Latest / TDUK / Monday Night Hudl - Episode 4

Transcript

Monday Night Hudl - Episode 4 · TDUK

0:10
Heat
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up
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here.
0:50
There we go.
0:52
>> Welcome to Let me mute that. There we
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go. So there's no echo. Welcome to
0:55
Monday Night Huddle, folks. This is uh
0:57
episode four, I believe. And I've got
0:59
with me these lovely gentlemen from
1:01
Oxford Saints. Uh how are we doing,
1:02
gents?
1:03
>> Doing great. How are you doing, Matthew?
1:05
>> Living the dream. Living the dream.
1:07
Pre-recording this may might be a
1:09
Thursday, might be a Friday, might be a
1:10
Saturday. Find out on Monday. Um so, um
1:13
I'm going to let yourself introduce
1:15
yourselves. Um Greg will go for
1:16
yourself. Obviously, I'm going to ruin
1:18
that name.
1:18
>> Greg Kennedy. I'm the head coach of the
1:21
Oxford Saints and been associated with
1:23
the team since 2013.
1:26
>> Okay. And
1:29
brilliant. Yeah. My name's uh Ian
1:31
Hitchcock. I'm the offensive coordinator
1:33
for the Oxford Saints. Uh I've been a
1:34
member of the Oxford Saints since uh
1:36
2012 in one form or another as a player
1:39
or a coach over the years and I'm also
1:40
the head coach of the Oxford Lancers
1:42
where I've been since about 2012 as
1:44
well.
1:45
>> Brilliant. So, so you you you've you've
1:48
both been there for a while, so there's
1:49
been that consistency, which which is
1:51
great to see. Um, obviously a lot of the
1:55
preseason talk we've kind of had with a
1:56
lot of other clubs, unfortunately, has
1:57
been about clubs folding. So, I suppose
2:01
to to any of you answer the question, by
2:03
the way, um, what's what's the secret to
2:05
the club lasting so long? Because I
2:09
mean, he's had a brilliant season last
2:11
season. Um,
2:13
what what have we been doing?
2:16
Well, I think the longevity thing is
2:19
certainly one of the
2:21
kind of reflections of the fact that
2:23
it's embedded into the the community as
2:25
such. So, I mean, it's done a good job
2:26
of making some deep roots. And then I
2:29
think over the years certainly our
2:31
ability to work with Tillsley Park and
2:34
have one of the probably the best
2:35
facilities in Britall as your home
2:38
stadium. And then I'd say the third
2:40
thing for the the Saints is a you know
2:43
the fortunate kind of circumstance of
2:46
having two good university programs in
2:50
the Lancers and the OBU used to be
2:54
Panthers and as well now they've got
2:56
we've got a youth group that goes from
2:58
kind of under 14 flag under 16 under 19
3:02
etc etc. So you got the whole layers of
3:05
of it that have grown up here over the
3:08
the years and it's just gone I think
3:10
from strength to strength that way and
3:12
the players and the kind of community
3:14
have supported that.
3:16
>> Perfect. Ian, you got anything to add on
3:18
to that mate?
3:19
>> Yeah, I mean um it's not always been
3:21
plain sailing at the Saints. So since uh
3:24
2012 we've had some really really uh
3:27
like successful seasons. Uh we we went
3:29
undefeated in 2015. Um we went very
3:32
almost undefeated in 2014 as well. Um
3:36
and then kind of had quite a few rough
3:38
years through um through kind of 2016 uh
3:41
until recently really where we uh we
3:43
fought to stay alive in division one. We
3:45
had um bit of turnover in terms of
3:48
coaches and and committee members in in
3:50
the back kind of back room. That was
3:53
quite a loud turnover at that point, but
3:55
>> I think needed to happen to to kind of
3:58
get the club on a
3:59
>> on a bit of a a level heading and and
4:01
since there we've really been kind of
4:03
trying to sell our strengths as a club,
4:05
which come down to the excellent
4:07
facilities that we've got. Um, you know,
4:09
the kit, the the game day experience
4:11
that we have. Um, I'm sure uh if if you
4:14
ever do make it down to a game, you
4:15
know, we we have a great sponsor in
4:17
Burnout Barbecue who who provide like
4:19
game day food, which is wonderful. Um,
4:22
and you know, we get to play on a lovely
4:24
100 yard 4G field. We've been able to
4:26
kind of work with other media outlets
4:28
over the years to live stream games. So,
4:30
we really do kind of build
4:33
build a great platform for people to
4:35
come and enjoy playing football. And
4:37
that's one of the big things that we've
4:39
been we've been working on is is our
4:41
kind of our our ethos, if you will, our
4:44
kind of culture, which is is very much
4:45
about kind of striving to get to the
4:48
next level, but trying to bring
4:49
everybody with us as well. So, we've uh
4:51
we've been really really hard at work
4:53
trying to redesign our culture. Um we've
4:56
always been a very heavily family based
4:58
team right the way from our roots. Um
5:00
you I'll be remiss not to to mention
5:02
some of the founding um some of the
5:04
founding members, people like Chris
5:06
James or Andrew Day or or Roger. Um
5:09
people who go back kind of, you know, 20
5:11
30 years who really did set this team up
5:13
and create that family base from it. And
5:16
I think that's always run really strong
5:18
through which keeps everybody in. I
5:20
mean, I've I've been there for kind of,
5:22
you know, um well, like I said, it's
5:24
almost 13 14 years now. And um
5:27
>> it's a hard sport to walk away from.
