Valentine eyes green and gold
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=103541
Josh Valentine doesn’t just want gold. He wants green and gold.
The Western Force’s latest acquisition was unveiled this morning, determined to reclaim the Wallabies No.9 jersey he wore four times in 2006.
In order to come to Perth to challenge for the Force’s scrum-half spot and then that of the Wallabies, he knocked back a couple of lucrative offers to play overseas.
“I can chase the money in Europe down the track,” he said.
“The big thing for me now is to get back in the Wallabies squad.”
Valentine, 25, was selected in the Test team after several good seasons for Queensland Reds.
But a move to NSW backfired when he was hardly used by the Waratahs over two seasons as he played second fiddle to Luke Burgess and dropped off the selectors’ radar.
Matt Henjak’s sacking at the start of the year left the Force as an avenue back to Super 14 but Valentine knows he will have to out-perform reliable Chris O’Young for a starting spot.
“After what’s happened to me in the past couple of years, I won’t be taking anything for granted,” he said.
“I haven’t been given any guarantees of selection. All I want is a chance to show what I can do, playing inside Matt Giteau.
“My goal is to have a good enough season in 2009 to get back into the national squad.”
The 176cm Valentine, who does his own negotiations, opted for a one-year deal in the belief he will do sufficiently well to earn a significant pay increase in following years.
Valentine was unveiled alongside new lock/flanker Richard Stanford, 25, a former Australia Schoolboys, Under 19s and Under 21s forward who has made his six Super 14 appearances as a replacement with the Brumbies.
Both players will start training when the squad returns from a two-day break tomorrow.
PERTH
DAVE HUGHES
