Rage
10-06-07, 03:18 PM
Cannings footloose, ready for rep and heading for the Coast
Daniel Pace | June 10, 2007
GOLD Coast are confident they'll get value for money from recruit Aaron Cannings, although the injury-plagued Parramatta prop has made only 59 first-grade appearances since his debut in 2002.
In the week the Titans picked up Melbourne forward Ian Donnelly in a mid-season transfer, the Gold Coast signed Cannings, 25, to a three-year deal to help solve their front-row crisis.
"He's starting to play some serious football now," Titans managing director Michael Searle said of Cannings. "He's had a couple of injuries but he's still got lots [of kilometres] left on the clock."
Cannings, who weighs 110 kilograms, missed the 2006 season with a shoulder injury and has broken his arm twice during his four-year stint with the Eels.
He fractured his skull after falling off a balcony in 2001 when contracted to the Northern Eagles.
"I've liked him for a while," Titans coach John Cartwright said of the bruising New Zealand-born prop. "He could develop into a representative player. He's had a full season this year without any injury and he's playing good football.
"He's a bit of a different type of player to the front-rowers we have.
"We needed someone with a nuggety build who can hit the deck pretty hard and play the ball quick."
The Titans' need for another top-shelf prop to complement co-captain Luke Bailey was highlighted last Sunday when Brad Meyers became the club's second specialist front-rower to have his season ended by injury. He ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing against Canberra.
Michael Henderson broke his leg in round five.
Back-rower Anthony Laffranchi is likely to be moved into the front row when the Titans play Wests Tigers at Campbelltown on June 17 after their round-13 bye this weekend.
Cannings, who made his first-grade debut with the Northern Eagles in June 2002, rejected a two-year extension of his Eels contract to move closer to his family in Lismore. Bailey warned Cannings he would be in for a rude shock when he trained under tough-as-nails fitness and conditioning coach Billy Johnstone.
"Don't tell him now but he'll probably lose about five or six kilos under Billy Johnstone," NSW Origin forward Bailey said.
Bailey said he realised the importance of big, mobile forwards after facing Canberra's monster pack in the Titans' 28-8 victory at Carrara Stadium last Sunday.
"Adding any size to our pack will be a bonus," he said.
Source: The Sun-Herald
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Daniel Pace | June 10, 2007
GOLD Coast are confident they'll get value for money from recruit Aaron Cannings, although the injury-plagued Parramatta prop has made only 59 first-grade appearances since his debut in 2002.
In the week the Titans picked up Melbourne forward Ian Donnelly in a mid-season transfer, the Gold Coast signed Cannings, 25, to a three-year deal to help solve their front-row crisis.
"He's starting to play some serious football now," Titans managing director Michael Searle said of Cannings. "He's had a couple of injuries but he's still got lots [of kilometres] left on the clock."
Cannings, who weighs 110 kilograms, missed the 2006 season with a shoulder injury and has broken his arm twice during his four-year stint with the Eels.
He fractured his skull after falling off a balcony in 2001 when contracted to the Northern Eagles.
"I've liked him for a while," Titans coach John Cartwright said of the bruising New Zealand-born prop. "He could develop into a representative player. He's had a full season this year without any injury and he's playing good football.
"He's a bit of a different type of player to the front-rowers we have.
"We needed someone with a nuggety build who can hit the deck pretty hard and play the ball quick."
The Titans' need for another top-shelf prop to complement co-captain Luke Bailey was highlighted last Sunday when Brad Meyers became the club's second specialist front-rower to have his season ended by injury. He ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing against Canberra.
Michael Henderson broke his leg in round five.
Back-rower Anthony Laffranchi is likely to be moved into the front row when the Titans play Wests Tigers at Campbelltown on June 17 after their round-13 bye this weekend.
Cannings, who made his first-grade debut with the Northern Eagles in June 2002, rejected a two-year extension of his Eels contract to move closer to his family in Lismore. Bailey warned Cannings he would be in for a rude shock when he trained under tough-as-nails fitness and conditioning coach Billy Johnstone.
"Don't tell him now but he'll probably lose about five or six kilos under Billy Johnstone," NSW Origin forward Bailey said.
Bailey said he realised the importance of big, mobile forwards after facing Canberra's monster pack in the Titans' 28-8 victory at Carrara Stadium last Sunday.
"Adding any size to our pack will be a bonus," he said.
Source: The Sun-Herald
SPONSORED LINKS