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Shepherd happy to stay in the West

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:12

Super Rugby try-machine Cameron Shepherd will continue to headline the Western Force attack after agreeing to a new two-year deal with the franchise and Australian Rugby.

Shepherd is the leading scorer in Western Force history with 337 points, while his 32 career tries places him amongst the elite performers in the competition.

An inaugural Force recruit, Shepherd has played 47 times in the ocean blue jersey and won nine test caps for the Wallabies.

"It's exciting to think that I'm going to be spending another couple of years in Perth, it is the city I've fallen in love with, the people are fantastic, not only everyone involved with the Force but the friends I've made outside of rugby as well," Shepherd said.

"In the five seasons I've been at the Western Force I feel as though I've accomplished a lot of things that I'm really proud of.  This includes helping build the franchise from the ground up, experiencing a Commonwealth Games and playing for the Wallabies.

"I'm hoping to do a lot more and really feel as though I've only just scratched the surface.  I want to be able to produce even more for the Force in the coming years."

The 26-year-old has shrugged off a frustrating run of injuries over the past 24 months which limited his output in both Super 14 and international rugby.

A superb athlete with the special ability to turn a game on its head, Shepherd is back in top shape and determined to recapture the form that saw him score a remarkable seven tries a season in three of his five years at the Force.

"What I want to do is put all those things [injuries] behind me and move on and play football.  I don't want to look back and say I started well in my career and then got injured and didn't do much after that," Shepherd said.

"I'm definitely ready to step up and get some more opportunities at the top level.  When the time finally comes to hang up my boots I hope to look back and have as many fond memories of the second half of my career as I do of the majority of the first half.

"I think the team is definitely heading in a strong direction, the appointment of Richard Graham as Head Coach from 2012 is great news and he'll continue the good work already done by John Mitchell.  It is one of the reasons I'm excited about staying here.

"The community support, not just for me but for the team, has been massive and they've stuck with us through thick and thin and will be rewarded in the seasons to come."

Equally adept on the wing or at fullback he'll again team with the likes of James O'Connor, Scott Staniforth and Nick Cummins in an Western Force backline that has plenty of potency out wide.

"Cameron is a foundation player and an experienced and classy performer on the rugby field.  We're delighted to have retained his services for the next two seasons," RugbyWA CEO Vern Reid said.

"We share in Cameron's confidence that his injury concerns are behind him and that there is clear air for him to return to his best."

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