In the Rhein Fire coaching zone there was a whiteboard on which only one message could be read during the entire game against the Frankfurt Galaxy. That was completely sufficient: Burn the 069, burn the 069. At their home games, the Galaxy run onto the field to the arrest warrant’s “069”, Frankfurt’s area code has been known beyond Hesse since the 2015 track. In the semi-finals of the European League of Football, the message reminded the “fiery ones” of the heated rivalry between the two franchises. Fire even had the matching play-off jerseys in the color “charred black”.
And in the third and final game between the two teams this season, the Galaxy also burned their fingers against the Fire. They lost 42:23 in Duisburg – next weekend, coach Thomas Kösling’s team will have to watch when Rhein Fire and the Stuttgart Surge play for the title. The 2023 season is over for Frankfurt.
After two strong quarters, it still looked as if the route could lead to the final; at halftime the Galaxy were leading 16:14. This had a lot to do with the fact that Rhein Fire started impetuously and incorrectly. The home team received eight penalties, which cost them 134 yards, the equivalent of a third of a football field of space or, converted again, more than a touchdown.
Not very resistant
Two things stood out afterwards. Firstly, that Jakeb Sullivan, Galaxy’s playmaker, was rushed by the Rhein Fire defenders. It was not a new picture; opposing defenses had been chasing the quarterback across the field for weeks because his protective shield, the offensive line, was not very resilient. On the other hand, Jadrian Clark, Rhein Fire’s quarterback, was not rushed by the Galaxy’s defenders, but was still put under pressure. This was a new picture; Clark had not been bothered by anything for months because his O-line is “the best in European football,” as Kösling says.
During the break, the Galaxy coach predicted what everyone had to expect: “We have to play at the absolute highest level, but we are ready for it. Hopefully we can beat them.” That hope evaporated, after half-time it was a different game. Rhein Fire used a method that had worked perfectly in Frankfurt two weeks ago. Clark put the ball in the hands of running back Glen Toonga, and he ran and ran. Until Wael Nasri, Frankfurt’s linebacker, grabbed Toonga by the hair. They are so long that they cover the name and number on the jersey. Nasri’s grip was legal, but the defender grabbed his opponent by the hair so vehemently that it looked brutal.
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The Fire player almost started a fight. And so the campaign quickly had an impact, just not in the Galaxy’s best interest. This can often be observed in football: provocative actions shift the momentum in favor of the team being attacked. Shortly afterwards, the Fire took the lead 21:16 with a touchdown. Then Galaxy’s attack was quickly stopped, the pumped-up Toonga scored another touchdown, 28:16. The halftime lead had turned into a two-touchdown deficit midway through the third quarter.
Galaxy didn’t let themselves down, the pass receiver and backbencher Janez from Renesse played an impressive game. But as the game went on, Fires quarterback Clark again had a lot of time before he had to decide on a pass, and the favorite now acted confidently. So a successful Galaxy season, as it began, ends with a clear defeat in Duisburg.