5:29
>> It is. I I found that when I uh I got
5:32
injured at the end of season two years
5:33
ago, which is why I stepped into being
5:35
an offensive coordinator. Um
5:38
>> can't even break their hips
5:40
>> and still get them to walk away. Weren't
5:43
you playing last week at the the
5:44
sealance ball thing?
5:47
>> Oh, no, not last week. Um but yes, no I
5:49
have come back and I I am playing but
5:51
I'm mainly coaching.
5:52
>> You don't find 40 year olds playing
5:55
football anywhere else too much in the
5:58
in the world really. This football kind
6:01
of a unique thing where you have an
6:04
18year-old who doesn't know well
6:06
actually interestingly enough now when
6:08
you've got the unders teams you have 18
6:10
year olds that have actually had some
6:11
experience and say three or four years
6:13
on the field who actually know what's
6:15
going on with the game. And over here, I
6:17
got a 30-year-old that just decided he
6:19
was going to get off the couch and not
6:20
be a potato because he liked watching
6:22
the Super Bowl, and now he's going to
6:23
come and want to play American football.
6:26
>> I I think that's brilliant.
6:28
>> So, so I I think that's brilliant. Um, I
6:31
I used to live in Loveland in Colorado
6:33
and they've just launched a team and
6:35
they're like any age and and I feel like
6:40
that needs to happen more because um
6:42
when I every time I go to Colorado and I
6:44
like try to buy gear, it's all in kids
6:46
or youth sizes.
6:47
>> Y
6:48
>> because as soon as you hit college, if
6:50
you've not made your college team,
6:51
that's it. There's there's nothing
6:52
there. So, I'm I'm I'm hoping that
6:54
becomes a bit more of a thing cuz
6:55
Loveland and for Collins that their two
6:57
towns right next to each other, they
6:59
both just launched the team. Great. I I
7:01
think that, you know, they could maybe
7:03
take a bit of that from us because, you
7:05
know, up until recently with this
7:07
European League, which we'll get into
7:09
very briefly. Um we we don't really have
7:12
like a bigger setup than than than Prem.
7:14
>> Yeah.
7:15
>> Um so, no, I I I don't mind that.
7:18
There's a lad who's just joined the team
7:19
I play, Lan Buccaneers. I think he's 46.
7:22
He looks like
7:24
he he's he's got a he's got a bit of a
7:25
beard. I I seen him. He was a big
7:28
>> he was a Bronco and he's just like I've
7:30
never played before, but I just want to
7:31
beat people up. I'm like,
7:32
>> yeah,
7:33
>> great.
7:34
>> And this is the thing. So, I mean, you
7:35
know, obviously in North America, you
7:36
got old-timer basketball, you got
7:38
old-timer hockey. You know, in Canada,
7:41
that's the deal is that you quit playing
7:43
competitive and at least you can still
7:44
go out and play proper hockey in that
7:47
this kind of environment. It just
7:49
doesn't exist. And I mean I I 100% I'm
7:51
with you. I mean I think that they're
7:53
really missing a trick not being able to
7:56
cater to the people because there a
7:58
whole bunch of people that didn't play
8:00
college, uni, that level ball. And then
8:02
there are a whole bunch obviously that
8:04
did that still would like to come out
8:05
and put pads on and not just have
8:07
somebody touch them on the bum or rip
8:10
the flag off of them.
