Force raring to go

[Burgs]

Force raring to go

28/01/2008 9:18:34 PM
Chris Pike
Sportal

Apart from another hamstring injury to Lachlan MacKay, the Western Force are looking fresh and healthy ahead of trial matches and the Investec Super 14 season, with assistant coach John Mulvihill confident of winning all three games in South Africa to begin the campaign.

Training last Thursday wasn't quite what MacKay hoped for when he again twinged his hamstring, but the injury-prone flyhalf and inside-centre is hopeful of returning in time for the last trial game and opening game of the season against the Sharks in Durban.

Groin surgery and on-going hamstring troubles led to MacKay missing most of the 2007 season, while he also suffered a groin injury during the Mazda Australian Rugby Championships. Mulvihill saw how disappointed MacKay was with the latest setback, but is confident of a quick return.

"Lachie felt tight towards the end of the session, possibly should have sat out the last few minutes, but he will learn through experience. Hopefully he can be back quite quickly, it's only something minor from an old injury, so he should be OK," Mulvihill said.

"He was obviously disappointed, but it's something he will get through after a hard couple of years. He is determined to get back on the pitch and add something to us this season. He is looking forward to getting up for at least one of our trial games and our medical staff will work overtime to ensure that happens."

Apart from recruit Adam Clarke suffering from a pinched nerve in his neck, the Force squad is looking good after an intra-club trial game and less than a week out from playing the Crusaders on Saturday at Olympic Park in Melbourne.

"We are going to give the young guys and those that have only started with us a lot of the time in our first trial this week, then we will select 28 to go to Melbourne to play the Crusaders and from there we will narrow it down to 23 against the Reds. We will be doing that in order to be ready to take on the Sharks," he said.

"They are in pretty good shape. We did some solid work before Christmas and they have come in nice and fresh with good body composition. They've also picked up the knowledge quite quickly so we are looking forward to our first game."

The Force squad will be quite similar to the one that was the second best-performed Australian side last season, but the start against the Sharks, Cheetahs and Lions will be tough, although, not a challenge they are shying away from.

"There will only be a few new guys in our squad. They've all settled in well. Some of them that came to us in the first year hadn't played Super 14, this is now their third season, so they are looking to stamp their authority on the competition," he said.

"After eight rounds last season we were sitting second and looking forward to the finals, but it didn't happen as we lost a bit of focus. The competition is very difficult and you need to play out the full season, rather than half of it. We want to get away to a good start in Africa and build the momentum from there."

"We see it as a really good opportunity to go away, get the group tight together, we've had good success there before and there's no reason we can't win all our games this time around."

Mulvihill enjoyed his chance to coach the Perth Spirit in the ARC last year and saw the benefits for the Force, but he is happy in the assistant's chair behind John Mitchell for now.

"It gave some of the new guys and those that have been around a while a fresh approach. We always had Super 14s in mind, so we were trialling things in the ARC to make sure they work and we have brought them back to the Force with us," he said.

"One day everyone wants to be head coach, but I'm serving a good apprenticeship under Mitch at the moment. That will continue as I have signed on until 2010, so we will just wait and see what happens after that."

[GIGS20]

Force raring to go
Training last Thursday wasn't quite what MacKay hoped for when he again twinged his hamstring,

That's a good omen, we've performed above expectation every year Lachie's been hurt!

[NeoGirl]

"One day everyone wants to be head coach, but I'm serving a good apprenticeship under Mitch at the moment. That will continue as I have signed on until 2010, so we will just wait and see what happens after that."

I wonder what will happen, any guesses?

[jargan83]

The Force are raring to go, i think we supporters are raring to see the boys in action as well, i know i am

[Ecky]

Force raring to go

28/01/2008 9:18:34 PM
Chris Pike
Sportal

..."Lachie felt tight towards the end of the session, possibly should have sat out the last few minutes, but he will learn through experience. Hopefully he can be back quite quickly, it's only something minor from an old injury, so he should be OK," Mulvihill said.

He's the most experienced hamstring tweaker in the entire S12!!!!!!!! Surely he'd have learned well before now?

I'm really disappointed for him but it really seems Lachie is the 's Clyde Rathbone.

[Burgs]

I wonder what will happen, any guesses?

I would see that as a reasonable succession Neo, assuming Mitch doesn't go again and Mulvers then get itchy feet.
No one else would know the Squad better and he is apprentice to one of the best.

[James]

I wonder what will happen, any guesses?

I love Mitch but I don't believe having the same coach for more than 6 years is healthy for a team- new direction and new ideas are always good. Mitch will probably move on to some form of international coaching. Mulvihill will probably be the favourite to take over but then he'll have been there a while by then. Maybe he'll receive a better offer in the mean time. On the plus side there are plenty of really good quality Aussie coaches in Australia and in Europe so we probably won't ever be short of a few good options.

[jazza93]

"We are going to give the young guys and those that have only started with us a lot of the time in our first trial this week, then we will select 28 to go to Melbourne to play the Crusaders and from there we will narrow it down to 23 against the Reds. We will be doing that in order to be ready to take on the Sharks," he said.

these trials will be a battle for spots in the forward pack so i think they will end up taking mostly forwards and maybe a few backs to find the new winger.