2007 Tigers News
Tigers prep for DCThe coaching staff, along with the playing group, are busy preparing for the road trip to Washington DC. With June 8th quickly approaching, Baltimore/Washington Eagles and the Philadelphia Hawks both loom as great challenges for our young club. Both games will be played on the Saturday in the monument precinct of Washington DC. The Tigers have never tackled such a difficult schedule before excluding the national championship weekends.
A playing group of 23 will take the field both games for the Tigers, providing many options for coach Jason Heathcote and plenty of fresh legs coming off the bench. The Tigers are bringing a slightly more experienced group of players this trip, hoping the experience will combat the physical demands associated with playing two games on the same day. A couple of former Tigers players have rejoined the team lately, bringing further experience and footy knowledge to the field. Captain Wes McCallister describes the day as "a great chance for our young club to be exposed to footy all day and expedite the learning process for many of our newer players." With only one game under the belt for many young Tiger players, another two official USAFL games will be invaluable experience for them.
Some new strategies will be utilized in the coming two games. Practice sessions have been focused on effective disposal of the ball through efficient kicking. All players are improving kicking on either side of the body and gaining length in their kicks with proper technique. Coupled with this has been a focus on strong marking. All players, regardless of position, have been introduced to the concept of "always in front" and "never taking their eyes off the ball." Heathcote has been drilling these concepts into the team continually and hopes to see the fruits of his labor during these games. Already players have been handling the ball much more effectively and disposing of the ball in new ways. Players have also been making more leads for the ball and providing much better options for their teammates.
Travel plans have been coordinated carefully to ensure the club has fun both on and off the field this trip. Many of the players will be touring the nations capital on the Friday and enjoying a team dinner that night. After gathering at the team hotel Saturday morning, the team will travel to the game site to prepare and focus on the game. The Saturday night promises to be a bonding experience for the club with players along with their girlfriends or wives attending the planned social functions and usual festivities following EAFL games.
Pre-Season with Eagles
The North Carolina Tigers footy year has officially begun with the pre season clash against the Eagles. Baltimore Washington Eagles traveled down to Raleigh, North Carolina, Saturday May 5th for the friendly between the two clubs. It was the first full dress rehearsal for both teams with the upcoming season just around the corner. -> Full Story
East/West All-Star Game
Wes McCallister and Paul Duncan recently participated in the East v West game last Saturday held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In the all-star contest, both McCallister and Duncan featured prominently by taking the field and displaying their notable skills. McCallister scored a goal while Duncan got multiple touches to help the East team against their Western foes. Duncan said the experience was "eye opening in that the style of play was very similar to the Tigers and I felt comfortable partaking in that level of play." McCallister was also encouraged by the experience: "The game showed me that many of the Tigers players could compete at the next level. Even our [Tigers] younger players could go head to head with many of the more experienced players playing in last Saturdays game." The club applauds both Wes and Paul for representing the Tigers so well and for their terrific performances. Final score was East 10.5.65 West 15.10.100.
Woody's Hosts Party - Both teams descended on Woody's Tavern Saturday after the big clash to get some 'liquid heeling'.
It was a great chance for the Eagles and Tigers players to meet and catch up before the EAFL season begins. The main topic of discussion was pre season movements of players and recruitment for this coming season. Baltimore Washington have been fortunate with the arrival of a handful of skilled players coming from other Division I cities. Coupled with that, the Eagles were able to hold onto the core playing group who lead the charge to last years Division II national championship. The Tigers spent the off season heavily recruiting at the university level and introduced 13 new players to the USAFL league on Saturday. Most of the visiting team elected to spend the night in downtown Raleigh, enjoying the local bars and sights. The hospitality will be returned when the Tigers travel to Washington DC June 9th for the double header against the Eagles and the Philadelphia Hawks.
Metro I Ends
Part I of Metro Footy has wrapped with the final game being played Saturday 21st April at UNC campus between the Rams and Wolves. The season now goes on hiatus until university resumes in late August. In the final game of the year, the Rams ran out winners against an eager, but inexperienced, Wolves team.
Metro League chief Mick Coysh did a great job organizing this semester's competition, according to President Wes McCallister. Over 50 players participated in Metro League this Spring. Each of the three teams saw increases in attendance, as well as participation. McCallister believes this has contributed to the growth of the Tigers: "The Metro League is now seen as a somewhat development league for our younger collegiate players. It gives them great exposure to the game while teaching them the fundamentals of Aussie Rules Football."
All attention now turns to the Tigers as they embark on the EAFL conference draw. The Tigers will play with at least 10 new players this season. Many of whom have been recruited from the Spring Metro League. For those Interested in playing Metro in the Fall, please contact Mick Coysh at vicepresident@nctigers.com.
Tigers on the Run -
With fitness being a crucial part of the Tigers success in past seasons, the coaching staff has challenged the team to push the stamina bar higher for each player. This year there will be prizes awarded to the player that can improve his mile run the most over the course of the season.
All-Comers Game 2 - The second leg of the pre-season All-Comers series was battled on a beautiful winter day. Coach Heathcote shuffled players around to get certain match-ups and have a look at the 2007 Tigers to come. At the end of this closely contested game, all felt the familiar soreness and satisfaction of a hard played game.
All-Comers Game 1
The boots were dug out, the mouthguards cleaned, and the lungs tested as the NC Tigers held their first organized game of the 2007 Season. The teams were made up local college teams (NCSU and UNC) and Tigers players. Both NC State and UNC have had success with recruiting over the winter break. Coach Heathcote has been impressed with the new faces and looks forward to working with them when the official Tiger's Training begins next week.
Game 2 of this series takes place this Saturday at NC State's Miller Field at 11 AM.
Saturday night will also mark the Season Kickoff Party at Woody's. Come on out at 9 PM and join the Tigers!
Tigers in Houston -
The North Carolina Tigers were represented at the US vs. Canada game held in Houston on Jan. 20th. Brian Zimorowicz and Paul Duncan wore the stars and stripes jumper as they took the field.[Full Story on WorldFootyNews.com]
2007 AGM - The 2007 Tigers footy season began with the Annual General meeting held at Woody's.
With more than 30 Tigers players and supporters, the Tigers elected the 2007 Board and prepared for the 2007 Season.[Full Story]