Haylett-Petty commits to the Western Force

Perth Super Rugby franchise the Western Force have re-signed lock/back-rower
Ross Haylett-Petty for a further two Super Rugby seasons.

The locally-produced tall forward made his Super Rugby debut in
2015, initially coming off the bench against the Stormers, in his first of two
appearances for the season.

His maiden Super Rugby season followed in the wake of a number
of standout performances for the Australian Under 20 squad in the 2014 IRB Junior
World Championship in New Zealand, several strong displays for the Perth Spirit
in last year’s Buildcorp National Rugby Championship, as well as helping
guide Cottesloe to a grand final appearance in the 2014 Pindan Premier Grade.

The Hale School graduate’s re-signing follows in the footsteps of teammates
Francois van Wyk, Marcel Brache, Brynard Stander and Luke Morahan, who have
all recommitted to the club in the past fortnight, and coincides with the start
of the Western Force’s membership season, with a range of new membership
options and improvements – including free memberships for children under
16, and priority access to the Wallabies Test match at the ‘Force Field’
(nib Stadium) – for the 2016 Super Rugby season.

Haylett-Petty, who has joined brother and fullback Dane in staying at the Force
through to the end of the 2017 season, says he wasn’t keen to look elsewhere
for continuing his rugby development.

“It feels great to be back on board for the next two years and it’s
good to know that the club sees me as being part of its future,” he said.
“Personally, this is the club I want to be at and, to be honest, there’s
no other club I wanted to play for. It’s great to get that confirmation
that the Force has faith in me and that I’m proceeding in the right direction.

“I learnt a lot in my first season with the Force. I know there’s
still a lot of my game I need to work on and the guys here are fantastic to
give you that guidance. I know that if you continue to put yourself out there,
you can learn a lot from the players and coaches here. I just want to keep putting
in the work and soaking up the knowledge of the guys here and keep doing what
I can to make myself a better player.”

After finishing school and having represented the WA Schoolboys in 2010 and
2011, Haylett-Petty spent 18 months away from rugby, studying a Bachelor of
Commerce at the University of Western Australia.

However, a return to play with Cottesloe at the end of the 2013 season saw him
propelled into the WA Under 20’s the following season, and selected for
the Australian Under 20 side where he started in every match at the Junior World
Championship.

“There was a point where I didn’t think making it through the Force
was possible,” he said. “However, when I made it through to the
[Australian] Under 20’s, I saw how I could match it against some of the
best players in my age group and there was the realisation that if you put in
the hard work anything is possible.

“To get that first taste of Super Rugby this season was amazing; it’s
really addictive and once you get one game, it only makes you want to work harder
to get another one.”

Haylett-Petty says he’s very pleased to be staying at the Force with his
brother.

“I want to stay in Perth; my whole life is here, including my family and
friends,” he said.

“It’s fantastic playing with Dane. He’s someone that’s
willing to teach me a lot and he’s very honest in providing feedback on
how I’m playing and training. He’s been an awesome influence on
my rugby so far.”

Western Force Head Coach Michael Foley says Haylett-Petty is hard-working lock/back-rower
who will be pushing hard for further representation in the Force match day squad
in 2016.

“Ross is a local junior, who played Australian Under 20’s as a No.8,
but has the physicality to also play at lock,” he said.

“He’s working on his lineout management and repeat efforts during
the NRC competition, which will allow him to increase his impact in games, and
it’s fantastic to have him continue his development with us over the next
two seasons.”

Western Force memberships are now available for the 2016 season! Click here
for more information or to get yours now!

Profile
Name: Ross Haylett-Petty
Born: 10/01/1994, Durban (South Africa)
Position: No.8/lock
Club: Cottesloe
Height: 197cm
Weight: 110kg
Super Rugby caps: 2
Super Rugby points: 0
Super Rugby debut: 2015 v Stormers, Perth
Representative Rugby: 2015 Western Force; 2014-2015 Perth Spirit; 2014 Australian
Under 20; 2014 Force ‘A’