Henry keeps open mind to Raiders '07 make-up
Peter Fitzgerald
Friday, 22 September 2006
Raiders coach Neil Henry has welcomed the club's new signings to "put their hands up" to be part of the leadership group in 2007 - and potentially even captain. Canberra is without a skipper for next year, with 2006 leader Clinton Schifcofske joining rugby union side the Queensland Reds in the Super 14 competition.
Henry, in Canberra yesterday to look at player rosters and to plan for the preseason, said he would make an announcement on a new captain after talking to senior players and coaching staff in the preseason.
The Raiders officially begin preseason training on November 6.
"There's a strong leadership group here already, guys like Alan Tongue, Troy Thompson and Lincoln Withers are tremendous ... they sort of stand out at the moment as guys who obviously have leadership qualities," Henry said.
Henry, his new co-assistant Mick Crawley and other coaching staff have spent the past two days locked in meetings preparing for next year, Henry's first as an NRL head coach.
The former West Belconnen captain-coach said deciding which players would fit into which vacant positions was something that would remain undecided until trials in February and March, but hinted the backline was largely up for grabs.
"With Moggy going, Phil Graham is a standout [on one wing], then you've got [Adrian] Purtell and Marshall Chalk and Colin Best is coming to the club too," Henry said.
"Then there's William Zillman and Bronx Goodwin, so the fullback/centre spot is one area.
"Michael Dobson will come into the mix with Todd Carney and Lincoln Withers in the halves and you've got Marc Herbert coming along. It's an exciting time for the halves, with Andrew Dunemann who can also play hooker."
Dunemann will join the Raiders from English club Salford.
http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=sport&subclass=rugby%20league&story_id=511594&category=rugby%20league&m=9&y=2006
Peter Fitzgerald
Friday, 22 September 2006
Raiders coach Neil Henry has welcomed the club's new signings to "put their hands up" to be part of the leadership group in 2007 - and potentially even captain. Canberra is without a skipper for next year, with 2006 leader Clinton Schifcofske joining rugby union side the Queensland Reds in the Super 14 competition.
Henry, in Canberra yesterday to look at player rosters and to plan for the preseason, said he would make an announcement on a new captain after talking to senior players and coaching staff in the preseason.
The Raiders officially begin preseason training on November 6.
"There's a strong leadership group here already, guys like Alan Tongue, Troy Thompson and Lincoln Withers are tremendous ... they sort of stand out at the moment as guys who obviously have leadership qualities," Henry said.
"Also there's guys like Matt Bickerstaff and Glen Turner coming to the club as well who have got that experience, they might even put their hand up to be leaders as well.
"We've lost a lot of experience but I think we've got a good blend of the old and the new with a couple of young players being signed as well."
While the leadership will be one issue Henry will solve in the preseason, positional changes are also high on his agenda.
The Raiders have lost veterans Schifcofske, Jason Smith, Adam Mogg, Simon Woolford, Jason Croker and Michael Hodgson from their roster, something the coach knows will have a heavy impact. "We've lost a lot of experience but I think we've got a good blend of the old and the new with a couple of young players being signed as well."
While the leadership will be one issue Henry will solve in the preseason, positional changes are also high on his agenda.
Henry, his new co-assistant Mick Crawley and other coaching staff have spent the past two days locked in meetings preparing for next year, Henry's first as an NRL head coach.
The former West Belconnen captain-coach said deciding which players would fit into which vacant positions was something that would remain undecided until trials in February and March, but hinted the backline was largely up for grabs.
"With Moggy going, Phil Graham is a standout [on one wing], then you've got [Adrian] Purtell and Marshall Chalk and Colin Best is coming to the club too," Henry said.
"Then there's William Zillman and Bronx Goodwin, so the fullback/centre spot is one area.
"Michael Dobson will come into the mix with Todd Carney and Lincoln Withers in the halves and you've got Marc Herbert coming along. It's an exciting time for the halves, with Andrew Dunemann who can also play hooker."
Dunemann will join the Raiders from English club Salford.
http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=sport&subclass=rugby%20league&story_id=511594&category=rugby%20league&m=9&y=2006
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