CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Finally! Yeesh!
The P.E.I. Mudmen division two team will actually play this year in the Nova Scotia Senior Men’s Rugby League when Saturday, and five weeks into the season, it tangles with Eastern Shore (3-0) in Musquodobit Harbour, N.S.
Game time is 2 p.m., and though flanker Cecil MacPhail is ready he’s still scratching his head a little at the delay.
“Not by the book off the start. It’s unusual, (but) to us it still seems like the start of the season,” MacPhail said. “I’d prefer to be starting at home, always good to start at home, but it doesn’t really matter. Our guys are going play like they’re on a mission.”
And to begin the Mudmen, last year’s championship runner-up, draw the league leaders right off the hop. Eastern Shore has rampaged through the division, beating tough Caledonia, Enfield and Truro squads while outscoring the trio 130-80 overall.
MacPhail, who’s been nursing an ankle injury, knows Eastern Shore is a tough out and a good test of the Mudmen’s new system which has focused on using team speed to spread the ball wide, stretch the field and weaken opponent’s defensive abilities.
“We’re working out our system with the division one team so it’s a good test to see where we are,” he said. “We know Eastern Shore is a good mauling team, good at pushing the pack, so we’ve worked on our defence on the maul. It’s something we’ve been preparing for.”
The Bluefield High School grad returned to P.E.I. and the Mudmen fold this year after several years living and playing rugby in Vancouver, B.C., and Fort McMurray, Alta.
The 25-year-old he likes what he sees, both the familiar and the new faces, from the dynamic club and likes how his squad is shaping up.
“It feels good. Lots of new faces. It’s a good challenge,” he said. “I think we’re rounding into a good team with a lot of speed.”
The Mudmen division one squad (2-0) faces perennial rival the Halifax Tars (2-0) on Sunday in Halifax. Winner gets a leg up on home field advantage for the playoffs. Game time is 1 p.m.
On the senior women’s side, the Charlottetown Rugby Football Club Tier A and Tier B teams have a bye week.
The Tier A squad (3-0) returns to action on the road next Saturday and Sunday versus the Halifax Tars (3-0) and Enfield (1-3), respectively, while CRFC (0-1) also hits the highway and faces the Tars (1-1) Saturday and the Dartmouth PigDogs (1-4) Sunday in Tier B.
