They often perform off the grid, but the iron men in the Aberdeen Roughnecks have grand dreams in American Football.
The north-east collective, who thrill their fans at Hazlehead Park, have just wrapped up the NFC 2 North Conference and are on the way to the play-offs later this summer.
And they have secured the championship with an 100% unbeaten record and a series of impressive displays in their seven matches, including a 33-14 win over Clyde Valley Blackhawks on Sunday, which have made waves across Scotland.
Chris Breen, the Roughnecks’ 26-year-old quarterback, has been among the most consistent campaigners and yet he believes the team’s success is down to their collective determination to keep pursuing new challenges.
He said yesterday: “We made some changes before the league began and we have all bought into the new philosophy of our head coach [Ruari Collinson].
“It’s a close-knit squad, we get on well on and off the pitch, and we know we have to get all the phases right or we wouldn’t be moving forward.
“The summer has probably gone better than we expected, but there’s certainly no thought of taking our feet off the pedal.
“We have to keep building up momentum and I am confident we will achieve that.
“There are no superstars or prima donnas in our ranks.
“The replacements have stepped up to the mark whenever they have been needed and that is very important in such a physical game.”
American Football is thriving in the region, according to this indefatigable enthusiast. Chris’s older brother, Sean, 28, also features in the squad of around 48 players and club officials are working to develop these numbers.
Collinson has embraced the challenge with a steely commitment and the ambition now is to remain unbeaten for the whole campaign by overcoming West Coast Trojans in their final fixture on July 29.
He said: “It is an incredible feeling, winning the title and the guys have got what they deserve by buying into what the coaches have preached and executing their gameplan.”
The sport isn’t thriving everywhere north of the border. But there is now a realistic opportunity for the Granite City contingent to make progress towards the British structure in the future.
As Breen added: “We’re just getting started. We will be one of the top three seeds in the play-offs and the spirit among the squad is terrific.”
Whatever happens, these Roughnecks are ready to rumble.
