Aaron "AZR" Ward, the captain of the new TALON roster for Counter-Strike 2, spoke about the formation of the team. In an interview with HLTV, the Australian esports player explained why the organisation chose to assemble a roster in Oceania rather than in Europe.
"I was actively involved in selecting the roster. Initially, we were unsure whether we wanted to play in Oceania or Europe. However, we ultimately decided to stay true to our Australian roots, build a core team from Oceania, and try to develop the local scene.
There are talented players in Australia, but they lack the opportunity to go abroad and gain more experience. Now, TALON and I can provide such opportunities to young players. The chance to train in Europe is also an important factor."
AZR also outlined the short-term goal for the team, mentioning that they are currently training in Europe.
"Our short-term goal is definitely to qualify for the Major. Every team wants to be at the Major, and we are no exception. We are currently at a bootcamp in Europe to be in the best shape for the Oceania qualifiers.
Honestly, there isn’t much time. We started training about two and a half weeks ago, so it's a bit hectic. But judging by the results we've seen in the early days of training, and so far, I think we're progressing steadily, and it looks promising."
It is worth noting that in early August, the Hong Kong-based esports club TALON returned to the professional Counter-Strike scene with a new roster. Alongside AZR, the team includes Corey "nettik" Brown, Jared "hazr" O'Bree, Christian "ADDICT" Pendleton, and sniper Milosz "mhL" Knasiak.