One of the toughest things to go through for any athlete in a team sport is having to watch from the sidelines. It’s something Saskatchewan Rush veteran defender Ryan Dilks, 29, was constantly reminded of last season.
After eight National Lacrosse League (NLL) seasons, including seven with the Rush, Ryan Dilks sat out the 2019 campaign to complete his firefighter training.
“It’s funny when you get to an eight-year rhythm that I went in… kind of lost track of the love for the game a little bit. But taken a whole year off, brought it right back. I miss the guys. I miss the city, I miss the fans,” Dilks said.
“It was hard. I was trying to message the guys as much I can try and help out, but I just felt helpless. It just gave me motivation to get more in shape, better shape and come back ready to play this year.”
The Ontario native was named NLL defensive player of the year in 2016.
Saskatchewan appeared to miss him just as much as they fell short of reaching the NLL Final for the first time since 2014. While there were a number of reasons for the early playoff exit, the veteran’s absence was definitely noticeable.
“The guy’s world-class. He’s one of the best guys getting added pressure in… pressure on other guys’ offensive players. He’s a type of guy you can put out there that can lock down the other team’s top talent,” Rush captain Chris Corbeil said.
Put simply, the defence just wasn’t the same last season and now that Dilks is back, along with fellow returnee Jeff Cornwall, it feels like the Rush have turned back the clock. However, the first game of the season in Denver against the Colorado Mammoth showed it there still would be challenges.
“It was fast, a lot faster than I remember. I don’t know if everyone’s getting younger or I’m getting older, but it didn’t help that it was at the Mile High City, so it was even harder to breathe than I remember,” Dilks said.
“Because the last time I was in the league there were only nine teams. So there’s four new teams. So couple new faces here and there. And it’s a couple of core guys are missing, but core guys are missing on every team. And I think the guys that we brought in are great additions to this team.”
The Rush (2-1) play the San Diego Seals (1-3) next on Jan. 12 in California.