4 players from the Harden Red Devils will line up for Central West in this year’s NSW Country Rugby Union Championship at Tamworth. Pictured Aaron Seamen prepares to be lifted by Toby Hayden and Ben Brady in the 2018 Grand Final.
Aaron Seaman, Shahid Khalfan, Jack O’Connor and Ben Lenehan’s will be lining up for the Central West Bulls at No.8, Halfback, Five-eighth and Fullback. Seaman, Khalfan and Lenehan toured New Zealand earlier this year, while O’Connor wasn’t available for NZ trip due to other committments.
The individual skill set of each player and their cohesion when playing together has forced the inclusion of all four men in the starting side.
Coach Oxley told the Central Western Daily “Mahe is a big loss, obviously, but we’re not going to focus on that because Jack O’Connor is a really classy rugby player. He came in seamlessly on Sunday and really led the training session, I’ve got full confidence in him. It’s quite gratifying to see these guys do well too because that’s what the tour was about, giving these players more exposure and more chances, they’ve taken that opportunity.” 16 of the 23 players named in the Bull’s side went on the New Zealand trip and Oxley is confident they have the right mix. He told the Central Western Daily, “The relationships they’ve built will really benefit the Blue Bulls’ bid to avenge last year’s decider loss to Illawarra.
He told the CWD “I set very high standards for all of us so even though I can handle being beaten by a better side on the day I don’t think I’d be pleased with any other result, a Caldwell Cup is what we’re going for. We’ve got the quality and the calibre of players in this group and they’ve really engaged well with each other, they’re all on board and they want it as much as any of the coaching staff. If we don’t get there it won’t be through lack of application or ability.” The 2019 NSW Country Rugby Union Championships will be held at Tamworth on the June long weekend, with the colts and women’s tournaments played alongside the senior men’s.
CENTRAL WEST BLUE BULLS: 1 Charlie French (Forbes Platypi), 2 Peter Fitzsimmons (Bathurst Bulldogs), 3 John Ellis (Narromine Gorillas), 4 Chris Miller (Cowra Eagles),5 Justin Mobbs (Bathurst Bulldogs), 6 Dan Ryan (Parkes Boars), 7 Mark Baldwin (Dubbo Kangaroos – captain), 8 Aaron Seaman (Harden Red Devils), 9 Shahid Khalfan (Harden Red Devils), 10 Jack O’Connor (Harden Red Devils), 11 Joe Nash (Bathurst Bulldogs),12 Lachie Harris (Orange Emus), 13 Zac White (Molong Magpies), 14 Tim Beach (Dubbo Kangaroos), 15 Ben Lenehan (Harden Red Devils); Bench: 16 George Quigley (Warren Pumas) 17 Alex Weal (Bathurst Bulldogs), 18 Tom Dunstan (Mudgee Wombats), 19 Shaun McHugh (Dubbo Kangaroos), 20 Josh Peffer (Molong Magpies), 21 Will Oldham (Bathurst Bulldogs), 22 Filisione Pauta (Guerie Goats).
