BAFA Premiership Power Ranking Week 10

It was a full slate of fixtures across the BAFA Premiership this weekend (only the Newcastle Vikings didn't play, due to the odd number of teams in the North) and while there hasn't been much movement, a lot happened worth talking about. So let's get straight into it - as we always do - from the top:

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(#10) Hertfordshire Cheetahs 0 - 58 London Warriors (#1)

It's becoming an all-too familiar thing in the Prem South for fixtures to appear heavily one-sided and then play out exactly as expected, especially when the Warriors are involved. However, as much as I would like to use this space to lament about the disparity in the Prem South and philosophise about whether a feasible solution even exists (I will probably do this later, don't panic), this match was overshadowed by the circumstances of its ending. You would never tell from the scoreline, but the match was called early in the third quarter after a shocking injury to the Cheetahs’ rookie WR Joe Ainsworth: a nasty upper arm break which required surgery.

Everyone at First Down wishes Joe all the best in his recovery, and we look forward to seeing him back on a football field when he is ready.

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(#2) Bristol Aztecs 48 - 13 Cambridge Cats (#11)

Maybe it's a reflection on how their season is going so far, or maybe it's a by-product of being asked to travel >3 hours to Bristol on a Saturday evening, but when a team starts a game at this level with 22 players (the league minimum roster size for a game to be allowed to kickoff), the writing is somewhat on the wall. Nevertheless, the Cats came out swinging, holding the Aztecs to a 3 & Out on their first possession, taking a 6-7 lead during the first quarter, and then routinely going for it on 4th down in the opposition half. But as tends to happen when a team travels light and relies on players operating on both sides of the ball, they simply found themselves getting ground down and worn out as the game progressed - highlighted by the Bristol offense featuring two RBs who, despite the Cats’ defensive front starting the game well, each finished the game with an average of >5 yards per carry,: Joey Ampomah (5.7ypc 1TD) and Simon Olaifa (5.5ypc 1TD).

Unfortunately the spirited performance wasn't enough to see the Cats jump off the #11 spot this week, simply because of how nervous seeing such a small roster makes me - but there are definitely signs of life within the team, and the survival battle in the Prem South is far from over. Meanwhile, the Aztecs just feel like they have their eyes firmly on a return to the Final; this scoreline could have been much more one-sided, but prioritising player rotation to ensure that everyone is ready for the final push (including backup QB Louis Benzey, who took charge for a large portion of the game) is the move of a coaching staff who are refusing to finish second again.

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(#3) London Blitz 39 - 3 Rushmoor Knights (#8)

Finsbury Park played host to a tale of two new QBs this week as the Rushmoor Knights came to visit; stepping in again for the injured Alex Ocana-Dickinson, the home team were lead out by Amreese Singh Dhillon - and the Knights hoped to rally around new signing Manny Chrispin (yes, Aztecs’ 2023 DPOY Manny Chrispin). It started well for the Knights, taking the lead through a long Harvey Macey field goal, but when an injury knocked him out of the game during the 1st quarter, the Knights found themselves without either a recognised RB or their favourite special teams Swiss-Army knife, and began to struggle moving the ball consistently despite a very promising performance for Chrispin. The injury to Macey is a huge blow, and this weekend's trip to the London Warriors may be too soon for a return, but the team is hopeful that he will be back in time for their final home game of the year against the Cats on the 22nd of June, where they are likely to be playing for mathematical safety from relegation.

On the other hand, the Blitz are going from strength to strength: their passing attack dissected the Knights’ secondary - and it is becoming incredibly difficult to argue that their defense is anything other than an elite unit (only conceding 29 points across 6 games so far this year, 20 of which were part of an excellent defensive performance against a generally very potent Aztecs offense). As we move towards the end of the regular season, they have the ridiculous task of the return visit to Bristol this weekend before back-to-back fixtures against the London Warriors. 13 points down in the series with the Aztecs, they have it all to do, but their fate is definitely in their own hands - and it feels like there is at least one more twist in the story of this year's Prem South…

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(#4) Manchester Titans 27 - 0 Nottingham Caesars (#9)

Okay, I'm willing to admit that I've been quite harsh in my judgement of the Manchester Titans so far this season, but that simply comes from the expectations we now have of them; expectations that they're getting closer to meeting as every week goes by. Don't get me wrong, the final scoreline flatters Manchester somewhat; this game was 0-0 for a long time - but just as I was beginning to think the Caesars (who held the Titans to 17 points last time out) could hold on for a first half shut-out, RB Hafeez Bisiriyu found a lane to put Manchester ahead. A blocked punt just before half-time and a late interception by Adekola Adesona created the field position for two more rushing TDs by Bisiriyu and Nathan Jewkes respectively; add a pair of routine field goals from Alex Lenkowski, and an offense who struggled to move the ball confidently for much of the game finished it with 27 points. But that's what top teams do isn't it? Winning convincingly when clearly not at their best?

As for the other side of the ball, it has now been two full matches since the Caesars have scored on offense. With the Caesars’ QB Liam MacGovern missing this week, the visiting team simply struggled to threaten a functional passing attack regularly enough to create room for their talented backfield to operate, and they just found themselves getting stifled by a truly excellent Titans defense. If they can't get something going soon, then being 4 points down in the potentially all-important series against Newcastle might just prove to be too much to overcome on the final day - despite it being less than a TD difference.

Nottingham will also have to play the rest of the season without James Simpson while he serves a 6-match ban that he picked up for confronting the referees after full-time this weekend.

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(#6) Coventry Phoenix 28 - 28 East Kilbride Pirates (#5)

In the first iteration of these rankings, I predicted that the Pirate's return trip to Butt's Park Arena would be an exciting game with serious playoff implications… and I was right on both counts. After the first match-up of this series finished 18-16 in favour of the Scottish side, it was obvious that the second would be just as even - but when both teams came out with different QBs, it really felt like anything could happen, and yet I don't think anyone predicted a shootout ending in a draw. A punt blocked by Daniel Shodipo allowed RB Bami Olupona to give Coventry the lead; QBs George Hatfield and Cameron Dunn then took control, with both teams moving the ball and scoring confidently through the air - but the all-important final touchdown came about in almost exactly the same way as the first: a Daniel Shodipo (who had been a nuisance for EKP all game) blocked punt, which he was able to get a grip on and carry into the end zone. 

A draw suits Coventry (3-1-1) marginally more than East Kilbride (2-2-1) as it gives them control over their own playoff berth, but with the Pirates holding the tie-break in this series, a single slip-up down the stretch could prove catastrophic for the Phoenix. Both teams still have to face the Titans before the end of the regular season, and there is definitely at least one twist left in the Prem North.