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🏈💻🎤 4th & Lecture - Episode 5 🏈💻🎤 · TDUK

• 0:06
  Hello, hello, and welcome back to
• 0:08
  episode six of the fourth and lecture,
• 0:10
  which I am so excited to say will be the
• 0:13
  last ever pre-recorded episode until the
• 0:16
  end of the Uniball season because we're
• 0:17
  taking over Monday Night Huddle and we
• 0:19
  will be going live on Instagram,
• 0:21
  YouTube, Facebook, and Tik Tok at 7:30
• 0:24
  every Monday until the end of the
• 0:25
  season. And those episodes will stay up
• 0:27
  on YouTube and all audio platforms
• 0:29
  afterwards if for whatever reason you
• 0:31
  can't join us. But as always, I am your
• 0:35
  host Tom from TK Football and I'm once
• 0:37
  again and hopefully always joined by
• 0:40
  Shiv and Welsh Joe. But we are also
• 0:43
  joined today by Matt.
• 0:46
  >> Hello.
• 0:47
  >> Help us go through the entirety of
• 0:49
  Division 2. Gent. Welcome back. Matt,
• 0:51
  welcome to the show.
• 0:53
  >> Thank you for having me. This is
• 0:54
  definitely something that I've been
• 0:55
  looking forward to. Been talking to Shiv
• 0:57
  for a while about it. So glad to get
• 0:59
  finally
• 0:59
  >> excited to finally have you on.
• 1:01
  >> Yeah, it's been a long time.
• 1:04
  >> So, I'm sure we'll get into it, but as
• 1:06
  you know, Shiv and Welsh Joe are joining
• 1:09
  us from the banger heartland. And we've
• 1:12
  had to bring a Torano toy on to just
• 1:15
  even it out a little bit because today
• 1:17
  we are going we're going deep into
• 1:20
  division two. We've already done our
• 1:22
  rundowns of the national prem P
• 1:23
  premiership and division one. So there's
• 1:25
  actually a lot to get through today. Um
• 1:28
  so with that in mind, with there being a
• 1:31
  lot to do and we're going to skip
• 1:32
  straight past the news, we're going to
• 1:33
  skip straight past the corkboard and we
• 1:35
  will cover all of that on Monday when
• 1:37
  we're joined live by Tanya Dubo, the
• 1:40
  books American football coordinator.
• 1:42
  It's gonna be a heck of an episode. Um,
• 1:45
  so if anybody listening, watching has
• 1:47
  any questions they want pose posing to
• 1:49
  Tanya, drop us a comment, message the
• 1:51
  page, message me over at TLK, or just
• 1:54
  ask them live during the show and we'll
• 1:55
  get through as many as we can. But
• 1:58
  before we get into it, we've got
• 1:59
  something to do. We do have to introduce
• 2:01
  the guests. So Matt,
• 2:04
  quickly, who's your NFL team? How did
• 2:07
  you find American football? And give me
• 2:09
  a brief rundown of your Brit Ball career
• 2:11
  so far.
• 2:12
  >> So hello everyone. I'm Matt. Um, yeah.
• 2:16
  Uh, how discover American So, I
• 2:17
  discovered American football through
• 2:19
  university like as most people do. Uh,
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  I've been playing for the past three and
• 2:24
  a half years at the mighty Terrano
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  Avaris with um yeah discovered how I've
• 2:30
  discovered American football like 2015.
• 2:32
  I was playing an Xbox game for Horizon.
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  It was based in Colorado. I like the
• 2:37
  NFL, Denver Broncos, Colorado. They were
• 2:40
  doing well. Went with them. Um, so they
• 2:42
  are my team. We did well last year.
• 2:45
  Haven't started the season too well this
• 2:46
  year, but we'll gloss over that. Um, in
• 2:50
  terms of Brit Ball, I also play for
• 2:52
  Chester Romans. Been playing their past
• 2:54
  two years. Um, season this year went
• 2:56
  quite well compared to previous years. I
• 2:59
  got a few more wins, which was nice. Um,
• 3:02
  and the team's building on now to next
• 3:04
  season, which is quite good. Just
• 3:05
  getting ready for Uniball.
• 3:08
  >> Good stuff. Uniball is back, baby. It's
• 3:10
  time for real football.
• 3:12
  >> Oh yeah.
• 3:13
  >> And speaking of real football, the
• 3:16
  realest football of them all. If I'm
• 3:19
  going to channel my inner Disney
• 3:20
  villain,
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  >> it's D two day, guys.
• 3:25
  >> Oh yeah.
• 3:27
  >> So obviously Shiv, you are deep in the
• 3:31
  div one north div two north and
• 3:35
  >> the way it's all shaken out. We've got
• 3:38
  Avaris with the other div two Welsh team
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  in the south. So we've we've got pretty
• 3:44
  good coverage actually. But let's start
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  at the very top then
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  with a division that is familiar to our
• 3:55
  two regulars. So we've got in the div 2
• 3:58
  northwest, we've got the Edge Hill
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  Vikings and Liverpool Raptors relegated
• 4:01
  from div one. Ke Crusaders and Sulford
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  Storm returning to a division they
• 4:06
  competed in last year. Um Lancaster
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  Bombers returning to a division that
• 4:11
  they won because they didn't get
• 4:13
  relegated via a coin toss which we
• 4:15
  covered pretty in depth on the div one
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  episode. So we'll move b quickly past it
• 4:22
  and we've got the introduction of a
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  rebranded reloaded
• 4:29
  banger team. Boys, talk to me about the
• 4:32
  rebrand. Talk to me about relaunching a
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  team. Talk to me about the div 2
• 4:36
  Northwest.
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  >> I think Joe will probably have a lot
• 4:40
  more to say about rebrand because I just
• 4:41
  joined when it was Yeah, um I wasn't
• 4:44
  there for the Mud Dogs era, but uh I'm
• 4:46
  very excited. I can't wait. Um I just
• 4:49
  want to play now. You know what I mean?
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  >> Luckily for you, Shiv, we've not got too
• 4:54
  long to wait until gameweek one, have we
• 4:56
  really? Against Lancaster. I think it's
• 4:58
  first weekend of November.
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  >> So, uh,
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  >> yeah, we get back end of September and
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  then we've got like four weeks worth of
• 5:06
  trainings before we get into it.
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  >> But, uh, yeah, the rebrand I think cuz
• 5:10
  the group of us that are there at the
• 5:12
  minute, we took over about four years
• 5:13
  ago. Um, we took over the year that we
• 5:16
  ended up dropping out of the Bucks and
• 5:18
  it was purely just because we we just
• 5:20
  didn't have the numbers. When a few of
• 5:22
  us took over, we had a squad of about
• 5:24
  25, but about 13 14 of them were
• 5:26
  complete rookies.
• 5:28
  >> We had about four weeks to get in, went
• 5:30
  away to a very strong Staffordshire side
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  and just got absolutely smashed. I think
• 5:35
  two or three people had like broken
• 5:37
  collar bones. There were a few injuries
• 5:38
  and we were just in the position where
• 5:40
  as a group of coaches and new coaches,
• 5:42
  we were just like, it's just not it's
• 5:44
  not viable for us to keep this group in
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  the division really and to put people
• 5:48
  through this on a regular basis. We had
• 5:50
  a lot of dropouts after that game. Um,
• 5:53
  and we've been through a couple of
• 5:54
  seasons whereby we struggled to like
• 5:56
  field five aside. Um, I remember there
• 5:59
  being some evenings where we were there
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  on a Thursday training and like we were
• 6:03
  quite glad if we had 10 people come up
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  so we could play five aside flag. And I
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  think we hit about as close to bottom as
• 6:09
  we could get without folding. And
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  there'd always been concerns about the
• 6:13
  name the mud dogs I think around banger
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  more than for us as a group. um that the
• 6:18
  name itself was putting people off and a
• 6:21
  lot of the other university teams had
• 6:23
  branded in some way towards something to
• 6:25
  do with Lions. The emblem for the
• 6:27
  university is the Lion. So, we talked
• 6:30
  about a rebrand softly in the first
• 6:31
  place and then they said, the university
• 6:33
  came out and said, "We've got new kits
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  for you. What do you think of the
• 6:36
  design?" And it's got this big green
• 6:39
  lion embroidered right across the front
• 6:40
  of it. and he was like, well, any
• 6:43
  consideration we might have had in the
• 6:44
  first instance, we might as well go
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  ahead with now. I thought we've got a
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  kit that's covered in lions, we might as
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  well change the name to Lions at this
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  point and have like a fresh start. So,
• 6:54
  yeah, that's that's roughly the the
• 6:56
  story of how we got to where we're up
• 6:58
  to. Theod means lions in Welsh. Um,
• 7:01
  always like what Abraith did with
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  Tyranni. I thought the nod towards like
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  Welsh language is good, especially in
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  the area that we are where we've
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  probably got one of the highest
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  percentages of Welsh language speakers
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  like myself like in Wales, say in the
• 7:14
  UK, but it goes without saying really,
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  doesn't it? But, uh, yeah, it's just a
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  good chance to sort of get things
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  started again, appreciate what's come
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  before us and what's been done, but try
• 7:24
  and come at things with a different
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  mindset and a different approach. Um,
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  and just dialed in and just looking
• 7:29
  forward to this year.
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  Love that. So, you're joining a division
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  that
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  bizarrely in the most division two, the
• 7:42
  most uniball way possible,
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  the most games a team played last year,
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  the Sulford Storm played three games.
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  Everybody else played two.
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  Um
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  you're in a six team division with
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  effectively teams that also didn't play
• 8:02
  any football last year. Um does that
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  make you feel better about going into it
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  or does it just increase the level of
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  unpredictability?
• 8:13
  >> Um I think the second thing about the
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  unpredictability because um
• 8:18
  like we're just excited excited to play.
• 8:20
  We we even if they had all the games,
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  you know, in the whole world, I think
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  Joe would agree. We're just we we just
• 8:29
  want to get stuck in. Do you know what I
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  mean? The past for these teams that if
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  they're good or not so good, um
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  >> we're going to take a head on um try our
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  best and do what we can really.
• 8:42
  >> Cool.
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  >> Forget all the negativity around being
• 8:44
  like a new team and stuff. And um yeah,
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  now just get involved.
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  That that being said though, new team
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  coming in to a really unpredictable
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  division where not a lot of points were
• 8:59
  scored last year.
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  How are we feeling about our competitive
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  chances? What what what would constitute
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  a good successful season for Banger this
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  year?
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  >> Sh don't don't
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  I just I can't do this. Um
• 9:24
  >> I'll let you
• 9:27
  >> We're going to get clipped for what you
• 9:29
  were going to say there. Um I think for
• 9:31
  me I think if we look on the trajectory
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  of where we've been, we four years ago
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  when I first joined, we played a game,
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  dropped out of the league. We then had
• 9:41
  no games the following year.
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  We played one game against Aberest
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  within varsity. And I know our big thing
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  was to have enough of a squad to put
• 9:50
  together to play varsity in that game.
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  And honestly, it was one of the best
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  games of football I've been involved in.
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  Like it was so obvious that we came into
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  that with a squad of like 30 people that
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  had not really stepped foot on a
• 10:03
  football pitch before.
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  >> We had a friendly against Sulford a
• 10:06
  couple months before where we were sort
• 10:08
  of selfishiating between ourselves and
• 10:10
  Sulford. And it got and like an hour in
• 10:13
  and somebody went, "Have we got a time
• 10:15
  check?" And both sets of coaches were
• 10:16
  almost like, "Well, no, I thought you
• 10:18
  were doing it. No, I thought you were
• 10:19
  doing it." So, we had this gargantuan
• 10:22
  first half that just seemed to go on
• 10:24
  forever. And then a second half that we
• 10:26
  were like, "Look, it's an like it was
• 10:28
  sideways rain. It was horrendous." And
• 10:30
  we were just like, "Can we just get off
• 10:31
  the field now? We've been here for like
• 10:33
  an hour and a half already. Can we just
• 10:35
  give it like a quarter hour second
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  half?" And that just showed so obviously
• 10:39
  in that game against Aberestwith where
• 10:41
  we got the breaks beaten off us, but we
• 10:43
  scored like three, four touchdowns or
• 10:45
  something as well. But like that second
• 10:47
  half of football was just immense. Like
• 10:49
  there were massive hits, massive plays,
• 10:51
  big defensive stoppages. And for us it
• 10:54
  was like the big thing for that game was
• 10:55
  for us to get through it. Last year we
• 10:58
  were going into it again and it was like
• 10:59
  let's hit varsity and let's see how
• 11:01
  competitive we can be this time round
• 11:03
  with a core group of people that have
• 11:04
  got a bit more experience. Even in the
• 11:07
  car on the way down to that game I
• 11:09
  didn't fancy our chances.
• 11:11
  >> We managed to come out with a win after
• 11:12
  yet again like another cracking game
• 11:15
  really between the two. So if I'm going
• 11:17
  to go off trajectory I'm going to say a
• 11:20
  successful season for me would be to
• 11:23
  actually finish all five of our
• 11:25
  fixtures. But if I was going to put a
• 11:28
  ceiling on it, if we could go from one
• 11:30
  win in varsity to two games in the
• 11:31
  league, I think that would constitute
• 11:33
  like massive success for me to be quite
• 11:36
  honest. And that's about where I'm
• 11:37
  setting the ceiling because
• 11:39
  being as realistic as possible. Edge
• 11:41
  Hill are a great squad. They've got a
• 11:43
  really good lineman there. A few of the
• 11:45
  lads that I played with the Lanks this
• 11:46
  year. Their center has been playing GFL
• 11:49
  for the past summer.
• 11:51
  >> He has shout out Kevin McIll, my guy.
• 11:54
  >> Yeah. So, they've got experience.
• 11:56
  They've got great coaches there. Um, I
• 11:59
  think Hus, Tim, there's a handful of
• 12:00
  other people that I've come across in my
• 12:02
  Brit like my Brit Ball days there.
• 12:05
  They're experienced. Ke have been
• 12:06
  knocking around but won't go away for a
• 12:08
  few years. Lancaster we played in a
• 12:10
  preseason scrimmage. Um, they were
• 12:14
  great, really, really good setup.
• 12:15
  Raptors were Prem two seasons ago.