8:12
>> But let's not get into the bum touch
8:13
them. Um quick one. Um last season you
8:17
got promoted, right? We did.
8:19
>> Yeah. What what worked? What what what
8:21
what was the what was the reason for it?
8:24
You know, if if you could simplify it
8:27
because just before you answer that
8:30
question, use after the what's your
8:31
punter's name? What's his social media
8:33
platform?
8:34
>> Martin the the British punter.
8:36
>> He's been he's been gi I've messaged him
8:38
a few times for advice on kicking. He's
8:40
told me what boots to buy and
8:41
everything. So, he is a sweetheart. I
8:43
like him. But if you can let us know
8:44
about last season, let's go from there.
8:47
You want to start with the British
8:48
punter? There's
8:49
>> no let's
8:52
I mean there is nothing better as you
8:55
know a head coach than being able to
8:57
turn over and look and say okay OC don't
9:00
worry that's fine we'll get it next
9:02
time. Put them out there and put the
9:05
defense on with them pinned inside their
9:07
20 without a return. Uh easy job being a
9:10
head coach when you got a weapon like
9:12
that. And I think, you know, this would
9:14
be one of my kind of criticisms is that
9:15
teams don't spend enough time on special
9:17
teams and understand
9:19
>> what a weapon that that is. And if you
9:21
don't, you then I would say and and Ian
9:26
maybe you know your from your
9:28
perspective certainly as the OC, I think
9:30
our special teams made our life a lot
9:32
easier and really set us up for success
9:35
on both sides of the ball.
9:38
>> Yeah, absolutely. I think um yeah, I
9:40
mean to to really simplify it, I think
9:42
we uh last year obviously we we went
9:45
back down to division 2. Uh we had a
9:47
really strong recruiting year, so we had
9:49
a lot of players coming through and a
9:50
lot of talent that came to find us as
9:52
well. Um and yeah, we uh we kind of
9:56
built the schemes from the ground up to
9:58
suit the players that we had, which um
10:01
you know, really when doesn't matter
10:03
where where you play football, you know,
10:05
you can install the X's and O's, but if
10:06
you've not got the Jimmy and Joe's, it's
10:08
not going to work. So, you know, you
10:10
really need to build that scheme around
10:11
the people that you have. And we were
10:13
very lucky last year, and we are again
10:14
this year to have uh a number of very
10:17
talented players with us. Martin being
10:18
just one of them. But our special teams
10:20
last year were were outstanding. I think
10:22
we had somewhere in the region of three
10:24
or four um blocked punts returned for
10:26
TDs. Um we had uh I think we only had
10:32
two returns for more than 10 yards
10:34
against our punting unit if returns at
10:36
all. I think we went for six games
10:38
straight almost without a single punt
10:40
return. Um it's a shame Chris isn't here
10:43
who'd be able to tell you in much more
10:44
detail. I was definitely off to the
10:45
sideline probably talking something
10:47
through as people were punting. Um but
10:49
you know we uh our top scorer last year
10:51
was uh was one of our running backs who
10:53
was also our um our field goal and PAT
10:55
kicker. So he kind of um managed to push
10:58
through that. But we just had weapons
10:59
all over the field. Um defense for
11:01
Stalwart and you know we had some some
11:03
deep threats and some great running
11:05
backs to really kind of give us a strong
11:09
uh a strong footing. I think the biggest
11:12
area of recruitment though and you you
11:14
will testify to this I'm sure Matt is
11:16
that we had
11:20
>> eight nine properly sized bodies that
11:24
were happy to be offensive linemen. They
11:27
weren't defensive linemen that I was
11:29
trying to to make be an offensive
11:31
lineman on the weekend.
11:33
>> And they were proud to be offensive
11:35
linemen and they worked hard at their
11:37
craft to be offensive linemen. And when
11:39
you got eight or nine guys like that in
11:41
this league,
11:44
>> that's that is that is where it all
11:46
started last year in terms of the
11:48
consistency for the offense to be able
11:51
to be a a solid unit with without a
11:54
doubt in both both the pass and the run
11:56
game.
