It is the nature of sports drafts that they will inevitably separate former junior teammates as they head into their pro or senior careers.
Zach Manns, Patrick Dodds, Casey Wilson and goaltender Cam Dunkerley had some great years together with the Victoria Junior Shamrocks in lacrosse, including making it to the 2019 Minto Cup national Junior A championship tournament.
Dodds, Dunkerley and Wilson (the latter currently with sa国际传媒 at the world field-lacrosse championship in San Diego) are now in the Western Lacrosse Association with the Victoria Shamrocks. The six-foot-two Manns, out of NCAA Div. 1 Drexel and a pro in the NLL with Toronto Rock, is with the Nanaimo Timbermen in the WLA and leads the league in points with 54, goals with 28 and assists with 26. Manns, last season, led Nanaimo to its first WLA finals appearance since 1968.
“Zach Manns is an outstanding player, but it’s the way the [draft] system works, and not every great player from Victoria will wear the green and white of the senior Shamrocks,” said Shamrocks GM Chris Welch.
“Zach is enjoying much success, but hopefully not at our expense.”
The Island derby renews tonight with the Timbermen playing the Shamrocks at The Q Centre, which was Manns’ former home in junior with the Baby Rocks.
“Both teams get up for these games,” said Welch.
The fourth-place Shamrocks are 4-4-1 and on a three-game losing streak while the third-place Timbermen are 6-4.
“We are fighting to find our game. We’ve got to figure it out, especially on offence, as defence and goaltending has been good,” said Welch.
“It is added motivation for us to snap out of the slump against our Island rivals.”
But there is a Manns-size obstacle standing in the way of that happening.
