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February 4, 2008 - 5:19PM
Skipper Nathan Sharpe says a turbulent off-season could be the catalyst for the Western Force to qualify for the Super 14 playoffs for the very first time.
The Force have had to deal with the embarrassment of needing to discipline players for the mistreatment of quokkas, answer allegations of irregular player payments and rebound from the shock resignation of chief executive Peter O'Meara.
But Sharpe said such trials and tribulations had only served to galvanise the Force, who are looking to build on their seventh-place finish last season with a run to the finals in 2008.
The star lock said the quokka affair in particular had prompted the Force to take a good, hard look at themselves.
"It was a good opportunity for us to learn from that," Sharp said.
"We've spoken about that as a team, that we need to be mindful of increased scrutiny that sporting teams are put under these days.
"Knowing the guys over at the Western Force are all a great bunch of guys, I think we're only selling ourselves short to be traded in a different light.
"So we've spoken about our off-field behaviour and that's something that we are going to be monitoring very closely, and that's part of the culture that we want to drive there.
"It's never going to be perfect. There's always going to be hiccups along the way.
"But if we can learn from experiences like that, then it's going to stand us in much better stead going forward."
Sharpe admitted O'Meara's departure had taken him by surprise but was confident it wouldn't "detract from the team's performance this year".
"We've all said our goodbyes and he'll be around Perth for a few more months at least, I think, so it won't have much impact on the team," he said.
In only their second season, the Force took up residence in the top four during most of their 2007 campaign, only to stumble late and miss the playoffs.
"We're looking for the semi-finals this year and I believe once you make the semi-final you're a chance of anything," Sharpe said.
"So we want to get into that top four at the end of the year.
"We got close to it last year. We had a good start but we took the foot off the pedal, so to speak, and lost a bit of focus, especially on the New Zealand leg.
"So we've just looked at different ways of approaching that leg. Last year we probably spent too much time over there. This year, we're going to start leaving for away games only a couple of days beforehand - so we're just going to find the right balance for us."
The Force are hoping to kick-start their season with another successful tour of South Africa, where they take on the Cheetahs and Lions in rounds two and three.
"It's exciting for us actually because, since the inception of the Western Force, we're actually undefeated in South Africa," Sharpe said.
"We've got a good record over there and it might be an opportunity to catch the South African teams at the back of a bit of a World Cup hangover.
"I think that's a big bonus for us, having that away stretch early in the season while we're fresh and it might set us up for a good season."
© 2008 AAP
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