Everything is set for the duel between the “Gladiators” and the “Vikings” tomorrow Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Klaus Roitinger Stadium in Ried. The final of the Iron Bowl will be the final showdown between the two best teams in Division 2, the Monobunt Gladiators Ried and the Vienna Vikings II. It was not really expected that the Gladiators would have such a strong season (six wins, one loss). In 2023, the Ried team, plagued by major injury concerns, could not win a single game.
In April 2024, head coach Raffael Gruber said before the start of the season: “We have never had such a long and hard preparation since we entered the league in 2019. The team spirit is outstanding.” They want to deliver one or two surprises. The Gladiators have more than succeeded in doing that. The Ried team want to crown the current season tomorrow with a home win against the Vikings II and promotion. A hot dance is guaranteed in any case with temperatures of around 30 degrees.
If they manage to get promoted to Division 1, Ried could even be number one in Upper Austria next season. The Steelsharks Traun finished last in Division 1 and may be relegated. For the Gladiators, this is all just a pipe dream, the focus is on tomorrow’s Iron Bowl. When asked whether they are more excited than nervous, head coach Gruber replies: “I’m more excited, although there is also a certain amount of nervousness. But a home game in the Iron Bowl is something very special.” Gruber believes there is no favorite in this final game. “The two top teams are facing each other. I expect an open exchange of blows, but we are going into the game with a lot of confidence. It’s not for nothing that we went into the play-offs as the best team in the regular season.”
Despite the bathing weather, the Gladiators are counting on the home advantage. “I think our great fans will support us even louder than usual in the biggest game in the club’s history,” Gruber said in an interview with OÖNachrichten.
In terms of personnel, the Gladiators head coach has to do without one or two players due to injuries. “There are some bitter losses, but we trust in every player who is on the pitch,” says Gruber.
And what if the sensation, i.e. promotion to Division 1, actually happens on Saturday? “It would be an extremely big challenge for the whole club. But we are very well positioned in terms of organization, coaching staff and squad. That’s why I’m convinced that we could establish ourselves in Division 1,” says Gruber. A promotion celebration is not planned. “If we actually manage it, then things will go crazy after the final on Saturday anyway,” says Gruber.
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Source: Nachrichten
