The field general for the fantastic firsts is not satisfied with last year's historic playoff triumph.
"I want to win consecutive titles. One is not good enough for me," declared Chal Smyth, head coach of the first premier men's provincial championship team at the St. Albert Rugby Football Club.
Last year the first 15 finished 13-2 as the Labatt's Cup playoff winners. The firsts never fielded the same line-up twice as 38 players saw action in premier.
"Of course there is pressure to do it again. We've been in the provincial final three years in a row and last year we got over the hump," said Smyth, the architect of St. Albert's 39-6-1 overall first division record the last three years. "There is also more pressure on me to develop certain guys that are going to be expected to move up and play premier rugby this year and I take on that challenge. Now it's up to the individual to come ready to learn and work on the skills that they need to keep working on to become that premier player.
"It's also up to the individual to show that they want to be a starter, not at the start of the year but when it hits playoff time."
Weather permitting, the season opener for the firsts is May 7 at Ellerslie Rugby Park.
"We've got a lot of issues leading up to this season," said Smyth, the Edmonton Rugby Union's [ERU] coach of the year in 2009. "We've lost five or six starters from last year's team and that's 16 to 17 starters within the last two to three years and that's a lot of quality players.
"I'm hoping the guys that are coming back are hungry and not complacent. I also hope they have the same passion as I do to be one of the top clubs in the province and it's just not in one division; it's in the seconds [J.W. Shaw Cup finalists last year] and hopefully in the thirds."
An unseasonable late spring thaw has prevented players from training outdoors.
"We'll be lucky if we're outside next week. We're starting May 7 so it's tough but you try to do as much you can indoors and work on certain skills," Smyth said. "I think most clubs are in the same boat as us in the sense that they haven't been able to go outside. They're training in gyms once a week. When that happens you just don't get everybody out so the numbers have been here and there. It's not a terrible turnout but there is a lot of uncertainty, which you don't really like because we're trying to field three teams this year."
Revamped roster
British import and fly-half Simon Gregory, the rookie of the year on the firsts, and the Kenyan Express, Edwin Shimenga, are not returning this year.
A couple of salty veterans, prop Graham Noren and hooker Aaron Millard, will play a lesser role with the firsts because of time commitments.
Karim Lynch, an all-star in the centres and the team's MVP, will be back. The popular Brit will not be classed as an import because this will be his third year playing for St. Albert.
Kyle Gilmour, a valuable flanker/eight-man, has also been confirmed for the 2011 fixtures. The ERU player of the year in 2009 is coming off a monstrous season that included a starting role with the Calgary-based Prairie Wolf Pack, finalists at the 2010 Canadian Rugby Championship, and stint with the Canadian sevens at International Rugby Board events in New Zealand and Las Vegas.
Gilmour is currently a starting flanker for the Castaway Wanderers of Victoria in the British Columbia Rugby Union's premier division. Next Sunday, the Castaways will battle the University of Victoria Vikes in Victoria for a berth in the May 7 Rounsfell Cup provincial final. The Vikes, the defending champions, are led by St. Albert prop Andy Tiedemann, who has eight caps playing for Canada.
Byron Elliott, the firsts' 2009 MVP and scoring leader with 22 tries, is expected to return to St. Albert after immigration red-tape issues forced the eight-man to spend last year back home in Britain.
Two blasts from the past, Ashley Hanson and David Owens, have resurfaced after taking last year off. They add experience and skill to the best collection of backs in Alberta.
Some promising newcomers include a couple of recruits from B.C. and an eight-man from Ireland with semi-pro experience.
"We'll see how everything comes together. We've got guys playing in B.C. and they won't be here until either next week or the week after. Some of the imports will be here next week and others will be here in May/June," said Smyth, a former player and coach with the Druids who was the ERU player of the year in 1992 and 1993. "At the same time it's a great opportunity for the guys in the club to basically show their stuff and show the coaching staff that they're ready to play premier rugby.
"It's really up to the individual. It's really what you want out of your career. You have to have that ambition to say, 'OK, what do I need to work on physically in the gym to make me better to get me over the hump to make premier or to be a mainstay in the premier.' A lot of guys have worked very hard. There are guys that have gone to B.C. and worked on their skills and they will come back as better players too."
SCRUM BALLS: The first match for St. Albert's premier women is tentatively set for May 14. A seeding round of five games, featuring two pools of ERU teams, will determine the top four teams that will play premier, along with two from the south. The rest of the teams will play in the ERU second division.
St. Albert is entering one team in the seeding round, and then two afterwards.
"We've had a fair amount of turnover from last year and some keen high school players so that is why we elected to go with one team and then two," said head coach Cory Albrecht.
