By: Riley Pollock – 19.02.25
The Riggers hit the halfway point of the NLL season in a playoff spot.
They are currently 6-4 and third in the standings as they crossed over the mid-way point of the campaign this past weekend.
After missing the playoffs last season, Riggers second-year head coach Josh Sanderson is pleased with how the team has performed so far.
“We’re very happy with the group and how hard they are working and how committed they are,” he said. “We’re working to get better every week. We are not a finished product by any means,but I’m very happy with all the players and what they are putting into it and just how everything is working.
“There’s a long way to go; we aren’t satisfied but we’re happy with how things are trending.”
Sanderson and general manager Mike Board made it a point to go out and get veteran players to help the group on and off the floor.
So far, he said the moves have worked wonders in the locker-room.
“I feel we are in a really good space,” he explained. “I wanted the players to be in charge of the room and they lead the way, and they are. It’s a leadership led dressing room and that’s what we wanted from the beginning. I’m happy with where it is right now.”
The Roughnecks welcomed the second-half of the season with a massive 21-8 win over Las Vegas Sunday in which three players had 10 or more points. Sanderson liked the effort in front of the home crowd.
“It was huge, especially on this homestand,” said Sanderson. “We wanted to try and get back to .500 at home which we needed to win two of the three so we’re hoping to play really well this Saturday. It was just really good seeing everything come together and them getting rewarded on how they prepared.
“We thought Vegas was fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive so we were prepared for a desperate Vegas team and we were just as desperate, if not more. That was a really good sign for us.”
Now, the Riggers turn their attention to the Rochester Knighthawks who travel to the Rough House on Saturday for the Roughnecks Rodeo. TICKETS.
“We know how desperate they are,” Sanderson said of the 4-7 Knighthawks. “They had themselves as a playoff team this year so we know they are saying the next couple of games are huge for them. We’ve got to mask that desperation.
“We’ve had a couple of times where we were two games above .500 and I’m hoping we can take that next step and get to 7-4 here. The big thing for us is not losing our focus. When we are a focused group like Sunday, it was a really good product on the floor and that’s what we have been striving for.
“We set a nice standard there and now it’s about that consistency.”
