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Royals Newsletter Edition 12

Mar 18, 2016

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Jeremy Edwards

Edition 12 of the Royals Newsletter. Features match report vs Gippsland Gladiators, NFL Comparisons: D-line and Around the League.
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Page 1: Royals Newsletter Edition 12
Page 2: Royals Newsletter Edition 12

Round 12: Melbourne Royals Vs Gippsland Gladiators

Round 12 would be the last division-two game of the year for the Melbourne Royals. Com-ing in with a record of 6-1 in their division, the Royals looked likely to retain the number one position on the ladder and go to the Vic Bowl, a win in Gippsland would ensure it. After a delay caused by some confusion with the buses, the Royals were off to play in Morwell for the day. The Royals had won their last two games against the Gladiators in the last two years, however were still haunted by a loss including a shutout back in round three, 2011.

The Royals received the ball first, receiving strong protection from the offensive line. Quar-terback Blair Black looked ready to play and started hooking up passes from the go. The Royals marched down the field, but were picked off near the end zone forcing the defence out. The defence struggled to get going early on however, letting some plays through quickly before Gladiators quarterback Hugh Buchanon hit receiver Chane Davidson for a pass to the middle that would end up going for 70 yards after the catch. The gladiators scored as a series of missed and broken tackles allowed the receiver down field. The extra point was kicked and the Royals trailed 0-7.

The Royals offence came back on fired up, Blair Black hooking up passes to receivers Adam Watson, Chris Tuohy and Darcy Muller, before finally throwing a quick pass down the middle to wide receiver Bill Chislett for a score. The Royals kicked the point after and it was tied up 7-7. The Royals returned to the field defensively, however making another mistake and allowing QB Buchanon to hit receiver Chane Davidson for another big pass and score, the PAT was missed and the Gladiators reclaimed the lead ahead of the Royals, 7-13.

The ball was turned over in the first half, with defensive end Paul Stephanatos forcing two fumbles through the entire game and recovering one. The Royals were able to come back out offensively and hit star receiver Adam Watson for another pass into the end zone be-fore the half, tying the Royals and Gladiators up 13-13. The Gladiators made it close to their end zone on another big pass, but were stopped by the Royals defence in the red zone at half time.

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The Royals needed to get moving again both offensively and defensively, and the second half saw just that. The Royals were first to strike back despite coming out in defensively first. The Royals pushed their way down to the end zone before using goal line tail back Frank Matue to punch in the touchdown and extend the lead 19-13. The Royals defence continued to stand strong, with defensive end Aaron Mapstone sacking the quarterback before cornerback Max Smith intercepted the pass. The Royals offense returned, quar-terback Blair Black got moving again and fired a signature deep ball down the sidelines, hitting sprinting wide receiver Chris Tuohy for an 83-yard touchdown. The Royals further extended their lead with an extra point kicked by new British import linebacker James Hudson, 26-13.

The Gladiators took the ball back offensively, however the ball was intercepted by corner-back Max Smith once again and returned to the 10-yard line before he was taken down. The Royals continued to keep the ball in the air, hitting receiver Adam Watson for his sec-ond touchdown of the game and adding to his great day on field. The Royals were leading 32-13 and would run the clock down, the defence returning and receiver/cornerback Henry Wright picked off the Gladiators QB twice. The Royals defensive pass rush was too strong in the second half with linebacker Andrew Rowse sacking the quarterback twice.

The Royals reached full time with the win 32-13 despite been down on players, a great game played also by the Gippsland Gladiators who showed a lot of heart whilst having a low squad as well. The Royals have cemented their spot in the division-two Vic Bowl now, saving any major cross-divisional upsets. The Royals play the Monash Warriors this Sun-day at 10.30am at home. Come down to Royal Park and see the cross-divisional match up as the Royals are tested by one of division-one’s strongest clubs.

Page 4: Royals Newsletter Edition 12

NFL Comparisons

This week Royals Newsletter looks at the front four players on the defence assigned to stop the run and make the quarterback’s life a little rougher, the defensive line.

Defensive End: Aaron Mapstone – Cliff Avril, Detroit Lions.Mapstone played the 2011 season at nose tackle and considerably heavier, after losing all his weight, the 2012 season saw him moving to defensive end. Mapstone has evolved into a quality defensive end, playing like the Lions Cliff Avril. Mapstone has the upper body strength to take on tackles and lay the hits without the size this year and with above aver-age speed at his position. Like Avril, Mapstone hasn’t missed any games in the last few seasons, and some legwork in the gym would see him really start to dominate his position.

