Old Glory DC are back in the playoffs for the second straight season and nabbed the four seed. Their reward? New England Free Jacks, the reigning MLR champion. This season, Old Glory played the Free Jacks close in each of the two matches played as they defeated New England at their home complex 35-34 on a last second upset penalty kick from Jason Robertson then lost 31-30 back in DC. With this playoff match being played at the Free Jacks, could we see a repeat from earlier this season? OGDC seems to know how to play them well suggesting they match up well with New England. Lets take a look at the keys to the game.
Depth
Depth will be key here as while both sides are deep, the main question here is who is the deepest. New England seemingly has a wealth of players who could be starters elsewhere or who did start for an MLR club in the past. In literally every facet of their squad, it’s hard to catch a break. OGDC head coach Simon Cross will have to be careful with his selections for the squad and when to use his substitutions because the Free Jacks have just a plethora of attackers. OGDC could get worn down, but what could be an even bigger factor is the next key.
Experience
Yes, this is the second season in a row for them to make the playoffs, but this is a different squad than last season’s. New England has been through many playoff runs signaling how good they are. OGDC doesn’t quite have that, but they’ll have to rely on some of the key players they signed in the offseason to get them to where they need to go. It’s time for players like Damien Hoyland, Axel Muller, Perry Humphreys, William Talataina, Lautaro Bavaro, Rob Harley, Ignacio Dotti, and Facundo Gattas to step up and help lead OGDC to the promise land. So the question will be is if talent will mean more than experience as players such as KoiKoi Nelligan, Cali Martinez, Cory and Brady Daniel, Collin Grosse, Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, Ethan McVeigh, John Powers, John Rizzo, and Mike Dabulas are supremely talented, but don’t have the playoff experience.
The Scrum
Wow, this is going to be a huge factor here. New England has a lot of amazing talented players in the scrum such as Wian Conradie, Cam Davidowicz, Mitch Jacobson. Josh Larsen, Conor Keys, Kyle Baillie, Cole Keith, Kaleb Geiger, Andrew Quattrin. Mason Koch, and Kyle Ciquera meaning that they have a powerful scrum. Matching up with them will be difficult, but ODDC also has a decent one themselves. Both pack a punch, but this could be the biggest difference of the match.
If You Want To Slow Down New England’s Attack, Stop Jayson Potroz
The Free Jacks are going to put up points. Not much OGDC can do there, but there’s one key factor that makes them so lethal and if they can stop it, it might make things easier. Stopping Jayson Potroz is one of the most lethal flyhalves in the league and stopping him will be massive. There’s not much they can do to stop John Poland, Ben LeSage, Le Roux Malan. Wayne van der Bank. Paula Balekana, Mitch Wilson, and Reece MacDonald, but if Potroz is held at bay then there’s not much New England can do.
Jason Robertson, Step Right Up
Just as much as New England’s attack goes, so does OGDC with their flyhalf. However, Jason Robertson has one advantage over Potroz: his boot. Both are dynamic at the 10 jersey, but Robertson’s legs is more lethal and it proved as such in the first match against them this season. He will have to be spot on at all times and not miss a mark and if that happens, magic could happen. Putting up points on the board to match or keep pace with the Free Jacks is key and Robertson could be the difference maker.
Starting XV
1 Jack Iscaro
2 Facundo Gattas
3 Steven Longwell
4 Rob Harley
5 Tevita Naqali
6 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz
7 Cory Daniel
8 Lautaro Bavaro
9 Connor Buckley
10 Jason Robertson
11 John Rizzo
12 Tommaso Boni
13 John Powers
14 Perry Humphreys
15 Damien Hoyland
Reserves
16 KoiKoi Nelligan
17 Cali Martinez
18 Tyler Rowland
19 Ignacio Dotti
20 Brady Daniel
21 Ethan McVeigh
22 Gradyn Bowd
23 William Talataina
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