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Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/25/2022 11:00 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions had begun the offseason trading for two players in exchange for a draft selection..

The Lions this morning confirmed the finalization of a trade with the Echunga Echidnas, with the Lions parting ways with a fourth-round selection in the upcoming draft in exchange for both fullback Crash Bandicoot and linebacker David Torres. The fourth-round selection is tied to the Porth Emmett Auctioneers.

General Manager Todd Carlton was confident the trade would be in the best interests of the organisation moving forward:

    "We had a long discussion, not just about this trade, but about our trading strategy throughout the offseason and even during the draft process, and we are looking at this in a long-term manner, we feel that the additions of Torres and Bandicoot will help us achieve the next step forward in where we want to go as a team and I am confident that, alongside Head Coach James Jennings, who played a large role in this trade, that we will have what we need and we are confident that the loss of a draft selection won't hinder us, as I am sure we can find more suitable trading partners to boost not only our roster but our draft capital this year and next."

The Lions still hold five selections in the upcoming draft, starting at pick #24 and will look to bolster the draft picks that they can have in the upcoming draft, due to begin next week in primetime.
Last edited at 9/30/2022 5:44 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/25/2022 11:04 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions make a move in the trade market with a divisional rival.

The Lions today have announced that defensive tackle Nicholas Shropshire has been traded to the Balsicas Bullfighters, in exchange for two further selections in the upcoming rookie draft, with the Lions taking both the sixth-round and seventh-round selections from the Bullfighters.

Some may question the motives behind the trade, especially with a divisional rival, and now the Lions will have to face off against Shropshire, rather than having them in their uniform. Speaking to the media following the trade announcement, Head Coach James Jennings was confident that they can get one over on their departed colleague:

    "We all know that Nicholas leaves with our greatest admiration and I know that it will be quite the homecoming for him next season, not only when we first play them in Week 1 at home, but then when we visit later on. We know that he will have thoughts on how we play, and that the Bullfighters can use that to their advantage, but we have all preseason to build our gameplans and how we plan on attacking this season, so I think it will be a great game and I look forward to watching him play throughout the season."

The Lions, with the additional two selections, now hold seven selections in the draft starting at pick #24.
Last edited at 9/30/2022 5:44 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/25/2022 11:10 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions trade future selections with the defending league champions, and bolster the offensive line.

The Penrith Lions today announced, after lengthy discussions, the trade parameters between themselves and the Stockholm North Stars, with the Lions handing over a third-round selection in the 2025 draft for a fifth-round selection in the same draft and also sending across right tackle Michael Delacruz. The Lions add further depth to their offensive line, whilst keeping hold of as many future draft picks, with the league only a few hours earlier, approving the use of 2025 draft picks within current trades.

Following the trade, General Manager Todd Carlton spoke to the media and talked about where the Lions stand in regards to the draft class, with many speculating that the Lions were looking to move right out of the draft and go after further and more aggressive trades:

    "It's actually not a secret, we had a long discussion overnight as to whether or not we would forgo this draft, maybe take one or two players, and just sell on the rest of our picks, and be more aggressive with our trading strategy, but there was talk in the room about going the opposite direction, taking further looks at the draft class and seeing where these rookies lie in the grand scheme of things, and I think that we can not only hold onto some more picks and be even more serious about picking the best player that we want to have, but also use those picks as trade bait and trade capital to maybe, just maybe, strengthen some areas of the roster prior to the offseason."

The Lions, still hold seven selections in the draft starting at pick #24.
Last edited at 9/30/2022 5:44 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/28/2022 3:55 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions trade defensive players to strengthen key areas ahead of the draft.

The Penrith Lions have finalized a trade with Cheesy Philly that has sent cornerback Richard Brown to Philadelphia, whilst the Lions received both Tom Henson and Robert Holder as well as a 2024 first-round selection. The Lions receive additional players to boost the cornerbacks on the roster, who combined for over 100 tackles last season, whilst also picking up an additional pick for the draft next year.

General Manager Todd Carlton spoke to the media following the approval of the trade from the league office and talked about where the Lions stand in regards to the draft and where the Lions currently stand, with reports that the Lions are still on the lookout for more picks, and may in deed draft a small selection of players for the roster.

