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.



This Weeks PLPA Spotlight features is Matt Shearer of the Pittsburgh Crossefire

The Pittsburgh CrosseFire's playoff hopes took a blow last Friday when the Toronto Rock defeated them 14-10 at Maple Leaf Gardens. CrosseFire PLPA player rep Matt Shearer talked with lacrosse journalist Ben Knight right after the game.


Question Tough game tonight. It looked like Toronto really came to play.
Answer Oh, yeah, definitely. We showed up defensively, but offensively I think we struggled a little bit getting the right shots.


Question This team has had a lot to deal with this year, with a new city and worries about attendance. What's it been like before and after Paul Gait came over?
Answer I think we were putting some things together before he joined us. But he has definitely turned our offence around. Having him along with his brother Gary, as well as Joe Hiltz and Neil Doddridge, that really throws the other team out of whack defensively. I really think that with the addition of Paul and the way things have been coming together for us, we're really starting to play better.


Question You had Gary Gait on the team last year in Baltimore. Do you have to change the way the team plays to accomodate both Gait brothers?
Answer I don't think so. We just moved Paul into the system we were already using, and it kind of forces other teams to change the way they're going to play us. Having Gary and Paul playing together on the left side really puts a lot of pressure on the defence of the other team.


Question So what's it like being their teammate?
Answer Oh, it's great! On the floor, they're great players; off the floor, they're really, really great guys. They know how to keep things upbeat for the guys on the team, on and off the floor. And skillwise, you don't need to say anything there. Everyone knows how good they are that way.


Question You guys came into this game in fifth place -- half a game out of first.
Answer Yeah, it's been really tight all year. This was a really big game for us, and we'll have to see what happens as to how the season ends up. It was unfortunate we couldn't put enough together to come out on top tonight.


Question The team's move from Baltimore to Pittsburgh came very late. Has it been hard winning over the fans?
Answer I don't think so, no. The fans that we've had in Pittsburgh have been great. Ever since the first game, attendance has only gone up. When we have five or six thousand fans in the stands there, it sounds like ten or twelve thousand. They're great, they're loud, they're there after all the games.


Question So you're pretty sure the CrosseFire will be in Pittsburgh next year?
Answer As far as what's being said now, I don't see anything changing. The people who've been working for us in Pittsburgh have done a great job, and I don't see any reason why we wouldn't be back.


Question Being from Whitby, Ontario, this was kind of a homecoming for you tonight. What was it like playing in the Gardens?
Answer It was great coming back here to see this place and play a lacrosse game. Coming home and having family and friends in the stands is a big thing.



Question What do you do when you're not playing lacrosse?
Answer I work for a computer consulting company in Baltimore.


Question You're the player rep for this team. Any thoughts coming into the collective bargaining process?
Answer Well, the executive for the players are really getting a lot of things together in terms of getting a feel for what the players are concerned about. They do a good job of representing everybody. But as for the owners in Pittsburgh, we've been treated like gold. They look after us really well, and have done nothing but the best for us. We appreciate that, and hopefully they'll be able to continue.


PLPA Correspondent

Ben Knight is lacrosse columunist for CTVSportsnet.com, and contributing feature writer for LacrosseTalk. He puts 20,000 kilometres a year on his banged-up old Honda travelling to lacrosse games, and cheers passionately for the Jr. A Six Nations Arrows.





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