England coach claims the services of Chris Heighington in Four Nations train-on squad
Steve McNamara, England coach, has named Chris Heighington in the Four Nations train-on squad today, September 19.
McNamara is an Australian player, who is a dual national because his father is English. Despite already having played more than 200 games in the National Rugby League (NRL), the Aussie has expressed his desire to play for England earlier this year.
By choosing him for England’s training squad, he is inching closer towards realising his dream, which otherwise seemed more of a long shot.
McNamara expressed his excitement on his inclusion in the English squad and stated, "Playing for England is something that's been on my mind for a good few years now and if I get the chance I'll be very proud. I've spoken to Gareth about it and to players
like (South Sydney's) Sam Burgess and Gareth Widdop and the idea has become more exciting for me."
Having realised his dream partially, the Australian-born player is well-pleased with his inclusion on Elite’s squad along with the players like, Gareth Ellis and Gareth Widdop. Ellis will feature in the Four Nations despite his trailing injury, where as
Widdop’s inclusion has been confirmed. Burgess, will stay out of the match on account of his shoulder injury, which will take longer to recover fully.
While speaking about his latest uptake on England’s training outfit, England’s coach stated, "I'm delighted that Chris wants to play for England, he's an outstanding player who I'm really looking forward to working with during the fall-out programme and
perhaps beyond. His work-rate and work ethic are first class and I'm sure those qualities will enhance the Elite Training Squad as we strive to achieve international success.”
It has been apparent through the coach’s statement that Heighington’s inclusion in the squad will not only realise the player’s dream, but will also add to the overall character of the team. Also, coach reckons that the player’s uptake will be beneficial
for the English squad, which is striving to bag recognition in international palette.
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