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| Orlando Looks to Keep Flying |
| Clubs - Men's DII Clubs |
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The Orlando rugby club takes on the Tridents this weekend in the Florida pool of the South DII club competition, and you have to wonder how the Tridents feel about it. Orlando has, so far, been unstoppable. They won the Florida Cup, have won eight straight, and won their first two league games of the season 34-3 over the Tampa Krewe, and 57-5 over Jacksonville. “The biggest key to our teams success has been the depth, as we are now fielding a D2 and a D3 side, and the commitment of our players to our offseason program,” said Orlando Head Coach Alan Dodimead. “We are feeling good about how we have started, but it is a long season and I feel we have yet to play to our potential as we have yet to play a game with our full starting side. With that being said we have had players step in and play very well and fight for a spot on the roster.” Depth always seems to be a key component to a successful DII side, as those players struggle with long seasons and availability. Dodimead likes the depth the club boasts, and also the attitude. “It is very difficult to single out any particular players as we have truly been playing great rugby 1-15,” the coach said. “Our biggest improvement from last year to now has been on defense. We are really focusing on making teams work hard to put scores across the line.” Scrumhalf Mike Seifollahi has been playing superbly and leads the team with four league tries. He sets the tone for the squad as a whole, said Dodimead, while No. 8 Will Doherty has been leading the pack. Looking ahead, Dodimead hopes the squad’s trip to the Battleship Tournament in Mobile, Ala, but he also knows the Tridents just toured Costa Rica, and that could help them. “I, for one, feel a tour can truly galvanize a team,” Dodimead said. “So with them coming off a successful tour, I expect their very best this weekend. We know they are going to be a very physical team and we are looking to match that and put them under pressure on attack. They have some very talented players and play a very structured game so we are going to have to be very disciplined in our defensive alignment if we are to bring home a win.” Also on tap in the South DII: |
