The Fly draft - New men’s players to watch
The first selections for the Men’s draft for The Fly 2024 will be revealed on Thursday 1 February with the four teams selecting eleven players each to complete their 15-player rosters for this year’s competition.
Here we take a look at some of the new names to look out for in 2024 who could be big picks ahead of their debut season at The Fly.
Tim Collins – A two-time Senior World Championship representative with England, fans of the sport should be massively excited to see Tim Collins’ first outing at The Fly.
He completed a stint in the US playing NCAA lacrosse in 2021 and is now back at the top of the English game, leading his club side Brooklands in points so far this season (22).
An all-action midfielder who can bring goals, defensive steel, and huge leadership qualities to any team he will no doubt be a star asset for whichever team manages to bag his services in the draft.
Joe Baythorpe – Now this is a technical inclusion in the new player category as Joe Baythorpe was a part of Swift Men in the inaugural year, but due to injury wasn’t able to get out on the field and as such, we’re including him in the new player category.
And since that 2021 selection, his game has stepped up a notch. On a domestic level, the smooth midfielder has since won league and flags honours with club side Cheadle, while internationally after appearing for England U23s and being a named reserve for the 2018 World Championship, he finally represented his country on the biggest stage, being named in England’s 2023 Worlds squad.
The credentials are all there so it’s now a case of seeing which team makes the him on and we’ll get the opportunity to see what he can do on a Sixes field.
Ed Loveland - A smart, hard-working midfielder, Timperley’s Ed Loveland enters the 2024 draft after standout performances across club, university and country
Loveland was a part of the U20 England squad that won the Euros in 2019, following that up with selection for the U21 World Championship in 2022 where he tallied 5G 1A, including goals in wins against Jamaica and Israel.
He also won a BUCS National Trophy with Newcastle University before moving on to the University of Nottingham, making the National Championship final and winning BUCS Premier North.
Will Goodwin – Another Cheadle man on the ones to watch radar, Will Goodwin is another player set for his first taste of action at The Fly in 2024.
He scored four goals for England at the 2022 U21 World Championship contributing in wins against Israel and Jamaica and should bring a good dodging game and strong shot to whichever side picks him up in the draft in addition to a 1v1 short stick defensive game which proves so important in the Sixes format.
Tim Collins captaining England in 2023
Joe Baythorpe playing for England at the 2023 World Championship
Ed Loveland representing England at the U21 World Championship
Will Goodwin for England at the U21 World Championship in 2022