AFL: Argos eye Hurricane player

The director of Canadian scouting for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL will be on the Island at the end of the month to put one of the Holland College Hurricanes players through his paces in a mini-camp evaluation.

Ted Goveia, who has a long and highly respected coaching career, said middle linebacker Marcus Dunphy of Souris, P.E.I., was brought to his attention by a former team mate from the Mt. Allison University Mounties.

“When I saw Dunphy’s stats and his highlight video, I thought he showed a great deal of potential, at least enough that I wanted to come down and see him in action,” he said. “To the Argonauts it doesn’t matter where a player comes from, or where he played, it’s a question of whether he’s good enough to play at the next level.”

Dunphy, who wore number 52 for the Hurricanes, was named the APM Construction Services Defensive Player of the Year in both 2010 and 2011. The 24-year-old, who completed his degree requirements at UPEI in December, completed his player eligibility last season as the Hurricanes clinched their first ever AFL Championship trophy. For the past six weeks, Dunphy has been training with Spero Mantzavrakos of Next Level Training, and is working on improving his already impressive combine scores: 4.74 in the 40; agility shuttle 4.66; bench 24 reps at 225 lbs; 9′ broad jump; and 25″ vertical jump.

“I’ve been training with Spero five days a week, and my scores have improved a lot. I’m excited to get a chance to perform in front of a scout for such a high level football program,” he said.

Holland Hurricanes head coach Mark MacDougall likes Dunphy’s chances.

“As our team captain, Marcus was a leader on and off the field. He’s a tough player, a great athlete, and he’s got the desire to prove that he can play,” he said. “If anyone deserves the opportunity, it’s Marcus.”

Goveia likes what he’s heard about the Holland College program.

“The Hurricanes program fills the gap between high school and CIS while offering the opportunity for players to advance their lives and their careers while preparing to play at the next level. It would be unusual for a player to make the jump from the AFL to the CFL, but who knows? I’m coming down there to take a look, and we’ll go from there,” he said.

While he is on the Island, Goveia will also hold a clinic for local football players. Details will be released shortly. For more information about the Holland Hurricanes,visit hollandcollege.com/football or facebook.com/HCFootball. This year, the Toronto Argonauts will host the 100[SUP]th[/SUP] Grey Cup.