Date: 16 Jun 2012
Home: Gdynia Seahawks - 41
Away: Poznan Kozly - 0
Poznan eliminated as Gdynia takes regular season title with 41-0 win
The Gdynia Seahawks traveled to Poznan on Saturday afternoon and put the finishing touches on their best regular season ever, thumping Kozly 41-0 for their eighth straight victory. Kyle McMahon ran for three scores and threw for three more as the Seahawks wrapped up the number one seed for the playoffs in style. Kozly were eliminated from playoff contention with the defeat, giving the AZS Silesia Rebels the fourth and final postseason berth.
The Seahawks continued their dominance in this series, beating Kozly for the seventh time in eight games, a string that included a 48-6 win in Gdynia earlier this year. They led 34-0 by the time the halftime whistle blew, after two first-quarter touchdown runs by McMahon and scoring receptions by Marcin Bluma and Pawel Fabich.
McMahon's performance leaves him with season statistics that put him at the forefront of the Topliga MVP conversation. The quarterback ended the year with 34 touchdown passes, easily tops in the league. He also finished with 12 rushing scores, trailing only Niles Mittasch of the Wroclaw Devils. If McMahon has competition for the MVP crown, it might very well be from his own wide receiver and favorite target, Josh Le Duc, who grabbed half of McMahon's scoring tosses this year.
Kozly finished the year the same way they started it, with a four-game losing streak. It was a disappointing end for Poznan, who looked liked the favorites to get the last playoff spot after a mid-season rally that saw them move temporarily into fourth place. They came within a failed two-point conversion of upsetting the Devils at the start of their most recent streak, and their 19-14 loss to the Rebels on June 2 eventually doomed them to a 2-8 finish and a seat on the couch for the playoffs.
The Seahawks finished in first place for the first time since 2008, when they reached the national championship game. Gdynia is one step away from repeating that feat, needing only a victory over the 3-7 AZS Silesia Rebels in the semifinals to reach NAC SuperFinal VII. The Seahawks, who beat the Rebels in both of their regular season matchups this year, will try to complete the hat trick on June 30 at the National Rugby Stadium in Gdynia.