RB David Oku of the SWARCO Raiders.
The very last BATTLE4TIROL is upon us. On Saturday the SWARCO RAIDERS, sister-team of The Oakland Raiders, host British champion London Warriors. Kickoff at Innsbruck's Tivoli Stadium is at 10:00 a.m. PT (7:00 p.m. CET).
RaidersTV will broadcast the game live. Coverage begins at 9:40 a.m. PT on www.raidersTV.at.
SWARCO RAIDERS Head Coach Shuan Fatahknows how tough this last BATTLE4TIROL matchup will be: "The Warriors are a very physical and athletic team. Their coaching staff has a lot of NFL experience and they even sent players to NFL tryouts. This will be a really tough task".
The Warriors are Britain's best team. Since joining the National League – the highest division of American football in the United Kingdom – they have played 73 games and lost only eleven times. They have won the British championship in 2013 and 2014.
And this season the Warriors might be even better. Unbeaten in their three league contests, the Warriors have not given up a single pint thus far. They started into the season with a 43-0 road win at the Bristol Aztecs. Next up was a 51-0 win over the London Olympians. Two weeks ago they defeated the South Wales Warriors 49-0 on the road. Against South Wales they gave up only five first downs.
Just how good are the Warriors? A few weeks ago DL Efe Obada signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. The defender is the first British native, who has signed a deal with an NFL team without having played in the US before.
The SWARCO RAIDERS are in pretty good shape too, though. They have won all three previous BATTLE4TIROL matchups. First they beat the Stuttgart Scorpions 34-9. A week later they defeated the Düsseldorf Panther 42-0. The third game was a 47-7 victory over Swiss champion Basel Gladiators.
The Tyroleans also excel in the Austrian Football League (AFL). After losing their first two games of the season, they now have won five in a row. Their last game was a 58-6 win over the Danube Dragons.
PLAYERS2WATCH:
#25 David Oku (RB, SWARCO RAIDERS Tirol): In three BATTLE4TIROL games David Oku had 28 rushes for 319 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also caught 14 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Oku scored on an 82-yard punt return against Stuttgart as well. In two of the three BATTLE4TIROL games he was named game MVP.
#12 Sean Shelton (QB, SWARCO RAIDERS Tirol): In three BATTLE4TIROL contests Sean Shelton completed 60 of 97 passes for 645 yards with 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also had 2 rushing touchdowns.
#4 Talib Wise (DB, SWARCO RAIDERS Tirol): Talib Wise is the leading tackler in the BATTLE4TIROL. In three games he had 27 stops (23 solo). He also had 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.