• 12:18
  Sulford we've played in a friendly and
• 12:20
  they were excellent. There's a good
• 12:21
  group of lads there, but I know they've
• 12:22
  had a big turnover. Um, but like I say,
• 12:25
  if we could come out of this with two
• 12:26
  wins, I'd be I'd be over the moon
• 12:28
  really. But who knows?
• 12:30
  >> Wow.
• 12:31
  >> Well, you mentioned your varsity
• 12:34
  opponents, and we do have one of them in
• 12:37
  the room.
• 12:38
  >> Matt, looking at this division, looking
• 12:41
  at what you know about the teams, and I
• 12:43
  should have said at the top of the
• 12:44
  episode or before we started recording,
• 12:46
  if at any point I asked you a question,
• 12:48
  you just don't know the answer to it,
• 12:50
  say you don't know. Um, what are you
• 12:54
  looking at from outside the club, from
• 12:57
  outside the division?
• 12:59
  Who are the teams you'd be looking to
• 13:01
  headunt? Not head hunt. Who are the
• 13:03
  teams you who are the chasing teams?
• 13:06
  What do you make of this all for Banger?
• 13:09
  >> It's going to I think Banger this year
• 13:12
  if obviously having played them for the
• 13:14
  past three and a half years, the
• 13:16
  trajectory they've been on, I know
• 13:18
  they've got a very good coaching staff.
• 13:19
  Like I know coach Toby, he was my line
• 13:21
  coach last year at Chester. Obviously
• 13:23
  Lewis, he's my offensive coordinator at
• 13:25
  Chester. Obviously the boys, they're
• 13:27
  good lads. Like George as well played
• 13:29
  with him in Chester. They've got a
• 13:31
  Banger have a good squad. They have a
• 13:34
  good squad. They're well coached, well
• 13:35
  drilled. So I do think that two wins
• 13:38
  isn't a far-fetched idea. I think Edill
• 13:41
  and Liverpool, they've got
• 13:44
  >> they've got the Murside Nighthawks guys
• 13:46
  with them that help and coach them. So
• 13:48
  they are going to be strong. Like I
• 13:49
  remember looking at a picture of Edge
• 13:51
  Hill last year or the season just gone
• 13:53
  and just seeing loads of red Nighthawks
• 13:55
  helmets
• 13:57
  >> like so they're going to be strong.
• 13:58
  Liverool obviously as Joe said they're
• 14:00
  in the Prem two years ago. I remember
• 14:02
  when ABBA used to be in this division
• 14:05
  three four years ago.
• 14:07
  This Liverool always a rough game. So I
• 14:11
  think if Banging middle of the pack two
• 14:14
  wins it's not farfetched I'd say. Yeah,
• 14:18
  I'm really glad you brought up the
• 14:20
  Nighthawks actually because obviously as
• 14:23
  a coach I have won a ring with the
• 14:25
  Nighthawks. So
• 14:28
  I would get quite a lot of flack if I
• 14:30
  didn't mention or talk a little bit in
• 14:32
  depth about the two teams we've got
• 14:34
  coming down. So as Joe mentioned, Edge
• 14:36
  Hill are an incredibly well coached
• 14:39
  team. Um, Hassan Farage is
• 14:43
  one of the best leaders of men I've ever
• 14:45
  come across in Britull. Um, and he's
• 14:48
  backed up by an incredible coaching
• 14:50
  staff. You know, Tim got a shout out
• 14:52
  earlier, but we're talking Gary
• 14:53
  Plunkett, we're talking Brad, there is
• 14:57
  there is such a Nighthawks culture in
• 15:00
  and around Edge Hill and it's
• 15:03
  incredible. um their quarterback um I
• 15:07
  can't remember his first name because
• 15:09
  everybody just called him Bundy um has
• 15:11
  graduated and moved on but they will
• 15:13
  probably be quarterbacked by James Win
• 15:16
  um the Nighthawks Bellichesque white
• 15:19
  slot receiver um never played
• 15:22
  quarterback before but he knows ball
• 15:25
  he's a very talented athlete meanwhile
• 15:28
  on the other side of it the Raptors
• 15:29
  coming down the Raptors are a really
• 15:32
  interesting one so They won this
• 15:34
  division, I believe, twice in a row
• 15:37
  around COVID time
• 15:40
  >> and none of their promotions counted. So
• 15:42
  afterwards, when they did all of the
• 15:44
  realignments and they invented the
• 15:46
  National League with the Premiership
• 15:47
  underneath it,
• 15:48
  >> Baffford just put Liverpool up there on
• 15:51
  the basis of well that's two promotions
• 15:53
  we didn't give them, so this is two
• 15:54
  promotions.
• 15:56
  They're now back at the level they
• 15:57
  absolutely dominated.
• 15:59
  Ethan Terry is going into his second
• 16:02
  year as the starter at quarterback.
• 16:04
  They'll be going in with a new OC. I'm
• 16:07
  not sure off the top of my head who that
• 16:08
  is, but I do know, coach, how he's moved
• 16:10
  on.
• 16:12
  There is a lot of expectation
• 16:15
  within these two Liverpool teams on this
• 16:17
  season
• 16:18
  and I think that could become a derby to
• 16:22
  watch. Obviously, Shiv and Joe, you're
• 16:25
  based up in the Northwest still. M
• 16:28
  >> any chance either of you are going to
• 16:30
  get over for one of the Liverpool
• 16:31
  derbies?
• 16:33
  >> It just depends if one of my mates can
• 16:36
  give me a lift and uh yeah. No, it
• 16:39
  depends on the day really. But I I'll
• 16:41
  definitely want to go watch that. I
• 16:43
  think that'll be really
• 16:45
  >> I think it'll be a very fun game to
• 16:46
  watch. They're going to want to try and
• 16:48
  dominate that area. Do you know what I
• 16:50
  mean? Um yeah. I know I don't actually
• 16:54
  know when they're playing each other,
• 16:55
  but um well, I'll take a look after this
• 16:58
  episode's done. Just see what Yeah. See
• 17:00
  what happens.
• 17:03
  So, but then let's let's bring it all
• 17:06
  back to the point of why we've pulled
• 17:07
  the division up.
• 17:09
  Everybody, I want to know who you reckon
• 17:12
  the team to beat in this division is and
• 17:14
  what game you're most looking forward
• 17:16
  to, what matchup it is. Um, I imagine
• 17:21
  two of our four two of the four boxers
• 17:24
  are going to say some form of a game
• 17:26
  that Banger are playing. Um,
• 17:29
  >> but Shiv, let's start with you. Who are
• 17:30
  the team that we're chasing?
• 17:32
  >> So, uh, I think Lancaster, they're
• 17:36
  they've got a a really good team.
• 17:38
  They're the first team we're playing.
• 17:40
  Um, personally, I think they'll be the
• 17:43
  hardest to beat that. I think they'll
• 17:46
  like when we talk about who will win the
• 17:47
  league, heart says Banger.
• 17:50
  My brain says it it will be between
• 17:51
  Lancaster or Liverpool, I think. But um
• 17:54
  for me, it would be Lancaster. They'll
• 17:56
  be the ones to beat for us to like
• 17:59
  >> I don't know.
• 18:01
  >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It'll be difficult
• 18:02
  game.
• 18:04
  >> Hey, football's built on difficult games
• 18:07
  and two is built on the principle that
• 18:09
  anything can happen on any given Sunday.
• 18:12
  Yeah,
• 18:14
  >> Matt, what about yourself? Who you who
• 18:16
  do you reckon the leading team, the
• 18:18
  leading favorite for this division is
• 18:20
  right now?
• 18:21
  >> I think with their history in the
• 18:24
  division, I think Liverpool will be the
• 18:26
  team to beat.
• 18:28
  >> Um, obviously Lancaster and HL are going
• 18:31
  to be Lancaster's got to prove that last
• 18:33
  year wasn't just because of a coin toss.
• 18:36
  >> Um, but I think Liverpool will be the
• 18:38
  team to beat. They are they've come down
• 18:41
  and as you said earlier they've
• 18:42
  dominated this division got two
• 18:44
  promotions in two years and so it's yeah
• 18:47
  I think it's Liverpool sorry banger
• 18:49
  sorry sorry to sorry to all the mud
• 18:51
  puppies that are listening
• 18:55
  >> but puppies beat you 39 mate
• 18:57
  >> hey I'm three and one against you boys
• 18:59
  that's all I'm saying
• 19:02
  >> that being said though what's the game
• 19:04
  you're looking forward to who do you
• 19:05
  reckon the most interesting matchup in
• 19:07
  is
• 19:10
  >> I I do I do want to say I think Banger
• 19:14
  Lancaster could be an interesting game.
• 19:16
  It's obviously Bangers first game back.
• 19:19
  >> Um so I think and then Lancaster they'll
• 19:22
  be wanting to go to show that they are
• 19:24
  could that they are the division top
• 19:26
  dogs. If they're able to blow Banger out
• 19:29
  the water and put their foot down be
• 19:31
  like listen we're here for a reason then
• 19:35
  that shows. But if Banger are able to
• 19:36
  put up a good fight and it's a close
• 19:38
  game, then it can show that Banganger's
• 19:42
  here to send that the hype around them
• 19:45
  potentially come back in the books is
• 19:46
  warranted.
• 19:48
  >> Yeah, totally. Um Joe, again, I am
• 19:52
  expecting more banger talk here, but who
• 19:55
  who the team you're chasing? For me, no.
• 19:57
  I think I think just being back fourth
• 20:00
  year into coaching now and this being
• 20:03
  the game against Lancaster will be my
• 20:05
  second Bucks game coached in four years.
• 20:08
  There was the first one against
• 20:09
  Staffords ages ago and then we've had
• 20:11
  been out in the sort of wilderness for a
• 20:13
  few years. So, it's difficult for me to
• 20:15
  put any banger fixture on there. So,
• 20:17
  just to the side as a point B, we'll put
• 20:19
  every single banger fixture.
• 20:22
  I think for me the the game I'm looking
• 20:24
  forward to seeing is Edge Hill and
• 20:26
  Raptors. I think to some extent you've
• 20:29
  got to feel that one of them is hard
• 20:31
  done by judging by the fact they've come
• 20:33
  down from the div one that has a double
• 20:35
  relegation.
• 20:38
  >> I think from from memory I'm pretty
• 20:40
  certain it's the only division in
• 20:42
  Britall that has a double relegation.
• 20:44
  One of those teams is going to feel that
• 20:47
  they really don't belong down here and I
• 20:51
  think it's going to be on one of them to
• 20:52
  show that they've got the difference. I
• 20:55
  can't tell. I don't know too much about
• 20:57
  Raptors. I know enough of them as a
• 20:59
  squad but because there's such a big
• 21:01
  turnover every 3 years. I don't know if
• 21:03
  the Raptors from three years ago, the
• 21:05
  Raptors from now, they might be even
• 21:07
  better. But I just don't know. I know
• 21:10
  Edge Hill have, like I said, got good
• 21:11
  people. I know they've got some very
• 21:13
  very good linemen. They've got an
• 21:16
  offensive line that would probably be
• 21:19
  quite competitive at decent levels in
• 21:21
  adult ball. The Pickard brothers that
• 21:23
  I've done my season with at Lancaster,
• 21:25
  both excellent players. Uh Kevin McIll
• 21:27
  is it the center for them has been
• 21:29
  playing GFL. I think Matt Bolton from
• 21:32
  Lance is still there. Like if they can
• 21:34
  dominate on that line, it's going to be
• 21:36
  difficult for anybody to stop them
• 21:37
  really. Yeah. So, I think for me the
• 21:39
  fixture I'm looking forward to the most
• 21:41
  is going to be Edge Hill Liverpool just
• 21:43
  to see which of them can put their stamp
• 21:45
  on this idea that they don't belong down
• 21:47
  here and that they were the victims of
• 21:49
  the double relegation rather than being
• 21:51
  here because they deserve it.
• 21:52
  >> Yeah, completely agree. I'm Liverpool
• 21:57
  and Edge Hill all the way in terms of my
• 22:00
  matchup of this division. Um, we've
• 22:02
  talked a lot about the Edge Hill line
• 22:05
  and always, yes, shout out your lineman.
• 22:09
  Love linemen. Um,
• 22:13
  but Edge Hill and Liverpool both have,
• 22:16
  >> and I would I'm going to say this quite
• 22:19
  confidently actually. I'm going to say
• 22:20
  this with my chest. Edge Hill and
• 22:22
  Liverpool and the Liverpool Raptors have
• 22:25
  two of the best
• 22:27
  young British running backs in the game.
• 22:31
  Um Mickey Meling um will just film the
• 22:36
  entire game for Edge Hill because he did
• 22:38
  for us at the Nighthawks this year and
• 22:40
  he's an absolute legend and I have just
• 22:44
  blanked on the name of the Raptors
• 22:46
  running back and I'm going to get a DM
• 22:47
  about it later from somebody unhappy
• 22:50
  that I've been failed to give him a
• 22:52
  shout out. But the Raptors also have a
• 22:55
  ridiculously good running back who can
• 22:57
  run between the tackles. I imagine it's
• 23:00
  a quick game. I imagine the ball spends
• 23:01
  a lot of time on the ground.
• 23:04
  >> And it's going to be a really fun one,
• 23:06
  especially if it's raining.
• 23:08
  >> Yeah.
• 23:11
  >> Wasn't it an absolute wash out between
• 23:12
  the two last season?
• 23:14
  >> Yes. They they both lost every game
• 23:18
  against anybody else but split the
• 23:20
  series between them.
• 23:21
  >> Yeah.
• 23:24
  That's it's it's a derby in the making
• 23:27
  and I'm so excited for it because we
• 23:29
  >> you know it's been
• 23:32
  years if we've ever seen Ed Sheerland
• 23:35
  Liverpool play a competitive game.
• 23:38
  >> But that being said, we've spent quite a
• 23:41
  bit of time on that division completely
• 23:43
  understandably so and we will inevitably
• 23:45
  do exactly the same when we get to
• 23:46
  Aberiswith.
• 23:48
  But let's break it up. Shiv, let's get
• 23:51
  to know our guest a little bit. Okay. So
• 23:54
  if so this is quite like everyone loves
• 23:57
  you know these mascots and stuff in
• 23:59
  every team. Every team has a mascot. So
• 24:00
  my question to you guys is if you made
• 24:03
  your own American football team in
• 24:05
  Britain you know started from scratch
• 24:08
  wherever
• 24:10
  mascot would you have to help you along
• 24:12
  the way?
