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Player appreciations
By Various June 19 2004
After a - frustrating - season, it's time for a bit of sober reflection. What follows are brief appreciations of the players from various posters on the messageboard. These will be added to over time, so keep checking back.
STUART TURNER by Strinesian Saleanian

In amongst recent calls for a 'big hairy-arsed' tight head, let us not forget Stuart Turner.

He seemed to start this season (and would probably have ended if Andrew Sherridan had not broken his jaw – again) as number 2 choice number 3 (if you see what I mean) behind Barry Stewart.   He ended it as the ONLY ever-present player in this season's match-day squads (including all league, cup and play-off matches).  In the Premiership he started 14 games and was on the bench for the remaining 8 – only failing to get on the pitch in one match.  In addition, he played in all Sale’s European and Powergen Cup games and completed a Twickenham double when running out in the Wildcard Final.

It is certainly true that he doesn't exactly set the stadium alight with his loose play.  Unlike Jason Robinson, there is no collective intake of breath from the crowd when Stuart gets the ball.  Unlike Cueto and Hanley, there are certainly no 50 metre runs to set the pulse racing, in fact 5 metres is a bonus.  It might also be said that Turner is even a little anonymous in the set pieces.  That being said, he puts his head in where it hurts and puts his body on the line week in and week out. 

Critics may point to his season’s tally of 3 yellow cards (2 of which were converted to a red) as an indicator of poor discipline.  In his defence, it should be noted that he was in fact only sent to ‘the bin’ in two games, out of 34.  He is not ‘pretty’ in his play, but show me a tight-head who is!
Closed season signings may yet see Stuart fall further down the ‘pecking order’ come September, but for this season at least he has proved the ultimate squad man.
VAUGHAN GOING by Prop At Work

Another squad stalwart. Ever-present in the Premiership match day squad this season – 18 starts, 3 replacements, 3 bench warming. This brings his total ZP appearances to 62, since joining us from Quins.

Now aged 32, there are strong rumours that ‘Vorgan’ is moving on for a final fling abroad (France?). If so, he will leave the club with genuine best wishes ringing in his ears. He provides that crucial aspect for any squad – COVER. Be it at Full Back, where he is at his counter-attacking best, wing, or even in the centres, he has been possibly the Sharks’ second most versatile back (after the mighty Jos).

So is Going going? Wherever he plays next season, and it could still be Edgeley Park, crowds can be sure of exciting ‘full-on’ attacking play of the type that has come to typify the ‘Sale Style’.
HUGH PERRETT by pitprop

Hugh Perrett joined Sale in mid-January 2004, another product of the Australian connection that had already brought us Stuart Pinkerton and Graeme Bond. Just 21 years old, his British passport avoids selection problems as an overseas player for Sale, but his appearances for the Australian Seven rule out an international career in Britain.

Hugh’s rise to the top flight started at Sydney’s premier club Eastwood, where he attended the academy and worked as a Junior Development Officer. Seen as a bright prospect, he trained with Stuart Pinkerton under the Waratahs umbrella before Pinks came to Heywood Road. Hugh played for Eastwood in the Tooheys New Cup Grand Finals in October 2003 in their 29-14 victory over Randwick at Aussie Stadium. Man of the Match that day, his coach was quoted as saying that “openside flanker Hugh Perrett had 'played the house down'”.

Hugh has started 8 games for Sale in his brief sojourn so far, and was still settling in last season, but many more appearances beckon. He is an openside in the classic mould, big but not too big, quick, a magnetic attraction for the ball on the ground, good hands, and an eye for a gap, as Gloucester found to their cost.

He faces strong competition from Magnus Lund for the out-and-out openside slot, and will find it difficult to break into the White-Jones-Chabal axis that will probably constitute our first choice back row next season. But when he does, expect his contribution to be increasingly influential. In fact he can 'play the house down' any time he likes at Edgeley Park!

CHRIS JONES by  Kentish Shark

Another product of the Sale Academy, 23 year old Chris Jones is a lanky 6' 6'' who started out as a lock but now plays No. 8 for Sale. Arguably Chris is most recognised for his pace: he burst to prominence in the 2001/2002 season by scoring a number of sensational tries, one of the most memorable against Leicester at Heywood Road when he beat Ausin Healey to the line over a 50 metre foot-race. Chris is far from a one-trick pony though, and his athleticism and intelligence as a rugby player have developed to make Sale's lineout one of the best in the premiership. Talents such as these don't go unnoticed by Sir Clive and Chris earned his first England caps in the 2004 Six Nations and Antipodean campaigns playing at blindside flanker. All at Sale wish him well in his International endeavours, and hope that he can establish himself as the chief pretender to the No. 8 throne of a certain Mr Dallaglio.
DEAN SCHOFIELD by pitprop

25-year-old Schoey made his debut for Sale at Heywood Road against RDS Roma in the 2001/02 season – he must have thought this professional rugby was a breeze as Sale ran out 93-0 winners! A local boy, Dean played for Aldwinians, then crossed the Roses border to Wakefield to complete his rugby education. He was selected to tour with the England Counties side and played against Chile. Breaking into the team proper last season, Schoey made some twenty starts, and will always be remembered for brushing aside Austin Healey to score at Welford Road.

Dean appeared to have claimed the No 5 shirt in this last season as he started some 24 games, but seemed to fall out of favour in the latter half as Jason White moved up into the second row. Nevertheless, Schoey’s lineout work, “enforcer” role at ruck and maul (yellow-carded twice), and ball-carrying ability mark him out as a reliable performer at ZP level. He will compete with Chris Day and Fernandez Lobbe for the starting spots in the second row, with no doubt some interference from the denizens of the back row.

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