Dane Haylett-Petty confirms he’ll stay in Australian rugby if Force get the Axe

Jamie Pandaram :jerk: , The Daily Telegraph
June 16, 2017 3:24pm

WALLABIES star Dane Haylett-Petty will not leave Australian rugby should the Western Force be cut from Super Rugby.

With speculation swirling that he could seek a move to a cashed-up European club if the Force are axed as part of the planned Super Rugby overhaul, Haylett-Petty has confirmed he will join a rival Australian team if the Perth franchise were to be culled.

“I will find another club in Australia, I’m committed to trying to play for the Wallabies, that’s my main focus,” Haylett-Petty said.

http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/1...aeae?width=650

“I’d love to be there at the next World Cup, so I’m here for the next couple of years.

“I came back (from Japanese rugby in 2014) to have a crack playing for the Wallabies, now that I’m here playing I’m not going to give it up easily.

“I’m definitely here for the next couple of years, keen to fight it out for my position here.”

The Force’s biggest name, he could have sought a release from the ARU and earned more money overseas given his contract until the end of 2019 was signed with the Perth club.

ut the 27-year-old wants to show loyalty after becoming a regular starter on the wing for Australia — he will line up against Scotland on Saturday afternoon at Allianz Stadium.

Haylett-Petty conceded the ongoing SANZAAR saga to cut three teams from Super Rugby, including one from Australia, had taken a toll on his Force teammates.

“I’ve tried to put it to the side and wait until something happens, because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.

“It’s been a lot tougher for other guys, I got my contract negotiations done in the holidays in the off-season so I’ve been able to put that to the side.

“But I know a lot of guys that have been trying to negotiate deals that weren’t able to do that, so it’s been harder for a lot of other people. It is hard to see.

“It’s been frustrating personally, I’ve had a few injuries and haven’t quite got my season going, then on top of that the drama that’s been going on.

“The good thing is that it’s brought us as a group at the Force closer together, a lot of boys have stepped up.

“In that sense it’s really good, and also to see the progress that we’ve made from last year to this year, there’s growth.

“But from our end it has been frustrating, we would like an outcome.”

Haylett-Petty has enjoyed returning to the Wallabies environment and believes the national team can turn around the tumbling fortunes of Australian rugby.

“It feels like we’ve got all the pieces of the puzzle, we just need to put them together,” he said.

“We feel like everything is there, now it’s about growing week to week.

“We made a lot of progress throughout last year, especially at the back end. There were some really good signs even if the results didn’t go our way. And I feel we’re now building from that platform.”

Meanwhile, Force legend Matt Hodgson announced on Friday that he will retire from professional rugby at the end of this Super season.

Hodgson, 36, is a foundation player at the Force and has played a record 139 Super Rugby games and 11 Tests for Australia.

He will hang up the boots after the final round match against NSW Waratahs on July 15.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/...1c94794f04727f