Old Glory Players Not Returning for 2025

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Jan 29, 2025 - 5:00pm

Glorious Rugby has received confirmation from Old Glory on the list of players from 2024 who won't be returning for the 2025 season. The list is longer than expected at 14 players, but not all of those players actually spent time on the pitch in 2024 and one may return before the end of the season.

The largest and most unexpected departures come in the front row. Loosehead prop Quentin Newcomer, whose re-signing was announced back in November, will no longer be returning due to work obligations. Tighthead prop Tyler Rowland, who was also expected to return, has decided instead to retire from rugby. Fellow tighthead Kevin Brou, who was out all of last season with injury, has been signed by FCY in Fédérale 2 in France.

The remaining open question is Steven Longwell, who played a pivotal part last season at tighthead, but is now not expected to return having signed a short term deal with Coventry in the Championship in England. It's possible he may return to Old Glory before the end of the season.

In the back row, the only two players leaving were not capped by the team in 2024 and neither departure is particularly surprising. Niko Jones, who came in with a splash mid-way through the 2023 season as an injury replacement for Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz, was not available in 2024 after he was picked up by a Super Rugby side Moana Pacifica. Dacoda Worth has also been released, having played for Old Glory in their exhibition season in 2019 and continued through the 2022 season, leaving to play a season with Chicago in 2023 before returning in 2024. His departure, along with that of Mike Dabulas, leaves Jack Iscaro as the only member of the original 2019 team still on the roster.

Long time Old Glory scrumhalf Danny Tusitala is also departing after being supplanted on the team by Ethan McVeigh and Connor Buckley. His quick fall from a staple of the starting lineup (he started in 54 of OGDC's 55 matches from 2020-2023), to playing in just 3 matches in 2024 took many fans by surprise, but also speaks to the improvement in the depth of talent on the team. He has expressed interest in continuing to play in MLR, but as yet has not been picked up by another MLR team.

Two of the three flyhalfs on the team are also being released, with neither being replaced for 2025. Gradyn Bowd managed to surpass Tito Diaz Bonilla as the first choice flyhalf in 2023, but in 2024 was surpassed himself by Jason Robertson and was relegated to a reserve role covering flyhalf and fullback. As an older player with higher salary requirements, he and the team have parted ways. The team also released Mike Weir, who was drafted in 2022 and has been playing club rugby in the DC area but has only had one cap in the two years he's been with the OGDC. Old Glory is expected to retain his playing rights in the event that he makes a return to MLR in the future.

The biggest departure in the back line is Willie Talataina, who joined the club for the 2022 season and has picked up 46 caps in the three years since with a whopping 24 tries scored. He chose not to return to the team in 2025.

Another disappointment for long-time fans is the departure of Mike "Chicken" Dabulas. Joining the team out of college, he had an electric season in 2021 before repeated injuries derailed his career and led him to struggle to regain his previous form. Since departing DC, he has played at an amateur level in Canada. Palema Roberts was also bitten by the injury bug, with the 2021-draftee picking up an injury before the start of the 2022 season and missing the next two years as a result. While he did come off the bench a few times last season, he is not being retained for 2025.

Also departing from the back three is Ishmail Shabazz, who the coaching staff wanted to bring back after he showed a lot of promise in 2024 but who has work and family obligations in New York that make it untenable. Old Glory is believed to be retaining his playing rights in the event that he does make a return to professional rugby.