• 24:18
  >> Who's going first on this one then?
• 24:20
  >> Right. I I'll go.
• 24:21
  >> Go on then.
• 24:22
  Um, so we're in we're in a bit of a
• 24:25
  weird area. We touched on it with the
• 24:26
  previous league that places like Edge
• 24:29
  Hill and Raptors benefit from having
• 24:32
  Nighthawks so close to them. I think a
• 24:34
  big thing for Banger and Abberestwith as
• 24:36
  well because I graduated from Abberwith
• 24:39
  was down there for three years. So I've
• 24:41
  got ties to the two. I think the thing
• 24:42
  that I always stands out to me to us two
• 24:44
  teams is that we don't really have
• 24:46
  anybody nearby. The teams in the south
• 24:48
  have benefited from having Bristol.
• 24:50
  They've got the South Wales Warriors.
• 24:52
  We're kind of out on a limb on our own.
• 24:53
  We talk about Chester, but Chester's
• 24:56
  still over a good hour or so away from
• 24:58
  Banger. I mean, two, I think, from um 3
• 25:02
  hours everywhere so far from Smith.
• 25:05
  Don't get me started on that road. But
• 25:07
  like one of my long-term goals is I'd
• 25:10
  love to see a team set up in North
• 25:12
  Wales. Um, one of the one of the things
• 25:16
  that we were milling about with when we
• 25:18
  were talking about the rebrand, the
• 25:19
  names that might come up and our hand
• 25:21
  was forced by the whole theod thing, um,
• 25:24
  I mean, not particularly, but it made
• 25:26
  the decision for us is we were talking
• 25:28
  about keeping with the Welsh tradition
• 25:29
  of names. Um, and we were thinking
• 25:32
  keeping with the green and the Welsh
• 25:34
  name for Snowonia is a Rury, which means
• 25:36
  land of the eagles. So, we'd probably go
• 25:38
  with the name the Erid, like the North
• 25:40
  Wales Eagles playing a green kit. So,
• 25:43
  we'd probably have a mascot that looked
• 25:44
  a little bit like that one Muppet um
• 25:47
  from the Muppet Show, like in a green
• 25:50
  jersey. Probably go with something like
• 25:51
  that would be my choice for a mascot.
• 25:55
  >> I wasn't expecting that to go the way of
• 25:57
  Sammy talking about it.
• 26:00
  >> A deep hole knowing his government name
• 26:02
  there. Sammy the Eagle.
• 26:04
  >> The Eagle. Matt, what about yourself?
• 26:08
  >> Um, well, I've been in Abberisa for
• 26:10
  about five years. Um,
• 26:13
  and some people tell me I've been here
• 26:14
  too long. Um, but yeah, I agree with
• 26:17
  you. It's something I've talked about
• 26:17
  with some of my guys. I've got a few of
• 26:20
  my guys are from North Wales. Like my
• 26:21
  right guard, he's from um, Canavan and
• 26:25
  stuff. And we've been talking about
• 26:26
  getting a north a north Welsh team
• 26:28
  because as Joe said, Avaris, it's in the
• 26:31
  middle of nowhere. Our nearest teams are
• 26:33
  South Wales Warriors which is like four
• 26:35
  hours by train.
• 26:37
  >> You got um shots revs shots revolution.
• 26:42
  They're a three and a half hour train.
• 26:43
  Chess is a three-hour train. So having a
• 26:46
  north team would be nice and if I was
• 26:49
  keeping with Welsh traditions I'd love
• 26:50
  to have a dragon. Like Abberis our
• 26:53
  mascot is a big red dragon.
• 26:55
  >> I'd love to have that. like we have with
• 26:59
  playing red because as apparently our SU
• 27:01
  said a few years ago, we're a Welsh uni.
• 27:03
  We'll play with red. Um so yeah, I'd
• 27:07
  love to have a big red dragon as our
• 27:09
  logo and our um mascot as well.
• 27:13
  >> Love that.
• 27:14
  >> That's great.
• 27:16
  >> You
• 27:17
  >> Well, so when you asked mascot, my brain
• 27:21
  went to a completely different place.
• 27:24
  Um, these guys are talking about, you
• 27:26
  know, people in costumes. I went
• 27:29
  straight to NCAA mascots where they just
• 27:33
  sort of have a bison that does a lap and
• 27:36
  pitch
• 27:38
  or and
• 27:40
  for no other reason, absolutely no other
• 27:43
  reason than I am stood with my laptop on
• 27:47
  the top of a dresser in my bedroom and
• 27:50
  my girlfriend has a teddy just
• 27:54
  oh
• 27:56
  >> one of them would be sick. That would be
• 27:58
  really cool.
• 27:59
  >> Exus are doing something right with
• 28:00
  Bevo.
• 28:02
  >> Yeah, something like that. Big cow or a
• 28:04
  bull or We've all seen odder things
• 28:07
  happen on a brick ball pitch.
• 28:09
  >> Yeah, you're not wrong. Like a bike in
• 28:12
  the middle of a game.
• 28:14
  >> Yeah.
• 28:16
  >> What about you, Shiv? What's your shout
• 28:18
  for a hypothetical mascot? So, my
• 28:21
  favorite animal ever is a quacker, but I
• 28:24
  don't know if they're the most
• 28:25
  intimidating animals for like an
• 28:26
  American football team name. Um, so my
• 28:30
  second favorite animal I reckon a rhino.
• 28:32
  Like if I could a Brit team Northwest
• 28:36
  cuz I now I feel I feel like I'm Welsh
• 28:38
  now. Do you know what I mean? I've been
• 28:39
  here for the past year, you know? It's
• 28:40
  it's my home to me now. But like open up
• 28:43
  a little Brit team in Anglesy or
• 28:45
  something like that and have like
• 28:46
  Anglesy rhinos or something like that I
• 28:48
  think would be so cool. I then um just
• 28:51
  dominate against you know Chester Romans
• 28:53
  and then when the div two div two north
• 28:56
  or whatever league you guys are in.
• 28:58
  >> Hey we're div one.
• 28:59
  >> Oh div one. Sorry my bad. My bad.
• 29:02
  >> Hey the Rex and Rhinos would go
• 29:04
  unnecessarily hard.
• 29:05
  >> Rex and Rhinos. Oh my gosh. I don't even
• 29:08
  think about Rexom. Um Oh yeah. I think
• 29:11
  that's I think we got a new like little
• 29:13
  business plan in the making. That's
• 29:15
  really good.
• 29:17
  But yeah, now the rhinos um or the
• 29:20
  cockers, but I don't Yeah, again I don't
• 29:21
  think cockers are that intimidating.
• 29:23
  They're like the nicest little animals
• 29:24
  ever. But yeah, now that that would be
• 29:26
  my answer. So um yeah,
• 29:29
  >> but the question about mascots does
• 29:32
  bring it back to a central thing. We are
• 29:34
  going to bring this all back to banger
• 29:35
  one last time before we move on.
• 29:39
  Are the odd getting a new mascot?
• 29:41
  Because that's terrifying.
• 29:42
  >> It's horrifying, isn't it?
• 29:45
  Oh, wait. What does it say underneath of
• 29:47
  Barcel 2025? Quickly, M. Can you read it
• 29:50
  for us, please?
• 29:51
  >> Hey, hey, all I'm saying is as a whole,
• 29:54
  Abberresses when it comes to sports
• 29:55
  isn't as good as banger. However,
• 29:58
  American football in the past year,
• 29:59
  apart from this year, just gone. Apart
• 30:00
  from this year,
• 30:01
  >> many future years coming as well.
• 30:03
  >> Apart from this year, just gone. We have
• 30:06
  dominated.
• 30:07
  >> That's all I'm saying.
• 30:09
  >> It's true. I mean, even the 2025, we
• 30:11
  lost the fixture. We hadn't won the
• 30:13
  varsity fixture since 2019, I think it
• 30:16
  was, prior to this year.
• 30:18
  >> Um, we get the post to say we've won it
• 30:21
  every year whilst we're there like
• 30:23
  having had a 50 burger put on us. So,
• 30:25
  you know, there's only so much you can
• 30:28
  brag. But yeah, look at that lion, man.
• 30:30
  >> We only live in the present, guys.
• 30:31
  That's all I have to say.
• 30:34
  >> That lion is nightmare fuel. I'm gonna
• 30:37
  be seeing that later.
• 30:38
  >> You know what? Shout out to our ex
• 30:40
  captain Isaac. He did pull it off last
• 30:42
  year when we when he was um walking
• 30:45
  around in that costume. Um yeah, know we
• 30:49
  might need a little rebranding of that.
• 30:53
  Right. Let me see if I can find where we
• 30:55
  were at. For anybody that has never done
• 30:59
  podcasting before, the little tiles that
• 31:02
  I've got down the side with our slides
• 31:03
  are really small and I don't have my
• 31:05
  glasses on. Um,
• 31:07
  >> so that takes us to there to div 2
• 31:11
  northeast. Now
• 31:13
  >> a four team division, boys. We've got
• 31:16
  the whole
• 31:17
  >> six team to 14.
• 31:21
  >> We've got the Hull Sharks. We've got the
• 31:23
  Lincoln Colonels, the Sunderland
• 31:25
  Spartans, and the York St. John Jaguars.
• 31:30
  Lads, talk to me about this one. What?
• 31:34
  How do you even approach talking about a
• 31:36
  four team division?
• 31:40
  >> I mean, if anyone's interested in div 2
• 31:43
  Northeast, you're not going to have a
• 31:44
  lot of stuff to like
• 31:46
  study, you know, only like my mass
• 31:50
  reading. Two games probably per whatever
• 31:52
  game week it is anyway. But, um, I find
• 31:56
  it so bizarre the whole or the the team
• 31:59
  selection process. Do you know what I
• 32:02
  Like even the last division was saying
• 32:04
  how Cambridge is in like div or midlands
• 32:08
  and then Birmingham are in the south,
• 32:10
  you know.
• 32:12
  Yeah. No, I mean for me the bizarness of
• 32:15
  it is the thing that stands out the
• 32:16
  most, but um I think it's a very
• 32:19
  interesting um league. Um
• 32:23
  I'm
• 32:25
  is one of those ones where I I can't say
• 32:27
  confidently who I think will do really
• 32:29
  well, who won't do amazingly, but uh
• 32:32
  yeah. No, I think there it'll be very
• 32:34
  interesting to keep up with it in the
• 32:36
  future podcast episodes.
• 32:38
  >> Yeah. So the really interesting
• 32:42
  situation out of this division last
• 32:43
  year. So the York Centurions topped the
• 32:46
  division at 30 and two. two ties
• 32:52
  and those ties were against the Hull
• 32:54
  Sharks and the Sunderland Spartans who
• 32:57
  are still here and Lincoln are coming
• 32:59
  over from the Midlands division after
• 33:03
  going 0 and6.
• 33:05
  You know, are we looking at this one
• 33:07
  thinking there's going to be two teams
• 33:09
  competing at the top and two teams
• 33:10
  competing at the bottom and it's as
• 33:13
  simple as that?
• 33:15
  >> I think it's going to be just really
• 33:17
  close. I I mean we say it's really
• 33:20
  close. There's not really much you can
• 33:22
  go off, but uh
• 33:25
  yeah. No, um from from my notes anyway,
• 33:29
  um I think Hull will be very interesting
• 33:32
  to watch. Um
• 33:35
  they they've got big, you know, program
• 33:37
  history. They got they've won
• 33:38
  experience, I'm pretty sure.
• 33:40
  um you know there the potential for a
• 33:44
  big bounce back I say you know get back
• 33:47
  up to div one but uh
• 33:50
  yeah get out
• 33:52
  I can't say confidently like what what
• 33:56
  will happen is it's that thing where we
• 33:58
  say it's really early predictions and
• 34:00
  this is like I think way too early for
• 34:02
  me to even like sort of get a grasp on
• 34:05
  it but um
• 34:07
  >> yeah totally I completely agree in a
• 34:10
  division where it's more than likely two
• 34:12
  wins will see you at least make the
• 34:14
  playoffs if not get promoted.
• 34:17
  >> Yeah, it's it's anybody's game at that
• 34:19
  point.
• 34:20
  >> Yeah.
• 34:22
  >> So Joe, Matt, anything to add about this
• 34:25
  one or can we just keep it moving?
• 34:29
  >> Who knows? I mean Sunland Yeah.
• 34:31
  Sunland's there was a guy who was ex
• 34:33
  Aber last year, Bayer. He was their I
• 34:36
  think their running back coach or he had
• 34:38
  a coaching position there and I heard a
• 34:40
  lot about Sunland. They were a decent
• 34:42
  team. Um as you said they were one of
• 34:44
  the two draws that the York Centurions
• 34:47
  got last year. Um but in the nice way
• 34:50
  possible to this division I don't know
• 34:51
  enough about it
• 34:52
  >> and in the I this will probably get
• 34:54
  clipped.
• 34:56
  >> It's probably the irrelevant division of
• 34:58
  div 2. sad to say. Um cuz I don't think
• 35:03
  like Hull, they'll be the standout team.
• 35:06
  But yeah, I don't think this division is
• 35:09
  going to give us anything sadly. Sorry
• 35:13
  to say this to all the teams this
• 35:14
  division. I know it's going to I'm
• 35:15
  probably get messaged after this or
• 35:17
  something. So I'm sorry,
• 35:19
  >> but hey, it's always football's not
• 35:21
  played on paper. It's paid on grass and
• 35:24
  all of those cliches and horrible
• 35:26
  journalism things. But it's the
• 35:29
  divisions where you don't know
• 35:32
  beforehand where you tend to get the
• 35:35
  most fun football to watch. So, we'll be
• 35:38
  keeping an eye on it. Um, I'll be
• 35:41
  keeping a really close eye on York St.
• 35:44
  John because it's the first year in a
• 35:46
  while that my Centurions have been in a
• 35:49
  different division to them. So, just be
• 35:52
  an interesting one to keep an eye on.
