Sharks to receive expert advice

Talented Sharks half Chad Townsend will be the beneficiary of some expert advice after being invited to attend a halves/five eights training session (Thursday), while two of the Sharks young guns will attend an Origin Pathways Camp, with both events to be held at the NSWRL academy headquarters at Narrabeen today .

Townsend, along with a select group of young halves from other Sydney clubs, will receive tutelage from Origin and Australian representatives Brad Fittler and Trent Barrett, as well as from 2013 NSW Origin coach Laurie Daley, while on an adjacent training field the Pathways camp will take place, with Anthony Moraitis and Jayden Clarke, two of the Sharks brightest stars will take part.

Himself a junior kangaroo and NSW age group representative, the session with the Origin coach and the former NSW greats will further enhance Townsend’s skills as well as the prospect of his inclusion in the Sharks NRL line up during the upcoming season.

Already having had a taste of NRL football over the past two seasons, Townsend, who turns 22 today, is in pre-season training with the Sharks top squad and is set to battle with the experienced Jeff Robson for the number seven jersey during the upcoming trials and early rounds of the competition proper.

Along with Townsend the other players invited to the special halves session included Curtis Sironen, Jacob Miller, Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses from the Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra’s Shannon Crook, Toby Evans from the Panthers and Tyler Sullivan from the Newcastle Knights.

Daley and the NSWRL are hopeful of conducting similar sessions in the pre-season and throughout the year for other talented young players in different positions.

As for Moraitis, a local junior from the Gymea Gorillas club and Clarke, from Lake Cargelligo and now attending Endeavour Sports High and playing for Cronulla Caringbah, the pair are eligible to play in the Sharks under-18 SG Ball team in 2013 but have been training with the Toyota Cup Sharks during the pre-season.

The Origin pathways camp, which includes players from 11 NSW clubs, will also be run under the watchful eye of Daley, Fittler and Barrett along with NSWRL Aademy staff.