Moorabbin’s Joe Kamana at run on debut for the Rising
Winger Joe Kamana has been included in the starting XV for the Melbourne Rising for tomorrow’s clash against Perth Spirit, the first match broadcasted live on TV for the two teams which will be played on Thursday also to avoid the fierce competition from rival codes AFL and NRL which will see finals played in Melbourne over the weekend.
Sean Hedger has made just two changes for the fourth round of the NRC, which sees the Melbourne team leading the ladder after 3 bonus point wins. Winger Kamana will start for Tom English, who scored four tries on Saturday in Brisbane, and hooker Pat Leafa will regain his starting position with Melbourne born Irish player Tom Sexton on the bench.
Rising’s Head Coach Sean Hedger praised Joe Kamana’s workload and ethic and recognised that Tom English needed a little rest:
“We are wary of Tom English’s workload, with a full Super Rugby season and a massive start to the NRC coupled with his involvement in Wallaby squads recently, and he is a wonderful asset to call upon in the later stages of the game.”
“Joe (Kamana) has been a real asset to the Melbourne Rising’s unbeaten start,” Hedger said. “He set up vital tries in Rounds One and Three, and also found the try line himself against the Sydney Stars. In training, Joe works so hard.”
Joe Kamana is the brother of former Super Rugby player James and will hope to emulate his brother and fellow Dewar Shield player SuperSefa Naivalu, who has made history yesterday in becoming the first local Victorian competition’s player to score a professional contract with the Melbourne Rebels.
The team:
15 Jonah Placid (Melbourne Rebels)
14 Telusa Veainu (Melbourne/Melbourne Rebels)
13 Sefanaia Naivalu (Box Hill)
12 Mitch Inman (Southern Districts/Melbourne Rebels) (Vice Captain)
11 Joe Kamana (Moorabbin)
10 Jack Debreczeni (Endeavour Hills/Melbourne Rebels)
9 Nic Stirzaker (Endeavour Hills/Melbourne Rebels) (Captain)
8 Lopeti Timani (Footscray/Melbourne Rebels)
7 Sean McMahon (Endeavour Hills/Melbourne Rebels)
6 Luke Jones (Moorabbin/Melbourne Rebels)
5 Cadeyrn Neville (Foostcray/Melbourne Rebels)
4 Sam Jeffries (Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)
3 Paul Alo-Emile (Power House/Melbourne Rebels)
2 Pat Leafa (Box Hill/Melbourne Rebels) (Vice Captain)
1 Toby Smith (Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)
Reserves: 16 Tom Sexton (Power House/Melbourne Rebels), 17 Tuiatua Tuia (Moorabbin), 18 Cruze Ah-Nau (Footscray/Melbourne Rebels), 19 Pom Simona (Harlequin) (Vice Captain), 20 Sione Taufa (Harlequin), 21 Luke Burgess (Melbourne/Melbourne Rebels), 22 Lloyd Johansson (Harlequin), 23 Tom English (Melbourne Uni/Melbourne Rebels)
