Right, so we didn't want to keep all you "Sports Fans" waiting too long, so as promised here is part deux of the interview with TopJLax's second most favourite no.17 (Sorry Bagley but "Admin Fox", our one stop shop for all TopJAdmin is numero uno, and for y'all out there who don't know him we've been told he's a hired gun, so if you need any admin done, write to us). Back to subject,...more from Bagley and his inside look at the Worlds.
TopJLax: Back from the intermission, let's talk about the venue at the Worlds. What was it like playing in a stadium with thousands of fans, and a pumping soundtrack to warm up to? (P.S. how good was the announcer!).
Matt Bagley: Absolutely awesome! It's amazing how seriously you take a game, when the game is treated as professionally as it was in this tournament. On a typical Saturday afternoon, when it's just your club playing on a muddy pitch with a few WAGS huddled together on the sideline in winter coats and umbrellas, it's sometimes hard to rise to the level of intensity you need in order to compete. But in front of thousands of people, with "The Voice" calling your name and music pumping from the loudspeakers, you're able to get into the zone much easier! Maybe it's time to introduce stadium pitches and warm-up music to SEMLA games?
TopJLax: Well we're definitely game for that! We'll have to look into the TopJBudget and see if it will stretch to a sports complex... Will this championships be considered a success for England? Where do you think the team goes from here in terms of progression/development/goals?
Matt Bagley: Yes and no. The Championships were a success in that we finished the same as we did in 2006 (ranked 5th in the world), and had a much better showing against Australia, the US and Canada this time around too. However, with the Iroquois Nationals not being able to attend the Games due to visa trouble, I think everyone felt that we missed a golden opportunity to place higher than any England squad had done before. We know that we could hang with Australia and Japan, and it was devastating to be denied a shot at the bronze, especially in our own country and in front of our own fans by such a narrow margin.
The good thing to come out of this though, is knowing that England are still capable of producing players of international quality. So, we must be doing something right! Many of our guys had a great tournament, and to know that the majority of them will don an England jersey again at the 2014 World Games in Denver is very encouraging for the future. Plus, we're sending more and more players to colleges and universities overseas, which will no doubt help the standard of lacrosse in this country down the road. I think that in the years to come, England can realistically set their goals higher, and strive to achieve a Top 3 finish!
Matt Bagley: Absolutely awesome! It's amazing how seriously you take a game, when the game is treated as professionally as it was in this tournament. On a typical Saturday afternoon, when it's just your club playing on a muddy pitch with a few WAGS huddled together on the sideline in winter coats and umbrellas, it's sometimes hard to rise to the level of intensity you need in order to compete. But in front of thousands of people, with "The Voice" calling your name and music pumping from the loudspeakers, you're able to get into the zone much easier! Maybe it's time to introduce stadium pitches and warm-up music to SEMLA games?
TopJLax: Well we're definitely game for that! We'll have to look into the TopJBudget and see if it will stretch to a sports complex... Will this championships be considered a success for England? Where do you think the team goes from here in terms of progression/development/goals?
Matt Bagley: Yes and no. The Championships were a success in that we finished the same as we did in 2006 (ranked 5th in the world), and had a much better showing against Australia, the US and Canada this time around too. However, with the Iroquois Nationals not being able to attend the Games due to visa trouble, I think everyone felt that we missed a golden opportunity to place higher than any England squad had done before. We know that we could hang with Australia and Japan, and it was devastating to be denied a shot at the bronze, especially in our own country and in front of our own fans by such a narrow margin.
The good thing to come out of this though, is knowing that England are still capable of producing players of international quality. So, we must be doing something right! Many of our guys had a great tournament, and to know that the majority of them will don an England jersey again at the 2014 World Games in Denver is very encouraging for the future. Plus, we're sending more and more players to colleges and universities overseas, which will no doubt help the standard of lacrosse in this country down the road. I think that in the years to come, England can realistically set their goals higher, and strive to achieve a Top 3 finish!
TopJLax: Any stories you can tell us that only a player would know? The low down on how Japan were so good... or anything that Team USA/Canada did?
Matt Bagley: Oh man! So you want the dirt, eh? Well, Team USA and England have always had a great rapport with each other, and we got on very well with them. Sharing the same dorm building only strengthened that relationship, and we would constantly pass them in the hall, stairs or pathways around campus too. Canada and Australia were the same, although they were a bit further away from us and therefore, we didn't have as much interaction with them. Surprisingly though, Japan was the team that kept to themselves the most. I don't know if it was the language barrier or a cultural thing, but they just weren't as outgoing and gregarious as the other teams were. That being said however, I can confidently say that they were the best behaved players at the Games, and quickly earned the utmost respect of everyone in camp. They were also one of the most noble teams I have ever had the honour of playing against. Maybe this helped contribute to their overall success?
There were so many funny stories from the Games that I'd be hard pressed to tell you them all! Every team had it's own inside jokes - like Canadian midfielder Ryan McClelland shaving off part of his hair with every victory for example - and the England squad were no exception. Did you know that our pre-game song was Yolanda Be Cool & D-CUP's song, "We No Speak Americano"? It's one of the oddest tunes I've ever heard, but kept us loose, relaxed and in a good mood before a big game. Also, some people had a habit of stealing room keys and secretly ransacking or "flipping" rooms (aka - turning everything upside-down) unbeknownst to the victim! This usually involved taping various articles of kit or clothes to the ceiling and walls. So, yeah... we had a pretty good time!
