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+---- Thread: *From Bondi Beach to Myrtle Beach (/showthread.php?tid=20604)
*From Bondi Beach to Myrtle Beach - NicholasTheGreat - 03-30-2020
The Myrtle Beach Buccaneers are 4-2 at this point in the season and our currently the number one seed in the Developmental Simulation Football League. This team has been developed on the back of fantastic management and comradery in their locker room. Another reason is a fantastic draft class with talent from their first pick to their last. Part of this draft class involves two players, who have a connection, who are partially responsible for improving their offence this season. They are offensive lineman Bruce Buckley and tight end Heath Evans.
These two rookies have a special connection, but it took them a while to realise. Both of these rookies are Australian and originate from the great land down under. Evans originates from Melbourne whereas Buckley originates from Sydney. These cities are notorious rivals with one another which may have contributed to the playful rivalry between the two players. This article will have a look at these two players and include a question and answer section involving them.
Heath Evans:
The balanced tight end out of UCLA was selected in the 5th round of the draft at selection number 39. He was the third tight end taken off the board after Daniel George and Jeffrey Phillips. At the moment he has already amassed 195 TPE, which is the second highest of all rookie tight ends.
He has currently 303 receiving yards on the season and an average of 12.6 yards per catch. He has a longest gain of 32 yards but has yet to get a touchdown pass. Evans is the second leading receiving on the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers. Evans also has 21 pancakes on the year and has let in one sack on the season.
Bruce Buckley:
The athletic lineman was taken out of Western Sydney University in the 8th round of the draft at selection number 59, taken 20 places behind his Australian counterpart. He was the third offensive lineman taken off the board after Byron Dolls and Tommy Sacamano. So far, he has already amassed 179 TPE making him the 2nd highest rookie offensive lineman in the rookie class behind Calvin Golladay. This has already made Bruce Buckley the 8th best lineman in the entire league in either of the league.
So far Bruce Buckley has gotten 21 pancakes in his 10 starts at left guard which is the same amount as Heath Evans. Bruce Buckley has also let in 2 sacks in comparison to Evans’ 1. Bruce Buckley has also received one game ball for the offensive line’s performance in Week 7 when the Buccs rushing attack went for over 5 yards per rush.
That concludes the statistics section of the article and it is now time to move on to the question and answer portion of the article. I have asked both Bruce and Heath a series of questions and I will detail the answers below.
Question One – How did you discover American Football in Australia?
Heath Evans:
“That's a bit of a weird one huh! After I was playing rugby with the boys one day, and we went to one of their places to smash out some games and snacks - one of the centres put on Madden and we went from there. I'm pretty sure when I first played it was superstar mode as a running back, the play style fascinated me and I couldn't get enough. After I'd played a bit of Madden the thought came to me "Heath, you're an athlete, you play sportsball, why not American sportsball?" So I searched google for "American Sportsball Australia" and I somehow came across the Gridiron Australia league. After a few emails back and forth with the president of the league, I had secured a potential starting position on a local amatuer team with the Melbourne Uni Royals. Maybe if I'd started out at tight end I'd be better at it by now, but the coach saw my raw athleticism and wanted me to play running back and defensive end, rarely ever leaving the field. After a few seasons in the GA and GV leagues I was old enough to commit to a team and next thing you know, I'm in the DSFL!”
Bruce Buckley:
“During my time in high school and university there was a lot of casual sports including Rugby League, Aussie Rules Football and cricket. I was involved in all of these sports in my childhood. However, in my first year of university, I slid in for a tackle and injured my shoulder. During my time off, I was at home playing video games and watching sports. I came across NFL Redzone and I was hooked because it was just sports for 6 hours straight. I got addicted to the game and started playing Madden. I got so attached, I tried to play it but there wasn’t any local teams at my university. I decided to fly to America and try this out!”
Question Two – How would you describe your relationship with the other Australian?
