MICK Snowden’s pursuit of his rugby dream has taken him from Tamworth to Sydney and now all the way to Perth.
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The former Pirate has been signed by the Western Force.
He’s contracted as part of the Force’s Extended Playing Squad (EPS) and will head over in October to begin the next and most exciting chapter of his rugby career.
“It’s fantastic and really came out of the blue,” Snowden said.
It is the realisation of a long held ambition for the half-back.
“It’s the whole reason I left home,” Snowden said.
That was back in 2007.
“It’s taken six years to come through,” he said.
He conceded he thought it wouldn’t.
“I was well and truly resigned to the fact nothing was going to happen,” he said.
But a chance meeting now has him preparing for a shot at Super Rugby.
The ball started rolling when his Eastwood side played Southern Districts.
“It was the week before Grayson Hart played for the Waratahs,” Snowden said.
Then-Waratahs coach Michael Foley was at the game watching.
“I had a pretty decent game,” Snowden said.
“When he headed across to the Western Force, he asked if I wanted to come and have a meeting with him.”
That meeting turned into an offer to join the franchise.
Needless to say, Snowden had no hesitation in accepting.
The EPS was introduced this year after the ARU capped the franchises at a core squad of 30 players.
Each is allowed an additional five players who train with the main squad and can be called-up into the match-day 22 if the need arises through injury, which in a 20- round season is inevitable.
Snowden will be the back-up to Brett Sheahan and Albie Mathewson.
He has been pretty happy with his form this season and has been able to cement the nine jersey for Eastwood.
The past couple of seasons he’s played the first half of the year but been pushed back to second grade when either Nick White or James Stannard returned from Super Rugby duties.
This season he’s been the first choice.
“I was quite lucky. When the Force’s season ended they sent Justin Turner over,” Snowden said.
“I was lucky enough to keep him out of his spot.”
That was a pretty good endorsement.
Snowden will have plenty of familiar faces over there, with at least four of his Eastwood team-mates also on the Force roster.
But before he can think too much about his venture west, he has a Shute Shield to win with Eastwood.
They take on Northern Suburbs in an elimination semi-final on Saturday after a last-gasp try to one of Snowden’s new team-mates Nic Cummins saw Southern Districts get up 34-28 in their clash on Sunday.
“If we lose we’re out. If we win we play (Sydney) Uni,” Snowden said.