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Irish loses to Monarchs in final regular-season fixture

For the first time in the Airdrie Irish’s five-year history, the competitive men’s football team has gone an entire regular season without a win.

In the Irish’s eighth fixture of the 2019 Alberta Football League campaign Aug. 10, the team came up short against the Fort McMurray Monarchs, conceding 10 points in the fourth quarter to lose 16-8 to the defending AFL champion at Ed Eggerer Athletic Park.

“It’s been a tough year all around, but we have a really good core group of guys who came out and played super hard today,” said running back Connor Lutz.

With nothing to play for but pride, the Irish came out with conviction in the first quarter. The home team’s defence forced turnovers on the Monarchs’ opening two possessions before a catch from James Balsdon brought the Irish to within the Monarchs’ five-yard line. Lutz took the hand-off and pushed the ball into the end zone on the ensuing play to record the game’s first touchdown.

The Irish scored the one-point convert and managed to hold onto the 7-0 lead until halfway through the second period, when Monarchs’ kicker Mike Domagala put the visitors on the board with a 30-yard field goal.

A former Carleton Ravens player who has spent time with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Domagala was a boon for Fort McMurray all evening – his three field goals accounted for nine of the Monarchs’ points, and his well-aimed punts proved difficult for the Irish special teams to handle.

“Obviously, [Domagala] has a really strong leg and having that weapon on your team makes a huge difference, in terms of field position,” Lutz said. “They were playing deep in our end the whole game, and that’s definitely because of the ability he has, and it’s something you just have to deal with sometimes.”

Airdrie missed a field goal but managed a single in the final 90 seconds of the first half, to take an 8-3 lead into the break.

With a thin game-day roster for almost all fixtures this season, the Irish’s main struggle has been continuing to play well into the second half, when legs start to tire and players start to pick up injuries. That proved the case once again against Fort McMurray, as Airdrie started to falter in the third quarter, allowing the Monarchs to repeatedly enter the Irish half.

Domagala tacked on another field goal mid-way through the third frame to bring the away team within two points.

The Irish came close to scoring another TD late in the third, but a fumble from quarterback Darius Smith on Fort McMurray’s 20-yard-line resulted in a poorly timed turnover.

“We were in a position to put the game away,” Lutz said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do it.”

The fourth quarter played out mostly in the Irish’s third, as the home team’s defence worked tirelessly to keep the Monarchs from taking the lead.

“We are very confident we have one of the best defences – if not the best defence – in the league,” Lutz said. “They gave us a chance all year, and did it again today. Unfortunately, we couldn’t capitalize on the plays they gave us.”

After leading for more than 50 minutes, the Irish fell behind when Domagala put his third field goal kick between the sticks to put the Monarchs up 9-8.

The Irish’s fight to keep Fort McMurray out of the end zone deflated in the final minute, after Smith was sacked on third down near Airdrie’s 10-yard line. The Monarchs took three attempts to score before receiver Devonte Hobbs was found open in the end zone for a touchdown catch.

“Honestly, we played hard and did our best,” Irish wide receiver Denzel Nolet said.

“It was our last game [of the regular season] and we wanted to win, but unfortunately, people got tired and hurt, and we just couldn’t bring it out.

“We didn’t win a single game throughout the season, but we definitely showed we are a hardcore team. We may not be the best, but we work hard, do as much as we can and we’re here for each other – win or lose.”

Despite finishing in last place, the Irish still qualified for the AFL post-season, after the top-seeded Cold Lake Fighter Jets was stripped of its playoff eligibility for contravening the league's Compensation Act. A full story on this will appear on AirdrieTODAY.com Aug. 17.

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