Earlier this week we caught up with Offensive Captain Nathaniel Ashby to hear his thoughts on the 2015 season ahead of this Sunday’s Rookie Session in St Neots.
After several seasons playing for the Cambridgeshire Cats you transferred to the Eagles last year. What was it that brought you to the club?
I played for the Cats for 12 years from the age of 18, but the club really changed a lot over the last five years or so in many different ways, so I felt it was just my time to move on.
Luckily for me the Eagles were newly-formed and had a number of coaches and players I knew and respected, so it was the obvious choice for me to spend the next phase of my career.
The Eagles’ first game of last season was away to your old club. That must have been a strange experience, did you have any mixed feelings heading into the game?
Wow yes it was very, very strange standing on the away sideline at Coldhams common after having played so many games for Cats, and the idea of beating the team that I called home for 12 years was hard not to think too much about.
How did it feel to be named one of the team captains for this season?
Being named a team Captain was great for me. I feel I really earned my stripes on this team due to my attendance all through pre-season and always trying to lead by example as a veteran player.
For that to be recognised amongst a lot of top players was a real honour.
What do you think makes you a good captain?
I think the fact that I have been playing for nearly eighteen years now has given me a lot of experience that I can pass on to others.
I also always try to lead by example in everything I do from turning up on time, to giving full effort every play and also still trying being as coachable as possible by listening to the coaches and not ever thinking I know it all.
As well as a playing captain you were also voted on to the committee this year as Player’s Rep. How did that come about?
Being voted onto the committee came about purely by putting myself forward at the AGM, where I got to stand up and sell myself as a potential committee member to the team.
The fact that I had been on the committee for a number of years at the Cats probably played in my favour, but I also think that I had proven my dedication to the team and the club overall during my time as an Eagle, so everyone at the AGM knew me and what I am about.
How was last season for you?
The season was been terrific for me personally as I made the switch from CB to WR (a decision I made during the off season) after it became apparent that we would be losing a number of veteran WRs from last year’s team due to retirement or other circumstances.
I have played both sides of the ball my whole 20-year career and I saw a team need on the offence coming into this season so moved over.
This has been really interesting for me having to relearn the WR position and an offensive system I have never seen anything like before so it’s kept me challenged which in turn has kept me interested and constantly developing as a player.
What do you most enjoy about playing for the Eagles?
The things I enjoy most about playing for the Eagles are the quality coaching and not just quality, but also the constant challenge you receive from the coaches who like me are never happy to settle for anything less than your best.
I also love how well organised the club is.
But the biggest factor that I love the most is the camaraderie amongst the players as everyone has made me feel really welcome and valued ever since I got here and you can really see that when we play.
We play for each other as a team and there is no individual “super star” players.
What are your aims for next year?
My aims for year ahead are to firstly take the opportunity in the off season to heal and rest up. This past season has been long and tough as I played most games in multiple positions starting on O, D and special teams throughout the year.
I am however back in pre season training mode where I lift weights and run 3-4 times a week to help gradually prepare me for hitting pre season training hard in without it being too big a shock to the system!
My aims as a player are to focus on playing Defence again in particular corner back and help to team to take that next step through the play-offs and make the finals next season.
I’m also the Player’s Rep on the committee, so I would look to maintain that role and help the committee to continue to develop the club into a stable, successful and ever improving organisation.
The second rookie session of the month takes place at Priory Park in St Neots this Sunday (11th October) between 11am and 1pm.
All you need to bring with you is football/rugby boots, some water, appropriate clothing to be out running in the weather and a valid form of photo ID.
Click here for further information, or please visit the relevant Event Page on Facebook:
Session 2 – St Neots – 11th October
Session 3 – Luton – 18th October
Session 4 – Milton Keynes – 25th October
