Meet Some of the NLL's Sibling Stars Ready for the Playoffs

It's almost too perfect that the headquarters of the National Lacrosse League is in Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love is home to what can be nicknamed the League of Brotherly Love.

Brothers abound in the NLL: on the same team, different teams, two of a kind, three of a kind. They'll be especially present when the league's playoffs begin the first weekend in May.

The Georgia Swarm, currently the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Division, feature three Thompson brothers, one Staats brother and a Noble brother. The other Staats plays for the San Diego Seals, who are tied for first in the Western Division and have two Dawson brothers. The fourth Thompson brother is a big contributor for the defending league champion Saskatchewan Rush. The Currier brothers are split between Calgary, sitting in third place in the West, and Philadelphia, which has been eliminated from playoff contention. Also in Calgary is Mike Carnegie, whose brother Scott plays for the Colorado Mammoth, which will be the West's fourth seed in the playoffs. Colorado also is home to the second Noble brother.

Here's a look inside the NLL's literal brotherhood: what it means to these brothers to play with and against each other at the highest level of lacrosse.

Lyle, Miles and Jerome Thompson (Georgia Swarm) and Jeremy Thompson (Saskatchewan Rush)

The Thompsons are each two years apart, beginning with Lyle at 26, Miles at 28, Jerome at 30 and Jeremy at 32. Those age differences have kept the Syracuse, New York, natives from playing together on the same team for most of their careers. Aside from playing together for the Iroquois Nationals, the Swarm has been the only place some of them have been on the same team for an extended period of time.

"This has always been something we looked forward to," Lyle told B/R Live.

With the Swarm, each Thompson brother has a different role. Lyle leads the team with 105 points and is a contender for league MVP.

Miles is fifth on the team with 23 goals and nearly as many assists, and Jerome features as a valuable transition player whose contributions go beyond the standard stat sheet. The camaraderie they share as brothers has helped to grow the familial feel of the team in the locker room.

"It allows us to be more comfortable as a team really," Lyle said. "I think we bring a lot out in one another. I think with just one of us we might shy away from the group. So I think with three brothers being on a team it's helping build chemistry overall."

Lyle added with a smile that when the three of them hang out together away from the field, they only talk about lacrosse about 20 percent of the time. The conversations steer more toward what's new in their lives and enjoying the chance to all be together in person.

"Just being around each other," Jerome said. "We all live in different places now, so when the weekend comes, we all get to spend time with each other. That's the best part."

North of the border, the eldest Thompson brother has carved out an impressive NLL career. After spending his rookie season in Buffalo and then three years in Edmonton, Jeremy is about to complete his fourth year with the Rush, where he has become a key fixture in a lineup going for a repeat championship. As a transition player, he brings incredible value to the faceoff circle, where he ranks third in the league this season in faceoffs won.

In the Rush vs. Swarm matchup this season, Lyle, Miles and Jerome all scored goals, and Jeremy dominated the center of the floor, winning 17 of 24 faceoffs. Georgia won 13-10.

Jeremy told Indian Time in 2017 after playing against his other three brothers in the NLL for the first time:

"It's always quite the accomplishment when you get to play at the highest level of lacrosse and to be playing against the brothers makes it that much more meaningful. It's not every sports season you get to see a group of brothers playing amongst or against each other at a high level of lacrosse. I know my brothers are playing for the same reasons as me and that made this a very special event."

Randy Staats (Georgia Swarm) and Austin Staats (San Diego Seals)

Like the Thompsons, the five-and-a-half-year age difference between Randy and his younger brother Austin has limited their time on the same team to almost exclusively backyard games as kids. In 2016 they shared the floor as official teammates for the first official time with the Six Nations Chiefs, winning a Mann Cup in Major Series Lacrosse.

"That was pretty special for us," Randy said. "It was amazing for me, looking at it, it's like, 'Aw, I can't wait to play with him.' Finally, I got the chance to play with him (at age 23) after all those years. ... I thought we had good chemistry. It was a great feeling, and to cap it off with a championship was even better."

Randy has been with the Swarm for four seasons and quickly emerged as one of the team's strongest offensive weapons, reaching a career high of 96 points this season. On the other coast, Austin took the league by storm as a rookie, scoring 32 goals and tallying 29 assists before a torn right ACL this month ended his season.

Before the injury, Randy and Austin were able to share a special night on the floor when the Seals visited the Swarm. Fifteen members of their family were in attendance to watch them play each other for the first time in the NLL.

"It's what we worked for our whole lives," Austin said. "To be able to play each other in the highest level of lacrosse is pretty outstanding."

Both players said there'd be a little bit of trash-talking during the game, and an early goal from Austin brought that to fruition.

