of the season, and with gamedays now coming thick and fast, you could argue that we are now in the business end of the season. Here is my take on this week’s matchups.

Premiership Highlands / North Cross-Conference

The Manchester Crows and the Wigan Bandits host this season’s first Premiership cross-conference gamedays for the HNC. Starting with arguably the most mouth-watering fixtures so far, Manchester sees some strong teams come to town and there is no gentle preamble to this gameday as we go straight into Grangemouth Broncos vs Manchester Crows. A good start for the Broncos will surely be the aim as there is no holding up for them as their next match-up is also against strong opposition in the Manchester Titans.  Top of the Highlands table Glasgow Hornets will be favourites against Manchester Titans Bees before taking on the Titans’ first team. Will the Bees be looking to orchestrate an upset to disrupt the Hornets’ day and boost their standing? Whilst other matchups should be noted, the game of the round must be the battle of the undefeated in the Hornets vs Crows, with both teams’ offences on fire, will it be the defence that decides this game? If so, the numbers would suggest the Crows will walk away with the win.

The Wigan gameday also looks interesting but for different reasons. Edinburgh Outlaws have caught me out with their win against the Broncos in the previous round and are now deservedly sitting in second in the table. They have favourable matchups this weekend that could see them go back to the top of the table depending on results in Manchester. Aberdeen Oilcats will also be looking to capitalise this weekend as they take on Warrington Revolution, Wigan Bandits, and Salford Scorpions, two of which are sitting at or near the bottom of the table. Wigan Bandits have only suffered two defeats so far, both at the hands of the Titans. They face tough opposition such as the aforementioned Oilcats, and then the Outlaws. Understandably, it is believed that the Moray Distillers will not travel for this tournament as the whole journey would be a 750-mile round trip, which is a tough ask for anyone.

Premiership South Cross-Conference

Gameday’s outside of London! Who sanctioned such atrocities? Well, believe it or not, this is no lie. The Reading Devils and Chichester Sharks play host to the cross-conference gamedays for the South Premiership.

Starting with the Reading cross-conference gameday, the London Smoke will be confident going into this weekend as they face Coventry Phoenix, Cheltenham Neptunes, and Keynsham Kings, the latter two having only won 2 games so far this season.  Not to be outdone, The Reading Devils also have the same matchups but in a different order.  Outside of this, the only other fixture that catches the eye is Coventry Phoenix vs London Rebels, both of which currently only have 1 win to their name and will be seeing this as an opportunity to gain another.

Down in Chichester, the undefeated Cardiff Hurricanes will be looking to maintain their record and build upon their already impressive points-scored tally. They take on the London Spark, Chichester Sharks, and the London Flash who are 6th, 3rd, and 4th respectively.  Suffering their only defeat of the season to Cardiff, the Northants Titans have quietly been going about their business and this weekend should be no different. The Titans play London Flash and Spark, but their toughest challenge will likely be against the Chichester Sharks. Out of the two Coventry teams, the Panthers will see this as an opportunity to put some daylight between them and the Phoenix in the table as they take on the Sharks, Flash, and Spark.

Division 1

Again, like the Premiership, we have cross-conference delights this weekend in Division 1 which gives us some tantalising matchups that will see us start the business end of the season. Unfortunately, we have suffered some casualties in the Clyde Comets and Berkshire Renegades who have both withdrawn from this weekend’s fixtures. This will likely have consequences for the rest of the season, however, for now, let’s focus on this week’s upcoming fixtures.

Highlands / North A (HNA)

The second round of cross-conference games are being played in Edinburgh and Carlisle this weekend and sadly, the Edinburgh fixtures have had to be amended due to Clyde’s withdrawal. With the abandoned fixtures now finalised as draws, it is very tight at the top of both divisions where the top four teams of each table are tightly packed.

Starting with Edinburgh, the Wirral Vikings, West Lancashire Serpents, and Salford Stingers make the 8-hour round trip to play positions 3 to 7 in the Highlands conference.  The Wirral Vikings and West Lancashire Serpents are battling it out for 3rd in the table and arguably the Vikings may have the benefit of the fixtures with an opener against hosts and bottom of the highlands table in the Gunslingers, who are yet to win a game this season. They also get a free pass against Clyde, where they will then face a tougher prospect in the Aberdeen Silvercats. The Serpents will have matchups against Grangemouth Colts and the Glasgow Killer Bees who are both faring in mid-table. The Silvercats will be no mugs and will be expected to give both the Stingers and Vikings a tough time during their fixtures. The Manchester Titans Tridents and Glasgow Killer Bees are both languishing in 5th in their respective tables and face each other in the opening fixture.

