Despite a 39-14 defeat at the hands of the Bristol Aztecs to open their season, the Coventry Jets remain enthused about their prospects for 2010. The spirit in the camp remains high as Gerry McManus looks to go out on a high note before Stuart Franklin arrives to take the reigns after Coventry’s return fixture with the Aztecs on the 6th of June.
One player who typifies that positive attitude is rookie wide receiver Sat Dhaliwal, “having followed the NFL for 15 years, I felt it was time to have a go at playing” stated the self-employed public sector contractor from Coundon “It has been a crash course with a lot of hard work in a short period of time, but has been very enjoyable”.
Having come from a background of playing Football and Rugby from a young age, including winning a Warwickshire championship, the 31 year old has made great progress in switching to different shaped balls “the club have been very welcoming and the coaches have been excellent in helping me to develop the skills needed in adapting to playing the game.
The team has a good core of youth & experience particularly amongst the receivers, playing behind guys like Courtney Pope and Jeremy Simms can only help me develop into a better player and hopefully push for time on the field.
It’s great to be part of this organisation and having achieved great things in a short period of time I look forward in playing some part in helping them in the future”.
“We’ve been blessed with a great crop of rookies this year” noted McManus “Sat’s a valued part of that group and brings enthusiasm and a good work ethic, I have no doubts that he’ll see a lot of game time this year on offence and special teams. The guys we’ve managed to bring through have already shown signs of what they can do. Chris Shorey had a fumble recovery on special teams and Mark Wade did a great job at linebacker. There’s a lot more to come from this group and it’s fantastic to watch them developing on a weekly basis”.
You can see how Dhaliwal and his fellow rookies continue their progression as the Jets entertain their nemesis, the London Blitz, at the Butts Park Arena on Saturday the 12th of June. The Blitz and Jets have faced off in the past three British finals with Coventry’s 2008 victory being sandwiched between London’s two national titles. The Blitz’s talented roster is loaded with GB internationals and is once again highlighted by Rod Bradley, aka Spartan, from Sky One’s Gladiators TV series.
Kick off is scheduled for 16:00 with tickets costing £5 for adults and £2 for under 16s. A family ticket is available for £10 and covers 2 adults and up to 4 children. For further details about getting involved or following the Jets, visit their website www.coventryjets.co.uk. You can also keep up with the latest Jets’ news on Twitter www.twitter.com/CoventryJets.