With the flag season starting soon, we caught up with Flag Team coach, Niall Quinn to talk about the 2015/16 season and preparation for the upcoming season, Emerald Bowl III.

Emerald Bowl II was a great accomplishment for the club, did you think that you could win it all before the season started?
"During the regular season, we faced two rookie teams to the sport, in our division. Although they provided tough opposition, we felt that winning the division was an achievable goal. Once we made the playoffs, we thought we would struggle against other division winners in the playoffs – but that turned out not to be the case."
 
Success in the Emerald Bowl brought the opportunity to compete in Denmark, tell us about your experience at the Champions Bowl.
"The Champions Bowl was a fantastic experience for the whole team. Essentially, we play flag for fun and really enjoy the games win or lose. So the chance to play flag football in Copenhagen against the best in Europe was an exciting challenge. We weren’t expecting any success but learned a lot and really enjoyed the opportunity to play at European level."

The season is set to start on 22nd October, how is the team looking for the upcoming season?
"It’s hard to say how our season will go until our first game. It’s important everyone continues to train as much as possible and be prepared the best we can. We have a tough division that will be a challenge to win. We will have fun anyway, winning always adds to that."

Flag is a great way of playing American football without the contact, focusing more on speed and skill. What advice would you have to anyone thinking of starting to play flag?
"Flag football is a great way to start American football. It teaches you the basic fundamentals of the sport and gives a great boost to players’ confidence. It’s a great team sport where every player has their job to do. As many training sessions as possible is a must for newcomers to prepare for their first game in a very fast and exciting sport."
 
The flag team is open to both males and females over the age of 16, and we are still recruiting! Check out our Flag Team page for more info and contact us on Facebook to start playing!

The Craigavon Cowboys held their AGM on Sunday 25th September. At the AGM, reports were given from the different areas of the club and finances discussed. Following this, an election took place for the 3 vacant positions on the Board. Jonny Hood, Peter Loughran and Scott Buchanan were elected. Board positions are as follows:

President – Jo Buchanan
Vice President – Peter Loughran
Secretary – Greg Loughran
Treasurer – Manny Bell
Assistant Treasurer – Lee Parker
PRO – Jonny Hood
Development Officer – Niall Quinn
Youth Representative – Scott Buchanan

Outgoing – Mark Beattie, Gavin McConnell, Chris Bell
We would like to thank Mark, Gavin and Chris for their contribution to the club and wish good luck to the newly elected Board members!

The reigning IAFA junior champs travelled to a rainy Mullingar this past Sunday where the weather played a huge part in the performance of just about everyone involved.
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The Cowboys lined up against strong opposition in the form of the South Kildare Soldiers and a slow start saw them fall behind quickly. From here on in the young ‘Boys were fighting an uphill battle. Despite a couple of disappointing drives to start the game, the ‘Boys showed signs of title winning form which they were so well known for last year. Rolston and Nulty spurred a drive into opposition territory late in the first half only to be denied a score when a crucial 4th down pass fell short allowing the Soldiers to retain their lead and run down the clock to the half. A much more spirited and determined Cowboy’s team showed up for the second half and although failing to score there were flashes of brilliance across the team. However, this would prove to be of no avail as the Soldiers capped the game off in the second half and walked away with a 22-0 win.
 
Game 2 saw the travelling ‘Boys take on a new challenge in the form of the hosts, the Westmeath Minotaur’s and this time round they were much better. The Cowboys began operating more like a team and were moving the ball much better than they were earlier in the day. Balance between the ground game and passing attack saw the Cowboys very much in this game with Ruben Larmour hauling in a 40 TD pass from QB. Unfortunately though with little over 2 minutes remaining in the game one of the Cowboys key players, James Rolston sustained a neck injury forcing him out of the game and ultimately killing off any momentum the ‘Boys had going for them. Nonetheless, a fighting, passionate and determined Cowboys team played out the final 2 minutes with pride and dignity despite coming out the lesser in this fixture.

An 0-2 start to the season is by far the last thing the ‘boys would’ve wanted from this weekend but with plenty of football still to play there will be plenty of opportunities to pull back that winning form. 

By Michael Lavery

On Saturday 27th August, the Cowboys held the annual Awards Night at Laurelvale Cricket Club, with RichGrill providing top quality BBQ food! We would like to thank all the awards sponsors and congratulate all the winners – well done guys!