Easy does it for Wildcats and Stallions in EAFL semi-finals

Vivaldi Tulysse runs past Barracudas to lead the Wildcats, and Andrej Tasic needs to play only one half in the Stallions rout of the Desert Foxes to set up a re-match of last year's Desert Bowl.

Andrej Tasic needed to play only one half of football, completing seven of eight throws for 181 yards and four touchdown on February 28, 2014, as the Dubai Stallions routed the Al Ain Desert Foxes to Show more

ABU DHABI // TThe Abu Dhabi Wildcats are still believing.

Moments after they had demolished the Dubai Barracudas 40-0 in the semi-finals of the Emirates American Football League (EAFL) play-offs Friday night at Zayed Sports City, they gathered for the customary post-game meeting and pep talk at midfield.

Charles Gillespie, the Abu Dhabi coach, was in the middle of an impassioned speech about how well the team had played when he abruptly stopped in mid-sentence and turned to a group of onlookers. “I am giving you your headline here,” Gillespie said.

He turned back to his team with a grin and continued his earlier, half-finished sentence with, “and still the UAE champions”.

Playing easily their best game of the season, the Wildcats (4-3) get a chance to defend their inaugural Desert Bowl title against the same team they beat in last year’s finale, the Dubai Stallions. In the first game of the EAFL semi-finals yesterday, the Stallions (6-0-1) hammered winless Al Ain 47-7.

In a large part, the Wildcats get to defend their title because of an eye-popping performance by the running back who led them to the championship last year, Vivaldi Tulysse.

Hobbled by a sprained ankle nearly all season, the reigning league most valuable player put the game on ice almost before it began.

Fitting, since his ankle has been wrapped in ice all year.

He rushed 162 yards for two touchdowns on eight carries, scored on an 11-yard swing pass and intercepted a pass while playing at defensive back. If he was in pain, the adrenalin made up for it.

“It’s still tweaked a little,” Tulysse said. “But I’ll be all right. I was able to run and do what I do.”

Abu Dhabi bolted to a 20-0 lead by the time Dubai (3-3-1) had run three plays from scrimmage. In an amazing contrast of attacks, the 11-yard scoring catch was one of only two passes thrown by Abu Dhabi, while their opponent in the March 14 Desert Bowl was running an NFL-style offence.

The Stallions quarterback Andrej Tasic played only the first half of the rout, but completed seven of eight throws for 181 yards and four touchdowns. “It was too easy,” Tasic said. “I expected it to be much harder to win this game.”

Nobody was complaining.

“We did everything we wanted to do in the first half,” the Stallions player-coach Andre Sommersell said. “I would have preferred a more competitive game. But it did build some confidence.”

The Stallions twice beat Abu Dhabi in the regular season.

“Here we go,” Gillespie said. “I told the team we had two more steps to take, and we took one of them tonight.”

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