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Leeds Rhinos: Delaney delighted to extend stay INTERVIEW
Brett Delaney in match action.
Aussie Brett Delaney has become the latest Leeds Rhinos player to sign a new long-term contract.
Delaney, whose previous deal was due to expire this autumn, has agreed fresh terms keeping him at the club until the end of 2015.
The 26-year-old joined Rhinos from Gold Coast Titans ahead of the 2010 season and has appeared in two losing Carnegie Challenge Cup finals as well as last year’s Super League Grand Final triumph.
Changes in the exchange rate and the NRL salary cap have tempted some overseas players in Super League to cut their stint short, but Delaney said he is delighted to be staying on.
“I am really happy with how things have gone for me since I came to Leeds,” he said. “I am really settled here now, so when I spoke to (Rhinos chief executive) Gary Hetherington about a new contract it was a pretty easy decision for me.
“By the end of this contract, I will have been here six years and I did not think that would happen when I first signed, but I love being at the club and want to be part of it going forward. I will be 30 at the end of this deal and if I enjoy the next four years as much as I have enjoyed the last two it will be a special part of my life.”
Delaney will be aiming to upset his countrymen when Rhinos take on Manly Sea Eagles in the Heinz Big Soup World Club Challenge, in nine days’ time.
“When I first signed for Leeds we had just won three Grand Finals in a row and now I am pleased to have got a ring myself last year,” he said.
“We have got Manly coming up in the World Club Challenge and that is massive for us. They are a top-class side and we want to challenge ourselves against the best team in the NRL.
“I am looking forward to running out in front of a packed Headingley Carnegie crowd that night. The Leeds crowd are awesome and really lift us.
“Playing on a Friday night in front of a massive crowd is the best feeling ever and I can’t wait.”
Coach Brian McDermott reckons Delaney’s best is yet to come.
“He is still young enough for a lot of improvement in his game,” the Rhinos head coach said.
“It is really encouraging that he is staying with us. He has a naturally-strong ball-carrier game which we can play on the back of.”
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Delaney joined Rhinos as a centre, but moved into the pack last season.
McDermott said: “He is a back-rower who can play in the centres, instead of a centre who can play in the back row.”
Winger Ryan Hall, centre Kallum Watkins and back-rower Chris Clarkson are among other Leeds players to have recently penned a new contract.
Meanwhile, fewer than 200 Tetley’s South Stand tickets remain for the World Club Challenge clash with Manly on February 17.
Rhinos announced last week that an extra 1,500 tickets had been made available for the covered terrace.
In total, around 3,000 tickets remain on sale and Rhinos head of marketing, Abigail Furniss, said: “There has been a great deal of interest in the match.
“There is a limited number of seats left, plus tickets for the Carnegie Stand Terrace and the Western Terrace.”
Tickets are from £15 for juniors and concessions and can be purchased from Leeds Rhinos via the Headingley Carnegie box office or by calling 0871 423 1315.
Fans can also buy tickets online at www.therhinos.co.uk/buytickets or direct from the RFL (0844 856 1113 or from: www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk).
* Wigan will be without forward Liam Farrell for Saturday’s clash through suspension.
The back rower chose to make an early-guilty plea after being charged with a dangerous tackle on Huddersfield centre Leroy Cudjoe last Sunday and was handed a one-match ban.
Farrell, also given a caution for use of the forearm on Huddersfield hooker Luke Robinson, became the first player to accept an early-guilty plea, thereby removing the need for a disciplinary hearing.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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