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Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/30/2022 6:31 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions have made their next selection in the 2023 Electrosports Football League draft, moving to take an offensive target off the board.

With the 71st pick in the 2023 EFL Draft, the Lions have selected Tennessee guard David Ramsey.

A four-year starter for the Volunteers, Ramsey played in over 90% of the Volunteers' offensive snaps last season as the Volunteers headed to, and became the Las Vegas Bowl champions, defeating Arizona State 31-30.

"It was quite a shock when I got the call from the Lions to say that they were drafting me, I had watched the previous rounds and was wondering when my name was going to get called. I knew that a few other teams were interested in me, and when I saw a few other guards go ahead of me, I wondered if this was the time when I would be getting that call and realize my dream and I am just so blessed that the Lions organisation have taken a punt on me to be there and to hopefully win loads of games and even some titles for".

In 2022, he started every game for the Volunteers and was named as a finalist for both the Outland Trophy and was part of the Tennessee offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award

"We like what we saw with David, he was bright and intelligent and can really make a solid difference for our offensive line moving forward. We knew that early on in the third round was when he was slated by many draft boards, even our own, to be taken and we made it clear in our meetings between Rounds 2 and 3 that we had to move up in the draft to get him. We knew by our next pick in round 4 that he would not be there, so we made the moves that we did and were very lucky to get him, after we saw a few teams ahead of us take offensive guards, we worried that the trades we made were not going to pay off, but lucky enough; they did and we are pleased to welcome David to the Lions." Assistant General Manager & Director of Player Personnel Johnathan Cartwright said.

Witter ran a 5.44-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

The Athletic assigned Ramsey an early third-round grade and rated him as the 21st best offensive guard in the draft.

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
9/30/2022 6:49 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions with their third selection of the draft have headed back to the defense to provide additional replacements.

With the 120th pick in the 2023 EFL Draft, the Lions have selected San Jose State defensive end Paul Buckley.

A four-year starter for the Spartans, Buckley collected 77 combined tackles, 12.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2 fumbles, helping the Spartans to two Mountain West Conference titles during his time there, as well as two bowl games, with a loss in the LA Bowl last season to Oregon State and a loss to Ball State in the Arizona Bowl in 2020.

"I am just grateful that my name was called out. I didn't really care what team I was drafted to, I just wanted to be drafted and I am happy that the Lions wanted me, that they saw something in me, something that they think will be of a great addition to their organisation and I just can't wait to get down to work with the whole team, meet my new teammates and get right to work on being the best player that I can be, and that this league has seen."

Buckley did fracture his arm in Week 2 against Auburn and missed six weeks, but was able to return for the last four games and helped give the Spartans a respectable 8-4 record.

"We saw something in Paul that we liked and I think there were not many others who saw what we saw when we looked at the tapes on him over the last season. We think that he has great potential and could be solid for us in the coming seasons. We will take it easy with him as we know of his arm fracture during the college season and we are confident that come preseason, he will be 100% ready to take the field so we can really see first-hand what he is worth and why we took him where we did."

Buckley ran a 4.90-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

The Athletic assigned Buckley a late fifth-round grade and rated him as the 8th best defensive end in the draft.

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
10/07/2022 9:32 pm


STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - The Lions have moved up in the draft, trading with Cheesy Philly to secure a higher selection.

In the midst of the draft, the Lions have been one of the more active organisations, this time trading with Cheesy Philly to secure the 182nd overall selection (sixth-round) whilst giving up a seventh-round selection (207th overall) as well as a sixth-round selection in next years' draft.

With General Manager Todd Carlton busy with other business today, Vice President of Football Operations Dominic Watkins spoke with the media after the trade was approved by the league office and talked about the trade and what it means for the Lions:

    "We have a player in mind for the selection and we wanted to make sure that we had a selection coming up in the sixth round that we could hopefully take the player either with our next choice or this selection, we just have to see how the board falls, but we are confident that we can get the players we still want to improve our roster heading into training camp and the preseason.

The Lions have three selections remaining in this years' draft, with one in each of the three remaining rounds.

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
10/07/2022 9:53 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions have boosted the defence again with their fourth selection in the draft.

With the 151st pick in the 2023 EFL Draft, the Lions have selected Florida State defensive tackle Aaron James.

A three-year starter for the Seminoles, James collected 19 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and an interception, helping the Seminoles to five wins last season, and while he missed a large portion of the 2022 season due to a knee injury, he was still a crucial member of the defense, especially on third down.