11:57
>> I I I will say this cuz obviously you
12:00
were div last season.
12:02
It's hard work to not get rid but make
12:06
the players aware that it's not for them
12:09
if they just want to play div two ball
12:11
because I I know plenty of players who
12:14
who who love playing the game and they
12:16
just want to play div two and they're
12:17
completely honest and transparent about
12:19
that. But when you've got everyone and
12:21
you're all on the same page going right
12:22
look our aim is to play div one next
12:24
year and to compete in div one next year
12:27
it seemed to me like you you attacked it
12:29
on all fronts. Special teams, you are
12:32
right. There's so many teams, div one
12:33
included, especially div two, it's
12:36
neglected. People say defense wins games
12:39
or offense wins games. Special teams can
12:41
win games as as well. Um, I want to ask
12:44
you both a question because obviously
12:46
it's an American football podcast. Who
12:48
is your team? I'm a Denver Bronco fan.
12:50
They're clearly the best team in the
12:51
world. Who do you guys support?
12:54
>> Oh, Jesus. Ian, you go.
12:56
>> Uh, I for all of my sins am Chargers
12:59
fan. So, uh, you know, probably one of
13:02
the best quarterbacks in the league.
13:03
It's just a shame that we can't put him
13:05
anywhere safe to get him to actually
13:06
play.
13:07
>> Okay, I'll let you off with the best
13:09
quarterback comment because we got Bon
13:10
and Jo. Greg, what about yourself?
13:15
>> I I am trying desperately to not be, but
13:21
I've been since 1968
13:25
69 because I'm old. a Raiders fan.
13:29
>> Oh, no. Fortunately, folks, that's the
13:31
end of the podcast. You will see you
13:32
next week. Take Oh, and and and as much
13:36
as I try to deny it. And I mean, I loved
13:39
what Varel did this year, but I just
13:41
choke at the idea of being a Pats fan,
13:44
you know, a Chiefs fan, get out. I mean,
13:47
it ain't happening. Um, you know, and
13:50
there's great coach Seattle, except of
13:53
course Bo Jackson kicking their ass when
13:56
they used to be, you know, in a proper
13:57
league. No. So, I mean, I just, as much
14:00
as I know I shouldn't be, and no one
14:02
should, I have to be a Raiders fan.
14:05
>> Okay.
14:06
>> I just
14:07
>> It is what it is.
14:07
>> And again, they're going to tell me that
14:09
there's another season coming and we got
14:11
the first pick overall and blah blah
14:13
blah blah blah. And my heart will be
14:15
wiped out come probably about September
14:17
30th.
14:19
Right gents, let's talk about this
14:21
season coming up. So, these are your
14:24
opponents. So, you've got the uh officer
14:27
cheaters, London Blitzby,
14:30
Portsmouth Dreadnots, and Sussex
14:32
Thunder.
14:34
So, um first of all, what is the aim
14:37
this season?
14:38
>> Playoffs.
14:40
>> Oh, okay.
14:42
>> Why Why are you showing up?
14:44
>> No, I'm I'm all I'm all for that. Um,
14:48
>> so we we've got a 100 playersish.
14:52
We've recruited like there's been no
14:54
tomorrow. We've got, you know,
14:57
everything in place. We got a massive
14:59
amount of people returning and indeed
15:02
we've upgraded at key areas, you know,
15:05
in terms of
15:07
skill and size and athletic. So there's
15:11
no reason. I mean, not not coming to
15:13
just, you know, pad out Sundays.
15:14
>> No, no, no. Definitely. So,
15:18
>> I I love that. I love that. Ian, are you
15:21
on board with that?
15:23
>> Oh, absolutely. Can't be a uh a coherent
15:26
uh coaching staff without having the
15:28
same aims. Um you know, very uh very
15:31
much we're looking to build on on what
15:33
we did last season and, you know, take
15:35
it a step further. So when
15:38
>> I suppose as well
15:40
>> the obviously we we released some news
15:43
um about uh London Warriors. The rumors
15:46
are apparently they're leaving to join
15:48
the European League. I'd love to know
15:49
what you think about that. But if that's
15:51
the case, there would be two spots for
15:53
promotion.
15:56
>> Yeah. So there's playoffs and then
15:58
there's playing in the Prem. So let's
16:01
let's keep things in perspective.
