Warriors come out to plaaaaayyy

They are now setting their sights on the Atlanta Rhinos and their July 12th clash, hoping to secure a home playoff game.  With several hundred fans attending home games the team has already sold out its supporter T-shirts and has developed a solid online following.  They are having success both on and off the field but who are the Central Florida Warriors and why have they been successful?

"We have a great board of directors that was created during the off season and they have really stepped up to the challenge of creating not only a new franchise in the USARL, but a franchise that is competitive right out of the gates."  Says CEO and assistant coach Craig Howitt.  Craig should know having played 8 seasons with the Jacksonville Axemen and having 2 national championships.  "The other major factor to our success has been the unbelievable and dedicated support of Drew Slover and Spinner Howland.  They have taken the successful model they have used in Jacksonville and implemented  it with us, and for that we are extremely appreciative."

Gareth "Gaz" Walker, also known as the Bradford Bully, has taken up the role of Head Coach.  The coaching staff is rounded out by USA Tomahawk Kenny Britt, who brings a great deal of high level knowledge and experience to the team.  The coaching staff has been very happy with the overwhelming interest in Central Florida having record registrations and the ability to run 2 sides at practice and on game day.

Coach Walker asked about his thoughts on the season so far and said "We have a fantastic group of players who work very very hard on both individual and team skills. We've had some great young talent playing for us this year which can only be good for the future of rugby league in the U.S., these guys are a very determined bunch who work tirelessly to improve so it's been a real pleasure to help develop them."

Newcomer to the USARL and one of the stand-out imports is Shaun McSweeney, a Queensland, Australia native who played junior and senior football with the Burleigh Bears RLFC on the Gold Coast. Shaun was given the honour of being the inaugural captain. "I've been very pleased with how quickly the team has gelled and adapted to each other’s games. Our commitment and hard work at training and on game days is paying off as we are sitting second in the conference, we know the job is far from done, but I have the upmost confidence we can continue to grow as we make a push into the playoffs."

The Central Florida import pool could almost field a side on its own, making the reserve grade team a formidable opponent.  Lead by Papua New Guinea's Kennedy Girox, an elusive running 5/8 with a bullet pass that makes defending him very hard.  Kennedy added 2 more trys to his season total on the weekend against the Mayhem.  Other standouts to watch from the Warriors PNG tribe include former Axemen Jester Mombu, Terrence Chross, Emmanuel Moses, and Charles Agoma.  The Papau New Guinea players have brought some flair to the Warriors, along with a dedicated and vocal crowd that have cheered on the Warriors in their 2 home victories.

In addition to the 9 former Axemen, there are several Daytona Gearheads making the step up to top grade USARL competition.  Leading the way is utility player Brett Witte who has taken on the role of Hooker/Lock and earned Man of the Match in a tough loss against the Axemen.  Other players to watch include 7's standout Roderigus Ceasar and University of Central Florida National Champion Richard Mizell, who also added 2 trys on the weekend to become the warriors leading try scorer. Being new to Rugby League Rich says that the "Brutal contact and the incredibly fast pace makes this style of rugby really intense."  Coach Walker says to also keep an eye on Brandon Gould, "we're very impressed with Brandon, his work rate and attitude in practice and on game day lifts everyone to another level."

It looks like the Warriors have to tools to be serious contenders, they have the power, they have the speed, and they have the attitude but will it be enough to get out of a very tough and hard hitting Southern Conference.