New Reds centre on a mission

Siale was one of the various names mentioned for the inaugural Force Squad.
He has two very handy younger brothers coming along behind him too, which makes his signature even more valuable IMHO.

New Reds centre on a mission

By Alex Murdoch
January 21, 2008

THERE will be no love lost between new Reds centre Chris Siale and his former NSW Waratahs teammates in the Super 14 trial in Sydney on Australia Day.

The New Zealand-born winger, who spent most of his time at the Waratahs on the bench before moving to Brisbane three months ago, said he had a definite score to settle on Saturday night.

"I've got a lot to prove. I'll prove to them that I am up to that (elite) level and that I have what it takes," Siale said.

"Hopefully they'll be regretting letting me go, but we'll see what happens after the game."

Siale said he had already started receiving jest text messages from former teammates warning him to "watch your back and stuff like that".

He said so far he had resisted the urge to retaliate.

"It's all in good fun and I don't want to say anything so when I smash them on Saturday it will be even better," Siale said.

"There's no one in particular I'm targeting, that would be against the spirit of the game, but I'll be after all of them."

Siale would have been at the Reds last season if NSW had granted him an early contract release. If the reception he has received from the Reds is anything to go by, it has been well worth the wait.

"It's been awesome. The boys have been really welcoming and they've been training really well the last couple of months," Siale said.

NSW backrower Ben Mowen, named as Waratahs captain, will have his own point to prove after the Reds cut ties with him last season.

Halfback experiment Ben Lucas, Sunnybank's 2007 premiership-winning flyhalf, is certain to start at No. 9 against NSW.

* Tickets for the Reds' seven Super 14 games at Suncorp Stadium, starting with the February 15 opener against the Otago Highlanders, go on sale from today at Ticketek.