The first rematch of the EAFL season will see a familiar face return to the line-up for the Abu Dhabi Wildcats.
After missing the season opening-loss to the Dubai Barracudas, star running back Vivaldi Tulysse will be in the backfield when Abu Dhabi look for revenge on Friday at The Sevens.
It was clear the Wildcats were missing their playmaker in the 15-0 defeat as they generated little offence and struggled to move the first down chains.
The Stallions defence will have to contend with Tulysse’s elusiveness and tackle-breaking this time around, which will change the offensive outlook for Abu Dhabi.
“Vivaldi helps open up the offence for us as far as what we can do as a team,” Wildcats coach Tony Robinson said. “It will be a big boost to have him out on the field.”
Tulysse will enter the matchup having already shaken off the rust in his first game against Al Ain before the winter break. Though he fumbled early in the contest, he rebounded to show the form that has made him one of the best players in the league’s history.
“Vivaldi is a guy that if you’re not tackling well, he’s going to break long runs,” Barracudas coach Kyle Jordan said. “He’s a difference-maker and game-changer.”
The Dubai side will be lifted themselves as their leader gets back at the helm of the offence. Quarterback Zavier Cobb was absent in the Barracudas’ 6-6 tie to city rivals Dubai Stallions in their second contest in December as he was serving as a coach with the youth Falcons in Florida.
With second-string Jan Pavlik under centre, the attack wasn’t as sharp.
“When you bring in a backup quarterback who hasn’t had the reps, you can’t have him operate the offence the way that your starter would,” Jordan said. “It certainly limited us in what we were able to do and therefore what we tried to do.”
Cobb was slinging passes downfield in the opener and often used play-action to catch the defence flat-footed – something Robinson believes was the difference in the game.
“We just have to make sure as far as cornerbacks are concerned, they don’t get caught looking into the backfield,” Robinson said. “That’s kind of where we got bit last time.”
