Rush Defender Dilks No Longer in the Shadows
January 28, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
He's been a trusted member of the Edmonton Rush's standout defensive unit for three seasons but so far in the 2015 NLL campaign he's really stepped to the forefront and that's not an easy task considering that two of his fellow defenders are Kyle Rubisch and Chris Corbeil.
That duo are generally regarded as the top two defenders in the NLL, and last season, Rubisch picked up his third straight Defensive Player of the Year award with Corbeil ending up right behind him in the voting. Those two are still the key anchors of the Rush defense, but now Dilks is making it a triumvirate and all the more difficult on opposing shooters.
Though that doesn't mean the Hamilton, Ont., product is any more comfortable in the spotlight alongside the two All-Pros.
"I hope not. I was just getting comfortable in the shade," laughed Dilks, who will try to help the league's stingiest defense when the Rush host the New England Black Wolves on Friday on Crystal Glass Field at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
"Corbs and Rubes are arguably the best two defenders in the game today so I'm just happy they're on my team and I can learn from both of them." While the Rush got off to a roller-coaster start to the season dropping their first two before rebounding last weekend with a decisive victory in Calgary, the six-foot-one, 190-pounder has been solid from the get-go and already boasts some impressive defensive numbers. Dilks leads the Rush and sits tied for fourth in the NLL with seven forced turnovers, and is second on the team with 15 loose balls. But numbers don't tell the whole story in Dilks' overall game.
"Loose balls and turnovers were never a huge concern for me," Dilks explained. "As long as I'm happy, my coaches are happy, and we're winning games then I'm doing something right.
"If anything that's changed, now in my fifth year in the league, I'm gaining experience and more confidence every game. Plus I beat Nik Bilic in ping pong every day so that always puts me in a good mood."
Dilks came to the Rush in 2011, selected 11th overall in the Dispersal Draft of the Boston franchise. Edmonton also selected second in the same draft, and used that pick to take Rubisch. After that GM Derek Keenan further executed his defensive jigsaw puzzle by trading for Corbeil and Jeff Cornwall. Eventually the entire group came together to form the group that surrendered a stunning league-low 157 goals last season.
"I think it has to do a lot with the fact everyone on the back end has bought into the system so we're all on the same page," said Dilks, who had career-highs in assists (10) and points (12) last season.
"With this system, trusting the guy next to you do his job is very important. Since we get along so well on and off the floor, it's really starting to show and give us success."
When that system was tinkered with to start this season, the results were evident. When the Rush returned to proper system against Calgary, the result was the right one. And it certainly didn't hurt that the architect of that system was there to see things through.
"Certainly it was not the start we were looking for but I think in both games we looked good at times but we had some serious breakdowns that cost us the games," added Dilks. "For the Calgary game, obviously having Derek back was a huge addition but we really focused on playing Rush lacrosse for 60 minutes."
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 28, 2015
- Black Wolves to Face Rush Friday - Edmonton Rush
- Rush Defender Dilks No Longer in the Shadows - Edmonton Rush
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