Defensive End: Donal Stott – Chris Long, St Louis Rams.In his second year at defensive end, Stott has become one of the most valuable players on the defensive line due to his ability to hold the edge of the field with superiority. Like defensive end Chris Long, Stott is able to push blockers on the line and hold his side down to make the play with good vision across the field for what is happening. Stott doesn’t have the best stats on field like other players, but his value is obvious in holding down a critical part of the defence and forcing the play back inside like Long.

Defensive End: Paul Stephanatos – Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints.Stephanatos has played around the club, starting at tight end before moving to the de-fence. Stephanatos becomes a better player with every game and is only 19 years of age making him a player with lots of potential in store like Cameron Jordan. Like Jordan, Stephanatos is ahead of most players his age and has the speed to play in space as well as play the run with some power. Both Jordan and Stephanatos would benefit hugely with more time in the weight room making them scary good at their position.

Defensive Tackle: Michel ‘treestump’ Marie – Bruce Irvin, Seattle Seahawks.Marie comes to the Royals as one of the smaller players in height on the team, still manag-ing to play at defensive tackle. Although Bruce Irvin may be tall unlike Marie, both players play the bad boy of the their clubs and play with a lot of heart. Irvin and ‘treestump’ Marie need be watched both on and off the field, and are dangerous to lay you out if they get the chance.

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Nose Tackle: Adam Donohue – Derek Landri, Philadelphia Eagles.Donohue and Landri are alike for an obvious reason, these guys are strong. Massive guns make these two players alike in the fact they are a nightmare for lineman to get manhandled, if Donohue is able to get his hands on you, you’ll feel sore in the morning as he attacks the run with skill. Landri is a stout player like Donohue, and both players could do with some work on their hand moves to become better players. Donohue only received a few games at defensive tackle after dislocating his knee in the preseason and then during season again. We hope for a quick recovery.

Defensive Tackle: Jeremy Edwards – Marcell Dareus, Buffalo Bills.(Written by Ahmed Arayne)Moving from offence to defense after a big offseason Jeremy Edwards has surprised most with his ability to anchor the defence and switch back to offence when needed. Edwards versatility can be likened to that of Marcell Dareus who is able to play anywhere on the defensive line. Dareus’ strength and ability to overpower blockers forces opposing lines to constantly assign a double team to him and when switched to defensive end his speed allows him to make plays in the backfield. Edwards is constantly breaking into the backfield pressuring and sacking the quarterback while being able to stop the inside run. With another big preseason he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Nose Tackle: Filipo Muliaga – Sione Pouha, New York Jets. Normally the position of nose tackle doesn’t require the preface of the word ‘big’, but in this case it is justified. Big Royals nose tackle Filipo Muliaga is an intimidating force to an opposing offensive line like the Jets nose tackle Pouha. Strong and with the size to control two gaps in the defence, Muliaga is a lock at the nose tackle position. In his first year, Muliaga is someone any quarterback or running back wants to move away from, as running into him will deliver the same results as running into a brick wall. With some extra speed, Muliaga is posed to be a special force at the nose tackle position in the 2013 season.

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Around the league

Down at The Cove on Saturday afternoon, the Bay City Buccaneers hosted the Berwick Min-ers. The Buccs had been playing with strength since early in the season and continued this trend, taking a win over the Berwick Miners 48-0. The Buccaneers look like one of, if not the strongest squad in the league, and will go through to the finals as a tough task for any team.

On the Sunday, the Northern Raiders kicked off against the Croydon Stars down in Foot-scray. The Raiders were hungry for a win after losing to the Royals in a close game the previ-ous week, and brought it to the winless Stars, dominating the game for a 30-0 win. The Raid-ers look posed to take third spot overall and make it to the finals against the Barbarians if they are able to come up with a win against the Gippsland Gladiators next week.

The Croydon Rangers ventured down in the afternoon to play the Western Crusaders in a match that would decide who would take the third playoff spot in division-one. The Crusad-ers proved too strong, their defence able to sop a strong offense and win the game 20-6. The Crusaders clinched the final playoff spot along with the Warriors and Buccaneers.

Special ThanksSpecial thanks to Barend van den Hoek who supplied the action shots used this week. He takes fantastic photos and we encourage you to check them all out, including more from the Royals Vs Gladiators game at www.barendphotos.photomerchant.net

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OFF THE FIELD with LIONEL ONG

FoodBACON

Movie: anything with ryan reynolds

TV Show:psych, an idiot abroad

community, the office

MUSICa day to remember, mack-

lemore

ACTORryan reynolds

Heard about royalsgoogle

31Paul

Stephanatos-

Melbourne VIC

1 year

185 CMS

101 KGS

PLAYER PROFILE

#85 henry wright

Page 8: Royals Newsletter Edition 12

contact@@mroyals.com

Contributors

Writer//Editor Jeremy Edwards

Photographers Luke Markof

Jenny watson

Barend van den Hoek

Designer Ahmed Arayne