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Emirates Western Force and Wallabies lock Nathan Sharpe has committed to Australian rugby by signing a new three year contract with the Emirates Western Force and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).
Emirates Western Force Captain since the team’s inception in 2006, Sharpe has played in all but three matches for the Perth-based team, and has amassed 96 caps in his eleventh season of Super Rugby.
A vital member of the Wallabies forward pack, Sharpe was the only player to play every minute of every Test in the team’s 2006 international campaign and has captained his country twice in a 63-Test career.
Sharpe said he was proud to have signed his new deal to play out his career in Australia.
“At thirty years of age I’m definitely looking at this contract as my last one and I’m extremely proud to say that I’ll finish my playing career in Australia,” said the 2007 John Eales Medalist.
Sharpe said continuing to play a major role in the growth of the Emirates Western Force was a key factor in his decision to continue his career in the West.
“We’ve got a very exciting young squad at the Force and captaining the side and playing a role in developing the culture and direction of the team was a huge factor in my decision to extend for three more years.
During that time I believe the team has the potential to become a dominant team in the (Super 14) competition,” he said.
Sharpe, who was born in country NSW and spent the majority of his life in Queensland, said he and his young family were enthusiastic about extending their stay in the WA Capital.
“The lifestyle in Perth is fantastic and my wife (Jess) and my 18-month-old son Cooper have settled in really well. Perth is definitely home for us now and we’re looking forward to the next three years here,” he said.
“Rugby isn’t their first choice sport here in Perth but we’ve got some incredibly passionate fans at the Western Force and the community has been very welcoming and supportive of family since we arrived,” he said.
Now contracted with Australian Rugby until the end of 2011, Sharpe said it was a major goal to represent the Wallabies in the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
“My immediate focus is on playing good football for the Force but obviously winning the 2011 World Cup with the Wallabies would be an ideal way to finish my career.”
RugbyWA acting CEO Mitch Hardy said Sharpe’s new contract was a major coup for the organisation.
“We’re absolutely delighted that Nathan has re-signed with RugbyWA and the Emirates Western Force,” said Hardy.
“Sharpie is a popular and very well respected member of the Emirates Western Force and has been instrumental in establishing the team as a genuine Super 14 finals contender and an integral part of Australian rugby.”
“His signature was a major priority for the organisation and it would have been easy for Nathan to turn his back on Australia to pursue an opportunity overseas.
But he felt that he had worked hard to establish the team and has a genuine desire to help the Emirates Western Force continue to develop and perform well in the Super 14 in the coming years.”
Hardy hoped that Sharpe’s signing would trigger more of the team’s current squad members to continue with the Perth-based team.
“Nathan has shown tremendous faith in the organisation and we hope that other players off contract (at the end of 2008) will see this as a major positive for the team and will look to continue their rugby in the Emirates Western Force program.”
FACT FILE:
Nathan Sharpe
Position: Lock
Physical: 2.00m, 115kg
Born: 26.02.78, Wagga Wagga, NSW
Club: Rockingham
Super 14 Caps: 96 (70 Reds, 26 EWF)
Super 14 Points: 35[7t]
Super 14 Debut: 1998 v Hurricanes (Reds)
Test Caps: 63
Test Points: 30 [6t]
Test Debut: 2002 v France
That's friggin' awesome news.....good to see that Sharpie hasn't fallen for the lure of the euro......I'm glad thewas able to pull off such a massive signing, especially since we're having so much trouble holding onto players....They're leaving in droves don't you know?
C'mon the![]()
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Well done Sharpie..good to hear it..now, lets kick some Crusader butt..
Hooray for Sharpie: ...great to hear he's staying
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This is absolutely brilliant news!!!So good for the
and
, dont think we could have handled it if he went.
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Brilliant news and an absolute thrill to hear it. Great for thehopefully this will motivate other off contract players to hang around with their captain
I'm sure Sharpie has an eye on a Super 14 championship with theas well
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Yeah !
61 years between Grand SlamsWas the wait worth it - Ya betta baby
This place is turning a Wallaby lock retirement village!
First Keith Besomo, then John Welborn and Sam Domoni!
Sharpie likes the place so he's likely to stay as well!
Brother Gallagher I hear you
Focus now turns to Gits
4th March 2008, 13:06 WST The West
With the signature not yet dry on the contract which will keep Nathan Sharpe in Perth for the rest of his career, Western Force bosses have already begun the process of persuading Matt Giteau to stay.
Sharpe gave the Force a desperately needed fillip following the sacking of Matt Henjak by agreeing a three-year deal which will keep him in Australia until 2011 - where he hopes he can end his playing days with World Cup glory in New Zealand.
But acting Force chief executive Mitch Hardy said they were looking even further ahead than that, tipping Sharpe as a future coach and saying moves to retain Giteau's services were also in motion.
"We are looking at (Matt's contract) at the moment. He is signed up for 2009, so we have got to work with Australian rugby to see what ... their plans are for Matt Giteau," Hardy said.
"We would certainly want to hold on to somebody like Matt until the next World Cup at least, so we have got both of our biggest names ... and we are pretty confident we will hold on to Matt.
"Having Nathan signed up gives a lot of players around him a lot of confidence going forward and he has got a large influence on a number of players within the group."
With Sharpe's Wallaby lock partner Dan Vickerman leaving Australia at the end of this year, the value of the 63-cap veteran to the Australian Rugby Union rose significantly - with his new deal thought to be better than the $1.5 million-plus contract which lured him away from the Reds in 2005.
And last year's winner of the John Eales Medal said despite lucrative offers from Europe, the decision to stay in Perth had been easy.
"You need to make a considered call, but in the end it was a very easy one to make," Sharpe said.
"I had a look at a few options over there, you always like to know what is going on overseas, but there was a few things I wanted to do in Australian rugby before I left."
Sharpe said the dramas with Henjak, who was sacked after breaking teammate Haig Sare's jaw in a pub fight, had no effect on his decision either way.
"Those incidents were disappointing, but it is not a true reflection of this group we have got here," Sharpe said.
"Unfortunate things have happened ... but we have got a lot of young guys that are still getting used to professionalism."
And while the 30-year-old said the 2011 World Cup was his ultimate goal, he has not spoken to new Wallabies coach Robbie Deans about the future.
"I don't know Robbie and I don't know his opinion of me," Sharpe said.
"But from what I understand he has a similar type of philosophy to (Force coach John Mitchell).
"There is also no denying how much success he has had with the Crusaders over a long period of time."
ARU High Performance general manager Pat Howard said retaining Sharpe had been one of their highest priorities.
"We earmarked Sharpie as a key player ... and we can move forward knowing we have locked in a player who is world-class until after the next World Cup," Howard said.
If Gits re-signs I want Grumbles to write a public apology to the Force for all his comments about Giteau wanting to leave and the Force unable to keep players...
Great News
Your turn now Gits.![]()
Go The Force!
when I first read the headline I misread it as "Nathan Sharpe resigns"! I was a little lost for about four or five seconds...scratch it up to tuesdayitis
Go Sharpie!
coz Stone Cold says so
great news, now whos next to re-sign?.....
This is fantastic news. Let's hope he stays long enough to play in a redevolped Members Equity.
Good on you Sharpie