The next in line for pre-season interviews is Ben Nethersell (sponsored by Fran Whittock & Shane Dunne) we sat down and discussed how his preparations for the new season are coming along and his thoughts on the roster that Aaron Nell has put together for the forthcoming season.
SW: Ben, how have your plans been coming along for the new campaign, where we look to defend both the Autumn Cup and National Cup trophies?
BN: My summer has been going really well, I think I’ve been on the ice about six times already and I’ve been hitting the gym really hard. I’m eager to get going again, it feels like it’s been so long since we beat Sheffield in the Cup Final. It feels like the longest part of the off season, it’s so close now but it feels ages away.
How do assess the current shape of NIHLS1, a year ago perhaps no-one knew what to expect but this year it must feel a little more familiar?
Last year I think a lot of people underestimated the league, it was actually a really good league to play in. This year I think there have been a lot of personnel changes on teams and that is a good thing. It is going to feel a little like our preparations for the EPL, we know what most teams will look to bring but they have new players which is going to take some adjustments. To achieve our goals, we have to work together and play to the potential we know we have in the locker-room.
There’s been two new additions to your D core this year in Tyler Plews and Sam Jones, what do you think they will bring?
I think the six D men we have this year are able to play in all situations. None of us will be out of our comfort zone and I think that will allow guys like Stevie Whitfield and Sam Godfrey to go harder in the shifts they do get as we’ll be relying on them a bit less as our top D men. With the arrivals of Tyler and Sam we have a much stronger D core than we’ve had before and I cannot wait to be a part of it when the first puck drops against Bracknell, hopefully we’ll all be able to pick up where we left off against Sheffield in the National Cup Final.
Similarly, will it help the D men having such a deep forward unit to play behind as well?
The forward unit is looking very strong as well, the core of the team have come back and the additions we have added look superb as well. Adam Harding can play in all situations and has EIHL experience and even young Eliot Randall will help. Eliot is a different junior to perhaps what we’ve seen in Swindon before. Usually we see more skilled players coming through whereas I think Eliot is more of a hard-working grinder which is only a good thing for us to add to the team.
The experience is there and even some of the younger guys on the team have big game experiences as well. We also can all fall back on the successes we had last year.
Lastly, what are the aims for this season, to build on the success of last year?
Personally, I think we must aim for the league title. To do that we have to start well, and look to win every game we play in. It doesn’t matter if the opponents are top of the league or bottom of the league. They must be treated with the right respect because on their day I think anyone can beat anyone. MK have improved by adding Jordan Lawday, Streatham have added the likes of Leigh Jamieson and Invicta have improved as well. It’s going to be tough, but it’s also going to be good fun.
In the next interview you’ll be able to read what Luc Johnson has had to say about one of the new arrivals on the team for 18/19!
