The Eagles captains for the 2017 season have been confirmed following a vote by the players.

Gareth Pullen has been named Team Captain, Danny Cousins is the new Offensive Captain, Ross Hubbard is Defensive Captain and Fabrizio Gargiulo is Special Teams Captain.

Linebacker Gareth “Tish” Pullen is a returning captain, having previously captained the team in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He was named the Eagles’ Defensive MVP in 2015 and 2016, Player’s Player of the Year in 2014, and is a former Bedfordshire Blue Raiders MVP, Players Player and Defensive MVP:

Offensive Lineman Danny Cousins is in his third year with the Club. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, and was named Joint Players Player of the Year in 2016.

Ross Hubbard is also in his third year with the Eagles and is the current Joint Players Player, Most Valuable Player and Offensive MVP, having played Tight End in previous seasons.

Linebacker Fab Gargiulo is a vastly experienced player in his first year with the Club, having joined from the London Blitz.

Commenting on the appointments, Head Coach Neale McMaster said:

“I’m incredibly proud of these guys for being leaders to their team-mates, but also love the team for recognising the hardest working guys on our team as the people they want to follow.

“There’s a number of guys that they could have selected, but the players chose to single them out.

“There isn’t a finer person to have as Team Captain than Gareth, he is the epitome of what we look for as an Eagle.

“Danny as Offensive Captain is a great choice as he really understands football, and works well with Justin, who is our vocal leader on offense to really push the whole unit forward.

“Ross continues to be recognised by his teammates as a leader and having moved from offense to defense, has maintained his high standards and pushes people continuously.

“Having Fab as our Special Teams Captain is a huge statement by the players, as I don’t think you’ll find anyone more passionate about special teams in the UK. He has instilled a real pride in a unit we expect to produce a lot of points this year, and obviously the players are buying into it.”

The first game of the season takes place on Sunday 9th April away to South Wales Warriors. The first home game of the year is against the Solent Thrashers on Sunday 21st May.