World Footy News

Premierships are never won mid-season, and any team already planning their celebrations should hold onto their deposit a little longer. But it is fair to say that once a habit of winning gets a hold, clubs are right to capitalise on it to the maximum - and that is roughly where the Belfast Redbacks currently sit in the AFL Ireland competition.

The competition has reached the mid-point and all clubs still have a point to prove and dreams to realise.

After a dour struggle with the South Dublin Swans on the weekend, the Redbacks held on to make it five wins from five starts for the 2018 season. Their seven-point victory has set up a great chance to aim for an undefeated season – a step up from winning as many games as possible. It was a tough and tight affair, and the Swans gave themselves every chance of pulling off an upset. But in the end, the Belfast crew held their nerve to win.

The Redbacks now sit undefeated at the head of the ladder and can dare to dream. After two years of Lion dominance, maybe destiny is on the Redbacks’ side and they can return to the Eldorado of a premiership.

However, the Leeside Lions may have a word or two to say about that. The Lions held a fast-finishing Galway Magpies at bay to record a 17-point win and strengthen their grip on second place on the ladder. Despite the Magpies coming home hard with the last four goals of the game, the Lions still did enough damage earlier to show they are far from a spent force.

The results over the weekend saw two close games, suggesting that no team is truly that far behind the others. Nevertheless, the five-zip start for the Redbacks certainly has them in a great position at the midway point of the season as teams begin to think about their hopes and dreams for 2018.

Final Scores:

Belfast Redbacks 7 6 48 d South Dublin Swans 6 5 41
Leeside Lions 8 7 55 d Galway Magpies 5 8 38