💥 BRENNAN O'NEILL VS. DPOTY

Get ready for a clash of titans on Saturday in San Diego.

The Denver Outlaws play the Boston Cannons on ESPN to open the weekend, and that means we get to watch No. 1 overall pick Brennan O’Neill go head-to-head with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Garrett Epple.

This will be the toughest individual matchup of O’Neill’s young career to date.

O’Neill has been up and down so far this season, but he’s coming off a four-point (3 goals, 1 assist) performance against the Philadelphia Waterdogs. He has 17 points on the season, which is tied for 13th most in the league.

Meanwhile, Epple is building a solid case for back-to-back DPOTY awards. He just held New York Atlas attackman Jeff Teat to a season-low two points (ZERO goals, 2 assists) and currently leads the league with 18 caused turnovers.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at this O’Neill-Epple matchup. Here’s a look at the full PLL slate this weekend with watch links…

Saturday, 3 p.m. ET — Denver vs. Boston (ESPN/ESPN+)
Saturday, 5:30 p.m. ET — Carolina vs. California (ESPN+)
Sunday, 3 p.m. ET — Philadelphia vs. New York (ABC/ESPN+)
Sunday, 5:30 p.m. ET — Maryland vs. California (ESPN+)

Who will win the Brennan O’Neill vs. Garrett Epple matchup? Reply to this email with your prediction!

🎥 BREAKDOWN: O’Neill vs. Epple

Brennan O’Neill is not your average PLL rookie. Aside from his world-class size (6-3, 240 lbs.) and overall athleticism, his unorthodox stick skills separate him from any other player who came before him.

O’Neill didn’t score on this play, but watch how he weaves through three long-stick defenders on his way to the net.

If you’re a defender chasing his stick, O’Neill will put you on his highlight reel. And if you’re a goalie trying to read his release…well, good luck with that.

Epple (6-1, 230 lbs.) is a hefty defender and the most physical player in the league, making him a perfect matchup against O’Neill. He’s going to make his presence felt, and he’s not going to rely on trail checks.

Here’s Epple putting Jeff Teat on the ground last weekend, before safely placing the loose ball in his goalie’s crease.

O’Neill’s favorite move is a lefty sweep across the top of the offensive formation. He revealed this to us in his episode of THROUGH X earlier this year. Here he is scoring on that exact move against Philadelphia last weekend.

This sweeping dodge requires him to lean in on the defender and slow down as he’s turning the corner, since his momentum is carrying him away from the net. Against a strong defender like Epple, this move might not be as effective.

O’Neill should use this high-wing alley dodge, instead.

This has been O’Neill’s most successful scoring move in the PLL. He’s not going to overpower Epple, but he’s fast enough to run past him. The high-wing dodge gives him a lot of space to build up speed, and it keeps his momentum going toward the net through the shot. Denver’s offensive game plan should be to get O’Neill the ball in this spot and allow him to dodge downhill against Epple.

In the case of a switch, O’Neill must still be aware of where Epple is on the field. Epple is a savvy veteran with a great stick that is always in the passing lanes.

Watch him intercept this pass from Teat, who is the best feeder in the PLL right now.

After shutting down Teat in Fairfield last weekend, Epple faces a much different challenge against O’Neill. If Epple stifles both stars in back-to-back weeks, he should repeat as Defensive Player of the Year.

If O’Neill gets the best of Epple, then there might not be a defender in the league who’s equipped to handle this rookie 1-on-1.

😳 Myles Jones Was A Long Stick?

Seven of the best players in the PLL joined Paul Rabil for a roundtable conversation during All-Star Weekend in Louisville, and the discussion that ensued was uploaded in the form of a 23-minute video on his YouTube channel.

A major theme throughout this piece was how each player discovered and eventually fell in love with lacrosse. Veteran midfielder Myles Jones revealed that he started playing in sixth grade — as a long pole defenseman.

“I played long stick,” Jones said. “Probably looked more like I was playing field hockey, a little bit. Smacking the ball up the field.”

“Could you imagine Myles playing LSM!?” Marcus Holman said.

Other players featured in this video are Jake Piseno, Jeff Teat, Brennan O’Neill, Asher Nolting and Mike Sisselberger.

👏 PLL Rookie Inspires CF Community

Something special happened in Fairfield last weekend. New York Atlas rookie Logan McGovern, who has cystic fibrosis, made his PLL debut and scored two goals in his home state of Connecticut.

His backhand diving goal from X was one of the wildest goals we’ve seen so far this season.

McGovern was a great player at both Bryant and UNC, but this year’s draft class was so loaded that he did not get selected. The Atlas picked him up as a free agent earlier this month, and the impact he brought was instant.

“[I’m] not surprised at all by his performance,” Atlas head coach Mike Pressler said after the game. “Just a warm spot in my heart to see him succeed today.”

Pressler coached McGovern at Bryant and sounds like he may be able to find a permanent spot for him in New York’s midfield rotation. This is an awesome development and inspirational story for many with CF and beyond.

🏔 Coach Ajax Scouts Apex 60

TLN is back on site at Apex 60 this week, and look who we spotted: Maryland Whipsnakes rookie defenseman Ajax Zappitello, who’s heading into his first season as an assistant coach at Dartmouth.

“Just getting into the gig, only been a couple weeks now,” Zappitello told TLN. “Awesome energy here. The kids are dialed.”

Dartmouth was one of several top-tier programs scouting talent at this event. We also spotted D1 coaches from Virginia, Syracuse, Ohio State, Cornell, Penn, St. Joe’s and Loyola — juar to name a few. Tufts, RIT, CNU and Dickinson are among the D3 powerhouses we’ve seen at the event this week.