Lachlan McCaffrey Making Immediate Impact With AG

One key acquisition that may have slid under the radar last week was the arrival of Lachlan McCaffrey. The man referred to collectively by the team as ‘Locky’, made an immense impact in the clubhouse ahead of this weekend’s away trip in Seattle. While AG Nation may not have the opportunity to see Locky play at home this season, his play on the field and unifying effort behind the scenes will not go unnoticed.

Before this weekend’s trip to Seattle, AG Head Coach Sam Harris said, “With ‘Locky’ I’m expecting a lot - He’s come in hot, hit the ground running, and picked up things really fast. He already had background knowledge of our system from WhatsApp groups, Zooms, and what have you. But the day he hit the training pitch he was already a standard holder and was already calling guys out for missing roles; which is quite amazing for someone who’s only been a part of the organization for four days.”

One key acquisition that may have slid under the radar last week was the arrival of Lachlan McCaffrey. The man referred to collectively by the team as ‘Locky’, made an immense impact in the clubhouse ahead of this weekend’s away trip in Seattle. While AG Nation may not have the opportunity to see Locky play at home this season, his play on the field and unifying effort behind the scenes will not go unnoticed.

Before this weekend’s trip to Seattle, AG Head Coach Sam Harris said, “With ‘Locky’ I’m expecting a lot - He’s come in hot, hit the ground running, and picked up things really fast. He already had background knowledge of our system from WhatsApp groups, Zooms, and what have you. But the day he hit the training pitch he was already a standard holder and was already calling guys out for missing roles; which is quite amazing for someone who’s only been a part of the organization for four days.”

McCaffrey was signed to the AGs months ago, but due to visa complications could only join the team this past week. Barring a massive shakeup in the standings, he’ll only have the opportunity to feature for the AGs on the road, as the team rounds out the regular season with four consecutive away matches. While that may come as a disappointment to AG Nation, a growing fan base in Austin, AG Head Coach Sam Harris believes Locky’s arrival came at the perfect time. “While we’d obviously wished we had had Locky throughout the season, I think Locky came into this team at a perfect time. As a team, we’ve maybe already surpassed the expectations of a lot of our fans and pundits so it would be easy for our team to slip into complacency. But I think Locky is here at the right time to tell everyone ‘we’re not as good as we think we are and we can be a lot better.’”

McCaffrey earned the starting No. 8 jersey ahead of his debut in Seattle this Sunday which shifted MLR Player of the Week Dom Akina to the flank, and forced MLR Team of The Week flanker Kyle Breytenbach to the bench. Coach Harris said, “the move is a testament to Locky, his reputation, and what the coaching staff believes he can bring on the field.”

While his performance didn’t show up in the box score, it was statistically significant. McCaffrey played all 80 minutes and tallied a team-high 26 ruck arrivals and team-high seven carries. On defense, he added 12 tackles at a 92% made tackle percentage.

Coach Harris summarized his performance, “He brings another level of class out on the field and a bit more polish and a high rugby IQ which has him in the right place and saying the right things. He’s a dynamic ball carrier, a hard-hitter in defense, and he’s an organizer - it’s almost like having another 9 or 10 out there the way he can organize an attack.”

McCaffrey is only just getting started with the AGs and will continue to make his impact felt on the road in the remaining three matches of the playoff push.

AG @ San Diego Legion - June 26th | 9pm CT

AG @ LA Giltinis - July 10th | 7:30 pm CT

AG @ DC Old Glory - July 18th | 4pm CT

Western Conference Final - June 24th/25th

MLR Championship Final - August 1st | 3pm CT