BAFA Premiership - Power Rankings Week 2

With only three games played in week 2 of the BAFA Premiership, and no shocking results. There hasn’t been much movement, so without further ado, let’s get into this week’s action.

No Movement at the Top

The big question coming into this week was whether the Bristol Aztecs (#2) would choose to prioritize this weekend’s big CEFL first round fixture against the Amsterdam Crusaders, and allow key starters to take a step back and rest during this week’s mismatch with the Rushmoor Knights (#11). Instead, QB Ethan Gretzinger threw for 225 yards and 5TDs, and rushed for another, dissecting the Knights’ defense and leading the way to a statement 62-0 win. But the exciting bit for Aztecs fans is how dominant they were in every phase of the game. WRs Tim Lukas and Darius Saint-Robinson shared 2 receiving TDs each (with the latter also adding points on a punt return), Archie Calhaem’s production out of the backfield culminated in a 40 yard rushing TD, and DB Matheus Nudelman led the defensive shutout as he came away with 2 INTs. Similarly, the London Blitz (#4) are celebrating more standout performances from DL duo Jazreel Agu and Mario Lottari, as well as RB Damilola Alaran and WR Jack Porteous, as they also secured their second shutout win in as many weeks with an incredible team performance against a struggling Cambridge Cats (#10) side.

While there are lots of relevant clichés about only being able to beat the teams in front of you, it is difficult to get past the fact that we find these Cats and Knights’ teams at the bottom of this week’s rankings. Following this week’s CEFL tie, Bristol’s next BAFA Premiership fixture has them on the road to face the London Warriors (#1), before they are hosted by the Blitz on the 18th May; this is where the Prem South will begin to take shape, as we see how these top teams stack up against each other this season.

An Exciting Year in the North

Having followed the rivalry between the East Kilbride Pirates (#5) and Newcastle Vikings (#6) since they both finished 9-1 in the 2019 NFC 1 North, where they battled over a pair of one-score games, it is a fixture that I have looked forward to every season since, and this year is no exception. In fact, when these two sides found themselves in different divisions in 2023 while in the process of being promoted to the Premiership in successive years, it was a gaping hole in the BAFA calendar. Beneath the all-important matchups with the Manchester Titans (#3) who don’t take the field until the 4th of May, this contest feels as though it will carry serious playoff implications. Although, it would also be ridiculous to write-off the Coventry Phoenix (#7) from making a return to the playoffs this year; it definitely feels as though it is all to play for in the North.

In terms of this power ranking, the decision to bump EKP above the Vikings was purely based on the Pirates managing to overpower a Nottingham Caesars (#8) team who held the Vikings to a one-score game last week. Following last week’s pair of TDs from WR Struan Bailey, this week, the Pirates recorded 3 TDs through WR duo Fraser and Arran Mcdonald (yes, brothers): it is clear that QB Logan Gallacher and OC Jamie ‘JMoss’ McLaughlin have a wealth of talent to work with in the passing game, and it will be interesting to see whether any defense in the Prem North can slow them down this season.

Promotion Watch

Reporting on the Premiership simply can’t be done without keeping an eye on Division 1. Here’s a brief selection of results from this week’s action that I believe are notable in the battle for promotion to the top tier:

• Shropshire Revolution 17 - 15 Birmingham Bulls

• London Blitz B 6 - 35 Wembley Stallions

• Solent Thrashers 48 - 20 Bristol Apache

• South Wales Warriors 8 - 0 Bournemouth Bobcats