- Messages
- 1,778
Irish Star To Skipper WA Reds
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ontentID=57203
Irishman Shayne McMenemy will be the inaugural captain of WA Reds when they contest the secondtier Jim Beam Cup before bidding to join the National Rugby League after 2011.
Second-rower McMenemy has moved to Perth after five years with English Super League club Hull.
Local stalwarts and likely first teamers Isaac Thomas and Jon Phipps will assist him with leadership duties.
Perth has been a rugby league outpost since the demise of the Perth Reds after the 1997 season but WA returns to the national fold, albeit not the premier level, on March 29 when the Reds play Chester Hill in Sydney.
The new team will remain in Sydney to play Erina and Campbelltown the following two weeks before playing their first home game, against Cronulla at Members Equity Stadium on April 19.
The Jim Beam Cup is a 13-team competition played over 22 rounds. The Reds will finish the regular season with a home game against Chester Hill on September 6.
Coach Chris Dever, who played for the original Reds, said the new team would play two pre-season games at North Beach, against the Sydney Bulls on March 1 and South Logan on March 8.
The Reds have concluded sponsorship deals totalling $400,000 and will soon announce a naming rights agreement.
Despite the encouraging balance sheet, Dever said the emphasis of the competition was on developing, rather than buying, success because a points system restricted the number of big-name players teams could recruit.
He said McMenemy was an excellent choice as the clubs hallmark player because vast experience complemented his ability.
Hes been at the top level in England for the past eight years, he said. Hes a big, strong, ballplaying forward with a decent kick.
Hes the kind of player who can break the line and create opportunities for others.
Joel Rawlins and Mick Small have been recruited from the Newcastle district and Perth products Phipps and Tyrone Coppedge have been lured back from Queensland club South Logan.
Dever said the Reds would not be the biggest team but would try to make up for a lack of brute force with mobility.
Players had been preparing since October for WAs return to mainstream rugby league.
A change in the interchange rule will also help, he said.
The number of substitutions per game is down to 10 from 12 so clubs cant go with too many big players anymore because they need an early rest.
The Reds training squad of 36 will be cut to 25 in three weeks.
DAVE HUGHES
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ontentID=57203
Irishman Shayne McMenemy will be the inaugural captain of WA Reds when they contest the secondtier Jim Beam Cup before bidding to join the National Rugby League after 2011.
Second-rower McMenemy has moved to Perth after five years with English Super League club Hull.
Local stalwarts and likely first teamers Isaac Thomas and Jon Phipps will assist him with leadership duties.
Perth has been a rugby league outpost since the demise of the Perth Reds after the 1997 season but WA returns to the national fold, albeit not the premier level, on March 29 when the Reds play Chester Hill in Sydney.
The new team will remain in Sydney to play Erina and Campbelltown the following two weeks before playing their first home game, against Cronulla at Members Equity Stadium on April 19.
The Jim Beam Cup is a 13-team competition played over 22 rounds. The Reds will finish the regular season with a home game against Chester Hill on September 6.
Coach Chris Dever, who played for the original Reds, said the new team would play two pre-season games at North Beach, against the Sydney Bulls on March 1 and South Logan on March 8.
The Reds have concluded sponsorship deals totalling $400,000 and will soon announce a naming rights agreement.
Despite the encouraging balance sheet, Dever said the emphasis of the competition was on developing, rather than buying, success because a points system restricted the number of big-name players teams could recruit.
He said McMenemy was an excellent choice as the clubs hallmark player because vast experience complemented his ability.
Hes been at the top level in England for the past eight years, he said. Hes a big, strong, ballplaying forward with a decent kick.
Hes the kind of player who can break the line and create opportunities for others.
Joel Rawlins and Mick Small have been recruited from the Newcastle district and Perth products Phipps and Tyrone Coppedge have been lured back from Queensland club South Logan.
Dever said the Reds would not be the biggest team but would try to make up for a lack of brute force with mobility.
Players had been preparing since October for WAs return to mainstream rugby league.
A change in the interchange rule will also help, he said.
The number of substitutions per game is down to 10 from 12 so clubs cant go with too many big players anymore because they need an early rest.
The Reds training squad of 36 will be cut to 25 in three weeks.
DAVE HUGHES
