Another regular on the Bengals defense/transition roster this year was Brantford Warrior call-up Duncan Carte. Due to his heritage and a strong junior season on both squads, the aggressive physical defense player found himself on team Poland's roster along with fellow Polish-Canadian juniors, Polish-American field players and overseas players. "The boys were all good lacrosse players," Carte reports but given the great diversity "it was the chemistry we had to work on."
He credits the daily morning shoot-arounds and shuttle rides between stadium and residence as critical opportunities for the disparate crew to bond and gel. While Carte himself had to adjust his game significantly given the decreased tolerance for hard contact in the international game, he also found himself in the role of mentor to traditional field players who had to up their physical game in order to be affective in box. "I tried to show them what box defense is all about, with the switches and all that. They weren't used to it." After some early penalties Carte made personal adjustments and went on to receive team MVP honours for the event.
"But one thing I'm sure about," he adds: "Watch next year: Poland will be at the top of the ranks!"