16:03
>> I understand that. But but if if you got
16:06
to that final, whether you like it or
16:08
not, you're in the Prem.
16:10
>> Yeah, fair enough.
16:11
>> Fair enough.
16:12
>> I mean, it's it's something that's in
16:15
the the team future planning, you know,
16:18
we don't
16:19
>> Yeah,
16:19
>> we don't want to be,
16:23
you know,
16:24
>> you don't want to go
16:26
battered and then go back down.
16:27
>> No, I mean, yeah, that's the the the up
16:30
and the down thing is really difficult.
16:31
You see it with a lot of the teams.
16:32
Obviously, the Harford Cheese has
16:34
managed to make two seasons, I think,
16:36
um, up there. You know, Cambridge are
16:38
now doing the second season there. It's
16:40
something to say for those teams that
16:41
managed to stay up for a couple of
16:43
seasons. They, you know, they go to the
16:44
Blitz twice, they go to the Warriors
16:46
twice, they go to Bristol twice, and
16:48
they come away with like some really big
16:50
numbers against them. It takes a lot to
16:52
be able to do that as a club and to be
16:54
able to keep going. Um, and as a club, I
16:57
think, well, I I can probably say any
17:00
club that starts looking at playoffs in
17:02
division one and looking at that step up
17:04
into the Prem, they they you've got to
17:06
make sure you have everything right.
17:07
You've got to have coaches in the right
17:09
places. You've got to have the ability
17:10
to attract um athletes because
17:13
realistically when you have got teams
17:14
like Bristol or the Warriors that that
17:16
maybe I mean Bristol is definitely
17:18
playing in Europe, you know, obviously
17:19
they're in the um uh the Central
17:22
European Football League. They've got
17:23
games coming up with that. the same as
17:25
Manchester, you know, if the Warriors do
17:27
end up going into um is it the EFA now?
17:30
What whichever one it is. Um you know,
17:33
there's a lot of places that they're
17:35
going to start drawing even more talent
17:37
because if you if you're a top player,
17:39
you want to play against top players.
17:40
You don't want to be, you know, kind of
17:42
running around in a uh in in in a park
17:44
in the middle of Surrey just for the
17:47
sake of it. You know, you want to play
17:49
against top level players because that's
17:50
what makes you get better. So, we as a
17:52
club are striving to get to that level.
17:55
Um, I'd be remiss if if I didn't say
17:58
that we we we were, but I don't think
18:01
that's for us this year, next year, or
18:03
maybe even the next couple of years,
18:04
there is a lot of structure that still
18:06
needs to take place to make sure you can
18:07
do that. I mean, to be honest, if you
18:08
look at some of the recruitment that's
18:10
going on around the division one teams
18:12
at the moment, especially since like a
18:13
lot of the EFL kind of folded and it's
18:16
all up in the air, the East Kent
18:17
Mavericks have recruited something
18:19
rotten. they look like they are going to
18:21
be a very very dangerous team this year.
18:24
So just being able to, you know, kind of
18:26
compete alongside those or even stay in
18:28
a game with that type of uh team is
18:30
going to be a uh
18:34
it's it's going to be a um a really good
18:37
way to show how how well the team's
18:40
developed over the last couple of years
18:41
from going from kind of backto-back
18:43
losing seasons in division one to eyeing
18:45
up the playoffs. It's it's it's a huge
18:47
turnaround for us and I think it's it's
18:49
something that we're not shying away
18:52
from.
18:53
>> Yeah. I mean, if you're going to it's
18:56
the longevity thing, you know, you have
18:59
to build it to last.
19:01
>> Yeah.
19:02
>> You don't want it to be this
19:04
schizophrenic up and and you know, if
19:07
you're building something to last, you
19:08
have to have an objective. And the
19:09
objective is is that you're building a
19:11
team that is competent and capable
19:13
enough to be able to contend, you know,
19:16
rationally, not just hopefully for, you
19:19
know, a playoff spot. After that,
19:21
whatever whatever happens happens. But
19:24
that's the the goal. I think on the
19:27
bigger questions though, I mean, the
19:28
whole thing with the Aztecs and
19:30
Warriors,
19:32
you know, it's going to open up a whole
19:34
bunch of of of issues now, I think, for
19:37
Britall kind of in general. and Ian's
19:39
alluded to them and I mean, you know,
19:42
you look at the something like the
19:43
Canadian Football League. So, are you
19:44
going to have to put a limit on the
19:46
amount of internationals?
