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Burgs: Coming to the end of the season we are finally starting to see some positive media regarding the Western Force, from outside of Western Australia, in recognition of how far "we" have come in such a short period.
As three of the Rugby brains I respect most in Australian Rugby (National Coach John Connolly, The Daily Telegraphs Peter Jenkins and doyen of ABC Rugby Gerry Collins) I take a lot of comfort in these observations and it strengthens my belief that it will be a long time before the Western Force will be in the bottom couple of the ladder again:
Force a real success story
By Peter Jenkins, via Fox
May 12, 2006
NEW South Wales and the Brumbies are fighting for semi-final honours, but Australia coach John Connolly has declared the Western Force the success story of the inaugural Super 14.
The Perth franchise has won just one game and drawn two others, and it remains rooted to the foot of the competition on the eve of the last preliminary round.
But Connolly claims the new boys deserve a five-star rating for planting the game's flag in a new frontier and wading through year one without on- or off-field disasters.
"The Force have been a huge success," Connolly said.
"When you think where they've come from in such a short period of time, with so little experience, they've done superbly.
"They've punched above their weight all year and while people wanted them to be competitive, I think they've been more than that.
"Off the field, too, what they've achieved has been beyond the (Australian Rugby Union's) wildest dreams in terms of crowds and corporate support.
"I think it's fair to say they've ticked all the boxes in their first year.
"They've also opened the door for a couple of players to impress for higher honours, and, as the fourth team in Australia, that was a key aspect from day one.".......
All power to the Force
By Gerry Collins, ABC Sport
The Force has finally become a force!
Their effort in breaking through for their first win was admirable and it's a fitting reward for some very impressive performances in the last few weeks.
It's significant that their victim should have been the Cheetahs, the other new team to the competition, who had been high achievers themselves earlier in the season.
But the Force made its presence felt both on and off the rugby field with the announcement of the signing of Drew Mitchell possibly being an even more significant achievement for them.
Mitchell was always going to be much sought after, following his outstanding efforts with the Wallabies on the European tour. The fact that the Force were able to attract him to the West after their signing of Matt Giteau showed they are now a veritable force in Australian rugby.
They are growing in strength, both in playing power and in bargaining ability, and that makes them much more of a force and one that is already causing great concern in other parts of Australia.
Whether or not you agree with the way they have been able to attract such big names, the fact that they have been able to do so within the rules speaks volumes for their organisation off the field.
The better their team looks on paper the more attractive they will be to other young players like Mitchell........
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Originally Posted by Burgs
