Anyone who watched the domestic summer 7s season knows there were a lot of players that took a step up this year. From Old Blue you had Nate Augspurger, Luke Hume, Derek Lipscomb, and Marcus Henderson who all had great summers. NYAC's Nate Brakeley, Kansas City's Kenny Scott, and Denver's Max de Achaval were also fantastic. Then there were the many players, including Kevin Swiryn, Kellen Gordon, Tim Stanfill, etc. that had great summers for eventual champions Seattle but for us there was one player that stood out for Saracens: Mike Palefau.
Palefau was simply the best 7s player in the country this summer and still may be among the top three to five players in the country. It's too bad that he hasn't always had the availibility to join the Eagles. For Seattle this summer Palefau was a leader, a role that isn't easy to take. There are plenty of players on Seattle that can fill that role but it was Palefau taking charge in key moments. Never was that more evident that at the National Club 7s and the Elite City 7s where he scored timely try after timely try.
Take the jump to read more.
While Palefau came up with big tries he was also fantastic and involving his teammates. One thing that made Seattle click over the summer was their ability to play unselfish rugby and that all begins at the top with the leader. Another factor that puts Palefau at the top is his fitness. When other players were wilting, Palefau was only hitting his stride. His fitness also allowed him to make one difficult offload after another.
There is still an opportunity for Palefau to play for the Eagles once again and let's hope it happens. He owns the game of the 7s, especially over this last year leading Seattle to the Elite City 7s, National Club 7s, and the World Club 7s. With a resume like that he was an easy choice for our Men's Club 7s Player of the Year award.