Player Spotlight

Player Spotlight highlights the finer details and elements while supplying insight to the fans on what a player's thought process may be pertaining to a certain play, game or situation. It brings the intensity, passion, and inner most thoughts of the individual player that otherwise may not be felt or heard.



03/07/03

Colin Doyle - Toronto Rock

"Popeye" had an amazing night passing the ball, racking up eight assists and adding a screamer of a goal as the Toronto Rock completed an undefeated romp through the Northern Division with a one-sided 11-7 triumph over the Vancouver Ravens at the ACC. Tired and elated, with three ice bags taped to each leg, the self-proclaimed lacrosse "Rude Boy" talked it out with PLPA correspondent Ben Knight right after the deal went down.


Question I've seen you pass the ball before, but that's got to be about the best night of distributing I've ever seen you have. What was it like out there?
Answer I've got to pass the credit on to my teammates for putting the ball in the net. It's easy for me to get the ball to them. It's up to them to score. They were getting open, moving their feet well and creating a lot of space. Some of the fancy stuff I guess was new, but it was really fun to see them put the ball in the net.


Question Well, a couple of times you found Aaron Wilson waiting by the post, but there was one goal where Blaine Manning just appeared at the top of the crease out of nowhere. We didn't see him, I don't know how you saw him.
Answer That, I can't explain. When you get into a rhythm, certain things just happen. It was working for me tonight, and I can't pass the credit on enough. They're really learning to play off me well, and it's big because I'm not going to beat teams by myself.


Question That's part of the plan, too, because you said earlier in the year you were going to be dishing the ball off a little more this year.
Answer Well, I have to. I'm going to see a lot of double-teams, and teams are going to expect me to do a lot of the shooting. So for these guys to step up and put the ball in the net, it really makes their defence think twice about what they're doing. It's going to help, down the stretch, knowing that everybody can score.


Question Tell me about playing with Aaron Wilson. You really seem to know where he is all the time.
Answer He's just such a good player for getting into open space, and I have a knack for knowing where he's going to be before he gets there. That's chemistry. That's Kitchener for you, playing on the street with him when we were younger.


Question I remember last summer, just before you went out west to play for Coquitlam, you talked about him, and how he'd be a great player for the Rock, and it sounded like you were kind of making it your mission to bring him here. How's it working out?
Answer I think it's been a successful story. He's really putting a bid in to get that Rookie of the Year award. I hope he gets it, but it really doesn't matter because he's helping this team out, and that's all that's important.


Question Wilson is obviously a very different player from Kim Squire, but is your teamwork and awareness with Wilson reminding you of playing with Kim?
Answer It's a different when you're playing on the same side, as Aaron and I do, than when you're moving the ball across the floor with Kim. It's all lacrosse, but Aaron and I seem to do a lot of cross-floor stuff, whereas Kim and I seem to find a lot of space working within a little area. It's the same, but it's different.


Question I saw Kim taking shots in the pre-game warmup. How's he doing?
Answer I think, in a week or two, we're going to see him back in the lineup. Everybody's pretty excited about that.


Question So you're 6-0 in the division, 10-3 overall. Is this getting too easy, because you haven't really been opposed out there for a while.
Answer It look easy, but believe you me, it's not. We have to come prepared every night, because the minute we don't, we're going to get walked all over. Things are working right now, and we've just got to keep running with it. We need to win out if we still want a shot at first place overall. Things aren't done yet, but we did the best we possibly could in our division, and we go from there.


Question The Toronto Rock has never won in Rochester.
Answer This team is going to win in Rochester, I hope. It's going to be a great game. They're playing well and they're a great team. I love playing there, and I like our odds. We'll bring our "A" game, and hope for the best.


Question I love the atmosphere in that place when it's packed with screaming fans, and the bad guys come out wearing red maple leafs on their shirts. It makes me smile every time I think of it.
Answer They certainly love giving it to us there, and they've had every right to. We haven't earned a whole lot of respect there, but this is our year, and we're looking forward to it. I know I am. They give us great games, and it's nice to be a lacrosse player when you're really asked to play well.


PLPA Correspondent

Ben Knight is a columnist for Sportsnet.ca, and a regular contributor to Total Lacrosse.com and the Outsider's Guide to the NLL. He lives in Toronto, and is a passionate Six Nations Arrows fan.




Laxlinks