"Hearing my name called out is the dream of a lifetime. I plan on showing the 31 other teams that they have made a mistake, that they were wrong not to call me and draft me and I plan on making it to camp with the Lions and proving that I deserve to be there, that they have a player who will give every single moment, every single ounce of strength and commitment to the whole Lions organisation."

General Manager Todd Carlton said; "We wanted to bolster our defence a bit more and liked what we saw from Aaron. We read the report into his knee injury and we were confident enough that his recovery has been solid and well looked after by Florida State and we can be assured that we will support him in the final stages of that recovery and that Aaron will be ready to get back into the swing of things with training camp when the rookies all report and we look forward to seeing the intensity that he can produce on the field, and for us."

James ran a 5.08-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

The Athletic assigned James a late seventh-round grade and rated him as the 13th-best defensive end in the draft.

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
10/07/2022 10:09 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions have again looked to bolster the defence, with another selection in the draft

With the 182nd pick in the 2023 EFL Draft, the Lions have selected Maryland cornerback William Brockway.

A four-year starter for the Terrapins, Brockway started all bare three games in his college career, recording 87 tackles, 3 interceptions 1 sack and 1 touchdown, guiding the Terrapins to a win in the Pinstripe Bowl against Virginia Tech.

"I almost jumped into the ceiling when I got the phone call from the Lions to say that they were drafting me, it has been a long three days, but it has been well worth the wait. My family have been so supportive in my career and I just can not wait to get into the building and get on with training camp, I want to repay the organisation by working hard and proving to them that I deserve to be here and that I deserve to be on that field wearing a Lions uniform."

"Some will say that we are focussed too much on defense." General Manager Todd Carlton said, "We looked at where we needed to, and wanted to improve our roster, not just for the upcoming season, but for seasons to come and we felt that William was the best fit for our team. We liked what we saw when we watched his tapes, and he impressed us during the pro day, and I know that our scouts had spoken with him on that pro day and reported that he had the work ethic and skills that we wanted in our cornerbacks and he can come in and learn from some solid players in that room to take his game to the next level"

The Athletic did not assign Brockway a grade and rated him as the 21st-best cornerback in the draft.
Last edited at 10/07/2022 10:26 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
10/07/2022 10:26 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions, with the final selection, close out the 2023 rookie draft, going back to the offense.

With the 224th and the final selection in the 2023 EFL Draft, to be forever known as "Mr Irrelevant", the Lions have selected Clemson wide receiver Paul Townsend.

A three-year starter for the Tigers, Townsend was part of the team that played in the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Ohio State and finished his college career with 123 receptions for 1421 yards and 7 touchdowns, playing primarily as a third-down wide receiver for the Tigers. He was also an honourable mention in the All-ACC team in his sophomore year.

"I really didn't bother that I was the last name called out, I am just happy that my name was called and that I will get to play in the league. It has been a dream for a long time to play in the pros and I am just very humbled and thankful to the whole Lions organisation for taking a shot at me, for seeing what I can produce and what I can provide when it comes to the improvement of this team for hopefully, years to come. I look forward to giving it 100% and proving to them that it was the right decision to draft me."

"We like what we see with Paul moving forward." General Manager Todd Carlton said, "He is going to be a positive influence and a positive improvement to the team. He is one of those quiet achievers and from what we saw, he didn't seem too worried with the lack of game play, but when he was on the field and in some clutch moments; he was there for the team. Not shying away from being honest when we spoke with him, we think that choosing him was the right call."

The Athletic assigned Townsend a late sixth-round grade and rated him as the 13th-best wide receiver in the draft.

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
10/07/2022 11:23 pm


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions have traded away a wide receiver to pick up another draft selection.

Following the draft, the Lions are looking to rebuild the offense, and have decided to trade away wide receiver Brian Lecuyer along with a fifth-round selection in the 2024 draft, in return for a third-round selection in the 2025 draft. The move reaffirms the organisation's decision of drafting Paul Townsend, and most certainly means that Townsend will make the final 53-man roster for the regular season.

Lecuyer, who was the team's best receiver last season with 567 yards and 6 touchdowns, and will look to replicate those numbers for the Bullfighters, and will get the chance twice a season to face off against the Lions, with the first rematch set down for Week 1. The Lions will most certainly now hold onto Townsend and will look to bolster the receiving numbers from last season, with the Lions the fifth-best for passing touchdowns per game last season.