You might think playing on opposite coasts would be a detriment to the brothers, but Randy quickly found a huge positive to the situation. After Swarm games against the rest of the Eastern Division, he'd be able to turn on the Seals, whose games would be only a couple minutes into the first quarter or had not started yet. The time difference allowed him to watch his brother and send along any tips or pointers he might have, and they'd text back and forth once the games ended.

In the midst of his likely-to-be Rookie of the Year season, Austin said his best experience has been getting to play with a group of teammates that feel like family:

"The brotherhood we got in the locker room. All the old veterans bringing us in under their wings, all the young guys, the guys who have been in the league before just making us a brotherhood and a family in the locker room. So I think that just transfers over to the floor. I give it all to the vets in the locker room, and I think that's why we've been playing the way we've been playing."

You can read more about the Staats brothers' season in the NLL here.

Paul and Dan Dawson (San Diego Seals)

The Dawsons are the elder statesmen among this group of brothers in the league. While the Thompsons are playing together on the Swarm and the Staats are opponents in different divisions, Paul and Dan are in their 13th and 18th seasons in the NLL, respectively.

When Dan's Seals acquired Paul in a trade earlier this spring, the Ontario, Canada, natives became teammates for the fourth different time in their NLL careers.

"It will never get old," Paul told Eric Getzoff of NLL.com.

They've played together with the Boston Blazers, Philadelphia Wings and Rochester Knighthawks. Dan is the unquestioned leader of the expansion team, both in the locker room and on the floor, where he leads the team with 85 points.

Paul does his work on the other side of the floor as a defender, helping out the unit that is one game away from clinching the top seed in the West for San Diego.

"It truly is exciting," Dan said. "Eighteen years in this league, and I'm in my last couple years here. I couldn't be more thankful for this opportunity."

You can read more about the Dawson brothers' journey here on NLL.com.

Zach Currier (Calgary Roughnecks) and Josh Currier (Philadelphia Wings)

The Curriers are the youngest set of siblings in the league, with Josh in his third season and Zach in his second. Zach had an excellent rookie season, earning selection to both the NLL All-Rookie Team and All-Pro Second Team. Josh was a steady scorer his first two years in Rochester before exploding this season after a move to Philadelphia, where he has 62 points, double the total from his first two seasons.

In their teams' lone matchup against each other this season, Josh scored six goals in an 18-13 loss. Zach, a defender who had to chase his brother all night, scored once—26 seconds after Josh put one in the back of the net.

The big question from that game is for which child did their parents, who live in Ontario, cheer?

"We speculate, but I think they root for the home team," Zach said.

"My mom did the ultimate compromise and made a shirt with the Roughnecks logo on one side and the Wings logo on the other side," Josh added.

The Currier brothers recently appeared on Huddle Up on NLL.com, where they discussed pranking each other and played a game to determine which brother knows the other best. You can watch below or click or tap here.

Jason Noble (Georgia Swarm) and Jeremy Noble (Colorado Mammoth)

The Nobles, from Orangeville, Ontario, are both valuable members of playoff teams. Although he's missed some time this season, Jeremy has still averaged nearly 50 points per season during his five-year career. In 2018, he led the Mammoth in assists and ranked near the top of the league in the category.

His brother Jason is one of the toughest defenders in the league, and during the Swarm's run to the 2017 NLL title, he was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Jason is as reliable as he is skilled on the defensive side of the floor for Georgia, having missed only one game out of 108 during his six seasons in the league.

Mike Carnegie (Calgary Roughnecks) and Scott Carnegie (Colorado Mammoth)

Mike and Scott actually spent most of their NLL careers together on defense for the Roughnecks dating back to their rookie seasons in 2008 and a league championship in 2009. But a decade later, there's a chance the two could oppose each other in the postseason. Depending on seeding, Calgary and Colorado could meet in either the first or second round of the Western Division playoffs.

The Carnegies, natives of London, Ontario, were staples at the back for Calgary until Scott signed with Colorado as a free agent before the 2018 season. Mike took over as the Roughnecks captain in late 2015 and has continued to be a leader on the floor and valuable veteran presence in locker room.

In 2017, which ended up being their final season together in Calgary, both brothers reflected on how special it had been to grow into adults playing together in the same city and the role lacrosse played in their lives.

"It’ll go away one day and I know I’ll miss it,” Mike said. “We just want to really appreciate all the moments with the team and each other."

"There isn’t too many times we aren’t talking lacrosse,” Scott said. “That’s something that we have together."

You can read more about the Carnegie's bond here on CalgaryRoughnecks.com.

The brothers are in action in the final weekend of the regular season this weekend and when the NLL playoffs begin May 3.

Watch every NLL game here on B/R Live.