19:48
>> Yeah.
19:49
>> Are you going to have to actually now
19:51
start to think about paying and playing
19:55
in the sense of of staffs and players or
19:58
not? I mean, are you gonna have to get
19:59
really really tough in terms of to keep
20:01
the amateur level because the draw of
20:04
the semi-professional and all the rest
20:06
is going to be huge on your best talent
20:08
and your athletes. So, what does that
20:10
say about, you know, how the league now
20:13
is even organized? I mean, I was a
20:15
bigger fan probably of of the idea that
20:19
had kind of been mooted around about
20:21
getting rid of one and two and just
20:23
having a prem and then, you know, a a
20:26
bigger second tier, but that was it. And
20:30
I think that's more likely to be the
20:32
case now that, you know, you've got this
20:34
other team that's got has has basically
20:36
made that other tier by going up instead
20:38
of, you know, as con consensing the
20:42
bottom.
20:43
It makes you wonder because I was
20:45
looking at the Warriors um social media
20:48
um and they did announce obviously the
20:50
the prep fixtures. So it makes you
20:52
wonder what what's been offered to them
20:55
for them to in such a short space of
20:57
time to agree to this because it wasn't
20:59
one or two people that messaged me about
21:01
this. It was 13 in total and it was
21:05
>> majority very reliable sources. So it is
21:08
very interesting but you know
21:12
you will have some players at Warriors
21:13
who don't really want to go traveling
21:15
all around Europe as mad as that sounds
21:17
work commitments stuff like that. Um so
21:20
it is going to be interesting obviously
21:22
in regards to the the two divisions. Um
21:26
my only thing I was skeptical for was I
21:29
mentioned before there's some players
21:30
who just want to play div 2 cuz you just
21:32
want to enjoy the game turn up on the
21:33
Sunday and play football. if you're
21:35
putting them in, you know, in a league
21:37
with, you know, yourselves and the other
21:39
teams, they're just literally going to
21:41
be getting spanked every game. Do you
21:43
want to come and play? Like, did you get
21:44
what I mean by that? And give two, you
21:47
know, it's very rare a team gets, you
21:49
know, battered at, you know, every
21:50
single week that, you know, this there's
21:52
there's a little bit of level of of um
21:54
competition, but if you put that div two
21:56
team in a div one thing, it you're
21:59
talking 90 odd nil, something like that.
22:02
And teams don't for me teams don't learn
22:04
from that. I I do wish there was the two
22:06
leagues. I I do. Um I think it would
22:09
make things a lot better and a lot
22:10
simple,
22:12
you know. Um for my team, for example,
22:14
most of our fixtures are two and a half,
22:16
three hours away. Um just want to go
22:19
back to to to your division. Um which
22:22
one of these teams is is is would you
22:24
consider your closest rivals then? Which
22:26
is the one?
22:28
I think the ones to beat have got to be
22:30
Hartfordshire until they prove that you
22:33
know the move down has been
22:34
catastrophic. I mean they were the Prem
22:38
level team and you know that comes with
22:41
the kind of respect that it should. I
22:44
mean we've seen and you know we
22:46
certainly have had that experience at
22:48
points in our career as a team where you
22:51
go up and then all of a sudden bad
22:53
things happen or you go down and bad
22:54
things happen. So, I guess, you know,
22:57
going back to your point, there could be
22:58
a whole bunch of players all of a sudden
22:59
that are happy to play div one and
23:02
weren't really wanting to play Prem
23:03
League and now there are guys that don't
23:05
want to play at the super Prem League
23:08
that all of a sudden are looking for
23:11
good div one teams again.
23:13
>> Yeah, it's an interesting one. Uh, Jens,
23:15
we started a new thing. Uh, we call the
23:17
30 seconds. Um, so what's going to
23:19
happen is we're going to name something
23:22
and then we just want your first
23:24
response. So if Ian goes first, then
23:26
Greg. So I'll say a team name for
23:28
example. Ian, you'll say the first thing
23:30
that comes to your head. Greg, you'll
23:31
say the first thing that comes to your
23:32
head. Is are we up for this?
23:35
>> What can go wrong?
23:37
>> Okay.
