Last updated at 09:54, Saturday, 09 June 2012

Whitehaven have signed Super League prop Anthony Mullally on loan for the rest of the season – and he is set to go straight in to action tomorrow against visitors South Wales Scorpions (3pm).

Anthony Mullally

The 20-year-old has made nine top-flight appearances for Widnes this term, and Haven are delighted the Vikings agreed to the move.

“Once it became apparent that Anthony had the opportunity to come here, he was really enthusiastic about joining Whitehaven,” said chief executive Barry Richardson.

“The deal was only sorted yesterday morning, and he wanted to be up here last night. He’s obviously a quality player, and we are hopeful that he will do a really good job for us and benefit the squad for the rest of the season.

“We looked at options in France and in this country, and fortunately this one came to fruition.

“We hadn’t wanted to bring anyone in for the sake of it. It had to be the right person. We really appreciate the help from Widnes and Paul Cullen.”

Vikings director of rugby Cullen, the former Haven coach, said: “The loan process is a system that benefits both parties. Whitehaven’s squad will be boosted by the arrival of a quality player, while Anthony will gain valuable experience playing week in, week out in a tough environment.

“Having seen his opportunities limited in recent times, this will certainly aid his development as a player.”

Meanwhile, ex-Haven hooker Mark Ryan has joined the club’s coaching staff and will be in the Recre dugout for the first time against South Wales.

Ryan, who spent a decade with Haven as a player before going on to gain extensive coaching experience in local rugby, latterly with Kells, will join Dave Smith, who will remain Don Gailer’s No 2.

“I have seen quite a few Kells games and he’s extremely passionate, and that will rub off on the players,” said Gailer. “He’s also a good bloke. To have him here is a great bonus for the club, and he’s pretty happy to get back to the club where he played his footy.

“It will allow us to spend more time with individuals, and he can strengthen us in a few areas.”

Haven hammered South Wales 34-0 in Neath in April, though Gailer warned they had since undergone a radical change in personnel.

He said: “They are a totally different team and coming off the back of two really good wins over Rochdale and Oldham. They did us a favour against two contenders, but I don’t want them to do us a disservice here.”

Ben Karalius will cover the halves and potentially the hooking role, off the bench, with Stephen Fox returning at centre and Martyn Wilson just missing out.

Whitehaven: Bauer, Calvert, Fox, Parker, Wiper, Rudd, Rooney, Houghton, Sice, Cullnean, Varkulis, Doran, Crellin. Subs: Karalius, Isakka, Mullally, Haggerty.

First published at 08:55, Saturday, 09 June 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk