Injury blow hits Fairbrother's Wallabies hopes

[blueandblack]

Tim Fairbrother was one of the best scrummagers in Super rugby last season yet the Western Force prop was ignored for international duties, even when Wallabies Robbie Deans was scrambling for frontrowers.

Now, just as he looked to have forced his way into the reckoning for the Australia squad for the Spring tour of Hong Kong and Europe, fate may have dealt him an unkind blow.

The New Zealand-born specialist tighthead strained a calf muscle playing for Manly in the Sydney club competition elimination final against Randwick two weeks ago and he may miss the Wallabies training squad to be announced on Monday.

The affable Fairbrother, who qualifies for the Wallabies through his Australian-born grandparents, took the injury in typical style but he is still hopeful he may get the call from Deans.

"Hopefully I've been in Australia long enough to push for a spot," he said.

"I've been happy with my form. I was pretty happy with my Super season and I thought my club season was pretty good but there's not a lot I can do now. Everything is in the hands of the selectors."

Force coach and former Australia assistant Richard Graham said Fairbrother had been on the Wallabies radar all season.

"Timing in life is everything and unfortunately for Tim the timing has not been good," he said.

"Tim has certainly been at the forefront of Wallaby selectors' minds.

"The decision Robbie has to make is whether he can carry a player in camp who will have limited training time.

"Regardless of whether Tim makes the squad Robbie is not going to take eight props on tour but there are going to be injuries, that's the nature of the sport, and there could still be opportunities for Tim.

"In his first season with us, in a new franchise, Tim was one of our best week-in-week-out. His form for Manly was fantastic and it is a credit to him that he maintained that form."

- The Force have signed NSW Waratahs centre Rory Sidey and are waiting on a medical clearances before finalising a deal with former Tahs and Brumbies winger Alfi Mafi.

Sidey, 24, played five Super games off the bench for Waratahs last season after returning from a year with Welsh Magners league club Newport-Gwent Dragons.

He played for NSW U19s, joined the Waratahs academy in 2007 and was vice-captain of the junior Waratahs the following year. He has been a regular first grader for Sydney club side West Harbour.

Graham said the 100kg Sidey would put pressure on Mitch Inman at outside centre but could also cover inside centre and wing.

"Rory is a late developer. He did not come through the usual system of Australian schools and U20s. He blossomed late in rugby," he said.

"He was offered a long term contract to stay with the Dragons but decided to try and make it back in Australia."
Mafi, 22, played two seasons at the Brumbies after making his Super rugby debut with the Waratahs in 2008

[farva]

Why Deans has persisted with Slaesi Ma'afu when Fairbrother, Weeks and Palmer are all better prospects I do not know.
Ma'afu cant scrummage and this has disadvantaged Robinson, who hasn't been able to do his magic as the scrum is going backwards.
Ma'afu's work around the field has been good granted, but given his first task is to scrummage, this isn't a saving grace. Weeks is a similar player, but is much younger and so will improve. Fairbrother and Palmer are both vastly better scrummagers and will provide stability in the scrum - Fairbrothers experience could have been especially useful when we had Fa'ainga and Daley lining up in the front row. As it is Daley's confidence has been shot to pieces as he was thrust into the test arena with two other rookie, who couldn't match the experienced packs they faced..