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NICK TAYLOR, The West Australian
May 2, 2011, 7:30 am
The Western Force have re-signed both their current scrum-halves Brett Sheehan and James Stannard for another season.
Sheehan rejected offers from European teams to stay in Perth.
"For a few months there I didn't know what I was going to be doing but I'm happy now and looking forward to the future," he said.
"I wanted to stay, I can see something good building here. It's going to be a good future."
Geraldton-born Sheehan, 31, who has three Wallaby caps, moved to the Force last year after stints with the Queensland Reds and NSW Waratahs.
"I like to back myself so it's up to me to show I can still match it with the others now and there's nothing like competition to make you play better," he said.
His focus has been on the Force and he has not considered the possibility of another Wallaby cap with the World Cup looming.
"I haven't thought that far ahead. If it comes it comes, if not I'm content where I'm at," he said.
Stannard, 28, is a Commonwealth Games Sevens silver medallist and the 2010 Australian Rugby Union's Sevens Player of the Year.
He first signed with Force academy five years ago, made his Super Rugby debut the same year against the Cheetahs and played a handful of games before being released in 2008 when the Force signed Josh Valentine and kept Chris O'Young and Justin Turner.
He re-signed last year when Turner was sidelined after injuring a knee in the IRB world junior championships.
Turner, 21, who has one more year left on his Force contract, is on the road to recovery from another knee injury that ruled him out of this season.
He had surgery on his right knee for the second time in seven months after re-tearing his anterior cruciate ligament at pre- season training.
Force coach Richard Graham said having competition among the trio was healthy for the club.
He said Sheehan was playing the best rugby of his career.
"He offers a point of difference to the other two because he is very physical and of course has a lot of experience," he said.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...ing-by-halves/
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