News from Sydney Club Rugby

EMERGING Australian Schoolboys prop Daniel Roach, the son of rugby league great Steve, has agreed to join Northern Suburbs for the 2006 season and beyond.
Roach, one of the mainstays of the Australian Schoolboys side that toured the UK at the end of 2005, informed Norths of his decision on Thursday night after fielding a number of offers from a range of Sydney clubs.
He is the first Australian Schoolboy representative to come to Norths directly from school since Lachlan MacKay in 2001.
In that time the Norths colts system has played in three first grade grand finals and produced numerous first grade and representative stars including Adam Ashley Cooper, Cameron Shepherd and the recently discovered Will Hunt, who toured with the Waratahs on their development tour of Eastern Europe.
“We’ve got a history of producing good prop forwards and we’re obviously very excited about Daniel coming to Norths,” Tully said. “And looking at the results that our colts have been able to get over the past few seasons, we are pretty capable of making the utmost of the talent available.” “This is a significant coup for the club and the colts system as a whole and adds to the momentum that is evident around the place at the moment.”
Roach, who weighs in at a whopping 119kg, is part of the NSW Rugby Academy and has already started training under their strength and conditioning co-ordinator Charlie Higgins. Those close to the club believe that Roach’s decision will be the catalyst for a number of prominent schoolboy stars to join the club.