Will the Old Port Dockers of Montreal be raising their anchor come Sunday evening and setting sail towards the first Grand Final ever in the Clubs history since their rebranding from the Montreal Saints in 2011? Or will it be the young guns of the West Island Eagles that will be soaring towards the sky with a loud din of kaww bellowing out throughout the hinterland of the West Island. Remember disturb the Eagles nest; be ready to pay the consequences.
With virtually a full team of first year players, the young unknown Eagles managed to overcome their inexperience and footballing innocence and beat the likes of the Laval Bombers and Ottawa Swans en route to winning the Quebec Pre Season Cup.
At the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we have the Dockers, an old and experienced side who’s got some quality players that rarely misfire. They finished top of the ladder and will want to show the young guns that the old guys aren’t finished and can still play football. Not only are they playing for a place in the Grand Final, it’s also a family thing with Margo Legault facing off against her cousin Emily, and dancing Irishman Ronan Shaughnessy. Will we witness a shocking upset on Sunday? All this commentator has to saw is “kawww”
It wouldn’t be wise for the Old Mtl Dockers to take these young Eagles lightly. Not only does this team include a number of excellent players that have shown all of their talent and poise with the Canadian National Team at the IC2011, they also have a number of U-23 Canadian Team players and members of the pre-season cup winning team. They can kick goals, they can run their hearts out, they can tackle and more importantly, when the going gets tough, they can pull out wins and beat any team in the competition.
Their captain and hard nut is Matty Payne, whose resume includes the IC 2011 and the captaincy of the Canadian U23s at this year’s 49th parallel cup. Payne can and will run from the first ball up right through to the final siren. He’s a man amongst boys in this Eagles team and will lead right from the offset, he’s hard to catch and will give the Dockers a handful all afternoon. The rest of the midfield is just as dangerous with Eliot Kempster, Matt Heaton and Sean Smallwood taking turns in the ruck. In Kempster, the Eagles have undoubtedly the best player in the league. Da Vinci, Galileo, Einstein even Jesus… all geniuses and great men in their own right, but none of them could play footy like Kempster does.
When they are not in the ruck, both Heaton and Smallwood take the game on without fear. Think Pippen / Jordan, Gretzky / Messier, heck even think Frodo / Sam then think Heaton / Smallwood, both Canadian U23 internationals, both pedigree breeds, both awesome in their own right. Heaton, a rugby phenomenon, has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season and will continue to do so in the Semi-Final. Smallwood is a total gun in the forward line and can score at will. Both will cause the Dockers a big headache throughout the game.
Like a mother Eagle protects her eggs, the All Canadian Team defensive line of the Fred Manny, Marc St Germain and Margo Legault will protect the Eagles goal ‘till the ends of the earth. All willing and waiting, this All-star back line will test any Docker brave enough to enter the Eagles nest. In Manny, the Eagles have the most improved player in the competition, who surely must be a shoe in for rookie of the year and a spot on the AFL Quebec 2012 Dream Team. A big performance from Manny in this Semi Final could all but guarantee this for him.
Then there is the return of the prodigies – Nick Robidoux and Alex Langevin. Oh how the Eagles have missed these two throughout the summer months. Had they been available all campaign then it might have been the Eagles going into Final Series as the top place team and not the Dockers. That’s how much of a difference these two players make to the Eagles team. These guys are the Beyoncé of Destiny’s Child, the Robbie Williams of Take That, when these guys leave a group it inevitably falls apart. Well don’t fear, the Eagles have reformed and just announced a World Tour. And it starts this Sunday in Montreal. Front row seat will be the Old Port Dockers. Enjoy the show.
Upfront with Robidoux will be Kelsey Martin. Growing in stature every week, it’s a only a matter of time before Martin hits the spotlight with a bag load of goals. The Dockers would do wise and keep her well under control. Give her space and it will backfire.
The Dockers are themselves not to be taken lightly; they have some proven veterans including various premiership winning players. Easily the most consistent team in the competition, this team has had time to gel and they know each other like the back of their right hand. It’s not for nothing that this team finished on top of the ladder. It is no easy task for any team to keep these guys at bay, and now that we’re playing for a place in the Grand Final, we’ll see what they can really do. The team is led by exemplary players in Ronan Shaughnessy and Neil Koch, anyone who’s seen these two at work knows that they give everything each time they’re out there. No fear, can kick a mile to a mark and will sink you if you do not mark them. If the Eagles want to win, they will have to keep them away from the Sherrin.
That’s not to say that the Dockers are a two player team. They are much more than that. Recently awarded rookie of the round, Guy-Joel Rocher is a total gun in the midfield and is probably the fastest player in the competition - probably in Montreal, probably in Canada, hell he should have ran in the Olympics, and is almost impossible to catch. He clears the ball more often than any other player and easily leads the competition for most defensive clearances and if the Eagles aren’t careful, the Dockers can put 3 or 4 goals in a matter of minutes.
The lovebird duo of Francis Lemieux and Brian Léveillé will also be on hand to dish out the pain. Francis will without a doubt scare the living life out of anyone that he goes near and Brian will be close by to collect the pieces. Philippe Ronci is a quality ruck that has shown flashes of brilliance through the season. In recent weeks he has started to kick goals and he too can dish out pain. Get on the wrong end of a Ronci tackle and the only way you’re leaving the field is in a St John Ambulance.
There are some players that are less known for their flair, but are nonetheless essential to the success of this team. Manus McDermott can kick the ball effortlessly and is an extremely difficult defender to go by. Kick a goal on McDermott and it will no doubt have been a well-earned goal. But enjoy the moment, because it won’t happen again. McDermott doesn’t give up goals easy. Lending a helpful down back is Mr Docker himself Keir Link. Like a Captain who’s last to leave a sinking ship, should the Dockers find themselves taking on water the last man to abort will be this guy. True to the Docker cause right to the end. Oh… and he can play football.
And if the Eagles have Eliot Kempster then the Dockers have Andrew Bell. Watching Bell play football is like staring a Rembrandt painting, its mesmerising and beatiful. Dockers will be hoping for a massive performance from Bell on Sunday. If Bell performs, the Dockers will perform and they could be in with a real shout.
A big cause for concern for the Dockers will be the availability of two key personnel in Dave Wilson and Mimi, the girl so good she only needs one name. If the Dockers can call upon the services of Wilson up forward and Eboka (yes, she has a second name) down back then this might all but assure victory for the men from downtown. If Wilson doesn’t play then it might be uncertain where the goals for the Dockers will come from. Without Mimi the Dockers might be like the Hoover Dam without… well, without the Dam. Along with Shaughnessy, Mimi and Wilson are the league’s longest serving participants and their experience to the Dockers cause is immeasurable.
Finally we have two other rookies in Emily Legault and Loucas Dufort. Emily is easily indentifiable by her smoking before, after and sometimes during games. She’s usually well nestled in the forward line ready to strike. As for Loucas, he is an extremely entertaining player who takes some beautiful marks. He’s got great hands and an excellent work rate which makes him one of the wild cards of this Semi-Final game.
On paper, one would think that the Dockers should roll over the bird of prey, but when you take a closer look at this game, and especially some of the rivalries you know that this will be one hell of a game. Will Smallwood crack under the pressure, will Payne injure himself once again, can Koch and Shaughnessy be stopped? If you wanna find out, come to 513 Boulevard des Anciens Combattants, St Anne de Bellevue and see for yourself.
That being said, Eagles by a brace.
Last Modified on 13/06/2014 06:09