Defensive lineman Greg Corfield has been given a new role with the Gryphons this season. 

“This year I got named captain so there’s a lot of leadership coming from me,” the fourth-year Gryphon says. “I’ve never been a captain before so this is something completely new and hopefully I can do a great job at it.” 

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Hotel and Food Administration student says the new role has given him a bit of a different approach to the game. 

“There’s a little more responsibility,” he says. “It kind of makes me more serious about football a bit because you have to show everyone what to do and how to do things – lead by example.” 

The Gryphons will be a relatively young club as Corfield is one of 11 fourth-year players on the team and there are 7 fifth-year players – kicker/punter Gabe Ferraro, linebacker Lukas Korol and offensive lineman Eric Starczala, Defensive End (Quick) Charlie Taggart, Offensive Lineman Colin Jerome, Running Back Daniel Palmer-Salmon and Receiver Thomas Bresciani. 

To get ready for training camp, Corfield followed the plan designed by Shea Pierre, the team’s strength and conditioning coach. 

However, he knows he still has things to work on. 

“Speed,” he says is at the top of that list. “I’ve got to work on my feet as my feet could be a little quicker, and just getting off the ball.” 

As the team gets ready for the 2018 season, Corfield likes the energy around the team and some of the other changes that have been made. 

“Everyone’s really excited for this year,” he says. “Coach (Todd) Galloway seems to be an awesome head coach so far. Everyone’s kind of rallying around him. He’s made some changes and everyone’s been acting great to those changes.” 

This was the very first Gryphon training camp where they could use their new pavilion and that just seemed to make the camp flow better. 

“It’s awesome,” Corfield says. “There’s just everything that’s right there and there’s no walking (to film sessions and position meetings). That saves the legs a lot.” 

And it also meant that each day’s sessions ended earlier than in previous years. For the most part, players were headed to their rooms shortly after dinner this year whereas they weren’t getting there until late at night in previous years. 

“Everything’s a little bit quicker and a little more organized just because we don’t have to walk anywhere, we don’t have to find open rooms,” Corfield says. “We have all the meeting rooms right here.” 

The Gryphons are to play the perennially strong Laval Rouge et Or in a preseason scrimmage Saturday and open their OUA regular season against the McMaster Marauders in Hamilton at 3 p.m. on Aug. 26. 

The home opener against the York Lions is set for Labour Day Monday, Sept. 3. Game time is 1 p.m.