Rising Up Once More

With The 2016 British Senior Season Firmly In The Rear View Mirror, The Committee At The Tamworth Phoenix Sat Down To Review What They Had Achieved. They Analysed It, Appraised It, Dissected It, Dismantled It, And Then Created Their Strategy For The Upcoming 2017 Campaign. Had 2016 Been Successful?

You could say that, they went undefeated in the regular season and were crowned the Champions of the Northern conference in the elite premier division. They had swept aside all who challenged them, some they despatched with ease, whilst others provided a sterner test. They had momentum going into the play-offs and rode it all the way to the semi-final, where they met the erstwhile national champions, the London Blitz. The Phoenix were skilled in all positions, they were well coached, well conditioned and had a great team spirit. The Blitz were on a mission, attempting to regain their title that had been taken away by their cross-town rivals, The Warriors. The thinking was, that the London teams only had two “serious contests” during the regular season, when they played each other, this year however, the Blitz had lost to someone other than the Warriors, the Aztecs from Bristol, edged them 17-14, they now seemed a little vulnerable. This could be Tamworth’s chance to reach the Britbowl and put a massive exclamation mark on the end of their season!

The squads were well matched in the opening exchanges, with both teams looking threatening on offence. The Blitz were relying heavily on their running game, where they had strength in depth, and the depth throughout their squad would proof crucial, in determining the outcome of the game. Phoenix President James Hossack picks up the story. “We had played some teams during the season that were very good technically, but the Blitz also had a degree of physicality that we hadn’t encountered previously. They had a lot of size up front, and as the game progressed, they wore us down”. Both teams had key personnel playing hurt, but the Blitz had the all-important depth on their roster.

The Phoenix were always in it, but in the final quarter, the Blitz bagged a couple of scores in quick succession to ice the game 41-12. The final score flattered the men from London, but for Tamworth it was a case of close, but no cigar, and their season ended short of their goal of that championship match-up.

Wind the clock forward a few months and what is the state of play in the Black and Orange corner of Staffordshire? Hossack gets us up to date. “After the defeat to the Blitz, we realised we are doing a lot of things well as an organisation, but we needed to have more depth in the playing squad. This off-season we have recruited well, and have some great new talent who have joined us. We’ll also have the same coaching staff returning which gives great continuity. We feel we’re set for another tilt at the title, but we’re not taking anything for granted”.

The strength of the coaching should not be underestimated, head coach Martin Hilton will be steering the ship, the dynamic Jason Scott will be co-ordinating the defence and Dan Smith will be loading the bullets for the offence to fire.

Since the team were formed in 2007, they have been on an upward success curve, and have been the team to beat in the North, since they gained promotion to the premier division in 2010. With a rigorous set of OTAs underway, including the gruelling “Midnight Mass” group strength sessions, that success seems set to continue into 2017.

You may re-call in July last year we featured Tamworth linebacker He Emanuel in the blog, as he started his “Long Road Back” following a serious knee injury. I am happy to report that his re-hab has gone well and he is looking to return at full tilt at some point this season. A key staging point on the road to recovery was a visit he (and four other Britballers) made in October last year to Latvia, to guest for the Riga Lions. He played limited reps, but it gave him the confidence to keep pushing his knee and up the intensity.

Will 2017 be the year when the London stranglehold on the British Champions title will be broken? It just may be, the Phoenix have risen again, and the rest of the league are about to be burned.