In speaking to The Weekly Roar after the trade was finalized, Head Coach James Jennings was thankful for the service that Lecuyer had shown to the team and wished him all the best for the season ahead:
    "We thank Brian for all that he has done for the team last season and we wish him all the best for the rest of his career. we look forward to seeing him play for the Bullfighters and hope he gives than the same output and dedication that he gave us, we just hope it's not as good the two times that we have to play them each season.

The Lions begin the preseason with a matchup against the Portland Pilots in Portland before facing off against the Cape Town Rhinos in their first home game of the new season.
Last edited at 10/07/2022 11:25 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
10/14/2022 6:44 am


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions have made another trade, trading a quarterback within the conference.

The Penrith Lions have traded quarterback Raymond Crawford to the Entebbe Elders for a fifth-round selection in next years' draft. The trade, recently approved by the league, helps the Elders with their quarterback crisis, and provides the Elders with an additional backup, while opening up the Lions to head into the free agent market for a new backup to Napoleon Whitmore.

The Lions General Manager Todd Carlton spoke about what the trade means for the Lions heading into the final three preseason games:

    "It basically allows us to go through and find the right quarterback, someone who can be a solid backup to Napoleon, he is our starter and I know that in discussions, we did plan on holding Raymond for the season, then seeing where things went but as time went by over the last few days, we got communications with Entebbe who were in need of a new quarterback and we felt that they offered us something solid for Raymond, as he is a solid performer and will be a great addition to the Entebbe roster. We knew that Raymond had held off contract talks until after the season, and we respected that and I think in this way, he can battle for the starting spot there, and we get an additional draft pick coming up. We think that, while it is tough to lose Raymond, we can make improvements at the quarterback position for this season and look into the offseason

The Lions now hold seven draft picks in the next draft, along with the three first-round selections they currently hold.
Last edited at 10/15/2022 4:05 pm

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
10/14/2022 6:44 am


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions have traded in the running back position for the upcoming season.

The Penrith Lions have made a trade with the Montevideo Screamers to bring in an additional member of the running back position, with Steven Martelli coming into the Lions in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2024 draft. The Lions have looked to increase their stocks on offense, with Ricky Hall and Frank Bell sticking around despite the Lions struggling in the ground game, averaging only 41.5 yards per game so far in the preseason.

Talking about the trade, General Manager Todd Carlton talked about how the trade came about and how they hope to utilize Martelli over the coming season:

    We know that even in the two preseason games so far, there has been a struggle on the ground, that both Ricky [Hall] and Frank [Bell] are taking a bit more time to get used to the offense and playbook that the coaches have developed this season, we know that we can't stick with what we had last year, we have to evolve and to evolve, we have to look at multiple options, and we felt that Steven was a good fit for our team moving forward and we were very lucky that Montevideo wanted to explore a trade, and they got something from it all, as did we.

The Lions take on Edlington this week and will look to finish off the preseason with a 3-1 record, before facing both Balsicas and Florence in a two-game divisional start to the regular season.
Last edited at 11/28/2022 1:46 am

Re: "The Weekly Roar"

By CaptainFarrar89
10/14/2022 6:44 am


PENRITH, NSW - The Lions made a further trade prior to the opening of the regular season to boost the defence this time.

The Penrith Lions have made a trade with Cheesy Philly, sending a sixth-round selection across in exchange for linebacker William Schofield. The Lions look to build a stronger defence, and in a corresponding move, have released Randolph Rael. The Lions will be hoping to see Schofield replicate the same defensive push that he showed last season, with the linebacker getting 59 tackles in 14 games, including 2 against the Lions last season.

Talking to the media after the trade was finalized, General Manager Todd Carlton talked about how the Lions are approaching the trades this season as they head into the regular season:

    We have taken the preseason results and are always looking at ways that we can improve our team and we felt that in this case, William was a solid improvement and we felt that the offer that Philly gave us for him was reasonable and we were happy to make the trade, knowing that it might drop some points in our draft board next season, but there are sixteen games to play and over this season, we will see these draft picks to move around a lot. Once we are confident that these trades, like this one, are right for us and we feel that we aren't giving up too much, then we are happy to accept.

The Lions will look to head into the regular season with a game against the Bullfighters and will look to make it 2-0 in the opening game of the season, against a tough opponent in the division.
Last edited at 11/28/2022 3:34 am