EKP junior – Senior Stories: Paul McLennan

July 29th, 2016

Welcome to the latest edition of Senior Stories, where each week writer Nicky Smith introduces one of our third year or ‘senior’ members of our junior squad.

We’re going into the trenches with our latest instalment. If you love football, you tend to love O Linemen. And if you love O Linemen then you will love the subject of edition number eight – Paul McLennan.

 The Essentials

Name: Paul McLennan
Position: Offensive Line (center)
Experience: Four years
Previous teams: EKP youth
Do you want to play for the seniors Yes
What position do you want to play at senior?  Undecided

Bio

As you may or may not have noticed the name Paul McLennan has popped up now and again in the quick fire question segment as the most underrated teammate. This says volumes about the regard in which Paul, a wire brush enthusiast, is held in throughout the club.

Paul hopes that his teammates appreciate his ‘hyped’ attitude on the sideline and as a member of the Player Leadership Group Paul cherishes the relationships he has built throughout his years in the Youth and Junior teams.

His favourite memory is the Britbowl run the EK youth team made getting all the way to the finals or the win against the Wildcats in game one of this season. He hopes to be able to continue his Pirates career into the senior team.

What Junior Head Coach Matthew Davies says

“Paul is the consummate Pirate. An absolute pleasure to coach, he brings a focus and an intensity which rubs off on his teammates and he drives them to better themselves. Having watched him be a major part of the first Pirates Youth side to make it to Britbowl, we were excited to have him at the Juniors and he hasn’t disappointed.

Small in size for an Offensive Lineman but with excellent technique which allows him to handle much bigger opponents, he’s got a bright future ahead and we will be sad to lose him from the Juniors!”

Quick Fire Questions

Most underrated team mate?
Jack Hunter

Daftest Pre game ritual/superstition?
Don’t really know any, I sometimes watch good and bad practice film of myself to motivate me before a game.

If there was a Pirates royal rumble who would win?
Mark Cochrane choke slamming Mark Stewart out of the ring for the win (though the bald mole of Cammy Hynd-Gaw would be a real contender)

If I could run the league for a day I would?
Rename all other teams ridiculously i.e. Highland Pussycats.

Favourite NFL team is?
Houston Texans

Last TV show you binge watched?
Agents of Shield

My guilty pleasure song is?
Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it off’

The strangest instruction a coach has given you?
“You can’t catch or snap at all with those new gloves. Go put on your old ones, now”- Coach Matt from EKP Youth

Weirdest/best trash talk you’ve ever heard?
“Get your hands off of me!” in a posh English accent when an opposing player got tackled near our sideline. The entire sideline burst out laughing at him, couldn’t stop for a good while

Motto you try to live by?
Don’t ever think you are perfect at anything, because your just giving yourself an excuse to not improve anymore.

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