    "Our trade plans are fluid, they aren't set in stone. We make the calls that we feel are right for our team and while some may say that we gave away the farm in trading [Richard] Brown for peanuts, I say that we felt that the deal was fair for us, and that is what we look at. If it means we head into the draft later this week with a small selection of picks, then we will do what we always do, listen to any offers that come in, keep an eye on the draft board, make moves if we have to and draft the players that we feel are the right, and best fit, for our team moving forward."

The Lions are currently holding seven selections in the upcoming draft, due to begin in a few days time, starting with Pick #24.
Last edited at 9/30/2022 5:44 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/28/2022 4:00 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions pick up another player through a trade, whilst completing a small draft pick swap.

The Penrith Lions have confirmed that they have acquired defensive tackle Willie McFarland from the Zena Soneros today in exchange for the third-round selection in the draft, due to begin tomorrow. The Lions have also received a fourth-round selection in the draft, currently pick #122.

General Manager Todd Carlton again, made a quick conference call with the media and was asked about how the pick swap and bringing in McFarland altered their draft strategy:

    "Honestly, it does change our plans. It does mean that we may not be as keen on drafting in particular positions as we were prior to this trade, or any other trade, and it means that we can go back and re-evaluate players in positions that before, we may not have taken as much of an interest in. It doesn't mean we haven't done our due diligence on every single player that we are even remotely interested in. Still, we can spend the time to go back through and maybe pick something up that we missed, or see something else that is going to help us, and it allows us to move players up and down our board and allows us to focus in on what we are looking for moving forward into the draft."

The Lions are currently holding seven selections in the upcoming draft, due to begin in a few days' time, starting with Pick #24.[/quote]
Last edited at 9/30/2022 5:40 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/28/2022 4:25 pm


STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - In a draft day trade, the Lions have traded with the defending champions to move out of the first round.

In a surprising twist, right as the Lions were due to be "on the clock" with the 24th selection, the league commissioner announced that the Lions had traded out of the first round, and were giving up their pick to the Stockholm North Stars. A few moments later, the trade details were announced, with the Lions giving up the 24th pick in exchange for a 2024 first-round selection and a fourth-round selection this year, currently pick #120.

Speaking to a few reporters who had been given access to the Lions' war room for the draft, General Manager Todd Carlton, who is overseeing this draft, spoke about the exciting nature of this draft pick swap and how it came about:

    "Well, we received a message a few hours earlier about whether or not the pick was actually in play, if we intended to use it or if we were at all, or even remotely interested in trading it away, this came from Stockholm and we had preliminary discussions over the phone regarding it, and when it was clear that we were indeed ready to listen to offers, we got a trade sheet sent to us, and in the space of about 20 minutes, we were confident that we had the right deal. I know that we did speak about some players moving teams, but that discussion has been held off until later since we were both acutely aware that we had a major time constraint on this one, since the last offer came through with about 4 or so minutes before Echunga picked, and they were the pick right before us."

The Lions now having moved out of the first round, will now have their first selection tomorrow in round 2 at pick #55.
Last edited at 9/30/2022 5:40 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/29/2022 5:02 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions have made their first selection in the 2023 Electrosports Football League draft, taking a safety to bolster the defense heading into the season.

With the 55th pick in the 2023 EFL Draft, the Lions have selected California safety William Witter.

A two-year starter for the Golden Bears, Witter posted 78 career tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 28 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.

"I'm really honoured to have been selected by the Lions and I really look forward to meeting my new teammates and getting straight down to work" Witter said. "I had some positive discussions with Coach Jennings and other people in the organisation and I was looking forward to the whole process, and when they called me, I jumped out of my chair, I wasn't expecting it at all, but I am just really excited if anything to get to work with the whole team".

In 2022, he started all 13 games for the Golden Bears and earned Honorable Mention All-Pac 12 honors.

"We were really impressed with his work ethic and athleticism. We watched him play in a few games this year, and we loved what we saw and it was just us all hoping that he fell down to us in the second round" Assistant General Manager & Director of Player Personnel Johnathan Cartwright said. "We were really impressed with him even more after the combine and his pro day and talking with him, he has the drive and the passion to be part of this team for years to come".

