LONG ROAD ALL WORTH IT FOR TYRRELL
Three years in the RugbyWA Academy and another away as a scaffolder meant that Ryan Tyrrell's Emirates Western Force debut was a long-time coming, but it was worth the wait when the hooker ran out last Saturday.
Tyrrell, a born and bred West Australian, realised his dream of making his debut for the Force when he replaced Pek Cowan as hooker in the 72nd minute of last Saturday's clash with the Hurricanes in Wellington.
It made all the years of toil worth it for the 26-year-old. Before the Force was even in existence, Tyrrell moved to Queensland to further his opportunities, but was straight back to Perth when the Force was created and has now worked as hard as anyone to earn his first cap.
It was a long road that saw him endure eight-hour days of working as a scaffolder and then driving up to Perth from Rockingham to train, but upon being elevated to the main squad this year and now making his debut appearance, it was worthwhile.
"That's the reason I went to Brisbane when I was younger. There wasn’t a great deal of opportunities here, but as soon as I heard the Force was up and going I came home straightaway. I didn’t think I was guaranteed a spot or anything, but wearing that blue jersey for the first time last week was almost a dream come true," Tyrrell said.
"I joined the Academy when it first started and it was a long couple of years there and then I took a year off with a foot injury and did some scaffolding. It seems like I've been waiting for this for three or four years and it's great to get out there finally to feel part of the team."
It was a massive thrill for Tyrrell to run out in Super 14 rugby for the first time, but the scrum and lineout are a step up from what he's dealt with before. He's up to the challenge, though, and is looking forward to playing in Perth for the first time this Saturday night against the Chiefs.
"It was a thrill. It would have been great in front of the home crowd, but hopefully I do that this weekend. Even if I get on for just a little time, it'd be great. Mum and dad will be there, along with plenty of friends. I got to see the boys against the Brumbies and it's a great atmosphere," he said.
"The first scrum was pretty tough against guys like Neemia Tialata. It was a great experience, though, playing against guys that I've been watching on TV for the last three or four years. The lineout is a lot different too. We drill them three or four times a week, but for a thrower you've got great lifters and jumpers. With guys like Sharpey they make life easy for a hooker, which is great."
There's no question Tyrrell did it tough over the last four years and in 2008 that saw him have a major re-think on what he was doing, but he had a cracker of a season with Rockingham in 2009 and now having decided to stick at it in Perth, it has all been worthwhile.
"The hardest thing was working eight hours a day, then driving up from Rockingham and then training. I was kind of lost for a bit and not too sure where I was headed, and took the year off and enjoyed my footy and had a bit of fun," Tyrrell said.
"I was lucky enough to win the PG Hampshire and then it came back from there. I was thinking of going to England or something like that, but I'm glad I stayed and hopefully I can stay for the next couple of years at least. I used to scaffold and the thought of coming in every day to training doing something I loved kept me going, and to now be playing makes all the toil worth it in the end."
This is the first season that Tyrrell has been part of the Force's main squad and not only has he noticed the change personally, but in the whole group this season.
"For me getting into the professional program has been a lot tougher, but I've noticed this year that the senior players have been a lot more supportive," he said.
"Guys like Sharpey and the older backs like Barty have been helping us out and the team feels a lot more close knit this year than it has in past years. Although pre-season is extremely hard, you get a lot more down time and don’t have to worry about work and other activities now in the senior squad, which is good."
Like Cowan who has started at hooker so far this season, Tyrrell isn’t a natural to the position having moved from being a backrower under the guidance of the Force, but he's picking it up nicely as is Cowan.
"That was more because of the guys at the Force. I definitely wasn’t getting any fitter or trimmer, so that was on the cards. I'd play anywhere to play Super 14, though, so it wasn’t a hard decision for me to make," he said.
"Pek is coming along really quickly and he's such a gifted player that it's not going to take him long. For me the hardest thing was the throwing aspect of hooking, but with the guys around me teaching me so much I'll definitely feel more at home in that position."
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