• 35:54
  But
• 35:55
  let's keep it clean moving to the
• 35:58
  Midlands. This is the division that the
• 35:59
  Lincoln Colonels just left. And we
• 36:02
  covered this one pretty in depth when we
• 36:04
  had um Alexander Aguida of the Worcester
• 36:06
  Royals on back in episode
• 36:10
  two. I want to say
• 36:13
  >> I think it was two or three. One of
• 36:15
  them.
• 36:15
  >> I think it was two.
• 36:16
  >> Yeah. But we've got the Coventry Jets
• 36:19
  who made the playoffs last year. the DMU
• 36:22
  Lions, the Leicester Longhorns on a
• 36:23
  relegation, the Staff Stallions and the
• 36:26
  Worcester Royals coming into this
• 36:28
  division from elsewhere, and the brand
• 36:31
  new, you wouldn't guess from the name,
• 36:33
  but the brand new Nottingham third team,
• 36:38
  >> what are we seeing on paper? What's
• 36:40
  immediately jumping out of off the
• 36:42
  screen at this one?
• 36:44
  >> For me personally, it hits close to
• 36:46
  home. you know, two Leicester teams. I
• 36:49
  know a few people who coach and play for
• 36:51
  each team. Um, I know it's very early to
• 36:55
  before you even ask, but that's the
• 36:56
  that's the little rivalry I'm re looking
• 36:59
  forward to. Um, you know, from what I've
• 37:03
  heard, the rivalry is quite big. They
• 37:06
  It's not like Aaris with Bang where it's
• 37:08
  like friendly rivalry. They actually
• 37:09
  don't like each other. So, um, I think
• 37:11
  that'll be really fun to watch. Uh, I
• 37:14
  want to be able to try and get down to
• 37:15
  watch that cuz I think be so funny with
• 37:17
  um, you know, some people from the
• 37:19
  Panthers, their affiliation with them.
• 37:21
  But, uh, I, you know, the Nottingham
• 37:25
  third team for me, like before the
• 37:27
  episode started, I was talking to Dods
• 37:28
  about it. You know, these teams with
• 37:30
  multiple teams in every division, I just
• 37:32
  think is
• 37:34
  I person I just think it is so wrong.
• 37:37
  Like, it's I mean, look, fair enough,
• 37:40
  you're doing well. you've got the
• 37:41
  recruitment and stuff, you've got enough
• 37:43
  for three teams and probably even more.
• 37:45
  But it's just that whole controversy
• 37:48
  about, you know, some people from the
• 37:50
  higher divisions can come down to help
• 37:52
  out, you know, the lower divisions, you
• 37:54
  know, all that's even though that's not
• 37:55
  meant to happen.
• 37:57
  I think it's bound to happen. It's
• 37:59
  inevitable. Do you know what I mean? And
• 38:01
  um
• 38:02
  I just there's no need like I think
• 38:05
  something that makes American football
• 38:07
  so special in uni is the fact there's
• 38:10
  majority of them there's only one team
• 38:12
  you know it's a niche sport there not a
• 38:14
  lot of people it's a growing sport in
• 38:16
  England but uh when having three teams
• 38:18
  like that I think you're just being a
• 38:19
  bit greedy
• 38:22
  that's my take on it anyway but uh
• 38:25
  >> I'm very excited for the Leicester game
• 38:27
  the Leicester rivalry
• 38:29
  Yeah, we will definitely we will
• 38:32
  definitely be asking Tanya about the
• 38:35
  permutations and rules of players
• 38:38
  dotting around between the three
• 38:40
  Nottingham teams and the two Huey teams.
• 38:42
  And that's a conversation for Monday.
• 38:46
  >> But
• 38:48
  for me, the thing that jumps off the
• 38:50
  page is they brought Worcester into this
• 38:52
  one. Fair enough. They were in one of
• 38:55
  the South divisions last year. They
• 38:57
  brought Staffordshire in
• 39:00
  which was an interesting call because of
• 39:03
  the two Liverpool-based teams coming
• 39:06
  down into the Northwest and they've
• 39:08
  introduced Nottingham.
• 39:10
  Could they not have found a way to put
• 39:13
  either Staffordshire or Nottingham
• 39:17
  in the Northeast so we get five two five
• 39:20
  team divisions rather than a six and a
• 39:22
  four?
• 39:25
  >> Definitely.
• 39:28
  I'm sorry. There's got to be some way
• 39:29
  you can do it. It's just
• 39:32
  because it's also to do with like it's
• 39:36
  a bit unfair to these other teams or
• 39:38
  other divisions. Like when you talk
• 39:39
  about the teams with four um the
• 39:41
  previous le um division, I mean for me,
• 39:45
  one thing I'd love is playing as many
• 39:46
  different teams as possible. If you're
• 39:48
  stuck playing the same teams all the
• 39:50
  time,
• 39:51
  >> it's fun, don't get me wrong, but it's
• 39:53
  just it's a bit boring. you know, you
• 39:55
  want that extra challenge of, you know,
• 39:56
  studying film, not knowing who you're
• 39:58
  going to be against, like the
• 40:00
  unpredictability of it, you know. So,
• 40:02
  um,
• 40:04
  >> yeah, I feel there's got to be some way
• 40:07
  they could have they could have made a
• 40:08
  bit more fair,
• 40:10
  >> you know. Um, what do you guys think?
• 40:14
  >> I think these are questions for Monday,
• 40:16
  really, aren't they?
• 40:17
  >> Yeah,
• 40:19
  >> there's got to be something behind the
• 40:20
  alignments. I'm not too sure what it is.
• 40:23
  Um, we'll see. But it's quite a strong
• 40:26
  division, isn't it really? When you look
• 40:28
  at it, we go from the last one and it's
• 40:30
  hard to sort of split hairs between the
• 40:32
  Hall, Sunderland, York, St. John.
• 40:34
  Looking at this one, it's it's the same
• 40:36
  again, isn't it? Coventry Jets are
• 40:38
  historically quite a good team. DMU
• 40:40
  Lions have been on a good run recently.
• 40:42
  Lesser Long Horns having come from down
• 40:44
  from div one. Teams that drop from div
• 40:46
  one tend to do quite well when they
• 40:48
  settle into div 2. Nottingham Green
• 40:53
  Haven't got a clue. Haven't got a clue.
• 40:55
  We know that they're an excellent set.
• 40:56
  We know they've got great coaching. We
• 40:58
  know that they've got all the tools that
• 41:00
  they need to, but how far does that
• 41:02
  depth stretch to allow them to have a
• 41:04
  third team that is then competitive in
• 41:06
  div 2?
• 41:09
  >> I think they I think they'll do quite
• 41:11
  well,
• 41:13
  but I just I don't know how far a squad
• 41:16
  can go. If you think you've got a game
• 41:17
  day squad of about 30, are you looking
• 41:19
  at the then the 60 best players being in
• 41:22
  the first two squads and then the
• 41:24
  remainder being in this one? Do they
• 41:25
  have numbers regularly? How do they fill
• 41:27
  those numbers out? Um, it's exciting,
• 41:30
  but it I think because nobody's done it
• 41:31
  before, it leaves some massive questions
• 41:33
  to be honest. Um, Stallions historically
• 41:36
  have been a big a good team, but they
• 41:38
  come from that absolute nightmare of a
• 41:41
  league that we're entering this year
• 41:42
  when nobody really played any games. I
• 41:45
  think off memory I think they played
• 41:48
  three games last year at Staffordshire
• 41:50
  and one of them was right towards the
• 41:51
  end against LJMU. Um two games was it?
• 41:56
  >> Just two. Finished with a one and one
• 41:58
  record. They scored 20 points and
• 42:00
  conceded 23.
• 42:02
  >> There you go. Yeah. So,
• 42:04
  I mean, it's in some way it's difficult
• 42:08
  for us to get a gauge on how well these
• 42:10
  teams play and like for us going into
• 42:12
  that division to know how good these
• 42:14
  teams are. But it's the same for
• 42:16
  Stafford as well. They're going into an
• 42:18
  incredibly difficult division now,
• 42:20
  >> having only played two games of football
• 42:22
  in 12 months. I mean, it puts them in a
• 42:24
  really difficult spot to then have to go
• 42:26
  in and play five games in a completely
• 42:29
  new league. Worcester. I know Aleandro
• 42:31
  has been doing some really good work
• 42:33
  there. I think they're a solid looking
• 42:35
  team because they were in Matt's league
• 42:37
  last year. From what I've seen of them,
• 42:39
  they're pretty good and they're on the
• 42:40
  up and up as well. They've been
• 42:41
  improving under the new coaching staff.
• 42:44
  Um it's going to be a tight one. It's
• 42:46
  one of them. It's really is a division
• 42:47
  to watch this one.
• 42:49
  >> Yeah, actually that's a really good
• 42:50
  point about Worcester. Matt, talk to me
• 42:52
  about the Royals. What What are we What
• 42:56
  are we expecting to see from the Royals
• 42:58
  this year? What?
• 43:01
  Talk to me.
• 43:02
  >> Um,
• 43:04
  yeah, the what's the rules? They've
• 43:06
  they've improved a lot. Like I remember
• 43:08
  when I first played them
• 43:10
  >> couple years ago, three years ago maybe
• 43:14
  um at their pitch in Detroit, which I
• 43:16
  think it was, we were 14, we were 140 up
• 43:19
  in the first quarter. Like that's and
• 43:24
  then the following year at in ABA we
• 43:27
  beat them 14-3. Last year they put 50 on
• 43:31
  us.
• 43:31
  >> Yeah.
• 43:32
  >> Like they've been improving silly like
• 43:34
  one of the guys on the team uh Ben Renle
• 43:37
  Aba. Um they've got a good coaching
• 43:40
  staff, their line, their players, the
• 43:42
  QB, everything. They're well drilled.
• 43:44
  like they've got I can't I can't
• 43:46
  remember exactly which um which team
• 43:49
  Alessandra Ga coaches at, but they've
• 43:52
  got a lot of people that play adult ball
• 43:54
  or have been around adult ball. So, the
• 43:57
  quality is there. So, I think they could
• 43:59
  be a surprise in this division this year
• 44:02
  to be brutally honest.
• 44:05
  >> A surprise in the sense of Worcester
• 44:08
  making a wave.
• 44:09
  >> Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Like they'll be
• 44:12
  they'll come in and people be like, "Oh,
• 44:13
  they haven't been in this division for a
• 44:15
  few years." Because I think they used to
• 44:16
  be in here, then got moved, and then
• 44:17
  they've been moved back.
• 44:18
  >> Yeah.
• 44:19
  >> So, I think they could be the surprise
• 44:20
  package because everyone's going, as you
• 44:22
  guys said,
• 44:22
  >> DMU, Leicester, Coventry,
• 44:25
  >> the the established teams potentially,
• 44:28
  you could say, in this division or in
• 44:29
  this region. Worcester coming in could
• 44:32
  be the surprise.
• 44:34
  >> So, put yourself in Worcester's shoes
• 44:37
  then. put yourself in
• 44:39
  Aleandro's headset.
• 44:42
  Who's the team that's got a target on
• 44:43
  the back? Who are you looking at as the
• 44:46
  ones you got to knock off to take this
• 44:47
  one home?
• 44:49
  >> I'd say the one, well, I'd say the two
• 44:52
  potentially you could say that he'd have
• 44:54
  to knock off would be DMU
• 44:59
  >> and I think Coventry. H
• 45:02
  >> I think Leicester coming down I'd say
• 45:05
  Leicester are the stronger of the two
• 45:07
  Leicester based sides potentially. I
• 45:10
  don't know them as much but I think they
• 45:11
  are. Um so I think DMU and Comil
• 45:15
  established teams in this division. I
• 45:17
  think they are the ones that need to be
• 45:20
  knocked off as you said to or sort of
• 45:23
  get past to really stamp their foot.
• 45:26
  >> Yeah totally. Um
• 45:30
  Joe, anything from you in terms of who
• 45:33
  you reckon is going to be at the top
• 45:34
  spot in this one?
• 45:36
  >> Uh same same again really. I think the
• 45:40
  MU Coventry, I'd probably put Coventry
• 45:42
  top of the pile for me. Um with regards
• 45:44
  to expectations, I think if we're
• 45:46
  talking teams that are going to have a
• 45:47
  target on their back, I think Nottingham
• 45:50
  naturally are going to have that target.
• 45:52
  I mean, yes, they're Nottingham third,
• 45:54
  Greens, whatever we're going to call
• 45:56
  them, but every team in this league is
• 45:58
  going to look at them as a sort of scalp
• 45:59
  to take. Um, to say that they've got
• 46:02
  that victory over Nottingham. Um,
• 46:05
  yeah, like I say, it'd be good to see
• 46:07
  how that plays out, but I think it
• 46:09
  really they're they're going to be the
• 46:11
  team with a target on their back because
• 46:12
  I think they're going to be if Coventry
• 46:14
  are going to set the st the ceiling,
• 46:16
  then I think Nottingham are going to be
• 46:18
  like the benchmark for a lot of teams of
• 46:20
  what they consider like a good program.
• 46:22
  If we can do better than Nottingham,
• 46:23
  we're going to do well.
• 46:25
  >> Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Um because
• 46:27
  there's a really interesting um dynamic
• 46:30
  in this one that last year Leicester um
• 46:33
  came dead last in div one mids and Yorks
• 46:37
  um 0 and8 horrible season for them but
• 46:40
  as part of that season they got their
• 46:43
  absolute doors blown off by the old
• 46:46
  Nottingham Green.
• 46:48
  If you were attached to the Leicester
• 46:50
  Longhorns is is that a dynamic that
• 46:53
  you're bringing in? Is that the scalp
• 46:54
  you want to take purely as a get right
• 46:57
  from last year?
• 47:00
  >> Would be for me. Yeah,
• 47:03
  I think you remember these big losses
• 47:05
  sometimes. There's some for me that like
• 47:07
  throughout my career, there's losses
• 47:09
  I've had sort of 10 years ago that I
• 47:11
  still look at teams and think I won't
• 47:12
  mind getting one back over them. So, I'm
• 47:15
  sure the I'm sure the group of people at
• 47:17
  Leicester have got an eye on that
• 47:18
  fixture and thinking for whatever it's
• 47:20
  worth, whether it's just pride, whether
• 47:23
  it's just points, whatever, I'm sure
• 47:25
  they've got an eye on that fixture to
• 47:27
  think that in some way it might write
• 47:28
  some wrongs.
