It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but at this stage of game that’ll be the last thing on the Bow Valley Grizzlies’ minds.
The Grizz braved a scorching season opening day on May 7, smashing the Calgary Irish 37-26 in Calgary Rugby Union action.
Ty Hawes, Ian Ames, Cody Suoxell, Anthony Battistone, and James Patterson (two) all picked up their first tries of the season, as the Grizz powered through a tough Irish side that neither asked nor gave quarter at Mitford Pond.
“It was a good first run-out for the boys,” said Hawes, Grizzlies head coach. “We have a lot to work on, but it was good to get a ‘W’ to start the season off. Anthony had a really good game, making a couple nice runs. Hamish (Wrafter) had a fantastic game coming in after only one practice, and James looked really good coming into this game.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do this season.”
While it’s understandable the team would be a little sloppy in their first game out of the gate, it’s something Hawes says will be quickly remedied by returning players who were unable to show up to the season opener and the six new players who have yet to adapt to the Grizzlies’ system.
“Sometimes we were making too many passes instead of going into contact and setting something up going the other way,” Hawes said. “We tried doing too much versus consolidating and resetting, but we’ll get there with practice, and be in a little better shape this coming weekend.”
The Grizz next host Lethbridge at Mitford Pond on May 14. Hawes has yet to see his upcoming opponents in action this year, but isn’t taking anything for granted.
“Most likely they’ll be quite strong,” he said. “I’ve heard they’ve got good numbers and good coaching down there, so who knows.
“We’ll see what they bring come Saturday.”
Kick-off for the Lethbridge game is 3:30 p.m.
