Defensemen don’t get enough recognition in the NLL.

So, let’s dent that disparity with complimentary words about some of the back-end boys checking for the Saskatchewan Rush. After all, they are a big reason why their team won the Champion’s Cup in 2015 and 2016 and are challenging for a third straight title.

Chris Corbeil, Kyle Rubisch, Ryan Dilks, Brett Mydske, Nik Bilic, Adrian Sorichetti, Jeff Cornwall, John LaFontaine, Jeremy Thompson and rookie Mike Messenger usually run off the floor when their team gets the ball, although some of them are adept at scoring breakaway goals on fast breaks.

Corbeil wears the captain’s C.

“He leads by example,” said Jimmy Quinlan, the former NLL defenseman who coaches the defense. “He’s extremely responsible with his fitness. He doesn’t have to say the right thing because he’s always doing the right thing.

“He has the pulse of our team. He knows when we need to push and when we need to rein things back. He never points a finger. He’s a pleasure to work with and the guys love getting behind him.”

Besides all of that, Corbeil’s athleticism is something else. He combined university hockey with pro lacrosse during his Western Ontario days. Fast foot movement is a must for an NLL defenseman and Corbeil has mastered this facet of corralling opposition forward.

“He believes that little things lead to the big things,” Quinlan said. “And he’s not a player who will be outworked on a shift. Add all that up and you’ve got why he’s such a great defenseman and teammate.”

The award for defensive player of the year was won by Rubisch for four years in a row through 2015. Dilks won it in 2016.

“Dilks was phenomenal last year and again this year,” Quinlan said. “Kyle Rubisch has found his rhythm again. He might have had a bit of an off year (in 2016) but by most players’ standards that would have been a super year.

“He’s very smart. He understands positioning and he’s fun to watch. The minute you think a guy has a step on him, he’s picking the ball out of the air. That’s the attention to detail he plays with. When you group in his size and athleticism, it’s no wonder he has so much success on the floor.”

Quinlan said Dilks is among defensemen who “do things very few players can do and they do them on a consistent basis.”

“Ryan is playing exceptionally well for us," he said. "He’s a right-handed defender we can play all over the floor. His footwork and angles are second-to-none in the league. Like [Rubisch], he has the ability to intercept passes.”

Mydske, at 6-foot-1, one of the tallest D-men in the league, is Steady Eddy in Quinlan’s eyes.

“He’s an absolute beauty. He doesn’t get enough recognition. He’s one of those guys who in my time in the league I haven’t seen have one bad game.

“He doesn’t do fancy things but he’s stable on the back end in getting the job done. He loves blocking shots. He gets his nose dirty. And he’s an intelligent guy. He doesn’t talk a lot but there he was in our first game this season with the board and marker in his hands showing me things we can do. He’s always thinking about how we can be better.”

Corbeil, Rubisch, Dilks and Mydske were standouts on Canada’s team that won the 2015 world indoor championship.

Quinlan and offense coach Jeff McComb are assistants to coach Derek Keenan. Quinlan was a defenseman for nine NLL seasons. He retired after the 2013 season as the only original player from the inaugural Rush season of 2006 and he immediately was named coach of the defense. His No. 81 is the only jersey that has been retired by the club. He’s 35 and lives in Edmonton where he teaches math and coaches lacrosse at sports-specific Vimy Ridge Academy.

Playing for Quinlan is considered a privilege by Saskatchewan’s back-end boys.

“Jimmy is a huge part of our defense,” Rubisch said. “He played defense so he knows it so well. His attention to detail is at the top. He’s so passionate and so on point with everything so when he suggests something we know it’s the right thing to do. He keeps us together.”

“Derek never has to come back to help us much because Jimmy is right on point all the time,” Dilks said. “He’s one of those coaches you never really disagree because he keeps saying the right stuff. He still knows the game. I bet he still wishes he could play. He was a great player. We’re lucky to have such a great coaching staff.”

“He’s very enthusiastic,” Mydske said. “He’s got a lot of energy and the guys feed off that. The majority of us played with him when the team was in Edmonton so we’ve got that chemistry. He’s tremendous for us.”

The defense-transition group is a tight-knit family, Bilic said.

PHOTO BY BILL WIPPERT

“We get after each other a little bit but at the end of the day we’re all on the same side. Jimmy is the leader of the group. Like Jammer [Keenan], he’s one of the players. He only retired three years ago and he still has a lot of passion for the game. It’s like he’s out there with us sometimes.”

But, Nik, you never get annoyed that Rubisch and Dilks are winning the awards while the rest of you guy toil away in anonymity most games?

“There’s none of that here,” Bilic said.  “If you talk to those guys, they say we’re one solid unit. There’s no jealousy. No one cares about the personal accolades. We just want to win.”

A 17-14 win in Buffalo last Saturday made Saskatchewan, 9-4, the only team to clinch a playoff berth. The Rush are selling out the 15,000-seat SaskTel Centre most games, which provides the league with a bonanza of a promotional tool. Over the long-distance line, I asked Quinlan, sitting in his kitchen with children ages four and one if life could get any better. A no and a yes came back at us.

“From a spectator standpoint, no,” he said. “The whole province has embraced us.

“It’s funny to say since we’re first in our division but we haven’t played our best yet. Staff, players, we’re waiting for the game when everything comes together and we see what we’re truly capable of. We’ve been doing enough lately to allow ourselves a chance in every game. We’ve eked out some wins.”

After a No. 1 ranking in team goals-against last season, the Rush currently sit fourth among the nine teams, which goes to prove playing defense never gets easier in the goals-galore NLL.

“It comes down to attention to detail and finishing shifts,” Quinlan said. “We haven’t been very good in transition. We haven’t been good enough getting on and off the floor. If we clean up those errors, we’ll eliminate some opportunities we’re allowing other teams.”

And so it goes. The Rush are still hungry. Two championships have not induced complacency. The back-end boys want more.