Heath Evans:
“Ahhhhhhh mate, have ya spoke ta Brucey already? Bet he told ya some tall ones. Brucey and I get on, but sometimes it feels a little like the locker room only has room for so many Aussie bastards. Nah I kid, the boy's a big unit though huh? Taught me a coupla things in the blocking game already.... But the boy always thinks he's better than me! He's tried to sneak in with Angler, Mantooth and I for tight end training a few times now - he drops the ball each time but somehow always convinces Sofa to send one his way. Look, at the end of the day, we're both about growing the sport back home regardless of any other differences between us. We butt heads, we beef, but who doesn't Brucey beef with? Ya heard about the biff he had with a reporter preseason? Poor fella tanked his draft hard.”
Bruce Buckley:
“If I’m going to be honest with you, I wasn’t aware of Heath before the draft. I interacted with a lot of people and I can’t remember if we crossed paths. We both ended up at Myrtle Beach and it took a few weeks for us to really connect. Once we found out, we were both Aussies, we went straight to nearest pub and drank them dry. Now it’s hard to separate us, on the field and off of it. I’m sneaking into TE training and he’s sneaking in to OL drills. We are so close we are almost close to forming a new Kelly Gang with our glorious beards. He’s a great bloke and it’s great to have some great mates around the locker room.”
Question Three: What is something you miss from your homeland?
Heath Evans:
“Hey, I'll tell ya what - I've got a decent bankroll for anyone that can bring a full and sealed jar of Vegemite to Myrtle Beach. I'm sure my family and friends are scratching their heads thinking that was a softball to get them a shout out... Too bad, I'm in it for the Vegemite. Anything else? Nah. I just wish someone would make me some goddamn VEGEMITE TOAST. Oh... Do you guys have Bunnings over here? I could use a snag, onions on top - if you know, you know.”
Bruce Buckley:
“There are a lot of things I’m missing. Good beer. Good food. Good people. Australian KFC, Chicken Chips, Bunnings Snags, Vegemite, Friends, Family, Beaches. There are so many things I’m missing about home. Wait. I forgot something. FUCKING TIM TAMS. TIM TAMSSSSSSSS.
Question Four: If you could sum up your teammate in one sentence, what would it be and why?
Heath Evans:
“’Like a bull in a china shop’ is probably the most apt metaphor, I've seen more than a few defensive lineman shook just by lining up against him. You tell me, as a defensive rusher - what don't you like? Hands in the face? Oh don't worry, he's got more hands in your face than the goddamn wiggles doin a cold spaghetti. You don't want to be held? He'll grab the tits off you like a Weinstein at a hollywood casting call. If you don't like something, he'll figure out what that is and he'll throw it right back in your face. It gets pretty goddamn annoying to be honest... but in any case I have to be glad to share a sideline with him instead of standing opposite, otherwise there'd be a whole lot more unsportsmanlike penalties.
Bruce Buckley:
“That is a really tough question. It’s hard to summarise all of Heath’s qualities into one word. If I was absolutely forced to, it would have to be something along the lines of ‘A brother in a battle’. He is absolutely someone you want to stand next to on the field and off of it. You want to connect with him and be close, that is the type of person Heath is.
So these two lads from the opposite side of the world came together on the best beach in the Developmental Simulation Football League, Myrtle Beach. They have left behind the glorious beaches of Australia to make their way in the greatest football league in the world. They are on their way towards their playoffs at the moment with their goals on taking the team one step further then they did last season. Their goal is to win the Ultimini after their defeat in the decider last year. Buckley and Evans will be a major part of the offence is this is the case.
*From Bondi Beach to Myrtle Beach - Ben - 03-30-2020
Vegemite is fucking disgusting
*From Bondi Beach to Myrtle Beach - NicholasTheGreat - 03-30-2020
(03-30-2020, 09:24 PM)Ben Wrote:Vegemite is fucking disgusting
How dare you sir
*From Bondi Beach to Myrtle Beach - Memento Mori - 03-30-2020
straya
*From Bondi Beach to Myrtle Beach - Ben - 03-30-2020
(03-31-2020, 12:15 AM)NicholasTheGreat Wrote:How dare you sir
Tim Tams are great tho, it's funny how many Australians don't realise we have them in NZ too