• 47:30
  >> Yeah, totally. Right.
• 47:34
  Anything to add on this one from either
• 47:36
  of the three of you?
• 47:39
  >> No. Cool. Well, then that's two more
• 47:41
  divisions in the locker.
• 47:44
  And over to you.
• 47:46
  >> Yeah. So, this one is a bit more I
• 47:48
  watched um that zombie movie with Brad
• 47:52
  Pitt. I forgot World War Z I think it's
• 47:54
  called. And it got me thinking if like
• 47:57
  you were partnered up with a position
• 48:00
  in, you know, American football in the
• 48:01
  game. Who would you want like position
• 48:04
  wise and why?
• 48:07
  >> In zombie apocalypse.
• 48:08
  >> In the zombie apocalypse.
• 48:13
  cornerbacks.
• 48:16
  >> Explain that one to me.
• 48:18
  >> Yeah. No, that was a bit rogue.
• 48:19
  >> Yeah. Okay. So, I think it's easy to
• 48:22
  think, yeah, I'm just going to stand
• 48:24
  there and sort of trade Knox with a wave
• 48:27
  full of zombies. But reality, the job's
• 48:29
  going to be to try and just survive in
• 48:30
  it. So, I think if you're looking at
• 48:32
  cornerbacks as a group, they tend to be
• 48:34
  the most live. I doubt they've got the
• 48:35
  appetites of offensive defensive
• 48:37
  linemen. So, probably the food needs
• 48:38
  going to be a bit lower. great cardio,
• 48:41
  cover like a great amount of ground. I
• 48:44
  think I think overall I think
• 48:46
  cornerbacks are probably the best tool
• 48:48
  to kind of survive in the long run. Um I
• 48:52
  think that was my thinking really
• 48:53
  because I'd just be I'd be turning and
• 48:55
  giving it legs. I wouldn't be trying to
• 48:56
  turn around and trade blows with
• 48:57
  anything.
• 48:58
  >> Okay.
• 48:58
  >> No hero in me. They'd be seeing a clean
• 49:00
  pair of heels and I'd be up the road.
• 49:03
  >> I respect that actually. Matt, what are
• 49:06
  we thinking on that?
• 49:08
  >> I'm a lineman. I've got a I've got I'm
• 49:11
  gonna trust my lineman to be the best
• 49:14
  position, I think, because you can they
• 49:16
  could do heavy lifting. So, if you want
• 49:18
  to create like some sort of base or
• 49:20
  something, they can lift stuff. They can
• 49:22
  move stuff around. Yeah, the food intake
• 49:24
  might be a little high, but I'm I'm sure
• 49:27
  they we could we could ration something.
• 49:30
  Um, if you need to get into a fight at
• 49:32
  all, they're the strongest people, so
• 49:35
  they'll go they'll go down swinging. And
• 49:37
  there is that brotherhood there. Like
• 49:39
  people always say like the skill
• 49:41
  positions they are individuals you could
• 49:44
  say. Whereas the line is a we are a
• 49:47
  group. We're we're a team. So that
• 49:48
  teamwork that you would need to survive
• 49:50
  is there.
• 49:51
  >> So I'd say I'd say a lineman
• 49:53
  >> O line D line either or I'm with Matt.
• 49:57
  I'm with Matt as a quarterback. You know
• 50:01
  when stuff starts getting real I want my
• 50:03
  lineman there with me.
• 50:06
  If I only get one, give me my left
• 50:08
  tackle. But if I get a group, give me my
• 50:10
  starting five.
• 50:13
  >> Yeah. No, you know what?
• 50:14
  >> Talk to me.
• 50:15
  >> For me, I I agree. It's the line. And
• 50:18
  specifically my my lesser Panthers
• 50:21
  brothers and sister back at back at home
• 50:23
  that because also it's not just the
• 50:26
  protecting you're getting. You have so
• 50:29
  much fun with them as well. Like I feel
• 50:30
  like the entertainment value in a zombie
• 50:32
  apocalypse. You you forget you're in a
• 50:34
  zombie apocalypse. Do you know what I
• 50:35
  mean? Like the amount of like games
• 50:37
  you'd play, like conversations you'd
• 50:40
  have, like the most random stuff ever,
• 50:42
  but it'll it'll be a nice way to like
• 50:44
  just forget about all these green
• 50:46
  monster people running around trying to
• 50:48
  kill you and stuff. Do you know what I
• 50:50
  mean? But yeah, no, the cornerback is a
• 50:53
  very rogue answer. If it wasn't the
• 50:55
  line, I would say quarterback just
• 50:56
  because of the cleverest people like
• 50:58
  just tell me what to do and I'll
• 50:59
  probably do it. Do you know what I mean?
• 51:00
  Like if it's if it's to survive, I'm
• 51:03
  sure Yeah. the call back the most clever
• 51:07
  person on the field
• 51:09
  like according to the game stuff but uh
• 51:12
  yeah no but it would be the my lineman
• 51:15
  at home.
• 51:16
  >> Yeah and we'll just have to deal with
• 51:18
  the food intake as we go.
• 51:19
  >> Yeah.
• 51:22
  the foot.
• 51:24
  Speaking of our left tackles and our
• 51:26
  lineman, Matt.
• 51:28
  >> Hello.
• 51:31
  >> Talk to me about div two southwest.
• 51:34
  So, we've got the Batsbar Bulldogs,
• 51:36
  Glouester Gladiators returning. We got
• 51:39
  the Plymouth Blitz get coming down from
• 51:41
  div one. The Yui Bullets twos who won
• 51:43
  the whole damn thing last year. And our
• 51:47
  guys at Abberiswith.
• 51:50
  Talk to me.
• 51:53
  >> This this division as a whole, I'd say
• 51:57
  personally I'd say in the South it's the
• 51:59
  toughest division to call
• 52:02
  cuz you've got the Gloss Gisha
• 52:04
  Gladiators with Simon Bennett, he's a
• 52:07
  head coach. They're well drilled team. I
• 52:10
  know a couple years ago they were having
• 52:11
  some teething issues as you could say
• 52:14
  with loads of rollover with coaches, but
• 52:16
  they've reestablished themselves.
• 52:18
  They're a strong team. They've got a
• 52:20
  good They've got good players, good
• 52:22
  coaches. Plymouth
• 52:25
  for years, us against Plymouth, I know
• 52:27
  that coach says, shout out to Plymouth
• 52:29
  Blitz. It's always a close game with us.
• 52:31
  Like I think in the three years I've
• 52:33
  played them, we've had one draw, two
• 52:34
  losses, and both those losses have been
• 52:36
  by one score.
• 52:38
  >> Um the Bullets twos or the bullet 1.5s
• 52:43
  as we like to call them. Um,
• 52:48
  yeah, that's a that's another one of
• 52:49
  don't get me started on them bringing
• 52:51
  down first team players because I'm
• 52:52
  pretty sure when we played them a couple
• 52:54
  years ago at UE, they had their running
• 52:57
  back stood there in an Aston Genty
• 52:59
  stance and then on the very first play
• 53:01
  of the game ran and scored and we then
• 53:04
  checked afterwards he'd played the day
• 53:06
  before for their first team against
• 53:07
  Durham.
• 53:09
  Um, and it's like I know a few of their
• 53:11
  players like posting end of season being
• 53:13
  like, "Oh, it's great to be in two
• 53:15
  playoff finals
• 53:18
  >> playing in them." I'm just like there's
• 53:20
  just something odd there. But they've
• 53:22
  got I can't remember his name uh QB from
• 53:25
  Nottingham Trent to not he's been
• 53:27
  brought in on a scholarship to play for
• 53:29
  their twos.
• 53:30
  >> Yeah,
• 53:31
  >> like being able to do that is just it's
• 53:33
  it's their division to lose. Um, but I
• 53:36
  see how he plays on BL, a nice bogggy
• 53:38
  ground. Basar,
• 53:40
  I have no hatred towards Baspar. Like
• 53:42
  they were the team, they were the easy
• 53:45
  team for the past few years until the
• 53:48
  year just gone. Um, but like us and
• 53:51
  Baspar, we are the two, I don't say
• 53:54
  underdogs of this division, but
• 53:57
  >> yeah, Baspar, no hate. They're good.
• 54:00
  They're good lads. Good laugh. And then
• 54:02
  yeah, Taranber. We are rebuilding you
• 54:06
  could say like we've gone from past
• 54:08
  three years. We had two playoff years
• 54:09
  when we had a good solid team and then
• 54:12
  all of that team graduated.
• 54:14
  >> Um which is a part of Uniball. It's what
• 54:17
  you get stuck with players graduating
• 54:19
  and leaving and so
• 54:21
  >> yeah it's
• 54:24
  about that rebuild though. Talk to me
• 54:25
  about coming into this knowing that
• 54:28
  you're in a rebuild year, knowing that
• 54:29
  you're the underdogs, you off the back
• 54:32
  of a winless season last year. What What
• 54:36
  are you looking to do this year? What's
• 54:38
  going to constitute
• 54:40
  what what do you have to do to
• 54:42
  constitute a good year regardless of the
• 54:44
  results on the table at the end of it
• 54:46
  all?
• 54:47
  >> Um
• 54:49
  firstly, playing all of our games. That
• 54:52
  would be a good start because we g had
• 54:54
  to give two walkovers last year. One was
• 54:56
  against Swansea which we apologize for.
• 54:58
  Um we just didn't have enough players
• 55:00
  like it was in it was in January. We
• 55:03
  didn't have enough players back to make
• 55:04
  a squad so we had we had to give the
• 55:05
  walk over there. And then the other one
• 55:07
  was against UEIE. Um the game got washed
• 55:10
  out like we and we just couldn't
• 55:13
  rearrange it in time. It was so short
• 55:14
  notice. So we apologized to both those
• 55:16
  teams for that. Um, so yeah, I'd say
• 55:18
  playing all our games first and
• 55:20
  foremost, that would be a successful
• 55:21
  year for us. And then if we are going to
• 55:25
  talk about anything to do with on the
• 55:26
  playing side of things, like last year,
• 55:27
  we didn't score a single touchdown last
• 55:29
  year.
• 55:30
  >> Yeah,
• 55:30
  >> we scored two points, which was from a
• 55:32
  safety.
• 55:33
  >> Getting a touchdown on offense
• 55:36
  would be a good start. And then from
• 55:38
  there, you can just build from there.
• 55:39
  getting a win, getting two wins,
• 55:42
  like being able to just build and keep
• 55:46
  progressing would be the best way to do
• 55:47
  it, I'd say, and best thing for us.
• 55:52
  Totally. Um, yeah, I think that's a
• 55:55
  really lovely way to think about
• 55:57
  rebuilding a team and, you know, setting
• 55:59
  a program up in, as you said, a really
• 56:02
  difficult division. Um, Shiv, Joe, talk
• 56:05
  to me about your varsity rivals. What
• 56:09
  are you looking at for them in the
• 56:11
  division? What do you think their
• 56:12
  realistic chances are?
• 56:15
  >> Talk to us.
• 56:16
  >> Personally, like, yeah, we're rivals,
• 56:18
  but I wish them the best. You know, like
• 56:21
  as much as we have that funny rivalry,
• 56:23
  like you you'd want them to do well
• 56:25
  because then if they do well, we'll make
• 56:28
  it a bit of more of a challenge in
• 56:29
  varsity so we don't need to win 39
• 56:31
  again. Do you know what I mean?
• 56:33
  No, but um yeah, seriously. But um no, I
• 56:37
  do hope you guys re rebuild well. You
• 56:40
  know, like you said, the offense I think
• 56:42
  will be the one to work on. Um but like
• 56:46
  you said, the UEI Bullets, they they
• 56:49
  will be the team to beat. They I think
• 56:52
  that'll be the most challenging game for
• 56:53
  Abberis with. Um
• 56:57
  I think Bath Spar will be a fun game to
• 56:59
  watch when you guys play them. um like
• 57:02
  let us know when you guys do play them
• 57:04
  or I think it'll be fun to try and see
• 57:05
  if we can sort out something to watch
• 57:07
  that. But uh yeah, now
• 57:11
  just wish wish you guys the best of luck
• 57:13
  really. Like in all seriousness, it's um
• 57:16
  I think it'll be tough, but I don't
• 57:18
  think it'll be impossible for you guys.
• 57:21
  You you could really surprise a lot of
• 57:23
  people this year, but um yeah, that's my
• 57:26
  take on it.
• 57:29
  F Joe, from a coaching perspective, are
• 57:32
  you on the same grounds or you got a
• 57:36
  different insight into the concept of
• 57:37
  rebuilding?
• 57:39
  >> No, absolutely. Um, like I said, I'm I'm
• 57:41
  ABA graduate. I was there between 2009
• 57:45
  and 2012.
• 57:47
  >> Long ago.
• 57:48
  >> Yeah. In a you were born.
• 57:50
  >> I think I was two maybe.
• 57:52
  >> That's wild. But yeah, I was there a
• 57:54
  while back and tani for me were always
• 57:57
  the big like should have done it type
• 57:59
  thing. I never played American football
• 58:00
  in uni. I played digs league. I played a
• 58:03
  lot of like soccer football. Um but it
• 58:06
  was one of those lingering things that
• 58:07
  once I finally graduated, I was like
• 58:09
  quite disappointed in the fact that I
• 58:11
  never dragged myself down to something.
• 58:14
  So I've always had a bit of a soft spot
• 58:15
  for night and I had a friend that played
• 58:17
  for Bath Bath Killer Bees actually it
• 58:20
  was. So I used to go and watch their
• 58:22
  games quite regularly. So, I've had sort
• 58:23
  of connections to Tyranni for a while.
• 58:27
  But in the same way we were talking
• 58:28
  about the Northeast division before
• 58:30
  about looking at it on paper and trying
• 58:31
  to make ideas of who's going to do what
• 58:33
  off paper and then going off what Matt
• 58:36
  said a minute ago that you had a couple
• 58:37
  seasons where you made playoffs, you had
• 58:39
  a strong squad, you had a season last
• 58:42
  year that was less so. But that is just
• 58:44
  naturally how Brit Ball is. We're
• 58:46
  looking at all of these divisions going,
• 58:48
  "Oh, I don't fancy Hull to do much this
• 58:50
  year." But Hull might have an great
• 58:51
  intake and just wipe the board with
• 58:53
  everybody, go to the playoff final, win
• 58:55
  the lot. You There's only so much we can
• 58:57
  look at from last year's stats without
• 58:59
  knowing who's coming along. I mean,
• 59:01
  Glenn Tunger might all of a sudden
• 59:03
  decide to do like a BA at Tanai and be
• 59:05
  there in September without us knowing.
