13s, Rebellion & Kings battling it out in Northeast

By Julian Clarkstone

After a well-earned rest last weekend for the Fourth of July Holiday, all teams are raring to go. This weekend presents an extremely important week for the Northeast Division. The Rhode Island Rebellion currently sit atop the ladder on eight points, but could be joined by the Boston Thirteens and Brooklyn Kings if results go accordingly this weekend.

The match that will be the major determinant of this is the clash between first and second place. The Rebellion and Thirteens know this match could have a large bearing on their playoffs chances. The game at Brown University (Saturday 5.30pm at Marvel Field) will be of the highest quality and will be a real treat for the fans. The other crucial match this weekend in this division is between the Kings and the Connecticut Wildcats at Randalls Island this Sunday at 2pm.

This week’s game against the Wildcats presents a huge opportunity for the Kings, who could leapfrog the 13s if the Rebellion win their corresponding encounter. The last time these two teams met, the Kings won 22-36 and whilst it was not known at the time, this would be the start of a three game winning streak for the Kings which they take into this week. The confidence for the Kings is going to be a real positive and the team has developed immensely since their poor start to the season. As the CEO and a member of the Kings’ team, Matt Bailey has seen great determination to improve in a team that lacks long-term cohesion together as they only entered the competition in 2014. “It would have been easy to let the season slip, but we’ve really shown our character by bouncing back with three straight wins,” Bailey said.

The team is very excited by the possibility of a playoffs berth which will be all but secured with a win this weekend. The Kings cannot afford to be complacent this weekend and will need all their players firing to ensure a win. In their round five match against the Knights, the Kings stuck to a very simple strategy of completing their sets which was needed for a game that experienced its fair share of rain.

The Kings won the match that has been dubbed ‘The Battle of NYC’, defeating the Knights 28-10.

Kings coach Brent Richardson was very impressed with the win, a performance the team will need to replicate this weekend. Richardson said “it was the first time the team has come up with a full 80 minute performance.”

There have been some revelations throughout the Kings team this year. Some of the notable mentions so far have been Shaun Chowdhury, Jeff Perkins, Jerome Easthope and Anthony Cheng. Coach Richardson said “Perkins have given great service to the team’s outside backs and Cheng has been a great forward leader who has helped teach the US forwards our structures.” Chowdhury has scored two length of the field tries this season and Easthope scored three tries last round against the Knights. In a great boost for the clubs exposure, both Chowdhury and Easthope appeared in an interview with Brooklyn Kings Independent Media two weeks ago, which showcased the clubs talent and aimed to encourage more knowledge of rugby league throughout Brooklyn.

In more great news for the club, the playing roster has doubled in size, with a squad of 30 players and the sponsor size has increased by an equal measure in 2015. The Kings will be aiming to continue this positive news with a win against the Wildcats this Sunday at Randalls Island. The Kings home game this weekend will be uploaded to acrtvsports.com, as are all of the previous home games from 2015.