Jamie Clark joins Newcastle Red Bulls
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Jamie Clark joins Newcastle Red Bulls
Newcastle Red Bulls have signed prop-forward Jamie Clark until the end of the current season.
The 23-year-old loose-head has played for Australia Under-20s and arrives from Irish club, Old Wesley.
Coming through New South Wales Waratahs' academy, Clark represented his country in the Junior World Championship but is English-qualified through his father.
“I’m here until the end of the season, and I’m just keen to make the most of the opportunity,” said Clark, who has already started training with his new team-mates.
“Being in an environment like this and learning from all the players and coaches around me, it’ll be a great experience and I’m determined to make the most of it.
“I’m super-excited about the whole thing, and it’s always been a dream to go into that pro rugby environment and test myself.”
Explaining his route to Kingston Park, he said: “I went to Shore School in North Sydney, playing my Colts Rugby for the Sydney University club while I was in New South Wales Waratahs’ academy.
“I had a year of playing for Australia Under-20s and represented them in the Junior World Championship, after which I spent a year playing for Northern Suburbs in the Shute Shield before heading over to Ireland.”
Fresh from lifting a league title last week, Clark added: “I’ve spent this season in Dublin with the Old Wesley club, playing at Donnybrook, which has been a great experience, and I've also had a few games for Leinster A.
“We won our league last weekend so we’ve now been promoted to the top division of the All-Ireland League, and that was a nice note to end on after what has been a really fun year with a great group of guys.”
Newcastle Red Bulls sporting general manager Neil McIlroy said: “We’re glad to be able to bring Jamie in for the remainder of this season, having had our front-row resources pushed to the limit with injuries.
“He has shown great promise while playing in Ireland, and we are keen to evaluate his credentials with a view to possibly offering him a place in our squad in the future.
“Jamie has made a positive first impression having arrived last week, and we look forward to working with him during the run-in to our campaign.”
JAMIE CLARK BIOG
Position: Prop
Born: 2/1/2003
Height: 1.91m (6 foot 3)
Weight: 124kg (19 stone 7)
Honours: Australia U20
