Western Force sign Reds' Brown
Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:06
The Western Force have yet another new recruit in former Reds wing Caleb Brown, who has recently signed a two-year contract with the Western Austalia (WA) franchise.
Brown will join the Western Australia side looking to add to his 11 Super Rugby caps after three seasons with the Reds, signing on until the end of 2010.
Making his debut against the Crusaders in Brisbane in 2006, The 21-year-old went on to win 10 caps in his rookie season before hamstring injuries prevented him from adding to that tally until the final match of the 2008 season.
A powerful outside back, Brown possesses speed and strength to go with his imposing 98kg frame.
His strong maiden season earned him rave reviews and a place in the Australian Under-21 team for the 2006 Junior World Championships in France.
After a long-term stint on the sidelines, the Gold Coast-born flyer returned to Super 14 rugby in a fierce local derby against the Waratahs before clinching a berth in the Australian Sevens team for the London and Scotland tournaments last month.
Brown said he was looking forward to the move west.
"It's all happened pretty quickly," Brown said.
"It's an exciting time for me in rugby and a new phase in my life. The injuries are all sorted - that's a blessing - and as far as I'm concerned my best rugby is ahead of me."
Brown said he was looking forward to a "refreshing" start in the Western Force program.
"I'm still young and I feel that I've got a lot of developing to do as a rugby player and I'll have a great opportunity to achieve that under John Mitchell and the coaching staff at the Western Force," he said.
"I'm very keen to play some rugby and hopefully I'll get my chances on the upcoming tour of the United Kingdom."
RugbyWA general manager for community rugby & junior development, Mitch Hardy, said Brown is a valuable acquisition for the Western Force.
"Caleb has recovered from a harsh run with injuries and will be pushing hard for a spot in the outside backs, starting on the development tour of the UK next month," said Hardy.
"He certainly has a lot of potential and the size and power to back it up. I'm sure that once he settles into the program and his new city that he will prove to be an outstanding recruit for the Western Force," he said.
"He is a good young player with a long career ahead of him," Hardy added.
Caleb Brown will join his Western Force teammates for his first training session in Perth next Monday.
