Old Glory has certainly had a difficult season to say the least despite some positives the last couple of weeks of the campaign. While they ended the season on a better note than what has transpired so far this 2022 campaign, the club will have a lot to work on for 2023. Despite the positives, there will be a lot of work to build upon in what was a somewhat strong end to the season. The question remains, what needs to be done for there to be a successful season.
To look at what to do about 2023, you have to look back on 2021. The 2021 side was actually a very talented squad that simply couldn’t get the results they wanted. Old Glory had a number of games they lost where the game slipped out of their hands. Including the draw in the first week of 2021, there were six games that were played within a score and that ultimately was the deciding factor. In fact, OGDC lost five games by a combined 19 points with the biggest loss by six. Old Glory won six games, so with those five losses and one draw, too many points were dropped in the standings and it ultimately cost them as they were 14 points behind Rugby United New York for a playoff spot and of the five losses and one draw (not including bonus points), that’s 24 potential points dropped.
So how can that be? How can a talented club like that drop that amount of points in the standings and not be able to close out games? It seemed to be something that was addressed in 2022, but it was clear now that it was coaching and leadership. Head coach at the time Andrew Douglas, while a fine coach, wasn’t able to fix the problem and was ultimately let go of his position this past campaign. While it might not have been necessarily his fault, Douglas was essentially the one who had to be held accountable as those problems seemed to persist going into 2022. The team in 2021 seemed to have discipline issues and lack of focus, which led to handling and defensive issues. Chemistry was never a problem as clearly the team got along well despite the inconsistencies. It was more or less the same in 2022 and someone had to be held accountable for the poor results.
What else hurt Old Glory in 2022 is losing a lot of key players. One area where it hurt was at hooker. Mikey Sosene-Feagai left for France after 2021 and he is a dynamic player as he could be the number one choice for the USA Eagles battling a spot with Joe Taufete’e to start (though Kapeli Pifeleti and Dylan Fawsitt are also strong contenders). While Rob Irimescu is a great player in his own right and the team can win with him, he isn’t quite as dynamic as Sosene-Feagai. In the props, Old Glory lost depth as Jamie Dever and Steven Longwell departed and those players helped improve their scrum greatly as their chemistry with Sosene-Feagai was incredible. Experienced back Ciaran Hearn decided to retire and losing his leadership probably hurt more than the team anticipated. Mungo Mason also turned out to be a huge loss as he was another dynamic player that contributed a lot and was also a leader on the pitch. D’Montae Noble, Sam Cusano, and Dylan Taikato-Simpson were all three talented players in the backs who were also dynamic on the pitch with their attacking skills and speed, plus considerable depth. James King, Max Lum, and Casey Renaud in the forwards were also good depth that were lost. However, the biggest loss had to be flyhalf Jason Robertson as Robertson was arguably the best player to wear a 10 jersey in Major League Rugby. He and scrumhalf Danny Tusitala were probably the best 9-10 combos in the league and losing that chemistry probably hurt Old Glory’s attack, but Robertson also was consistent at scoring points. While Rohan Saifoloi probably moves the ball better than Robertson and made for a good combo with Tusitala, Robertson’s chemistry with Tusitala would’ve been hard to replicate. While Old Glory was able to bring in a lot of talent like Felix Kalapu, Dom Bailey, William Talataina, Fintan Coleman, Jake Illnicki, Junior Sa’u, Kyle Stewart, and Peni Lasaqa with Irimescu and Saifoloi, there seemed to be something missing. That’s something that is hard to pinpoint as the only ones in the club and the squad would know better, but clearly there was something not working.
However, there seems to be hope as while the likelihood of all these players staying on is high, there is still a wealth of talent on Old Glory. In the backs, theres a lot of firepower in Doug Fraser, Renata Roberts-Tenana, Simi Moala, and Mike Dabulas and strength in the forwards with Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, Stan South, Luke Campbell, Jack Iscaro, and the raw yet talented Cory Daniel. The squad seemed to click better towards the end of the season as they finished winning three games of seven matches. However, while they still were conceding a lot of points, the team scored a lot too. Defense will be something that needs to be worked on tremendously for 2023, but there’s a lot to like with their attack. Also looking at their results, theres a few matches where they dangerously close to winning especially against sides like the New England Free Jacks, Rugby ATL, San Diego Legion, RUNY, and Toronto Arrows which are all teams in the 2022 playoffs or were strong contenders. Seems to suggest that the team should’ve been better than what the results suggested. What played a factor was the injuries the team accrued like Dabulas who brings so much to the attack as well as Thretton Palamo and disciplinary problems like Fa’anana-Schultz as he earned a suspension that ended his season. If Old Glory can fix those problems in defense and discipline, as well as being able to stay healthy, the team could be a sneaky contender for the playoffs in 2023.
The new head coach of the club is Nate Osborne, who did an admirable job coaching New Orleans Gold, is now tasked in turning this club around. Believe it or not, despite how much work there is needed to be done, this team already has some pieces to build around to become a contender in 2023. It’s not going to be easy, but if the front office coordinates with Osborne’s style and is able to recruit players that fit that, then we could see a potential side that will be difficult to beat. Paul Sheehy and Chris Dunlavey are owners that are passionate about the sport and want to win, so they will do all they can to make this a championship contender and winner. Also, with Tim Brown discovering young talent like back John Rizzo and forward Brady Daniel (younger brother of Cory), there’s a lot of confidence that they can find local talent to help boost the depth and potential MLR stars. Whatever that might happen in the offseason, the only way Old Glory can go is up and that can only mean a bright future ahead.
Comments