Kevin Finneran — Toronto Rock
02/7/03
The NLL’s all-time iron man had his best game since leaving Philadelphia, bagging four goals in Toronto’s 13-10 win over the Ottawa Rebel last Friday night at the Air Canada Centre. Finneran talked about his new home in the lacrosse world with PLPA corespondent Ben Knight right after the game.
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Great game tonight. Looks like you’re really fitting in well up here.
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Yeah, I really had my feet under me tonight. I had some good quickness, and I feel good about that when I get my feet going well. I’ve got to keep moving around. If I stand still then the guys are tough on me defensively, so that’s what I like to bring to the table.
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What was going on down there in Philadelphia at the end? You were there for years and years, and now you’re here.
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They just wanted to go with a different look, and I wasn’t prepared to take a back seat. I felt like I could still produce at a starting level, game in and game out. So I asked for my release to try to check out other teams, and Toronto came calling. It’s been a great fit. I’m very happy here.
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The Rock is a team that’s famous for its system. They’ve literally got binders full of stuff the players have to learn. Not a lot of established players come in from outside to join this team. What has the transition been like?
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You know, I’m coming in under the best coaching staff that’s ever coached in this league. With the Wings, I played under a great one in Tony Resch, who I consider the second best. I just want to fit in. I’ve had to tweak my game a little, and they’ve had to tweak theirs, and so far we’re winning. I want to be able to play like this every game so I can help the team do well. It’s been easy. The guys are great – really welcoming.
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Did you feel you and your new teammates were clicking as a unit tonight?
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Yeah, definitely! We’re doing well offensively, and our defence is always going to be there for us. That makes me feel good.
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You guys look like you got out of tonight without getting banged up too badly. Are you in good shape going into Buffalo tomorrow night?
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Yeah, well a couple of guys limped off tonight, but we’ll jump in the hot tub back at the hotel tonight and get ready. It’s going to be a difficult, back-and-forth game. As long as we come out with one more goal, that’s all I care about.
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So what’s the secret of keeping this iron man streak going? I realize there’s a certain amount of luck involved, but you have to be doing a lot of different things right to avoid getting missing any games for so many years.
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I’m proud of the streak, and I’ve been fortunate. I mean, I don’t play like Colin Doyle either, let’s face it. I’m not that kind of player. I mean, I take my share of bumps and knocks to the head and back over the years, and a lot of times I was pretty close to not going into games. But I’ve been blessed, and I take care of myself physically. I’m sure there are opponents out there who say ‘All right, let’s just crush this guy and get it over with.’ But it’s not really about the streak. If I’m not performing, I don’t expect to be out there. As long as I can help the team offensively, I’m glad to be doing it.
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