Farlane vs Savea

Ben · (This post was last modified: 07-28-2017, 11:54 AM by Deusolis.)

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Farlane vs Savea
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An early look at a new rivalry
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Two rookies who began as teammates are making NSFL headlines as they spark one of the leagues newest rivalries. Darlane Farlane, the running back out of USC and Ardie Savea, the rugby convert formerly loose forward for the Hurricanes and All Blacks, were both drafted in the top half of the NSFL S2 draft. The two previously shared a backfield in Pomona where they had a “thunder and lightning” partnership utilizing the blinding speed of Farlane and the raw power of Savea. They now find themselves on different teams as Farlane was drafted by the Baltimore Hawks, and Savea drafted by Orange County was subsequently traded to the Las Vegas Legion. The first chance to see them go head to head is in the initial preseason game held in Baltimore this Monday.
Reports of a proposed bet between the former teammates are circulating, as far as we can tell the player with the most rushing yards at the end of the season will take the pot, rumored to be at a value of 7 figures. These guys must be confident to wager almost their entire rookie contracts but with money coming from endorsements they could be able to make up on any lost income.
Speaking of gambling, Ardie has arrived in Las Vegas with his girlfriend to meet with the team and start to settle in. It will be a brief stay before the team heads out on a road trip, with no home games this preseason they will have to wait until the regular season starts to christen the new stadium.

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Farlane has had a bit more time to settle into his new city and meet with the team and management.

Quote:“I love it here in Baltimore. The guys are all nice and the higher-ups have been incredibly encouraging and helpful. I'm super thankful to be given the opportunity to start both at RB and return man for special teams. It's going to be a great time and I'm hoping I can prove my worth.

I think Baltimore is going into the season a huge underdog - and I love that. It's time for us to turn some heads and prove that we are a force to be reckoned with. I see the offense making huge strides over last year and hopefully the same goes for the defense. We picked up some big defensive names in the draft and our offense will only see more upside behind a way better line. It's going to be a fun year, that's for sure.” –D. Farlane

We talked with Ardie and Darlane via Skype call to ask them a few questions and get a feel for their relationship;

What is it like competing against someone who you previously shared a "thunder and lightning" role with?

Darlane: “I think it's gonna be fun. Ardie and I have a very brotherly rivalry, there's no hard feelings at all. He was super friendly and supportive when I first came into the league, and we definitely respect each other's game. I think in the Avengers of football, we would be the 1-2 punch at runningback that couldn't be stopped.”

Ardie: “Avengers? Hahaha yeah that’s for sure though, the prospect game championship isn’t the only trophy going in the cabinet. Darlane can get one trophy over in the other conference I guess”

Of the other rookies who are you most excited to go up against?

Darlane: “That's tough. There are so many that it's hard to choose from. I think that's something I'll be more able to answer after preseason or even early in the regular season. I wanna see what kind of match ups happen and if any rivalries are brewed from it.”

Ardie just nodded in agreement.

Will you be swapping jerseys after the game?

Ardie: “Yeah for sure! I want to get a collection of NSFL jerseys of former Mongoose players going”

Darlane: “I'm down for jersey swaps. Always down. If that happens, I'm definitely gonna want to get jerseys of guys I've been watching and guys like Ardie who are my friends/rivals.”

What is your relationship like now you're on different teams and living in different cities?

Darlane: “Like I said, I think it's something where we got each other's backs and are very supportive, whether there's a rivalry or not. We both want to excel and improve in this league, and I think we want the same for each other too. It's honestly awesome that we are the only two rookie running backs in the league that are starting for our respective teams. It gets me hyped up about the future. I think the two of us will be names that you think of when "running back" is mentioned in regards to the NSFL.”

Ardie: “Awwww bro! Hahaha nah for real at the end of the day we both want to compete at the highest level and see each other succeed, who knows maybe one day we’ll team back up. That would be something NSFL defenses should be scared of”