Witter ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

The Athletic assigned Witter a late third-round grade and rated him as the 18th best safety in the draft, with some reports saying that he would be suited to moving across to linebacker.
Last edited at 9/29/2022 5:55 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/30/2022 6:05 am


STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - The Lions have moved back into the draft, with another trade with the North Stars.

The Lions have traded away a second-round selection in the 2025 draft to Stockholm in exchange for a third-round selection, allowing the Lions to pick early today with the 71st overall selection.

General Manager Todd Carlton, spoke about the decision to trade picks again, and how being able to pick early today along with the two picks late in the fourth-round:

    "We had been talking with a few teams about trades over the last few hours, and we were looking at trades for a few players that were being considered, but then we felt that there were some players that are on our draft board and we didn't feel that we could pass up an opportunity to potentially draft someone to the team, as we felt that by the time our fourth round choices came up, most of them, if not all of them, would be gone, so we made some calls and discussions about whether or not it would be possible to trade into the third round, and we were lucky that Stockholm were happy to discuss terms with us."

The Lions now will pick at #71 today, along with picks #120 and #122 in the fourth round, to go along with another four selections in Day 4.
Last edited at 9/30/2022 5:40 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/30/2022 5:44 pm


STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - The Lions have made some future trade moves, trading away two picks today for future selections with a divisional rival.

The Lions were due to have two additional selections today, but have traded the latter of the fourth-round selections (Pick #122) and the sixth-round selection to the Balsicas Bullfighters in return for the same round selections in the 2025 draft.

When asked about this trade, and trading with a divisional rival; General Manager Todd Carlton, spoke about the decision and how it may change the division heading into the new season

    "To be fair, they are draft picks that are late on in days 3 and 4, and we are confident with the roster that we have moving forward and are more than pleased to get rid of a couple of draft picks now, knowing that we can use those 2025 draft picks as capital to trade around that draft or even trade into the 2024 draft, but we also know that with a large number of picks in both 2024 and 2025, that we will be fielding a lot of calls during the offseasons next year and the year after, and we can build around trades and free agents if needed. I don't see that we limit ourselves by saying that we won't trade with the teams in our division. If they bring us a reasonable and fair offer, one that works for us, and obviously works for them, we will discuss terms and come to an agreement"

The Lions now hold two selections today, starting firstly with pick #71 and then #120, before three selections on the last day of the draft.

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/30/2022 5:58 pm


STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - The Lions and the Derry Mean Machine have traded the rights to two draftees along with a pick swap.

In what could be considered the first draft rights swap deal in league history, and taking a leaf out of the National Basketball Association, the Penrith Lions and the Derry Mean Machine have swapped draftees following their drafting to their respective teams, with guard Taco Santayana, who was taken with the opening selection in the third round (Pick #65) heading to Penrith, while safety William Witter, who was the opening selection at Pick #55 for the Lions, heading to the Mean Machine.

The Lions also traded a second-round selection to Derry in exchange for safety Urban Montaigne.

While it doesn't change any further selections in this draft that either team have, the trading of drafted players even before they have played a single down or put on a uniform for their drafted team has sparked some major news interest and in a hastily organized press conference, the Lions General Manager Todd Carlton, talked about how it all came to be that this trade was done in the first place:

    "It actually came out from a couple of scouts who were debating our decision to draft [William] Witter, and how it came to be that he ended up where he did. A few of our scouts were aware of the discussions and we started debating how it was going to affect us, if we could put a stop in it, but at that moment, I received a call from the GM over at Derry who said that they were looking to offload their recent draftee, and whether or not we would be interested. When they came back with wanting Witter in return, we had a quick discussion since originally, we were happy with the trade bar sending Witter across. But when Derry came back and offered up a solid replacement, we couldn't say no."

    "It's sad that William won't get a chance to dress in a Lions uniform at this moment, and it was a tough call to make since we had a lot of high hopes for him, but we are confident that we have made a good deal here and many can question our motives in drafting him and then less than 24 hours later, we ship him off to another team but we feel we have made the right decision moving forward for our team."

The Lions are on the clock at the moment with pick #71 before also picking at #120 today.

* N.B. after the trade, both players were re-named by their new owners, with Taco Santayana being renamed as Steven Robbins and William Witter becoming DeWanna Althusser
Last edited at 9/30/2022 5:59 pm