Hindmarsh wants Poms' cap
By James Hooper
April 22, 2005
CANBERRA forward Ian Hindmarsh is poised to turn his back on Australia by attempting to become the first player in 98 years to play for bitter rivals Great Britain.
In a shock revelation, Hindmarsh last night told The Daily Telegraph of his ambition to represent Great Britain, opposing brother Nathan in the Kangaroos.
Armed with a British passport, the Raiders' back-row forward has signed a three-year deal to play in the English Super League with new French club UTC next season.
"It would be something to put in the treasure chest, it is an opportunity for me," Hindmarsh said.
"There's probably more of an opportunity for me over there to represent than there is here.
"Especially with the amount of good back-rowers in Australia at the moment over the last few years.
"Even for the Country Origin side, you look at the Australian back row and they are all country blokes."
Great Britain selector David Waite is also the coaching director at UTC, presenting Hindmarsh with the perfect passage to play his way into a Lions jumper.
The Raiders backrower is eligible to switch allegiances because his mother, Fiona, was born in Dundee, Scotland and grew up in Workington, England.
The former Pararmatta star will reside in the south of France, with the opportunity to travel across Europe with his wife in the off-season ... another lure from his French club.
Quizzed about the possibility of playing against brother Nathan representing the Kangaroos, Hindmarsh said: "We've talked about it a little bit.
"Everyone wants to win and be at the top of the pile, that's just natural, when I get over there it would be great."
Kangaroos icons Bob Fulton and Ian Roberts were both born in England.
Yet they played for Australia, while Balmain legend Keith Barnes was born in Wales.
The last Australian-born player to go close to representing the Great Britain was Michael Withers, who made the Lions squad for the Kangaroo Tour of the UK in 2001.
Several other English Super League clubs, headed by Salford, were also chasing the signature of Hindmarsh, who represented Country Origin in the back-row in 2001.
Talks with the Raiders ceased last month with the Canberra club unable to match the lucrative offers available in the English Super League.
"Ian is a tremendous character and has been a wonderful player for our club but at the end of the day we just couldn't hold on to him," Raiders chief executive Simon Hawkins said.
"Knowing the type of player Ian is he will continue to be a great servant for us despite having signed with UTC for next season."
New Zealand Warriors halfback Stacey Jones was announced as the other key signing for the French club yesterday, with UTC football manager Paul Donkin still wielding a chequebook in Australia for the next week.
"We're in discussions with a number of managers at the moment, we're looking to add at least another prop and a centre to our roster," Donkin said.
Hindmarsh is disappointed with his own form after returning from injury a fortnight ago. He hopes to finish his NRL career on a high-note by fighting his way back into the starting side for the Raiders.
At the conclusion of his English assignment, Hindmarsh plans to return to Australia to run a dairy farm he is setting up at Cowra.
