Docker Style: Beach vacations and Paintball competitions

The Baltimore Dockers inaugural season is officially underway! A rough loss in a close game down in Wilmington, NC was not the result the squad was looking for but heaps of positives came out of the trip. Outside of the impressive teamwork and sportsmanship seen on the pitch the Dockers showed an exciting presence on the trip. Long drives, cramped vans, and “luxurious” accommodations could all be details that would cause some drama but not with this crew, no way. Team events in Wilmington included Dockers diners, taking over the entire café for breakfast on game day, warming up kicking the footy on the beach, and lastly joining the NC Tigers at Flytrap Brewery for a postgame get together.

The next scheduled Dockers event is Paintball against the Baltimore-Chesapeake Rugby club! Join us on April 29th from 12-2 pm at:
Rt 40 Paintball
11011 Pulaski Highway
White Marsh, MD

$30 per head includes:
•  Private course for 2 hours
•  Gun rental with air
•  500 balls per player
•  Protective equipment

After paintball all are welcome to join at Della Roses Tavern (map) where the Baltimore-Chesapeake team has worked out drink specials for everyone.

More events are in the works and will be posted to the Dockers Facebook page as they come up so please follow the team and join in on the fun team environment.

Coach’s Corner: Dockers Debut in Wilmington, NC

Spring may finally be upon us here in Baltimore and with the (hopefully) warmer comes the official beginning to the USAFL season 2018. The Baltimore Dockers have been keeping busy with preseason training over the last month maintaining 3 sessions per week. Fitness levels have massively increased since our first REFLEX FITNESS sessions at the start of the year and all our new comers to Aussie footy and the Dockers are improving rapidly. It is great to see how far this new team has come in such a short time.

It was with this strong attitude of belief that we travelled to Wilmington, NC, last weekend to test our skills and strength against the NC Tigers. This team has come off the back of a very strong 2017 and we knew we were going to be in for a tough scrap. In very blustery conditions the Dockers were ahead for 3 quarters with Terence aka Tezza kicking the Dockers first ever goal as a USAFL side. Scores were low as the windy conditions made it very difficult to kick accurately.

The Tigers roared back in the fourth quarter and took the lead and the momentum. A late Baltimore goal got us back in the game but it was not enough, as the Tigers eventually secured a close one by 7 points. Injuries unfortunately played a role with major influencer Ian Payne out with a hammy in the first 5 minutes and Ben Crenca suffering with knee and back injuries until he could not go on.

Heads were held high as this game was not lost for a lack of effort or toughness. Gusty conditions and a strong zone from the Tigers made it very difficult for us to move the ball effectively even though we did hold most of the possession. A solid first hit out for Baltimore with standout performances from captain Nick Sisca, Kit Drury, Dan Zimmerman and the defense who made it very difficult to score. Overall, I am very happy with how we went about it as a team. We have shown what we are capable of and now have an idea of what we need to do at training to improve and secure our first win as a team together.

North Carolina Tigers
5.11.41

Baltimore Dockers
5.4.34

Thanks to the NC Tigers for their hospitality and for a great hit out. We look forward to returning the favour and hopefully getting one back next time we meet in Baltimore.

Next up we face our former teammates and current mates Washington D.C. for what is going to be a battle of epic proportions. Locked in for May 5 at Bocek Park in Baltimore, this will be the first time the two teams have locked horns since splitting into 2 separate sides during the off season. The Battle of the Beltway will surely be a very tough and hard fought out game with both sides aiming to get the very first win for both teams and bragging rights for a long time.

We all hope to see you there!

Bryn

Dockers to host first game in the Battle of the Beltway

With sponsorship from First Home Mortgage, Dockers are set to host the first game in the Battle of the Beltway on May 5th, 2018. The Battle of the Beltway is a best-of-five competition against the DC Eagles.  Formerly the metro competition of the Baltimore-Washington team, the newly independent Baltimore Dockers and DC Eagles teams will battle for the Denis Ryan Cup.

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Starting with women’s training session (open to players of all skill levels!), the day will be filled with entertainment and refreshments so bring the whole family out! Yes, there are even rumors of Four’N’ Twenty meat pies and beers brewed by none other than Coach Bryn himself…Be sure to stay through the game, which tips off at noon, and for the after party at Noble’s.

Location
Bocek Park, Baltimore MD (map)
Schedule
11:00am – Women’s Training
12:00pm – Men’s Game
after – celebration at Nobles (map)

RSVP here

highlights from a 2017 metro game filmed on umpire and alumni player Chris Adams

Nick Sisca named Captain for the 2018 Season

Last week, Coach Bryn and a few senior players met to discuss what it means to play for the Dockers.  During this meeting, they selected Nick Sisca to Captain the men’s team on the field for the 2018 season.  Nick leads by example both on and off the field between trainings, competition, and managing the Dockers’ football operations. 

We are excited for his leadership in the Dockers’ inaugural national title campaign, so everyone get around our new captain Sisca!