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Friday, 28 May 2010 4:48pm
Prop Nic Henderson
Prop Nic Henderson
The 2011 season will see a vast majority of the Emirates Western Force squad return for action. The club is working hard to further bolster the core group already established in the west, complementing the likes of young guns David Pocock and James O’Connor.
Following the completion of the club’s 2010 Investec Bank Super 14 season a number of players will move on to the next stage of their rugby careers.
Prop Nic Henderson, who joined the Force in 2010 after 70 caps with the Brumbies, will join the new Melbourne Rebels franchise following eight games this season. He’ll be joined by 19 year old rookie Luke Jones who made his Super Rugby debut against the Hurricanes in round two.
Other players starting new chapters include Sam Harris, Josh Tatupu. Richard Stanford and inaugural player Haig Sare.
Half back Chris O’Young has hung up the boots and is undertaking a role at KPMG while David Hill returns to Japanese club Toshiba. Marquee player Andre Pretorius has completed his one year deal and is likely to participate in the South African Currie Cup.
We thank these departing players for their contribution to the Emirates Western Force and look forward to welcoming new faces to Perth in 2011.
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hmm bugger this means that now Dunning is worth something extra to us
Generally speaking you aren’t learning much if your lips are moving!!!
Hoping Fairbro stays...... if Dunning stays his Mrs may need to come over.... f k two Dunnings .... sorry to see Henderson go but he wasnt getting time here. Stanford the same Sare we havent lost too much there.
I'm guessing Mitch saw more in Dunning than Henderson in training; why else would Dunning get more game time? In that case, shame Henderson's off to Melbourne, but good luck to him, and we've kept the better player.
I'm hoping Keiran gets more game time next season, too. His career seems to have stalled a bit.
Sounding pretty good to me!
1. Cowan
2. Whittaker
3. Fairbrother
4. McCalman
5. Sharpe
6. Hodgson
7. Pocock
8. Brown
9. Sheehan
10. Pretorius/Grant/Argentine/significant other
11. Staniforth/Haylett-Petty
12. O'Connor
13. Inman
14. Cummins
15. Shepherd
16. Charles
17. Longbottom
18. Hockings
19. Wykes
20. Turner
21. Cross/Hunt
22. Haylett-Petty/Hunt
* If Stanners doesn't re-sign then Cross or Haylett-Petty to that Wing and Hunt into the 22.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Where are Tatupu, Stanford, Sare and Harris off to?
Stanford will be a loss, as will Tatupu. Neither we really starting players, but both adequate off the bench / cover.
Read an interesting article suggesting theat Grant might be very keen to move to the Force if he doesn't make the Boks this year (though I'm sure he will at least make the squad). He has been a revelation this year at the Stormers- must say I didn't rate him that highly when we pursued him last year, but he has proved me wrong.
According to Nick Taylor in this morning's West, Stanford, Sare and Harris were released after player reviews. Tatupu is returning to NZ. (Hope the Stanford decision doesn't turn out to be a James or Hilgendorf!)
Same article says Postal, Godwin, Ah-Nau & Siliva have been offered senior academy contracts - and that we are waiting on answers on offers put before Stanners, Sheps and ..... Dunning. Well lets hope we get the right two out of three in that last lot.
Then, of course, there are the names floating around on the 10 - Cooper, Grant, Pretorius .... Contepomi (?) - (and the outsider according to one thread - Insofaras)
'God invented beer to prevent Props from taking over the world'
Look I am not the world's biggest Dunning fan but with Henderson gone we really need to keep him. He won't be going to the Rebels now as they already have Tessman, Somerville, Henderson, Weeks and maybe Rodzilla. It's not likely he'd go to the Reds and the Tahs are looking pretty healthy props wise. I reckon he still wants a bash at the 2011 world cup.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Likewise pretty impressed by Postal's performance when given the opportunity.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
unforunately Ted's stuck behind a pretty impressive logjam in the loose forward department.......he'll have to decide between learning from the best and getting game time......I don't think it'll be a problem for a year or two, but it won't suit him forever!
C'mon the![]()
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As I have said in another thread, in the senior team, we need a you lock, a young prop, a young outside back and a starting flyhalf.
Ted Postal unfortunately doesn't fit in with that, hence my interest in the U20 props we have.
Incidentally, Luke Jones move to the Rebels might not be looking that good for him any more. The Rebels have 4 good locks now so he will be #5 in the pecking order. But no matter, he might be able to get a run in the backrow, they are a little short there.
Went to Forshaw park on Saturday to watch Southern Distrcts play Warringah Rats and there were a number of current or ex Force players, interestingly Stephano Hunt and Nic Henderson were playing 2nd grade for Southern Districts with both getting on in first grade but interestly Hunt played wing for the final 10 minutes only. I don't know how he will play for the Force when he can't even get out of reserve grade at Southern.
Stanford has signed a contract at the same Japanese team as Tai MacIssac, Tatupu is going to NZ, I've got to say I reckon Tatupu would have been a better option than Mitch Inman if he was given any opportunites...
Haig Sare I think is going to spend a year playing club rugby because his partner is pregnant and Sam Harris I think is doing the same. I reckon they should have kept Harris because in the second half of the year he really made an impact coming off the bench.