The Abu Dhabi Wildcats take on the Dubai Barracudas looking for a chance to defend their Desert Bowl crown in the playoff semi-finals tomorrow (Friday).
The last time the two sides met, the EAFL witnessed one of its most entertaining and infamous games, with the Barracudas coming out on top in a dramatic 24-12 win thanks to two last-minute scores before a pair of Wildcats received suspensions for their late-game conduct.
This year hasn’t been as productive for the defending champions, who went the entirety of last season without losing a game.
The 2013/14 season has seen the Abu Dhabi side give up three games out of six, but their hopes of securing a second straight crown are far from over.
“What we did last season was unforgettable,” Wildcats coach Charles Gillespie told Sport360°, ahead of Friday’s action at Zayed Sports City in the capital. “It’s difficult with that monkey on your back, it’s quite overwhelming.
“Even with the talent it’s difficult to go out every two weeks and win, and carry that momentum and stress. We were trying to improve, we’re okay now. We’re just ready to play football.
“I think we can just prepare the best team we can. We basically used the regular season to work on our shortcomings and then you go into the playoffs playing 0-0 ball.
“This season we just wanted to develop our identity a little bit. We tried to do some things, we had challenges and we have had to make a few changes. We’re catching our stride at the right time.”
The Wildcats have been without their star quarterback and league MVP Vivaldi Tulysee for the second half of the season after he went down early in their last outing with the Barracudas.
It remains to be seen whether the MVP will be ready for tomorrow’s action with Cory Piesel ready to deputise.
Despite their impressive win last time out, Barracudas coach Kyle Jordan knows the threat presented to his side by the Wildcats and believes the defending champions’ quarterback uncertainties may actually work against his side.
“Their strength is in playing power football,” said Jordan. “They have probably the biggest offensive line in the league, they are strong guys and they move well. And the same for their defensive line.
“The key for us is to play fast. To a man they are bigger than we are, so to a man we are going to have to play quicker than they do and play smarter.
“They have played three different quarterbacks over the course of this season and I don’t know which quarterback will show up, so we will have to adjust to who is on the field.
“You can’t go against them with a strict plan, they’ll just readjust.”
