A second Chicagoland team was launched with the Joliet XRL team. Increased interest in the sport of Rugby league in the region and an influx of former Jacksonville Axemen players has swelled the ranks of Midwest Rugby League players.

Joliet XRL will focus on developing Rugby league in the south Chicago suburbs and will be involved in the junior Rugby camps that Chicago Stockyarders plan to launch this month in the area.

Yesterday's game started off with the upstart Joliet team taking an early lead through Alex Mross and the two teams went tit-for-tat in the first half at Winnemac Park.

The bigger Joliet team that included Tim Herff and Miles Joachim and Chicago Lions convert Drew Vachon were out muscling their Stockyarders counterpatrts early however Chicago's own big man Phil Spagnolo did his best to turn the tide himself by barging over. Further tries from Mross fopr Joliet and Cuevo out of dumy half and Whitney for the Stockyarders lead to a half time trunaround of 12-4 in favor of Chicago. Chicago's hopes were hit when ex Tomahawks half back Quinn Macali had to retire close to the interval with an ankle injury.

As the teams it was another half back, young recruit Colin Doyle who started to grow into his league debut and control the game for the Stockyarders with direction from the experienced Whitney and Brian Rooney. Despite a close half the game breaker was a towering cross field bomb from Macali's replacement AN Other that was caught on the fully by Rooney to touch down the corner. Almost immediately following this Doyle, Rooney and AN Other combined to put Whitney through a gap and the game was going away from Joliet as the combinations that the Stockyarders have worked on over the years began to bear fruit. Joliet's hopes suffered further when captain Herff had to leave due to injury and the oldest winger in town Ian Rose almost added to his all time record with a length of the field run before Jason Walsh pulled off a great last gaps tackle for the "Xmen". Soon after Rooney scored again to put the game beyond doubt and on a day for poor goal kicked scored the only conversion.

MVP:

Whitney (Stockyarders)

Teams:

Stockyarders

Brian Rooney
Ian Rose
Nico Cuervo
Colin Doyle
Phil Spagnolo
Quinn Macali
Dave Whitney
AN Other

Joliet XRL

Dylan Seeley
Alex MRoss
Tim Herff (c)
Miles Joachim
Eval Albeck
Jason Walsh
Drew Vachon
Bert Schepler

HT 12-8
FT - 30-12

Venue: Winnemac Park, Chicago
Ref: Nader Helou (St. Joesph, MI)