Force use Kondinin connection to nab Lynn

[travelling_gerry]

NICK TAYLOR, The West Australian
January 3, 2012, 7:51 am

The eastern Wheatbelt town of Kondinin is not exactly a production line for international rugby stars.

But it can now lay claim to close ties to at least one, new Western Force second-rower Toby Lynn - even if he is from New Zealand farming stock.

The Force were able to snare the former Waikato boy for two years without using one of their overseas player cards because Lynn's grandfather Mac was born in Kondinin.

"I'm a year behind where I could have been but I'm pretty stoked about the move now," Lynn said.

"My Super rugby had stalled a bit back home but I thought I was still playing pretty good footy. I was still enjoying playing.

"(Force coach) Richard Graham and (Force forwards coach) Nick Stiles put forward a pretty good case about where they wanted to go and now I'm here I can see that.

"My grandad was born in the Wheatbelt so I was not classed as an overseas player which was handy."

Lynn, 26, played 32 games for the Chiefs and 65 with Waikato in the New Zealand national provincial competition where he made his debut as a 19-year-old.

He broke into the Chiefs team in 2007, lost his spot, but good form led to a recall last year.

Lynn knows he won't have an easy passage into the Force second row where captain Nathan Sharpe and Sam Wykes were outstanding last season.

"Sharpie has always been around. He's one of the best locks in the world," Lynn said.

"I saw some of the Force games and looking from the outside Sam was one of the star players last year. Phoenix (Battye) is a young guy coming through so there's plenty of pressure for a spot.

"Pressure is good for the squad, it's good for the team environment, but all I'm looking forward to at the moment is a good pre-season, staying injury free and putting pressure on in trial games for a spot."

One thing Lynn thought he had left behind in New Zealand was his nickname "Crush".

He claims he doesn't know where it came from - and if he does he is not telling.

"I thought I had ditched it, but no, after two weeks here someone found it," he said.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...n-to-nab-lynn/

[Tazzmania]

He has got plenty of "mongrel" looking forward to having him on board.

[Sheikh]

Excellent - despite Sharpie being Mr Reliable, I thought lock is a position where we don't have much depth.

I've just checked the Force website and I reckon this is our depth chart:

Prop: Cowan, Longbottom, Ma'afu, Faulkner, Manu (Ma'afu may get the nod ahead of Longbottom due to experience)
Hooker: Charles, Whittaker, Taione (looking forward to seeing what Cheese learnt in the UK)
Lock: Sharpie, Wykes, Lynn, Battye
Flankers: Pocock, Hodgson, McCalman, Cottrell
No 8: Brownie, McCaffrey (although McCalman may be back-up 8)
Scrum-half: Sheehan, Stannard, Turner (tough on Stannard, but he's a good bench player)
Fly-half: Ripia, Seymour, Godwin (with our injury luck with 10's recently, Stannard may get more game time here!)
Centres: Mafi, Sidey, Fairbanks, Stanley, Tupou (really not sure who's best here, but the last couple of years I've thought we were a bit light in this area, but I'm happier now)
Wings: Nalaga, Cummins, Dellit, Wara, Rapana
Full-back: Shepherd (probably with Dellit as back-up)

Getting excited now!

[GAFFA]

Excellent - despite Sharpie being Mr Reliable, I thought lock is a position where we don't have much depth.

I've just checked the Force website and I reckon this is our depth chart:

Prop: Cowan, Longbottom, Ma'afu, Faulkner, Manu (Ma'afu may get the nod ahead of Longbottom due to experience)
Hooker: Charles, Whittaker, Taione (looking forward to seeing what Cheese learnt in the UK)
Lock: Sharpie, Wykes, Lynn, Battye
Flankers: Pocock, Hodgson, McCalman, Cottrell
No 8: Brownie, McCaffrey (although McCalman may be back-up 8)
Scrum-half: Sheehan, Stannard, Turner (tough on Stannard, but he's a good bench player)
Fly-half: Ripia, Seymour, Godwin (with our injury luck with 10's recently, Stannard may get more game time here!)
Centres: Mafi, Sidey, Fairbanks, Stanley, Tupou (really not sure who's best here, but the last couple of years I've thought we were a bit light in this area, but I'm happier now)
Wings: Nalaga, Cummins, Dellit, Wara, Rapana
Full-back: Shepherd (probably with Dellit as back-up)

Getting excited now!

Mafi in the Centres? isnt he more of a winger f/b?

[jono]

Graham said somewhere a couple of weeks ago he is interested in playing standard at 10 because of his form last season.

Two trials, wonder if he will start in one of them
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[Sheikh]

The Force website was listing Mafi as a centre. If he can't hold down a starting position, he's a great utility back off the bench.

[GIGS20]

I'd have called Mafi a wing and Dellit a centre based upon positions last year......maybe they've been training them into new roles, but why the hell would you with some of the mongrel Paddy showed last year. He must have recovered about 50% of our kickoffs himself iirc

[James]

The Force website might be still listing Mafi as a centre from when they signed him and were considering using him at 12. He is fast and strong enough to play in the centres or on the wing but we need him to be in peak condition. I think his hamstrings were a bit dodgy last year- that's what that colourful tape stuff is for isn't it?