• 59:07
  You never I mean, please listen, I
• 59:10
  recommend it. Um, but it's it's tough,
• 59:14
  isn't it? I mean, Tana, you've got
• 59:16
  you've got a big job in rebuilding. And
• 59:18
  I mean that because it's taken us four
• 59:20
  years to get there to a point where
• 59:23
  we're going into a league and we're
• 59:24
  hoping that it goes well. We're not
• 59:25
  going in with any massive confidence in
• 59:27
  Banga, but I'd love to see you do well.
• 59:30
  I'd love to see you get backups as that
• 59:32
  kind of playoff side. You're a club and
• 59:35
  a group that play in one of the most
• 59:37
  difficult areas in the UK to set up
• 59:39
  American football. your nearest men's
• 59:41
  ball team is like three hours from
• 59:44
  yourselves. So, it's not like you've got
• 59:45
  that loaning of coaches. So, a lot of
• 59:47
  the work you do. And um it's an your
• 59:49
  head coach, isn't it?
• 59:50
  >> Yeah. Euan. Yeah. An ex player.
• 59:53
  >> Yeah. Great job to stick around there,
• 59:55
  keep things going. You've got strong
• 59:57
  systems both sides of the ball. Um you
• 1:00:00
  can lean back onto those playbooks
• 1:00:01
  because you can bring in players and
• 1:00:03
  you've got you to keep on top of it. I
• 1:00:05
  think recruitment is going to be huge
• 1:00:06
  for you. Um, I'm really looking forward
• 1:00:10
  to your game with Bath Spar. To be
• 1:00:11
  honest, I think like you say, it's you
• 1:00:13
  put whatever perspective on it that you
• 1:00:15
  want, but I think that'll be a good
• 1:00:16
  litmus test for yourselves to see
• 1:00:18
  whether you've made that step up from
• 1:00:19
  where you're at last year, that you kind
• 1:00:21
  of survived the storm and you are able
• 1:00:23
  to get that that game under your belt
• 1:00:25
  and you're able to get points on the
• 1:00:26
  board. Um, and like Shiv said, if we
• 1:00:28
  there's a way that we can get down there
• 1:00:30
  for that one, I'd love to come and
• 1:00:31
  watch. Yeah, the games are so 29th of
• 1:00:34
  November is Basar away and then 7th of
• 1:00:38
  Feb is Bathbar at home for us. So those
• 1:00:41
  are the two games that because we got
• 1:00:42
  UEI we got UEI at home to open the get
• 1:00:44
  the season.
• 1:00:46
  >> So
• 1:00:47
  >> yeah.
• 1:00:48
  >> Yeah. And then we got Glad Then we got
• 1:00:50
  the Glads at home two weeks after that.
• 1:00:52
  So it's a it's a tough start. Like we'll
• 1:00:54
  admit it's a tough start to the season
• 1:00:55
  but
• 1:00:56
  >> for sure.
• 1:00:57
  >> Yeah. those two those two games in the
• 1:00:59
  middle before just before just after
• 1:01:00
  Christmas. They're going to be our
• 1:01:02
  >> they're going to be our big games.
• 1:01:03
  They're the games that I think I'm at
• 1:01:04
  least eyeing up for our wins.
• 1:01:07
  >> Um but I do believe we can because u are
• 1:01:09
  never good on grass. Last time they came
• 1:01:11
  to blind they lost 490
• 1:01:13
  like
• 1:01:14
  >> so that'll be a wait and see I think.
• 1:01:20
  >> Love it. So I we all agreed then that
• 1:01:23
  the UEIE 1.2s twos, 1.5s, whatever you
• 1:01:27
  want to call them, are not just the team
• 1:01:29
  to beat in this division, but the team
• 1:01:31
  to beat in division two.
• 1:01:34
  >> Yeah.
• 1:01:34
  >> Yeah. Yeah.
• 1:01:35
  >> Yeah. And we will absolutely be having
• 1:01:39
  that conversation with Tier on Monday
• 1:01:41
  about
• 1:01:43
  >> Yeah.
• 1:01:44
  about those scholars and players from
• 1:01:46
  the ones being allowed to just play on a
• 1:01:50
  random div two day and ruin Britwell for
• 1:01:52
  everybody or just make the day a little
• 1:01:55
  bit less fun.
• 1:01:57
  We'll absolutely be having that
• 1:01:58
  conversation. But
• 1:02:01
  what's the game of the season? What
• 1:02:03
  what's the game of this division that I
• 1:02:05
  know you said you want to go down Joe
• 1:02:07
  you want to go down and give an
• 1:02:08
  Abberiswith game a watch
• 1:02:11
  >> but what's the game?
• 1:02:14
  >> Well I think what one team you haven't
• 1:02:16
  really spoken about is Plymouth as well
• 1:02:17
  like they've got the affiliation with um
• 1:02:19
  PL Plymouth Vanguard is it?
• 1:02:22
  >> Yep.
• 1:02:22
  >> And Vanguard had a good year as well.
• 1:02:25
  >> They had a very good year.
• 1:02:26
  >> So um I'm assuming they'll have some uni
• 1:02:30
  students there. Um and if so I Plymouth
• 1:02:35
  against UE2s I think will be a really
• 1:02:38
  really good game. I think that would be
• 1:02:40
  um I think Aris against Bath Spar will
• 1:02:43
  be a fun game to watch but like a game
• 1:02:45
  that you guys a lot of people I think
• 1:02:47
  will be watching will be playing with
• 1:02:49
  and u but um
• 1:02:51
  >> that'll be really interesting I think.
• 1:02:53
  >> Yeah totally. Right. Anything else from
• 1:02:59
  any of you to add about that before we
• 1:03:01
  keep moving? Because I'm aware we've
• 1:03:02
  just ticked over the hour mark. This
• 1:03:04
  become a really meaty episode.
• 1:03:09
  But we've got two divisions to go. So,
• 1:03:11
  let's keep it rocking and rolling to
• 1:03:15
  what I think could be the most fun
• 1:03:19
  division in all of Brit Ball this year.
• 1:03:21
  We've got the div 2 Southern. And I
• 1:03:24
  think this is the most fun division
• 1:03:25
  because nothing has changed.
• 1:03:28
  >> Ready Knights got promoted out, but
• 1:03:31
  we've got the Surrey Stingers and the
• 1:03:32
  Sussex Saxons who hate each other and
• 1:03:35
  both qualified for the playoffs last
• 1:03:37
  year. No, Shiv, when I say hate each
• 1:03:39
  other, Surrey went on channel 5's big
• 1:03:42
  game night and called them out publicly
• 1:03:45
  on national television while the NFL was
• 1:03:48
  playing. It was a whole thing. We got
• 1:03:50
  the Solent Red Hawks, the Royal Holay
• 1:03:52
  Bears, and the Chit Chester Spitfires.
• 1:03:56
  I'm really excited for this one. Um, I
• 1:03:59
  won't pretend that I'm not involved with
• 1:04:00
  the Stingers because I am. Um,
• 1:04:04
  but talk to me what jumps off the page
• 1:04:06
  on this. Do any of you know enough about
• 1:04:08
  this division to feel confident talking
• 1:04:10
  about it?
• 1:04:11
  >> Uh, only thing I do know, I knew they
• 1:04:14
  had the rivalry. I do know it was that
• 1:04:16
  crazy, but um I I think that will be
• 1:04:21
  again the the story line to watch it
• 1:04:23
  will be the sorry the singers against
• 1:04:25
  the Saxons. I think like from my vast
• 1:04:29
  knowledge of this league. Um
• 1:04:32
  that's the team that those are the two
• 1:04:34
  teams to watch. Um I think Gchester will
• 1:04:36
  be a dark horse in this. Um
• 1:04:39
  B I can't really exactly remember what I
• 1:04:42
  read about them but like I I was like
• 1:04:44
  somewhat impressed with you know how how
• 1:04:46
  they how they did last season. you know,
• 1:04:48
  they I think it was they scored 97
• 1:04:50
  points or something and
• 1:04:53
  if they can improve the defense, I think
• 1:04:56
  they could really push for the top spot
• 1:04:58
  or top two at least. Um, but I I'm I'm
• 1:05:03
  excited for the stingers against and um
• 1:05:06
  excited to hear your coverage on it when
• 1:05:08
  you when you guys play them.
• 1:05:10
  >> Um,
• 1:05:10
  >> look, this division for me is five
• 1:05:15
  really well coached teams. Um yeah,
• 1:05:18
  we're talking about
• 1:05:21
  we've had conversations earlier about
• 1:05:22
  uni teams connected to adult teams. So
• 1:05:28
  obviously Sol Southampton Solent they
• 1:05:31
  have the connection with the Thrashers
• 1:05:33
  and the that whole system with you know
• 1:05:38
  under Dave Gibbs and the rest of that
• 1:05:39
  coaching staff
• 1:05:42
  is just sort of attached
• 1:05:44
  and but one that a lot of people don't
• 1:05:46
  seem to know is the amount of connection
• 1:05:49
  between the Royal Hol Bears and the
• 1:05:52
  London Warriors.
• 1:05:56
  There are a lot of coaches attached to
• 1:05:59
  the Bears
• 1:06:01
  who've just had a year coaching a
• 1:06:03
  semi-pro team in a European league.
• 1:06:08
  >> What what what does that give you like
• 1:06:12
  going into preseason knowing that your
• 1:06:14
  coach has just you know been coaching
• 1:06:17
  with and against guys at that level?
• 1:06:21
  Surely they must be going into the year
• 1:06:23
  feeling good about themselves.
• 1:06:25
  >> It's a massive confidence boost. Like um
• 1:06:28
  like when I found out that Toby, he
• 1:06:31
  played for GB way back when um like I
• 1:06:34
  some that that made that's a massive
• 1:06:37
  confidence like you got these
• 1:06:40
  >> like semi-professionals like coaching
• 1:06:42
  you. They're the the best you're going
• 1:06:45
  to get at uniball level. I I think like
• 1:06:47
  unless like some NFL guy wants to come
• 1:06:50
  over and coach us, we don't mind. But um
• 1:06:53
  that's the best you're going to get and
• 1:06:56
  how Yes, that confidence will help them
• 1:06:58
  a lot, I think, with that season having
• 1:07:02
  that experience behind them. Um
• 1:07:05
  >> yeah.
• 1:07:06
  >> Yeah.
• 1:07:10
  >> But
• 1:07:13
  how are we calling it? There's five
• 1:07:15
  teams in front of you there. And to be
• 1:07:17
  completely honest with you boys,
• 1:07:21
  I can't call it.
• 1:07:25
  >> Yeah. N
• 1:07:28
  they're all good teams. There's nothing.
• 1:07:30
  There's one of them. There's no
• 1:07:31
  underdogs or anything like that. They
• 1:07:33
  they is they've all got the chance to
• 1:07:36
  win this. You know, it sounds so silly,
• 1:07:38
  but it's
• 1:07:40
  Yeah. I can't call I mean, for your
• 1:07:42
  sake, I hope singers get it. I I hope
• 1:07:44
  you guys win it. Um yeah, so that's my
• 1:07:48
  my take on this.
• 1:07:50
  >> Look, I am so excited to be back with
• 1:07:53
  the Stingers. Um I coached a year with
• 1:07:56
  them a couple of years ago, moved back
• 1:07:58
  up north for work, and now I'm back down
• 1:08:00
  here for work, and it's
• 1:08:03
  life is lifeing. But
• 1:08:06
  the guys at Stingers are great, you
• 1:08:08
  know? It's it's such a deep coaching
• 1:08:11
  staff. We've got Tom Evans, the Kent
• 1:08:15
  Exiles OC
• 1:08:17
  just coming down to coach wide
• 1:08:18
  receivers.
• 1:08:21
  Like it's it is such a deep coaching
• 1:08:23
  staff and I'm so excited to to be back
• 1:08:26
  involved with them. Um the games for me
• 1:08:29
  I'm watching like we said it's the
• 1:08:32
  Saxons games which are is away on the
• 1:08:36
  15th of November and at home on the 7th
• 1:08:39
  of February after the winter break.
• 1:08:41
  first game back after the winter break.
• 1:08:43
  And I think that's the game. 7th
• 1:08:45
  February, first game back after the
• 1:08:47
  winter break.
• 1:08:49
  Saxons at Stingers. I think that decides
• 1:08:52
  the division for me.
• 1:08:53
  >> We got to get you down to live streaming
• 1:08:55
  that. I think
• 1:08:57
  >> I'll be on the sideline coaching shiv.
• 1:08:59
  >> Oh yeah, I think I'm sure you can
• 1:09:02
  multitask.
• 1:09:06
  >> We've got people that we can do that.
• 1:09:07
  I'll get Matteo and to come down. Right,
• 1:09:10
  bring the tear down there.
• 1:09:13
  >> Anything from any of you guys? Because
• 1:09:15
  we've got one division left and I'm so
• 1:09:18
  excited for football to get started.
• 1:09:25
  >> Let's keep it moving.
• 1:09:27
  >> Let's keep it rocking rolling. Right,
• 1:09:29
  Shiv, you'll love this one. A 17
• 1:09:32
  division.
• 1:09:34
  >> Oh, I can't wait to talk to Tanya on
• 1:09:36
  Monday. So, division 2 Southeast, we've
• 1:09:40
  got the ARU Siege coming into this
• 1:09:43
  division from elsewhere. We've got City
• 1:09:45
  St. George's Wolfpack, the Essex Blades,
• 1:09:48
  the Greenwich Mariners, the Imperial
• 1:09:49
  Immortals, the UCL Emperors, and the UEA
• 1:09:52
  Pirates. And both of those final two
• 1:09:54
  teams are coming down from division one.
• 1:09:58
  I ran out of breath just going through
• 1:09:59
  the list, lads.
