Stags realising American football fantasy

In between their rugby commitments don't be surprised if some of the Southland Stags squad members are spotted studying up on NFL happenings in the coming weeks.

The NFL American gridiron competition will kickoff for another season next week and, for a group of Stags players, it will also mark the opening round of their fantasy league competition.

It's a competition that has created a bit of banter within the Stags camp as it puts a few dollars on the line and tests its American football knowledge.

The NFL fantasy league is an online tournament in which people draft players and accumulate points on their performances throughout the season – the Stags have created their own league.

The rugby players' interest in the American sport has been prompted by the inclusion of Joe Tuineau and James Paterson in the Southland setup in recent years.

Tuineau and Paterson played American football at college level in the United States before opting to return to New Zealand to chase a career in rugby.

Tuineau was noticed by a university scout while playing in a small American football league in Auckland back in 2002 and was offered a five-year scholarship with the South East Missouri State University.

He completed his scholarship playing as a tight end at college level and then took part in a New York Jets rookie camp as he chased his NFL dream.

However, Tuineau missed the final cut at the Jets and returned to New Zealand in 2008 and join his partner Daneka Wipiiti in Invercargill.

He has since transformed himself from NFL hopeful into a professional rugby player.

Paterson got his taste of the American football buzz when he shifted to the United States with his family in his fifth-form year at school.

He impressed as a running back for his school in Colorado and also played a bit at college level.

However, with only 1 or 2 per cent of college players progressing to the NFL, Paterson had a choice to make and he decided the best option was to return to New Zealand and chase a career playing rugby professionally.

Paterson said while he was now back in New Zealand plying his trade in the rugby circles, like Tuineau he remained an eager follower of the NFL competi-tion.

Tuineau said while he and Paterson had actually played the sport, he didn't expect they would have a massive advantage as the challenge comes from their rugby mates in the NFL fantasy league.

"Some of the guys follow it pretty closely, they'd be on par, I'd say," he said about their knowledge of the NFL.

"They watch a bit of Sportscenter to keep up with what's going on."

Rugby Southland chief executive Roger Clark will also take a keen interest in how the NFL unfolds this year. While in the US recently, Clark visited the Green Bay Packers setup to observe how they went about their business.

Clark drew similarities between Green Bay and Southland as they tried to win trophies.

Green Bay is one of the smallest of the 32 NFL teams as far as population goes but is one of the leading teams.

Clark said he did marvel at the setup the Packers had in place when he visited.

"They've got grandstands set up just for people watching their practices," he said yesterday.

THE NFL: The National Football League is the world's leading American football competition.wIt is a 32-team competition split into two divisions, the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference.wThe New Orleans Saints won the 2009 Superbowl.wThe winners of those two divisions playoff for the Super Bowl.wMinnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints will open the NFL season next week.wThe competition will run to February 7 when the Super Bowl is held in Florida. The NFL fantasy league is an online tournament in which people draft players and accumulate points on their performances throughout the season – the Stags have created their own league.

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