Looking for pin-ups as Rugby kicks off
The Dialog Rugby League will be exciting unlike recent years for many reasons - File pic by Amila Gamage
After a lapse of nine months the Dialog Rugby League is back this weekend as Sri Lanka’s eight premier clubs take to the field in their bid to win the league title.
Shielding champions and the leaders in the Rugby field in Sri Lanka, the club from the slope capital Kandy Sports Club prepares for yet another season in the Dialog Rugby League.
Over the most recent three years under the captaincies of Sean Wijesinghe, Fazil Marija and Roshan Weeraratne, the slope nation club has held the Dialog League title and the Clifford Cup effectively.
A year’s title win was something uncommon for the club as Kandy went on to win the trophy in the wake of losing two encounters in the first round. Kandy confronted a stunning thrashing by Air Force and later by the Navy and yet won the other Seven games with a reward point to hold the position.
The Kandy Club will by and by come into the current year’s opposition bearing in mind the end goal of holding the title as well as stay unbeaten.
The previous Sri Lanka national chief and class winning Kandy Sports Club veteran Fazil Marija has settled on a choice to hang his boots toward the finish of the 2017/18 Dialog Club Rugby Season.
Settling at No.3 last season, Navy Sports Club are by and by in the Dialog Rugby League title chase, meaning to complete at the highest point of the table this time around.
A standout amongst the most dreaded groups in the Dialog Rugby League, Navy Sports Club picked up its name for being a power to be reckoned with in the most recent decade and is the group that finished Kandy Sports Club’s nine-year reign in 2009. They have not seen a similar accomplishment since the well known class title win in 2014, completing as sprinters up in the 2014/2015 season, fourth in the 2015/2016 season and in third place last season behind group victors Kandy Sports Club and Havelock Sports Club.
With a considerable lot of their key players leaving the club in the course of the last couple of seasons, the group is set to handle an all-new playing outfit this season.
The cynosure of all eyes would be on the league’s opener between Kandy SC and CH&FC then again have enrolled an entire host of new faces to fortify their group following an eighth place complete last season. Lee Keegal, Sathya Ranathunga, Sajith Saranga and Terance Henry are easily recognised names that have joined the Maitland Crescent club.
Havelock’s done second to just Kandy last season yet will come into this years competition with aims of winning it, with an additional advantage of players lately.
The Park Club will be helped with the arrival of Dulaj Perera at initial five-right while some energetic adolescents are set to influence their club to make a big appearance this end of the week. Coming back from genuine knee damage Sandun Herath with a niggling shoulder will see him sidelined for two weeks and miss the start of the class.
The Cops have lost numerous players due to not utilising contract players. Police have lost players yet making an arrival in Sri Lanka after a stretch in Dubai, Janith Chanaka is set to arrange on the wing and reinforce the Police three quarter line close by five-eight Sandesh Jayawickrama.
The opener against Havies will be a test for the Cops. However in the event they figure out how to swamp the youthful Havies line-up, they could stand an opportunity to annoy the hosts in the principal week.
Navy have lost many players and will surely feel the loss of experience in their line up. After the loss of players, Navy will lack experience in their ranks. However with youngsters joining the Welisara club and star flanker Dhanushka Perera leading the team, they will feel they have what it takes to get over the line in this one.
Army will have the luxury of another mentor and we are certain to see some new strategies in store from Nilfer Ibrahim. In the past he has said the way that he gets a kick out of the chance to play ambitious rugby and a quick backline.
Air Force, similar to Army have a new coach at the helm while Radeesha Seneviratne will line up against his old club CR & FC, in their seasons opener having made a return to the club where it all began. He will surely bring the much needed intensity to the Army forward pack while Jehan Seelagama will line up in the centres.
CR and FC will be led by Kavindu Perera, straight from national obligation. He will be helped by Tarinda Ratwatte and we can without doubt expect a spectacular execution by versatile forward Charana Sendanayake.
The most noteworthy number of rookies is the highlight of the Havelock Sports Club list, adding up to an aggregate of eight new faces. CH and FC together with Kandy SC have enrolled four players each while CR and FC has enrolled five players. Flying Corps, Navy and Police have enrolled only a solitary player for their new season.