The season ended with a bang for the Tirol Raiders. In a tough and clear defeat against direct rivals Munich Ravens, the team from Austria missed the playoffs. Nevertheless, there were also some great moments that captain Jan Mayerhofer definitely wants to remember. 

“A favorite in any case is the win against the previously unbeaten Stuttgart Surge,” says the safety. The two teams have met twice last season. Stuttgart won the first game, the Raider surprisingly the second. “I think many had already written us off as playoff contenders, as we struggled against strong opponents and faced significant personnel changes throughout the season,”explains Mayerhofer.

For the 24-year-old, the 45:42 success against Surge was a special sign. "Not only were we finally able to defeat a top-level opponent, but we did so by fighting hard for four quarters." It was not an easy game for the Raiders. They were still trailing 21:28 at half-time.

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Mayerhofer: "I always try to maintain a positive attitude"

Mayerhofer, who has played every of his ELF seasons with the Raiders so far, wanted to be focused despite the threat of defeat. 

"I always try to maintain a positive attitude and make sure I stay locked in, no matter what the score is," he reveals. “But you do notice that in some games, the team's focus starts to slip,” Mayerhofer continues. “I think this happens to every team from time to time, but great teams will always find a way to refocus and execute to the best of their ability. That’s what separates champions from the average."

In the Raiders' season highlight against Surge, however, everything was different. “In that game I really noticed that everyone was playing hyper-focused. Everyone knew that we could win this and none of us took their foot off the gas pedal at any time. Being rewarded with this victory was truly huge for us.”

Lessons learned from not making the playoffs

After the high, the Raiders suffered a painful 3:30 defeat against the Munich Ravens on the last matchday. Their playoff hopes were destroyed.

However, Mayerhofer was bothered by something else: “Obviously, it hurt to miss the playoffs, but missing out in the way we did was even worse. The fact that Munich rolled over us in the last game was simply humiliating.”

The team didn't play with the consistency required to be a true championship contender, says Mayerhofer. “We must be honest with ourselves and admit that we weren't ready yet to take the next step. The last game demonstrated that.” Nevertheless, Mayerhofer and his Raiders refuse to hang their heads. 

"As a team, I think we can all agree that we made significant progress this season. It was our first year under a completely new coaching staff, which always comes with its challenges. However, we learned to trust and rely on each other, and that has brought us closer together than ever before. The victory against the Surge highlights what we can achieve when we play as a unit. The phenomenal team effort we showed in that game is something we need to build on as we work towards creating the winning culture that will eventually lead us to the championship game.”

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