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Budapest teams on the road

Goran Košutić

Other than the match between Novi Sad and Belgrade, two other will be played in this three game weekend. Both Hungarian teams travel for away games -- the Cowboys travel to Bratislava for a game against the Monarchs, and the Wolves go to Ljubljana to meet the Silverhawks.

With all four teams having records with more losses than wins, the two games don’t have the allure of the game of the week that is the one in Novi Sad, but it's still of importance, especially in the North conference standings.

The Monarchs attempt to continue their winning streak, and get it to three games; succeeding, they will finally even their record, after a poor start that saw them lose their first three games. Even with the two straight wins, they’ve managed to position themselves between the Gladiators and the Wolves, which, at the moment, puts them in second place.

Of course, they are yet to play the Wolves, meaning nothing can definitely be decided this week, but a win would mean a lot, a week before they’ll face the Wolves.

Unlike the Monarchs, The Cowboys’ comeback is probably out of the question at this point, as they’ll be three wins down compared to the second placed team, even if they win in Bratislava. Their first inter-conference didn’t go so well; they lost 42-0 at home to the Gladiators, although they were unfortunate to face almost the entire starting offense of the Austrian team.

The Wolves’ start to the season can’t be described as disastrous, as they were never really blown out in any game, but the three losses they have are still disappointing for last year’s runner-up. Their only win was a 35-8 defeat of the Silverhawks, so a trip to Ljubljana could be just what they need to get back on track.

The Silverhawks season has probably been better than what their 1-5 record says. They lost two games big, against the two Wolves teams, but in all others, the score was close. Even if they succeed and beat the Wolves for the first time -- and the Wolves are 3-0 against Ljubljana -- they likely have to start planning for next season, even though they are theoretically somewhat close.

But, such a score would complicate things tremendously for the Wolves, so this really is a game they have to win.