The Western Force will commence pre-season for the 2024 Harvey Norman Super Rugby Pacific season next week, with several new faces to be among the group.
To help you get excited about the 2024 season, we’ve gone back and recapped all our new recruits.
Nic White
Simon Cron: "Nic is a great addition to the team. When we look at our team and the key jigsaw pieces for us to be successful, we look at recruitment and retention and what the player makeup looks like. Nic adds an enormous amount of experience."
"He is a winner, he is a brilliant leader and game manager. One of the things that excited me about Nic is that he fights until the last minute. One of the biggest areas we can grow in is our leadership groups. We have a number of emerging leaders here and the key thing for us is to give them role models to learn from, Nic will be one of these.
"We are really excited, Nic comes with his wife Melissa and his boys, Sonny, Leo and Vincent, and we look forward to welcoming them to Perth… Plenty of kids out there want to be the next Nic White, and the best way to foster this is to meet him and see him in action."
Ben Donaldson
Simon Cron: “As a team we need to grow our positional competition. It’s critical that we have competition in each position so when we train, the intensity and accuracy tests our execution. Ultimately practice execution, becomes game reality.
"Dono is a world-class player and a great human who will add to our squad. In talking with the other 10's, they are excited to have him onboard because it will only make everyone push to be their best. He is a triple threat in attack with a running game and kick and pass skillsets, which means the defence must think. Combine this with his drive to learn and the desire to be his best, we are excited to get him over here.
“We look forward to putting him in different situations and scenarios that will help him develop as a player and give him the structures around him that he needs to be successful."
Harry Potter
Simon Cron: “Harry has been a great addition to our squad. You could see his speed, skills, and high work rate through the Spring Series.
"He adds leadership and a high level of action word communication when the ball is in play, which is something our entire team are continuing to work on. He has a team first focus, and we love having him here.”
Atu Moli
Simon Cron: “One of the positions we needed to add squad depth was at tighthead prop. Atu brings with him a wealth of experience which will benefit us on the field, as well as helping to mentor some of our developing front row forwards off the field.
“The fact he can swing, and play both sides, gives us some flexibility and is a very unique skillset. Atu feels like some of his best rugby is still ahead of him. It's now our job to help him achieve that.”
Will Harris
Simon Cron: "Will is extremely fast and explosive as well as having a high skill level. He adds another genuine lineout option to our forward pack because he is incredibly fast off the ground.
"I was lucky enough to coach Will a few years ago and he is a player who is always wanting to learn and get better. He is very driven and adds a wealth of Super Rugby experience at such a young age”.
Harry Hoopert
Simon Cron: "Harry's addition brings depth to our front row. With 48 Super Caps and Australia A appearances, his experience is invaluable. He'll challenge and elevate his fellow players on a daily basis, both on and off the training field."
Lopeti Faifua
Simon Cron: “He’s 6’6 with a big strong body. He’s explosive and powerful. He’s still only a young buck at 21-years-old. He’s a genuine lock with a willingness to learn. We’re really enjoying coaching him and are excited already with what he is bringing to training.”
Henry O’Donnell
Simon Cron: “He was a standout at Australian Under-20s playing at centre. It’s a genuine opportunity for Henry to come across and put some pressure on people. He’s really keen to learn, get better and hone his craft. His signing is another example of us looking at the future of the Western Force, mapping out a succession plan for these players to come through, play Super Rugby and keep the Western Force strong for years to come.”
The Force open their 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season on Friday 23 February 7pm WST against the Hurricanes at HBF Park. Memberships are on sale now, including the offer of free Junior Memberships. More info here.
