Wolverines look to adapt to off-season changes

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This article was published 23/08/2018 (2850 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One season removed from an outstanding turnaround, the Westman Wolverines now find an entirely new landscape awaits in the Manitoba Major Junior Football League.

The Wolverines went 4-4 in 2017 and finished third in the MMJFL, after going a combined 1-14 in 2015 and 2016.

But the league has had two significant changes this year that could have massive impacts on the season.

First, the North Winnipeg Nomads dropped out of the league, leaving the loop with just four teams. As recently as 2013, the league had eight, with six of them based in Winnipeg.

Now all the talent is being funnelled into the three remaining programs, the defending champion Transcona Nationals, St. James Rods and St. Vital Mustangs. All of the Nomads became free agents.

“They get to really decide who’s on the team, while in years prior with more teams, they took who was in the area,” linebacker Karson Turpie said. “It was a lot more competitive, not just stacked teams. We bring in who we’ve got and we work with it. That’s how it is. It’s definitely a challenge because they practise more often.”

The Wolverines open their six-game regular season against the Rods this afternoon when they host the Winnipeg squad at 3 o’clock at Vincent Massey, where they’ll play all of their home games this season.

With the league now down to four teams, each squad will face the other three twice. With a pair of bye weeks built in, the regular season schedule will end on Oct. 13.

Tyler Rowan, a 20-year-old running back, is in his third year in the league. He said the reduced number of squads doesn’t help. But it will drive them to beat the best.

“There is one less team so we can’t just expect to beat the same teams as we did last year,” Rowan said. “We’ll have to take wins off the top teams this year. Last year we kind of had guaranteed wins against the bottom two but this year we have to step up and take wins off the Nationals and Mustangs.”

In another move, the league decided to extend one more year of eligibility to last year’s graduating veterans, meaning players aged 18 to 23 can now play.

That had an immediate impact on the Wolverines, who were able to retain the league’s outstanding defensive player, linebacker Cole Easton, all-star offensive lineman Bryce Roberts and linebacker Matthew Meeches.

By only allowing MMJFL veterans back, the league prevented a flood of graduates from the Canadian Junior Football League, where the age limit remains 22.

“We want to reward guys who are in this league and committed to this league and their clubs by giving them a chance to have that overage year,” Dane said.

Dane isn’t sure what the impact will be for the Winnipeg clubs, who stand to gain from both changes.

“It’s interesting, yes and no,” Dane said. “Despite the age change, which you would think would return players wholesale, we have heard some different players … are not back. You hear that, but you never know who’s coming out. Until after a couple of weeks when we get the game film on everybody and start figuring out where everybody is, we’re coming in blind.”

The team will carry a roster of about 40, similar to last year.

Even though they could have returned everybody with the rule change, it didn’t work out that way.

“With this age group, guys get new jobs, guys are going to school somewhere else, so we’ve lost a few guys as well,” Dane said. “I think our roster will be up near the maximum of 42.”

Among the losses are all-star offensive lineman Nathan Price, receiver Dustin Everett and defensive lineman Curtis Firman. Both had other things on the go and didn’t feel they could devote enough time to football.

“I appreciate that,” Dane said. “It is a big commitment, and it’s not something that you want to do half way. With those guys, their spots are here if things change but it’s a tough age. Guys’ lives are changing quick and they’re looking to get themselves established. You expect some turnover with these guys.”

Ten rookies have joined the squad.

Still, the lineup will have a previously unimaginable continuity to it.

“The defence is great,” Turpie said. “We get to play a lot more plays now because we’ve all been together for a year now and we all know what we’re doing. It’s different plays and different coverages because everybody knows what’s going on. We’re not limited based on the knowledge of our players.”

Another year together has also brought the team closer.

Turpie, who is in his third year in the league after spending time with the CJFL’s Regina Thunder, noticed it in 2017 for the first time.

“We were better teammates,” Turpie said. “My first two years I didn’t really know anybody. They lost a bunch of seniors so the years after that were slumps. The team wasn’t together, but last year was lots of fun. We hung out after games and practices and were good together on the field. We are very vocal with each other and that just made us play better.”

Rowan said the Wolverines bond really well because they spend more time in the bus than any of their opponents with three regular-season games in Winnipeg. Those teams travel to Brandon once each.

“I think that brings us close together, spending a couple of hours on the bus,” Rowan said, noting there isn’t any “bad energy” on the team.

The Wolverines joined the league in 2010 and are entering their ninth season. They haven’t had back-to-back seasons when they had a record of at least .500 since 2013 and 2014.

Dane said the team is aiming high.

“Last year we were in the mix, in the middle of the pack with two above us and two below us,” Dane said. “I would love to be competing for that second spot and that home playoff game. That’s what we’ve been talking about out here.”

That journey begins today. Turpie can’t wait to finally be facing another coloured jersey.

“Practice is still fun but it’s always nice to go out and play against other teams,” Turpie said. “You don’t have to hold back and worry about hurting your friend or tripping and falling and tying up with somebody and they get hurt. With another team it doesn’t matter as much, you just worry about the game.”

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