The Border City Centurions could be forgiven for feeling somewhat hard done by with their 100% record being affected because of the abandoned games earlier in the season.  As the only undefeated team in the HNA, they will be looking to keep it that way when they play the West Lothian Chargers and Grangemouth Mustangs who may still be hurting from the last tournament where they lost their undefeated status. In comparison, this cross-conference gameday is smaller in number of fixtures, but certainly no smaller in stature. The top two Highlands teams travel to play the top two North A teams which will surely be the tournament of the Division.  Unfortunately for the Chorley Buccaneers, they will no doubt be caught in the crosshairs as they still search for their first win of the season.

North B / Midlands (NBM)

With every trend, there is a buck to complement it and the NBM is that buck. They are the only conference duo that is not cross-conferencing this weekend. You will have to wait for Week 5 for that. Instead, we have straightforward head-to-head matchups, and whilst still a long way to go in the season, the Newcastle Blackhawks can put one hand on the title this weekend as they face current 3rd place team Sheffield Giants (Blue), followed by a struggling Calderdale Locomotives team, and then a final showdown against 2nd placed Leeds Samurai. Conversely, despite playing the Blackhawks, the Locomotives do have the opportunity to change the fate of their season this weekend by playing the two teams that are just above them in the table the West Yorkshire Warthogs and Sheffield Giants (Black). All of which have shipped a high number of points. Middle to fairing Steel River Stingrays play all the teams around them in the table and getting some results here may give their season the lift that it needs to get going.

As we make our way down the M1 corridor, hosts Coventry Panthers B get no reprieve as they prepare to face 1st, 2nd, and 4th in the table. Their games against undefeated Waveney Wolves, 6-3 Lincolnshire Bombers, and 4-4-1 Leicester Huntsmen will be a tough test of their resolve. One stat that will give them some comfort is that their net points per game is 5.8 which suggests they are an evenly balanced team. Waveney Wolves will be expected to continue with their 100% record as they face the bottom three teams in their conference which is looking like a one-horse race at present. The Lincolnshire Longhorns and Nottingham Honey Badgers will have an opportunity to remain in a close second and be ready to pounce should the unexpected happen and Waveney slip up.

South A / South B

Last but certainly not least, we continue with the cross-conference games. Unfortunately, like the HNA, we have a casualty in the Berkshire Renegades.  Sadly, this is not their first forfeit which is likely to have season-ending consequences for them.  Whilst this could not have been engineered in the offseason, it is a pleasant coincidence that the split of these two cross-conference tournaments is pretty much a divide between top and bottom in their respective conferences, except for Victoria Park Panthers, and Buckinghamshire Wolfpack.

In Cardiff, we see the bottom half teams 1-4 Salisbury City Marauders play Swansea Frenzy (6th), Keynsham Kings II (5th), and Cardiff Bay Coyotes (4th). If the Marauders are to bag more wins this season, this is the game day for them to do just that. Victoria Park Panthers will be the strongest team in this cross-conference match-up and will be hoping to come away with 3 wins, and that Buckinghamshire Wolves slip up against the other cross-conference gameday. Meanwhile, hosts Cardiff Bay Coyotes have mixed matchups in the Marauders, but also a tough match-up against VPP, as to Keynsham Kings II with the same matchups.

In the other cross conference, the Buckinghamshire Wolfpack host a gameday with a collection of very strong teams coming to town. The top performing team the Swansea Hammerheads are in town and whilst their fixtures against Chichester Sharks B, and the Wolfpack are important, you can’t look away from my choice for game of the week when they face off against also undefeated Buckinghamshire Wolves.  Will home advantage play a part? I am also hearing news coming out of Swansea that they may be carrying a few injuries. Either way, the numbers suggest a Hammerheads win as they boast an impressive all-round offence and defence.  An evenly matched Gwent Gators and Exeter Falcons will also face off against Buckinghamshire Wolves which will prove a mammoth task for the Wolves to hold on to that undefeated record. Likewise, Chichester Sharks B also face off against the top 3 of the South B conference. The Sharks will be hoping for some luck on their side knowing that the Victoria Park Panthers will be favourites over in Cardiff.