BROTHERS BAND TOGETHER AT BRIER
Saskatchewan rink with two sets of siblings draws on homegrown chemistry for success
We knew it might have been a little bit of an issue going in because brothers can be very frank with each other. But we look at it like we’re business partners.
It’s not uncommon for members of curling teams at the Brier to refer to their teammates as brothers.
In the case of Team Saskatchewan, they are brothers first and teammates second.
The team includes two sets of brothers — skip Kirk Muyres and his brother Dallan, who plays lead, and twins Daniel and Kevin Marsh, who play second and third, respectively.
It’s an interesting and unique dynamic, but one that all four players are enjoying, and one that has led to success in the team’s first season.
“It works really well,” Kevin Marsh said on the weekend at Westoba Place. “Our chemistry is really good and that’s something we didn’t even have to work on. I think with a lot of new teams, they have to work on that whole get-to-know-each-other phase.”
The foursome from Saskatoon upset favourite Matt Dunstone in the Saskatchewan final this year to punch a ticket to the Brier. Though somewhat unheralded in a stacked Brier field, Saskatchewan had a great opening game against Manitoba (Mike McEwen, 7-6 loss) and looked strong in a 6-5 win over Yukon (Jon Solberg) on Sunday.
They certainly look comfortable and in their element.
Of course, there are good and bad aspects of playing with family.
“We knew it might have been a little bit of an issue going in because brothers can be very frank with each other,” Kirk Muyres said. “But we look at it like we’re business partners out there and we try not to let that get in the way too much.
“We’re all pretty mild-mannered so we do a good job of relaxing and letting things go. Sometimes we get into it with our brothers out there but it’s mostly pretty chill.”
The Muyres brothers are actually following in their dad’s footsteps by playing together in the Brier.
Lyle Muyres, coach of Team Saskatchewan, one-upped them by playing with all three of his brothers in the Brier in 1986.
“Me and my wife didn’t work as hard as my mom and dad did, I guess,” Lyle said with a laugh.
“It was a similar dynamic, actually. The boys have played together all their lives, just like we did. The first year we were all old enough to play in men’s playdowns, we went to the Brier.”
Lyle and brothers Warren, Craig and Garth never got back to the Brier after going 7-4 and losing a tiebreaker in Kitchener in 1986, so it’s pretty special for him to be here in Brandon with his sons this week.
He is able to provide a great deal of perspective because he’s been here before, has coached for a long time and can even relate to playing with a sibling.
“Everybody knows that when you play with family there’s tremendous value and great benefits with it,” Lyle said. “But there’s also a tendency to push each other a little bit harder and that’s sometimes a downfall for teams. “We’re trying to balance that.” Though he’s played in four previous Briers, Kirk Muyres had never skipped before this year and the Marsh brothers had never qualified for the Brier before. So there is a bit of inexperience with this team on the whole.
“The dynamic is great but it kind of came down to me learning to skip now,” Kirk Muyres said. “It’s a new role for me and learning that I’m the decision maker and I’m gonna have to take it on my shoulders to do what I want out there and lead the boys. Once I embraced that, that’s when we kind of took off a bit.”
Dallan Muyres, the older of the two brothers, sees great promise in his new skipper.
“I think he loves it,” Dallan said. “It’s a different level of focus that he’s having right now and he’s really got that twinkle in his eye. I’m really proud of what he’s done so far this year.”
It remains to be seen how Saskatchewan will fare in this Brier. They are in a very tough Pool A with Northern Ontario (Brad Jacobs), Manitoba and Team Wild Card (Brendan Bottcher) and will need to be on top of their game just to make it to the championship round.
If comfort with one another is any indication, this team could have a bright future.
“We’ve competed against (the Muyres brothers) for a lot of years but we’ve also been pretty good friends off the ice,” Daniel Marsh said.
“Knowing them, growing up around them in the curling community, we kind of knew it was gonna work out when we formed this team.”