The Dallas Magpies host the Dallas Tourney and Crawfish Boil on Saturday April 24. The Maggies will take on in-state rival, Austin Crows and the Baton Rouge Tigers (1-0).
The tourney kicks off at 10am with the Maggies taking on the Bator Rouge Tigers at Celebration Park (Allen TX). The Boil is at TABC (State/Thomas Ave) after the games. $20 online ($25 at the door) for beer and crawfish.
The host team took out the 2009 Divy III National Championship and are looking to build on that for 2010. "D3 for us last year was a great result considering we were thinking it was going to be a bit of a rebuilding year with some retirements and new blood. But the fellas worked really hard on skills and fitness and we performed when it counted. This has formed the basis and motivation for 2010 and to go one better this year we know we have to be even fitter and more skillful. So there is a lot to be done. Its been a wet start to the season here so not ideal for our preseason but fitness has been coming along. We are in a good place to start the season and in the next 4 weeks we’ll be in almost peak form for some big games against SD, NY and Nashville," says Dallas Head Coach Stuart Rackham
Dallas Magpies after winning the 2009 Divvy III Championship.
The tourney includes what has become something of a grudge match between Dallas and Austin. According to Rackman, "over the past two years Austin has improved a lot and we have had a see-saw affair with them last year, taking the head to head over them at the end pretty convincingly. We know this year will be different and they’ve been working hard too. This will be no different to last year and provided we treat them with respect, play our natural aggressive game and be responsible and accountable I’m confident we have the talent to win on the day. Supposed to be good footy conditions too – 80 and sunny."
Austin will be looking to revenge their Divvy III Grand Final loss against the Maggies. "2009 was a solid year but the grand final result left a bitter taste in our mouth. We have had good numbers at training and metro games since early March so I think we will be ready. Dallas definitely became our big rival after last. We got them in a couple of early encounters but they won the game that mattered so we are keen for revenge. Dallas has an experienced, well balanced team with a very strong mid field. We will need to play at our best to beat them. I am not too sure what to expect out of BR. If they travel with a full strength team, they are a very good side," says Crows Head Coach Simon Boyce.
Not to be left out, Baton Rouge has started out the 2010 season well with a win over Houston. According to Tigers Head Coach Tyler Smith, "after Houston, we've been focusing on fitness and basic tactics. After some hard training sessions, we've segued into more game-like sessions to give the guys a respite from the grind of drills. We've also added an optional 5k run on Tuesdays. So, looking forward to the tournament, we've been working to get fitter and simplify decision-making on the field. Dallas is a well-known commodity to us. Their classy midfielders, when given time, are great at delivering the ball to their forward line. They have a lot of experience and it seems they've rededicated their efforts over the past season. Austin is still a bit of a mystery. We beat them at home but then got crushed away. They've got talent and numbers. They're definitely a club on the rise."
