Heartland fringe squad get pre-season workout | Manawatu-Wanganui Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Manawatu-Wanganui

Wanganui Development team coach Daniel Rolls is keen to have any players who might be needed to fill Heartland Championship injury holes fit and ready to go if the call is made.

Rolls will finalise his squad after Heartland coach Guy Lennox finalises his following tomorrow's practice match with a Manawatu XV in Palmerston North. However, he's naming a training group anyway to start their work next Tuesday and it's clearly full of the next best younger players in the union. "The aim will be to create a gateway into the Heartland team for fringe players," Rolls said.

"I have been communicating with Guy and will try to work with him regards to match fitness for guys borderline on his squad and for those who haven't had much game time over the last month."

Lennox agreed this was the aim.

"I've had one meeting and a couple of phone calls with Rollsy and he's been bloody good.

"I've told everyone that will be the natural pathway [into the Heartland squad]. People can't expect, if they have no rugby and we get injuries, that they'll be getting called in from there."

And Lennox says his intention is that numbers 23 to 25 (non-match squad players), would play in the Development team because of its adjacent itinerary.

The Development team's first match tomorrow week against Wellington Maori is the curtainraiser to Wanganui's Heartland start against South Canterbury.

It's remaining matches are:

September 4: Versus King Country, away.

September 11: Versus Horowhenua-Kapiti, Cooks.

September 18: Versus Poverty Bay, Napier.

September 25: versus Wairarapa Bush, away.

The Wanganui B (Development) squad to train Tuesday night (6.30pm) leading into their first game of the season versus Wellington Maori on August 28, is:

Kim McNaught, Ruapehu), Isaac Fonotoe (Ratana), Keith McCulloch (Marist), Junior Tume (Ratana), Scott Komene, Roman Tutauha (Ruapehu), Chris O'Leary, Bradley Graham (Marist), Ash Transom (Utiku), Shaun Hawira (Ruapehu), Ephraim Reynolds (Kaierau), Ryan Gill (Marist), Andrew Evans (Ruapehu), Jason Hughes (Ratana), Sam Ah Chookoon (Kaierau), Chris Rayner (Marist), Josh Navitio (Kaierau), Nick Tippling (Ruapehu), Cyrus Paringatai (Taihape), Matt De Bryn (Marist), Aaron Paranihi (Ratana), Caleb Mareku (Ratana), Honi Peeti (Marist), Jamie Hughes (Ruapehu), Jermaine Gilbert (Taihape), Api Koroi (Kaierau), Robert Hughes (Ruapehu).

Footnote: Lennox had a couple of outside players at his Heartland training last night for an assessment of their capabilities. His starting team against Manawatu will be named today.