Raiders in Barcelona

“Notnagel” must lead Tirol’s footballers to victory

The defeat against the Vienna Vikings is over. The Raiders want to return to winning ways against the Barcelona Dragons. However, following the dismissal of quarterback D'Angelo Fulford, all eyes are on replacement Kason Martin. The AFL playmaker is stepping in as an "emergency nail".

When someone takes a trip, he can tell a story. For the Raiders, Saturday's away game against the Barcelona Dragons is an extraordinary story. "It's quite something when 65 footballers take a seat in the back of an airplane," grinned wide receiver Philipp Haun.

The topic of the day for the Tyrolean footballers, however, remains the debut of AFL quarterback Kason Martin in the European League. The Texan is stepping in for D'Angelo Fulford, who was released after just two games.

We've already signed Kason as someone who can step in as an emergency quarterback in the ELF.

Raiders-Sportchef Ulz Däuber

"We've already signed Kason as someone who can fill in as an emergency quarterback in the ELF. He's going to do a phenomenal job," said Raiders athletic director Ulz Däuber. Haun said: "We are an experienced group and want to make it as easy as possible for him."

Defense as the trump card?
The "emergency nail" will need the support of the team. In eight AFL games, Kason Martin completed 75 of his 142 passes (52.8%) for 881 yards, only two playmakers are worse in the AFL ranking.

But maybe the defense will win the game. Super Bowl winner Jim Herrmann has given the Tyrolean defense a new identity.