It’s one of the more aesthetically pleasing sights at training camp.
When John Haggerty connects with the ball perfectly his punt sails through the air; high, long, and in a tight, perfect spiral. After it hits its apex it remains in a tight spiral on its descent, often travelling far enough to chase the returner back several yards, forcing him to catch the ball over his shoulder, outside the numbers, and with all his momentum headed in the wrong direction.
It hasn’t been a rare sight at Toronto Argonauts training camp either. Entering his third year in Double Blue, he looks even better than he has in his first two seasons. He says experience and his comfort level are big reasons why.
“I feel scheme wise it’s a bit easier going forward,” Haggerty told Argonauts.ca. “I’ve had two seasons under my belt now. The first year I was nervous, still trying to figure things out. Now I feel like I’m in a groove, came to camp in a groove. The only difference is my confidence level.”
There’s a reason to be so positive; he’s become one of the best, if not the premier punter in the CFL. He led the league last year with an average of 48.0 yards per punt, while in 2022 he tied fellow Australian Cody Grace of Calgary with a league-best average of 48.2. His career average of 48.1 is the best in Argo history.
“There’s always things to get better,” he said. “I try to look at the improvements more so than what’s been great, so there’s still a lot of things to improve on.”
This year he’s got company. Not only at the position, but he’s competing with someone who has an extremely similar background to his.
Jeremy Edwards was the Argos first-round pick in this year’s CFL Global Draft. Like Haggerty, he’s from Australia, learned the North American style of kicking at the Prokick Australia academy, headed to Kentucky to play NCAA football, and became a first-round Global pick of the Argos.
Haggerty is thrilled to have Edwards in Double Blue.
“I was excited,” said the father of two about seeing Edwards being drafted. “It’s always good to have some competition. I know with Boris (Bede) being gone I had a feeling they’d bring somebody in. It’s always good to compete man, it’s how you get better.”
Edwards is settling in, gradually getting used to a bit of culture shock. He’s dealing with a new country, a new city, and a new league.
“It’s pretty wild to be honest,” said the newcomer. “I feel like my first few days in rookie camp I was still getting over the jet lag and everything like that. I was trying to adjust to a new game, the field is 15 yard wider; so I’m just trying to work those angles and really get consistent with the new ball and everything like that. It was pretty hard at the start, but I think I’m finally starting to find my legs now.”
When fans think of a player’s adjustment when coming to Canada for the first time, they automatically assume the main learning curve will involve the size of the field or some of the rules. For quarterbacks and kickers there’s an adjustment to the ball itself, slightly different than the ones used in the NFL or NCAA.
“It’s got a bit more of a belly on it essentially,” Edwards explained to Argonauts.ca. “Trying to hit it in that perfect spot, there’s not that much forgiveness, because if you hit it long or short it’s going to tend to just turn over rather than getting that nice tight spiral.”
He’s getting help from Haggerty, as the competition between punters has been anything but adversarial. It’s like they had crossed paths at some point along their way to Toronto though that’s not the case.
“I actually hadn’t met Johnny when I came here,” said Edwards, with a slightly stronger Aussie accent that his compatriot. “He was in the Prokick program before I got there in Australia, and then went to Western Kentucky and finished up the year before I got to Eastern Kentucky, so we hadn’t crossed paths. But when I saw my name pop up in the draft and saw that Johnny was here it was a bit of a relief knowing that I had a bit of home to come into. It was pretty nice.”
Haggerty is from Sydney, Edwards from Bendigo, outside Melbourne, so not everything is similar between the Aussies, but there’s one other thing they do have in common – they both hate the cool weather so far at training camp.
The temperature will rise soon, and the pair will be feeling more at home, while Edwards will also become more comfortable on the field with help from his new best mate.
ARGO NOTES: Friday was a scheduled light day for the team, at least on the field. The defence and special teams worked out at Alumni Stadium, while the offence moved inside to the field house…It was a good day to have a lighter schedule, as it started raining shortly after the walkthrough was done…The team is back to the field Saturday and Sunday 9:00-noon Practices are held at Alumni Stadium on the campus of the University of Guelph and are open to the public at no cost…Monday the team will hold its annual Double Blue scrimmage from 4:00-5:30. It’s not a game, per se, but the team will be put through situations at full speed. Again, it’s open to the public… Tickets are also on sale for the Argos home pre-season game, Friday, May 31 at 7:00 against Hamilton. The cost is just $20.
Toronto Argonauts vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Alumni Stadium in Guelph Tickets: bit.ly/3TWmNxw