NLL Insider

Oh, where to start? Lotsa news coming outta the National Lacrosse League this week, but the biggest had to be the announcement that George Daniel’s got the full-time gig as boss of the NLL. It wasn’t the biggest surprise, given Daniel’s been involved with the league in various capacities since 2001. He’s been interim commissioner since Jim Jennings stepped down just after last season started and speaking of Jennings, he gave Daniel a ringing endorsement via a personal blog earlier this week. But what about all that other news? NLL Down Under? Gajic going pro? Dispersal Draft? Toronto Rock’s new owner?

The bossman here at IL told us earlier this week of the NLL’s plans to take a series to Australia. Pretty cool, especially since it’s scheduled for October when the nights here are cooling off and the nights there are starting to heat up. But the plan calls for a two-game series featuring at least nine current NLL players mixed in with a few Aussie bangers.

It’s cool not just because of the international trip these guys get to make, but cool because it’ll further extend the reach of our beloved game. You can go to the event’s Web site for details, including ticket information. Bookmark the site, or stay tuned to this one, and we’ll keep ya updated as rosters evolve and let ya know just who’ll be making that trip. Australian rules football player Brendan Fevola was on-hand to lend some celebrity power to the recent announcement. He told theage.com that his father was an All-Australian lacrosse player and an uncle played and coached the game.

Another bit of news we broke here at NLLInsider.com is the dispersal draft set for Tuesday to get the former Portland LumberJax fellas a job. There’s still talk of maybe getting the Jax over to Vancouver, but nothing official’s been announced.  That’s what’s fueling the rumors of this dispersal draft which, of course, fuels further rumors regarding trades the player moves. Colleague Paul Tutka does a fine job of breaking that down for ya, so if ya missed his take on the situation, go ahead and check it now. 

And speaking of player moves, what’s up with Ilija Gajic? Seems the current New Westminster Salmonbellie plans to make himself available for this year’s draft class. Again it’s Tutka breaking it down for us, explaining that Gajic might not be the only stud ready to go pro and that the 2009 draft class could have some superstar power up for grabs.

And not to be left in the dust in this week full of news – kinda like they have been in the standings in recent seasons — the Toronto Rock appear to be heading in a new direction with new owner James R. Dawick. Dude’s not messing around, either. Terry Sanderson’s already inked as general manger and Dawick clearly knows what the Rock legend is all about. He’s intent on restoring the glory of the Rock and if there’s one thing we know new owners/coaches/GMs wanna prove, it’s that they’re the guy who can right the ship.

Besides, if there’s one guy out there willing to take a gamble, it’s Dawick. The Toronto Star tells us he’s a pro poker player, even playing in last year’s World Series of Poker. Stay tuned to NLLInsider.com as we track further developments for the Toronto franchise, which expects to name former Calgary Roughnecks coach Troy Cordingley as its new coach in the next week or so.

Loose balls: Hey Mammoth fan, catch up with Jed Prossner and check out what he’s been up to … Knighthawks fan, Steve Toll’s third blog installment is up and posted for your amusement … Knighthawks summer camp had a solid turnout with more than 100 kids … The Swarm’s Buzz Zone is making the rounds in Minnesota … Several Wings players are crafting some solid summer ball seasons … The Toronto Rock is still taking teams for its July 16 Presidents Challenge Golf Tournament … Hey Blazer fan, got that itch to be a scribe? If you’re a high school student, you can win a contest to be a reporter for a day with full media access on game day.

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