A J applies some Force to Redmen




April 22, 2008

GIANT Western Force rugby union prop A.J Whalley might just be the tonic to return the Grafton Redmen to rude health in their forwards.
Whalley, 25, who last played with the Redmen as a schoolboy in 2000, was part of the Western Force team beaten by the Queensland Reds at the weekend, and is taking the opportunity to catch up with his family and friends.
And after some uncharacteristically quiet showings from the Redmen pack, coach Steve Hackett was delighted Whalley has volunteered to pass on some tips to the team.
Hackett said an exodus of experienced players from the club had exposed a weakness in this area.
"We've had 11 players make their first grade debuts with the club in the first two games of the season," Hackett said.
Hackett put Whalley to work with his forwards last night, working on their scrummaging techniques.
After that he took the whole squad and covered breakdown techniques and cleaning out players over the ball. Whalley was snapped up by the Force in their first season and this year has become a regular run-on player with the squad.
He has started six of their nine matches so far this year and come off the bench in all the others.
Originally a backrower, where he played Under-21s for Australia, Whalley finally thinks he has joined the front-rowers union.
"The only problem is that I still get the the odd hamstring strain, which can be a problem," he said. Whalley said the Force was reeling from losses to the Waratahs and the Reds in their last two games after a promising start to the season.
"We were in the top four for a while and now we'll struggle to make the semis."
However, his personal form has been encouraging, giving him some hope of making an Australian A team at the end of the year.
"But my main aim is to cement my spot in firsts," Whalley said.

http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/stor...toryid=3770279