• 1:10:02
  What What is jumping off the page for
• 1:10:04
  you? You've got, you know,
• 1:10:07
  Pirates were a Prem team before the Prem
• 1:10:09
  and the National Prem split. I remember
• 1:10:12
  the Pirates being a Prem team. UCL have
• 1:10:14
  always been a good team in my head.
• 1:10:16
  Imperial in my head, I've always been a
• 1:10:18
  good team. And we've got people in the
• 1:10:21
  group chat telling us that the Siege are
• 1:10:22
  going to win the whole thing and run
• 1:10:23
  away undefeated. And
• 1:10:27
  talk to me.
• 1:10:31
  >> This is one of those ones where I can't
• 1:10:32
  call it. Um, just based on media alone,
• 1:10:35
  um, I I've got no affiliation with them
• 1:10:39
  whatsoever, but I've just got a soft
• 1:10:40
  spot for the Pirates. Like, I love them.
• 1:10:42
  Like, I see them quite often on my
• 1:10:44
  Instagram. Um,
• 1:10:46
  I love what they're doing with the whole
• 1:10:48
  thing. Um,
• 1:10:50
  yeah, but then again, this is just as
• 1:10:52
  bizarre as a four the four team league.
• 1:10:55
  That's the first thing that's striking
• 1:10:56
  out.
• 1:10:57
  I'm sorry to if you'll play for any of
• 1:10:59
  these teams, but like that's the biggest
• 1:11:02
  thing that stands out to me. Um I mean
• 1:11:06
  it's just more games, you know. I mean
• 1:11:09
  it's always nice having more games, but
• 1:11:11
  it could have been split out evenly
• 1:11:13
  again. Um
• 1:11:16
  yeah, no, I can't call this one. Yeah,
• 1:11:18
  it's ARU were in the Midlands last year,
• 1:11:22
  so
• 1:11:23
  >> with Leicester coming down, they had to
• 1:11:25
  move elsewhere and this was
• 1:11:27
  >> geographically, I think, the division
• 1:11:30
  that made most sense for them. Anyway,
• 1:11:32
  but
• 1:11:34
  >> you know, we've got
• 1:11:37
  the division we just talked about, the
• 1:11:38
  southern division. We've got the Surrey
• 1:11:40
  Stingers that are based in Greenwich,
• 1:11:42
  Greenwich, Guilford. Um
• 1:11:45
  would it not make so much sense for you
• 1:11:48
  know Greenwich who are South London and
• 1:11:51
  pretty near Royal Hol anyway to just be
• 1:11:55
  over there and give us two six team
• 1:11:57
  divisions rather than you know a five
• 1:11:59
  and a seven. Again conversation for
• 1:12:02
  Monday conversation for Tany. But
• 1:12:06
  >> make you wonder.
• 1:12:10
  >> Oh
• 1:12:11
  >> yeah. There's got to be some there's got
• 1:12:13
  to be some thought pro process behind
• 1:12:15
  it. Or maybe it's geographic. Maybe
• 1:12:17
  they're trying to level the playing
• 1:12:18
  field to a perceived idea of what um
• 1:12:23
  ability is like amongst the teams. I'm
• 1:12:25
  really not too sure. Um 17 league
• 1:12:28
  though, how however you want to put it
• 1:12:31
  is absolutely wild, especially down in
• 1:12:33
  div 2. Um some real competition in here.
• 1:12:37
  Like you say, Pirates, good team
• 1:12:39
  previously have been excellent. History
• 1:12:42
  doesn't mean an awful lot in Brit
• 1:12:43
  because things change so quickly. Um,
• 1:12:47
  >> for sure, for sure. Um, Immortals are a
• 1:12:51
  solid team. Had a good year last year.
• 1:12:53
  Expect them to kick on again. Like you
• 1:12:55
  say, group chat. There's plenty of
• 1:12:56
  people that think ARU Siege are going to
• 1:12:58
  do well this year.
• 1:13:00
  >> Um, but with that many games, that much
• 1:13:03
  toll of playing six regular season
• 1:13:05
  games. Um,
• 1:13:08
  it could end up being a tale of two
• 1:13:09
  halves. you can end with some teams that
• 1:13:11
  start strong and finish quite poorly for
• 1:13:13
  the volume of football they're playing.
• 1:13:15
  Um
• 1:13:17
  it's going to be a knife edge, isn't it?
• 1:13:18
  And I think there's probably three or
• 1:13:19
  four teams competing for the top spot in
• 1:13:21
  this one.
• 1:13:22
  >> Yeah, I think you've just hit the nail
• 1:13:23
  on the head actually. We've got we've
• 1:13:25
  spoken about divisions today and
• 1:13:27
  previously in this series where you know
• 1:13:31
  if you're wanting to win the division,
• 1:13:32
  if you're wanting to get promoted,
• 1:13:34
  you've got to hit the ground running and
• 1:13:35
  you've got to win in week one because
• 1:13:37
  you might only get four regular season
• 1:13:39
  games and a loss will effectively
• 1:13:43
  disqualify you.
• 1:13:44
  >> But this feels like a division that you
• 1:13:47
  have the space and the time to grow
• 1:13:49
  into. Um lads, from the perspective of
• 1:13:54
  players Matt and Shiv, knowing that you
• 1:13:57
  might have the time to grow into this
• 1:14:00
  division, does it just take the pressure
• 1:14:02
  off? Are you are you prepared? Will you
• 1:14:05
  be ready to play better
• 1:14:07
  >> when it gets to it or will you just be
• 1:14:09
  knackered by that point?
• 1:14:11
  >> I mean, yeah. No, Nak like um I don't
• 1:14:15
  think you can go into playing this game
• 1:14:16
  with that mindset where
• 1:14:19
  you you you'll go in like you'll
• 1:14:22
  comfortably fit in over time. You have
• 1:14:25
  to you have to start off
• 1:14:27
  with a strong mentality. You can't
• 1:14:29
  really I don't know as a player like
• 1:14:31
  forward I'm just like Lancaster is a big
• 1:14:34
  team but I just can't wait to play. I'm
• 1:14:36
  not going into like this league going oh
• 1:14:38
  it's we we'll do all right. I I think
• 1:14:42
  you need that kind of mentality to to
• 1:14:45
  push for the top spot. Um
• 1:14:48
  but seven teams like you need all I
• 1:14:53
  don't know how the dates are going to
• 1:14:55
  work cuz you need that time to study
• 1:14:57
  film, you know, need that time to train.
• 1:14:59
  It's it's going to be a hectic year for
• 1:15:02
  all of these players like including know
• 1:15:04
  the uni work like I know we talk a lot
• 1:15:06
  about uni ball. They've got to like
• 1:15:07
  balance the uni stuff with it as well.
• 1:15:11
  So I think of all teams that these
• 1:15:14
  students will
• 1:15:16
  have the most chaotic year I think.
• 1:15:19
  >> Yeah. I mean
• 1:15:21
  >> in No, you're correct. In other
• 1:15:23
  divisions you get the opportunity you
• 1:15:25
  might get the opportunity to play an
• 1:15:27
  opposition twice. You know Stingers we
• 1:15:30
  are looking forward to a year where we
• 1:15:32
  get to play the where we get to play
• 1:15:33
  Sussex twice. Um, everybody in this
• 1:15:36
  division gets their opposition once
• 1:15:40
  >> and the home and away was sort of that
• 1:15:43
  was just out of their hands. That was
• 1:15:44
  decided by the league.
• 1:15:47
  >> Again, maybe a conversation for Tany
• 1:15:49
  when we ask him how he fig how they
• 1:15:50
  figured all of that out. But
• 1:15:54
  like you said with film and you've got
• 1:15:57
  to learn, you got to prepare to play
• 1:15:59
  against
• 1:16:02
  >> you six different opposition. It's not
• 1:16:04
  just it's not just about the amount of
• 1:16:07
  games. It's the mental load of the
• 1:16:10
  amount of teams and the amount of
• 1:16:11
  schemes you've
• 1:16:13
  >> got to face.
• 1:16:14
  >> Yeah.
• 1:16:15
  >> Matt, um, talk to me from an offensive
• 1:16:19
  perspective. You're
• 1:16:21
  watching film, you're trying to learn.
• 1:16:23
  Obviously, it's division two. There's
• 1:16:25
  only so much defenses are going to show
• 1:16:28
  you because at this point, at this
• 1:16:29
  stage, it's more about getting guys
• 1:16:32
  lined up and let letting them play fast.
• 1:16:34
  But
• 1:16:35
  >> yeah,
• 1:16:35
  >> if you've got to learn six different,
• 1:16:39
  you know, defensive ends tendencies in a
• 1:16:41
  year, mentally, do you end up doing more
• 1:16:44
  football than degree?
• 1:16:47
  >> Um, yeah. I I'll say like it's how I'm a
• 1:16:52
  I've been able to play for through my
• 1:16:53
  office. I'm a part-time masters. Um so
• 1:16:56
  it's how I've been able to do it. But
• 1:16:59
  for me film is one of the main things
• 1:17:01
  like if I talk about varsity for example
• 1:17:03
  last year I literally messaged Lancaster
• 1:17:05
  and were like you guys did a scrim
• 1:17:08
  against Banger in this year. Can we have
• 1:17:10
  the film? And they sent us the film.
• 1:17:13
  like in previous years obviously um
• 1:17:16
  George Banganger's captain this year I
• 1:17:19
  play with him at Chester so there
• 1:17:22
  sometimes and over time especially like
• 1:17:25
  the Southwest with our for example you
• 1:17:27
  see the same players
• 1:17:29
  each year roll over and like with some
• 1:17:31
  divisions where like the one we just
• 1:17:33
  talked about where there's no change in
• 1:17:35
  the division they're going to be some of
• 1:17:37
  the same players so like I'm thinking to
• 1:17:40
  myself I'm probably going to face this
• 1:17:41
  guy's probably a first or second year.
• 1:17:43
  I'm going to face him next year. I know
• 1:17:45
  like for with George, he's quite quick.
• 1:17:47
  I know he likes to try and get around
• 1:17:48
  the edge. Cool. I'll adapt to face him
• 1:17:50
  that way. And it's it's little
• 1:17:53
  tendencies and it is just being able to
• 1:17:55
  focus. I'd say if you're watching film,
• 1:17:56
  this is a general rule I'd say is try
• 1:17:59
  and focus on what you're going against.
• 1:18:01
  There's no point with me looking at what
• 1:18:03
  a DB or a safety is doing.
• 1:18:06
  >> Like I'm looking at their Dline. The
• 1:18:07
  only time I'd look is, oh, they've sent
• 1:18:09
  a blitz down. Who blitzed?
• 1:18:11
  Like it's just little things and yeah I
• 1:18:14
  mean to say it to everyone as well we're
• 1:18:16
  student athletes the student comes first
• 1:18:18
  for a reason like don't don't park the
• 1:18:23
  study inside just to concentrate on
• 1:18:24
  football.
• 1:18:25
  >> Yeah.
• 1:18:26
  >> But yeah it's it is hard to balance I'd
• 1:18:30
  say.
• 1:18:31
  >> Yeah that's that's a really important
• 1:18:33
  message actually and it's one that we
• 1:18:35
  will be rabbiting when we go into the
• 1:18:38
  season. It's so easy for Uniball to take
• 1:18:42
  over your life when you're playing.
• 1:18:45
  >> It's so easy,
• 1:18:46
  >> especially when you got
• 1:18:48
  >> muppets like Shiv organizing socials and
• 1:18:51
  breaking into your house at 3 in the
• 1:18:52
  morning with a water to go.
• 1:18:54
  >> Sorry, Joey, if you're listening.
• 1:18:58
  >> No, I mean, you know, when you talk
• 1:19:00
  about students, no one in their right
• 1:19:01
  mind is going to uni just to play
• 1:19:02
  American football.
• 1:19:04
  >> Unless Us.
• 1:19:07
  Yeah.
• 1:19:08
  like for like a smaller team if they're
• 1:19:11
  not getting paid scholarship, you know,
• 1:19:12
  it's no normal person would do that. So,
• 1:19:16
  focus on your studies first, guys.
• 1:19:18
  >> Yeah.
• 1:19:20
  Joe, talk to me about from a coaching
• 1:19:24
  perspective though about the studying
• 1:19:26
  side of it. Say, put yourself in the
• 1:19:29
  perspective of an ARU Siege coach,
• 1:19:32
  right? You're coming over from a from a
• 1:19:35
  division that you will have done all the
• 1:19:36
  work for and you'll have done all the
• 1:19:37
  prep for into a new one with six teams
• 1:19:40
  that you've never faced before. That's a
• 1:19:43
  lot of work. It's a lot of mental work.
• 1:19:45
  It's a lot of film. It's a lot of all of
• 1:19:47
  the above. Are you just starting with
• 1:19:51
  City St. George's in week one and
• 1:19:53
  keeping the main thing the main thing or
• 1:19:56
  are you thinking two, three weeks ahead
• 1:19:58
  at all times?
• 1:20:00
  No, I think you've probably had a
• 1:20:02
  difficult summer already. Um,
• 1:20:06
  for a lot of us, we we're talking on
• 1:20:07
  this podcast quite a lot about
• 1:20:09
  football's back, uniball's back, can't
• 1:20:11
  wait to get going for September. I
• 1:20:12
  imagine some of the coaches at ARU are
• 1:20:14
  just like, when's my next break from
• 1:20:15
  football? Like, I assume all summer it's
• 1:20:18
  just been get the film in, get as much
• 1:20:20
  as we can do on these. And some teams
• 1:20:22
  are receptive, some teams aren't. So, I
• 1:20:24
  imagine there's a lot of back and forth
• 1:20:25
  of, can we have that film you promised
• 1:20:27
  two weeks ago? Where are we up to with
• 1:20:28
  this? And there's so you're gonna have
• 1:20:31
  to do so much work ahead of time because
• 1:20:33
  if you leave it till September, October,
• 1:20:36
  your your life is just going to be
• 1:20:37
  consumed by doing film every single
• 1:20:39
  evening and try and get that into some
• 1:20:41
  kind of bite-sized form that you can
• 1:20:42
  pass on to the squad and you can discuss
• 1:20:44
  with each other. It it's s like I don't
• 1:20:47
  know where you'd start with something
• 1:20:50
  like that. And like some of the film
• 1:20:52
  that you might get might be outdated.