23:38
>> Just just don't swear. Okay. So
23:40
>> don't swear. Oh, okay. Good. You told us
23:42
that.
23:43
>> Yes. Okay. Um, Sussex Fun
23:48
>> Long
23:51
>> Greg.
23:52
>> Oh, you want from both? Uh, yeah. Main
23:55
main main long-term rival. They're the
23:57
ones that have been our pain for us for
23:59
a long time.
24:00
>> London Blitzby.
24:03
>> [ __ ] Pitch. Sorry. Bad pitch.
24:07
>> One job, Greg.
24:09
>> One job.
24:12
Ian.
24:14
Um
24:16
yeah. Um
24:19
cowfield.
24:20
>> Okay. Um Paul Swift red notes
24:25
big.
24:32
>> It's um
24:34
>> just don't
24:34
>> honestly is long grass for me. Every
24:37
time I think about Portsouth Dreadnots,
24:40
every time I've been there, they've had
24:41
really, really long grass.
24:44
>> Okay. Buffer.
24:47
>> Trying
24:51
repetitive.
24:53
>> London Warriors.
24:57
>> NFL.
24:57
>> You European now.
25:00
>> Oxford Saints.
25:02
>> Oh,
25:02
>> winners.
25:04
>> Perfect. That was the longest 30
25:05
seconds. We'll try and bleep that swear
25:07
word out. I doubt we're going to be able
25:09
to. So, I apologize for the swearing
25:10
folks. Um, these Canadians, what can you
25:12
do about them? Right.
25:15
How can people contact Oxford? Let's
25:17
just say there's there's people in the
25:18
area or there's there's someone another
25:20
team. Do you like what you're doing? Do
25:21
you like the culture? How can they
25:23
contact you guys to join?
25:25
>> Best bet is to find us on Instagram at
25:28
Oxford Saints
25:30
and contact us through there. Otherwise,
25:32
you can find us on our website, um,
25:34
oxfordsaints.co.uk,
25:37
>> I think.
25:38
>> Perfect. And that's for adults, under
25:41
19s, all the ages.
25:43
>> Everybody.
25:43
>> Yep. The only the only team we don't
25:46
currently have fielding is a under 17
25:50
flag team or a women's team.
25:53
>> Any of them on the horizon?
25:55
>> Uh, we had a women's team in the past.
25:58
We'd like to set another one up, but um
26:00
obviously it's kind of demand. Uh it's
26:02
not there currently in the area. Um and
26:05
the under 17 uh flag team is uh yeah, we
26:08
we would like to have one to uh to push
26:11
into baff. I know we've got a few
26:12
players, we just didn't have enough to
26:14
uh to have a competitive team this year.
26:16
>> Perfect. Um
26:20
so one thing I haven't asked you gents
26:22
is how you got into football. Um Ian, I
26:25
want to go to you first on this one. How
26:26
you got into football? What positions
26:28
did you play if you played I know you
26:29
played but I asked the same type of
26:31
question.
26:32
>> Yeah. Um so I got into football uh
26:36
whilst I was at university. So I went to
26:37
University of Oxford Brooks and I
26:39
started working in a small ice cream
26:41
shop where I um met a liver puddling guy
26:45
called Simon who convinced me to come
26:48
down and try football. Uh and I remember
26:50
the first session going down and
26:52
thinking oh this seems like a lot of
26:53
fun. um went two to three sessions
26:56
before I ended up getting um tackled by
26:59
a uh a strong safety, a South African
27:02
strong safety who is now heavily
27:04
involved with the RAF Mustangs. Um
27:06
pretty certain I had a concussion. We
27:08
just didn't call it that in 2006. Um
27:11
yeah, and and I was hooked. And since
27:13
then, um, I've played for, uh, the
27:16
Oxford Cavaliers, the Oxford Panthers,
27:18
um, the Oxford Saints, the Reading
27:21
Renegades, which then became the
27:22
Barkshire Renegades, um, and the Sealand
27:24
Seahawks. And amongst that, I've played
27:28
mainly defensive back throughout the
27:30
majority of my career. And then towards
27:32
the end of my career, I played a little
27:33
bit of wide receiver and then started
27:35
playing quarterback before uh finishing
27:37
my sterling amateur American football
27:40
career with a game against Plymouth
27:41
Vanguard and a pretty horrific hip
27:43
injury which I've now come back from.