TopJLax: Nice one, we've seen a few people fall victim to the upside down room in our time. Priceless. Finally, we were massively impressed with the overall "flow" of the England team, matching cleats, laces, socks, uniform, helmets, training tops for warm-ups. Although we did notice you needed to be different in wearing ankle socks... any particular reason?
Matt Bagley: The matching kit and gear was orchestrated by manager Ravi "Baggie" Sitlani, and he did an absolutely outstanding job with everything! We were sponsored by Brine, Nike, and New Balance for the tournament, and I must say that all the stuff we got was just phenomenal. The helmets, gloves and elbow pads broke in really quickly and were incredibly comfortable and protective; the New Balance turf shoes were perfect for the surface we played on; and the uniforms, undershirts, sweatpants, etc. just made us look sharp! I didn't rock the mid-calf socks though because I find the ankle socks to be much more comfortable to play in, and the guys were cool to let me wear them for the Games. I didn't do it purposely to be different, but just to keep my lax mojo intact!
Perhaps it was the behind the scenes work that Baggie did though, that was the most amazing. He secured a sponsorship deal with Red Bull, Vitamin Water and Jaffa Cakes, so we had a seemingly never-ending supply of goodies available to snack on in the common room! The green laces were also from the HEADstrong Foundation, and most teams at the tournament supported this charity by wearing them. If you would like to help, you can order the laces online, with all proceeds going towards cancer research. They look great on your feet, but can also double as sweet shooting strings if you're looking to spice up your stick a bit! As I said, most of the work that Baggie did behind the scenes was the best, and it was awesome to raise awareness for a good cause.
Matt Bagley: Oh man! So you want the dirt, eh? Well, Team USA and England have always had a great rapport with each other, and we got on very well with them. Sharing the same dorm building only strengthened that relationship, and we would constantly pass them in the hall, stairs or pathways around campus too. Canada and Australia were the same, although they were a bit further away from us and therefore, we didn't have as much interaction with them. Surprisingly though, Japan was the team that kept to themselves the most. I don't know if it was the language barrier or a cultural thing, but they just weren't as outgoing and gregarious as the other teams were. That being said however, I can confidently say that they were the best behaved players at the Games, and quickly earned the utmost respect of everyone in camp. They were also one of the most noble teams I have ever had the honour of playing against. Maybe this helped contribute to their overall success?
There were so many funny stories from the Games that I'd be hard pressed to tell you them all! Every team had it's own inside jokes - like Canadian midfielder Ryan McClelland shaving off part of his hair with every victory for example - and the England squad were no exception. Did you know that our pre-game song was Yolanda Be Cool & D-CUP's song, "We No Speak Americano"? It's one of the oddest tunes I've ever heard, but kept us loose, relaxed and in a good mood before a big game. Also, some people had a habit of stealing room keys and secretly ransacking or "flipping" rooms (aka - turning everything upside-down) unbeknownst to the victim! This usually involved taping various articles of kit or clothes to the ceiling and walls. So, yeah... we had a pretty good time!
TopJLax: Nice one, we've seen a few people fall victim to the upside down room in our time. Priceless. Finally, we were massively impressed with the overall "flow" of the England team, matching cleats, laces, socks, uniform, helmets, training tops for warm-ups. Although we did notice you needed to be different in wearing ankle socks... any particular reason?
Matt Bagley: The matching kit and gear was orchestrated by manager Ravi "Baggie" Sitlani, and he did an absolutely outstanding job with everything! We were sponsored by Brine, Nike, and New Balance for the tournament, and I must say that all the stuff we got was just phenomenal. The helmets, gloves and elbow pads broke in really quickly and were incredibly comfortable and protective; the New Balance turf shoes were perfect for the surface we played on; and the uniforms, undershirts, sweatpants, etc. just made us look sharp! I didn't rock the mid-calf socks though because I find the ankle socks to be much more comfortable to play in, and the guys were cool to let me wear them for the Games. I didn't do it purposely to be different, but just to keep my lax mojo intact!
Perhaps it was the behind the scenes work that Baggie did though, that was the most amazing. He secured a sponsorship deal with Red Bull, Vitamin Water and Jaffa Cakes, so we had a seemingly never-ending supply of goodies available to snack on in the common room! The green laces were also from the HEADstrong Foundation, and most teams at the tournament supported this charity by wearing them. If you would like to help, you can order the laces online, with all proceeds going towards cancer research. They look great on your feet, but can also double as sweet shooting strings if you're looking to spice up your stick a bit! As I said, most of the work that Baggie did behind the scenes was the best, and it was awesome to raise awareness for a good cause.
TopJLax would like to thank Matt Bagley for his time sharing with us an insight on what the Worlds were like from a players point of view. We'll no doubt be hearing more from him throughout the season when he's back in a Blues journey as we cover the regular domestic UK season. If you've got any further questions, post them up below and we'll see if we can grab Matt to answer them! Peace out bro's.
Photo's - thanks to www.laximages.com again for their awesome work.
Photo's - thanks to www.laximages.com again for their awesome work.
