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Kimmorley at high tide
By Brad Walter
December 4, 2003
Despite admitting that he felt lost without long-time mentor Chris Anderson, Cronulla captain Brett Kimmorley yesterday vowed to help his replacement Stuart Raper win the club's first premiership.
Kimmorley, who played under Anderson at Melbourne before both joined the Sharks last year, met Raper for only the second time when they represented Cronulla at yesterday's NRL clubs' conference in Coogee.
Seated alongside them were the Sharks general manager, Steve Rogers, and the president, Barry Pierce, whose board sacked Anderson on Monday night.
But if Kimmorley holds any resentment towards the officials over the decision he didn't show it.
"I probably feel a bit lost at the moment. Chris and I have been so close for so long and I went to the club to be a part of what he was building but I'll get my head around it," Kimmorley said.
"I want to be a part of what we've started to achieve and I feel, as the captain now, I can help lead us to a premiership that the players coming next year will help get. It would be great to be the first side that ever won something for the club'."
Kimmorley said he had contacted Anderson on Monday night to find out what had occurred at the board meeting and said that he was planning a game of golf this week with the 50-year-old Test coach.
But he said he was looking forward to working with Raper next season and predicted the Sharks would benefit from Anderson's 2004 recruitment, which includes the purchases of New Zealand internationals Nigel Vagana and Andrew Lomu.
"It will probably take a while just to get to know Stuart, but we'll get on . . . we'll be sweet. Once we start training we'll knuckle it out and rip into it and I think player-wise we couldn't be better," he said.
"We've brought a few players in from outside the area which will probably make the club hungrier to get the premiership."
Raper, 38, said he was yet to decide what style Cronulla would play but he left no doubt their game would revolve around Kimmorley, who starred at halfback for Australia on the recent Kangaroo tour.
"He's as pivotal to the club as Andrew Johns is to Newcastle or Darren Lockyer is to Brisbane," Raper said. "I rate him in the top three or four players in the world without a doubt. He's very important to what we're going to do next season."
By Brad Walter
December 4, 2003
Despite admitting that he felt lost without long-time mentor Chris Anderson, Cronulla captain Brett Kimmorley yesterday vowed to help his replacement Stuart Raper win the club's first premiership.
Kimmorley, who played under Anderson at Melbourne before both joined the Sharks last year, met Raper for only the second time when they represented Cronulla at yesterday's NRL clubs' conference in Coogee.
Seated alongside them were the Sharks general manager, Steve Rogers, and the president, Barry Pierce, whose board sacked Anderson on Monday night.
But if Kimmorley holds any resentment towards the officials over the decision he didn't show it.
"I probably feel a bit lost at the moment. Chris and I have been so close for so long and I went to the club to be a part of what he was building but I'll get my head around it," Kimmorley said.
"I want to be a part of what we've started to achieve and I feel, as the captain now, I can help lead us to a premiership that the players coming next year will help get. It would be great to be the first side that ever won something for the club'."
Kimmorley said he had contacted Anderson on Monday night to find out what had occurred at the board meeting and said that he was planning a game of golf this week with the 50-year-old Test coach.
But he said he was looking forward to working with Raper next season and predicted the Sharks would benefit from Anderson's 2004 recruitment, which includes the purchases of New Zealand internationals Nigel Vagana and Andrew Lomu.
"It will probably take a while just to get to know Stuart, but we'll get on . . . we'll be sweet. Once we start training we'll knuckle it out and rip into it and I think player-wise we couldn't be better," he said.
"We've brought a few players in from outside the area which will probably make the club hungrier to get the premiership."
Raper, 38, said he was yet to decide what style Cronulla would play but he left no doubt their game would revolve around Kimmorley, who starred at halfback for Australia on the recent Kangaroo tour.
"He's as pivotal to the club as Andrew Johns is to Newcastle or Darren Lockyer is to Brisbane," Raper said. "I rate him in the top three or four players in the world without a doubt. He's very important to what we're going to do next season."