• 1:20:54
  You don't know what you're coming
• 1:20:54
  against. So, do you take it all as
• 1:20:56
  gospel or do you just kind of use it as
• 1:20:58
  a general idea of what to expect?
• 1:21:01
  >> It it creates so much work and I imagine
• 1:21:04
  for the coaches at ARU, it would have
• 1:21:06
  been creating so much work since like
• 1:21:07
  July at this point. Um, I like film, but
• 1:21:12
  it is it's a long and it's a difficult
• 1:21:14
  task to sit there and sort of click
• 1:21:15
  stop, write a note down, click stop,
• 1:21:17
  write another note down, and then watch
• 1:21:19
  it from a second, third perspective. Um,
• 1:21:22
  yeah, it's a tough one. And it for such
• 1:21:23
  a big league. I mean, what a task that
• 1:21:25
  is. And I think I think Trial by Fire, I
• 1:21:29
  think the team that does come out top in
• 1:21:30
  this one will have definitely earned it
• 1:21:32
  because like we say, if you're if you're
• 1:21:35
  going to come in with a mindset of I can
• 1:21:36
  warm into the league, you're probably
• 1:21:38
  going to end up middling team in this
• 1:21:39
  division. You're going to have to come
• 1:21:40
  out of the gate screaming, done all your
• 1:21:42
  homework well in advance, know what
• 1:21:44
  you're coming up against. Um, and you've
• 1:21:46
  got to tick absolutely every single one
• 1:21:48
  of those boxes. Um, because I don't
• 1:21:50
  think a coin toss is going to settle
• 1:21:51
  this one.
• 1:21:54
  So in that vein, in that vein then, do
• 1:21:59
  we reckon whoever comes out of this team
• 1:22:01
  has whoever comes out of this division
• 1:22:03
  has a jump in the playoffs? You know,
• 1:22:06
  when we get down to it,
• 1:22:09
  are we expecting some sort of odd
• 1:22:12
  advantage from having played so many
• 1:22:14
  different teams? You know, the thought
• 1:22:16
  process of playing a different team
• 1:22:18
  every week will have already been
• 1:22:19
  embedded in them at that point. Yeah,
• 1:22:22
  it's just adapting to
• 1:22:24
  studying new teams really. I think
• 1:22:26
  that's a bigger strength. Like the
• 1:22:27
  amount of teams they have to study. If
• 1:22:30
  they get to playoffs, it's not going to
• 1:22:31
  be a challenge for them to study the
• 1:22:34
  teams they have to play even more. Do
• 1:22:35
  you know what I mean? That's I think the
• 1:22:38
  only advantage probably from having such
• 1:22:40
  a big league. Um,
• 1:22:43
  yeah,
• 1:22:46
  >> it's it it's just so much to take in.
• 1:22:51
  Looking at it, it's so overwhelming. Um,
• 1:22:54
  obviously though, we do have UCL and UEA
• 1:22:57
  coming down into this division. They
• 1:23:00
  will no doubt be the favorites.
• 1:23:04
  But
• 1:23:05
  which team do you reckon of the two of
• 1:23:07
  them? Who who would you tip? UCL or UEA
• 1:23:10
  over the other?
• 1:23:11
  >> The Pirates.
• 1:23:13
  >> UCL. UCL.
• 1:23:15
  >> No,
• 1:23:16
  >> we we played them we played them three
• 1:23:18
  years ago, I think, when we got into
• 1:23:20
  playoffs. Um it was a very long day
• 1:23:22
  traveling from Everest to UCL. Um but we
• 1:23:27
  played them. They're a good outfit.
• 1:23:28
  strong. Um I can't remember I don't know
• 1:23:31
  how long they've been they were in div
• 1:23:33
  one for um but when they at least last
• 1:23:36
  in div two they were good strong outfit
• 1:23:39
  like UEA yeah they're known for being
• 1:23:43
  very good on social media and
• 1:23:46
  pushing their hype but I do think the I
• 1:23:49
  do think the Emperors will be the the
• 1:23:53
  top one out of those two.
• 1:23:54
  >> I mean the Pirates have a better badge
• 1:23:57
  as well.
• 1:23:58
  It's got to be said
• 1:23:59
  >> I'm not going into I'm not going into
• 1:24:01
  marketing, but yeah, I'll give them that
• 1:24:04
  one.
• 1:24:08
  >> So, anything to add on this one before
• 1:24:10
  we start to think about wrapping this
• 1:24:13
  whole thing up?
• 1:24:16
  >> Cool. Well, Shiff, I believe
• 1:24:18
  you've got one last icebreaker to
• 1:24:20
  Safaris to send us on our way.
• 1:24:22
  >> Yes. So, you've got you got like your
• 1:24:25
  promotion game. Yeah, this this game is
• 1:24:28
  to beat come first and yada yada yada.
• 1:24:31
  What theme song are you walking out with
• 1:24:33
  your team with?
• 1:24:41
  >> A there's so many answers to this.
• 1:24:45
  >> Too many. That's the problem.
• 1:24:47
  >> Yeah.
• 1:24:48
  >> Matt, what are you thinking? Let's start
• 1:24:50
  with the guest.
• 1:24:52
  Traditionally at Aberus, we walk out to
• 1:24:55
  immig.
• 1:24:59
  >> So I'd either have to say that one cuz
• 1:25:02
  tradition close to my heart or at
• 1:25:05
  Chester um we play Sabotage by the
• 1:25:08
  Beasty Boys.
• 1:25:10
  >> So I got to say that as well is quite a
• 1:25:13
  nice thing to run out to. But as well
• 1:25:16
  you've got to got to look at Virginia
• 1:25:18
  Tech what they do. Enter Sand Man. That
• 1:25:21
  was so cool.
• 1:25:22
  >> Like come on. Like there's no compet
• 1:25:25
  if I had to pick one of those three.
• 1:25:28
  Enter Sandman every time.
• 1:25:31
  >> Nice.
• 1:25:32
  >> Fair enough.
• 1:25:33
  >> Joe,
• 1:25:34
  >> uh I was always a big fan of WWE or WWF
• 1:25:37
  as a kid. Uh probably go along the lines
• 1:25:39
  of that. Triple H always had a pretty
• 1:25:41
  good theme song by Motorhead.
• 1:25:43
  >> Probably go with that. Yeah, that's it.
• 1:25:48
  I remember
• 1:25:50
  my first year with in senior ball I was
• 1:25:54
  with the Yorkshire Rams and it was
• 1:25:56
  either the first or second year when
• 1:25:59
  they'd gone to the black and purple
• 1:26:01
  after the gold kits which they've since
• 1:26:04
  gone back to but whatever. Um, and that
• 1:26:09
  first year in those black and purple
• 1:26:12
  kits, the walkout song was AC/DC's Black
• 1:26:15
  in Black.
• 1:26:16
  And for the lads that had been there for
• 1:26:19
  years, it was huge. For some reason, it
• 1:26:22
  was like a whole thing. Um, but in terms
• 1:26:25
  of my current team, I'm currently with
• 1:26:28
  the Under 19's um, Southeastern Kings
• 1:26:32
  program, which unreal program. The
• 1:26:35
  under19's divisional stuff is an
• 1:26:38
  incredible program that Baffer are
• 1:26:40
  running and I would really recommend
• 1:26:41
  everybody listening or watching and the
• 1:26:44
  three guys I've got with me look into
• 1:26:46
  it, get involved with it next year. It's
• 1:26:48
  great. But
• 1:26:50
  >> for the Kings, I it would have to be
• 1:26:52
  something by the Kings. And I know I'm
• 1:26:54
  aging myself there because that's like a
• 1:26:56
  70s Canadian rock band. You know,
• 1:26:59
  something like the beat goes on or
• 1:27:01
  switching to guide switching to glide or
• 1:27:05
  >> sh talk to me. I just went on there.
• 1:27:08
  >> I've So I've got a little montage. So So
• 1:27:12
  the whole theme of Bang is a lion, isn't
• 1:27:14
  it? And I I have to incorporate some WWE
• 1:27:17
  in there. So the only thing from WWE I
• 1:27:19
  want is you know the Undertaker the bell
• 1:27:21
  at the start.
• 1:27:23
  Ding. Then it goes into the circle of
• 1:27:25
  life, but it's only like the the start
• 1:27:28
  intro bit and before you know the bit
• 1:27:30
  where Elton John starts singing, it goes
• 1:27:32
  into welcome to the jungle. So, it's
• 1:27:34
  like that whole like montage and then I
• 1:27:36
  think it' be so cool. Have the flood
• 1:27:37
  lights like in orange and then we all
• 1:27:39
  run out into the onto the field and um I
• 1:27:42
  think that would be like the the coolest
• 1:27:44
  entrance ever.
• 1:27:47
  >> You're aware we have a TDUK Garage Band
• 1:27:50
  account. Somebody will make that for you
• 1:27:53
  >> actually for sure.
• 1:27:54
  >> Oh gosh.
• 1:27:56
  >> Joe, do you know if we're allowed to
• 1:27:57
  like have it end songs um against
• 1:27:59
  Lancaster?
• 1:28:01
  >> We'll find out. We'll figure it out.
• 1:28:03
  >> Cuz I might need to make something like
• 1:28:04
  that then cuz Oh my gosh.
• 1:28:07
  >> Have against have it have it against
• 1:28:08
  Abber at least.
• 1:28:10
  >> Sure.
• 1:28:11
  >> On on the little bog that is treble down
• 1:28:14
  at the bottom. Have it there.
• 1:28:16
  >> Hey, that'll be the goal for the year.
• 1:28:18
  Come up with the theme song by Barcie.
• 1:28:20
  Yeah.
• 1:28:20
  >> Yeah. We'll have a little challenge.
• 1:28:24
  >> Who's hosting Varsity this year? Where's
• 1:28:26
  it at?
• 1:28:27
  >> Banger.
• 1:28:28
  >> It's going to be a banger.
• 1:28:30
  >> Yeah.
• 1:28:31
  >> My my last my last my last uni game on
• 1:28:34
  Trib
• 1:28:37
  for you. We'll make it a big game.
• 1:28:38
  >> Yeah, we'll win.
• 1:28:41
  >> Don't know about that, but hopefully you
• 1:28:43
  guys can put up a bit more of a fight
• 1:28:44
  against us this time.
• 1:28:46
  >> We will. Don't you worry.
• 1:28:48
  >> Sure. I I'll buy you I'll buy you a
• 1:28:50
  point after if we um if if we lose.
• 1:28:53
  >> Okay, good. I will. That's it. I'll buy
• 1:28:55
  you a point if if you guys win, I'll get
• 1:28:56
  you a point.
• 1:28:57
  >> Good to know.
• 1:28:58
  >> I'll wait for my free.
• 1:28:59
  >> There we go.
• 1:29:00
  >> TD UK word is you packed. It's now
• 1:29:04
  published on the internet forever. Loser
• 1:29:06
  by varsity. Oh,
• 1:29:09
  >> while we're talking about our roots with
• 1:29:11
  though, Matt, while we've got you, um,
• 1:29:14
  talk to me what your sort of timeline is
• 1:29:16
  now coming into, you freshest fairs,
• 1:29:19
  your rookie days, what what does the
• 1:29:21
  buildup to the start of the season look
• 1:29:23
  like for you guys?
• 1:29:24
  >> Um, so we've got our freshest fairs next
• 1:29:26
  week. Um, so Tuesday, Wednesday,
• 1:29:29
  Thursday is our freshest fair. Um, we've
• 1:29:32
  got a table on Thursday, which is a
• 1:29:34
  little unlucky for us because we have
• 1:29:35
  the social on Wednesday. Um so we'll be
• 1:29:39
  there slightly hanging but we'll be
• 1:29:40
  there all three days. We then have our
• 1:29:42
  mini camp which is our give it a go
• 1:29:43
  session that is 26th and 27th so the
• 1:29:47
  weekend after freshers and then we then
• 1:29:50
  have four weeks as our first games then
• 1:29:53
  first of November against UEIE. So it's
• 1:29:57
  a short time span but it'll be good to
• 1:30:00
  >> be good to get as many people down as we
• 1:30:01
  can. Even if it's not during freshes,
• 1:30:03
  come find us, message us, anything to
• 1:30:06
  try and just come down, give it a go.
• 1:30:07
  That's all we can ask.
• 1:30:09
  >> Yeah. And that's the spiel. You can clip
• 1:30:12
  and put on your own socials and all of
• 1:30:14
  the above.
• 1:30:15
  >> Yeah, please do.
• 1:30:17
  >> Yeah. Look, we've obviously we've got
• 1:30:20
  Joe and Shiv. We've made it really clear
• 1:30:23
  at Touchdown that we want every team to
• 1:30:27
  succeed in the UK, but the but what's
• 1:30:30
  been happening recently with the Welsh
• 1:30:32
  teams not being able to finish seasons
• 1:30:33
  and stuff, we are really keen for that
• 1:30:36
  to just end and for us to have some
• 1:30:38
  stability in Welsh football. And it's so
• 1:30:42
  good from the outside at least hearing
• 1:30:45
  that Banger and Aber Swift both have for
• 1:30:49
  what feels like the first time in
• 1:30:52
  forever some solid ground under them.
• 1:30:54
  Maybe just not actually solid ground in
• 1:30:57
  February when you play.
• 1:30:58
  >> No,
• 1:31:02
  >> but beyond there that is really it from
• 1:31:06
  us. Um, like I said, we will be live at
• 1:31:09
  7:30 on Monday with Tanya. So, send us
• 1:31:13
  your questions in or come prepared with
• 1:31:15
  your questions in for the comments
• 1:31:17
  section. Um, Joe and I will be at the
• 1:31:20
  Union Jack Classic on Saturday. Um,
• 1:31:24
  looking forward to that
• 1:31:26
  and we hope to see as many of you there
• 1:31:28
  as possible. And yeah, Uniball's back.
• 1:31:32
  We'll see you on Monday. So,
• 1:31:34
  >> as normal, I've been Tom and with me
• 1:31:36
  I've had Joe and Shiv
• 1:31:39
  and Matt from Abberus Swift. Thank you
• 1:31:42
  so much for joining us
• 1:31:44
  season.
• 1:31:46
  >> Thanks for coming, Matt. Byebye.