27:46
>> Okay, Greg,
27:48
>> just kind of the standard Canadian.
27:50
You'd play flag when you're, you know,
27:53
in junior high school. So, you know,
27:55
grade five, six, seven, eight, and then
27:58
you get into contact and through the
28:00
rest of, you know, senior high school
28:03
into high school. I didn't play when I
28:05
went to university because I had a gap
28:07
about four years before I went back to
28:09
university. And so, I ended up playing
28:12
with kind of more community, local
28:15
football and things like that. And then
28:16
when I went to university, I wasn't
28:19
wasn't big and strong enough to be able
28:21
to compete with the university guys at
28:23
that level at that time. So, and plus I
28:25
wasn't smart enough to go to university
28:26
at the same time and do football. So,
28:29
that was it. I started just kind of
28:31
playing then, you know, the more local
28:33
kind of stuff, the lower level, local
28:36
community football. That was that was it
28:39
until I came here and I didn't even know
28:40
there was American football here until
28:43
kind of 2013 and found the Saints and I
28:47
was coaching in Canada at different
28:48
times, different levels and then got
28:50
back into the coaching here.
28:52
>> Brill. Well, J, we're pretty much at the
28:56
end of it. Um, I can feel so much warmth
28:59
in terms of your your love for your team
29:03
and we we guys at Touchdown UK really do
29:06
wish you um the best of luck. Um, just
29:09
before you go, are all your games going
29:10
to be live streamed this year?
29:14
>> Snap. No idea.
29:16
>> Currently, I don't think we have anyone
29:17
lined up to live stream them. Um, but if
29:20
we do, they'll go out on our socials.
29:21
I'm sure you've seen the socials for the
29:23
Saints. We're we're prolific and uh
29:26
>> we have we have a really good media
29:28
team. So
29:29
>> brilliant
29:31
>> bunch of gossips. They just like to get
29:32
out there and just it's great. It's
29:35
wonderful. Absolutely brilliant. It's It
29:38
is Matt. I mean it's a It is a really
29:41
nice place to be able to learn about
29:42
football
29:44
>> and just to get into a community that's
29:46
really got the right mentality towards
29:49
the game about respect, hard work. It's
29:53
not, you know, all the yapping and the
29:57
stuff that you don't like about the
29:59
game. It's a good good club to be with.
30:02
>> Good. I love that. I absolutely love
30:04
that. Well, listen, gents. Um, I really
30:06
want to thank you for um for for taking
30:09
your time on a busy evening. We won't
30:11
say what day we recorded this. Um, I I
30:14
really do wish you all the best for the
30:15
season. Uh, when the season starts,
30:17
we're going to be doing a live stream
30:18
every Monday. More than welcome to get
30:20
you on to join as long as you don't
30:21
swear again, Greg. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
30:24
>> First curse and it was from someone from
30:26
well, Canada. I'm I'm, you know, from
30:29
>> Hey, that's part of my cultural
30:31
heritage.
30:32
>> Me, I listen, my my wife is more
30:34
surprised than anyone that I've decided
30:36
to run a PG program. I swear like
30:39
there's no tomorrow. I work in car sales
30:41
as well, so we definitely swear. Uh,
30:44
gents, all the best for the season. Good
30:46
luck. Um, it's gonna be a very, very
30:50
interesting season. Let's see what
30:51
happens. Um, and folks, uh, that's the
30:54
Audible. Uh, we will be back next week
30:57
with another team. Um, we're also, um,
31:00
going to be doing one-off episodes. Uh,
31:03
sorry, Monday Night Huddle. Even this is
31:04
Monday Night Huddle. Uh, but we are
31:05
going to be doing one-off episodes of,
31:07
um, The Audible. We've got a few exNFL
31:10
players um, joining us over the next few
31:12
weeks. It will be one-off episodes till
31:14
the NFL is back. But once again, for
31:16
thank you for joining us on Monday Night
31:17
Huddle episode 4. I've been Matteo. See
31:20
if we can do this.
31:21
>> Thank you, Matteo. I've been Greg.
31:25
>> I've been Ian.
31:26
>> We did it. Brilliant. We will see you
31:29
next week on Monday Night Huddle. Thank
31:31
you very much again. And folks, you take
31:33
care and have a good one.
31:36
>> Brilliant. Thank you very much.