The Sydney Roosters have today announced that former Sydney Swans premiership hero Nick Davis will represent the Tricolours at the upcoming NRL Nines tournament to be played at Perth’s HBF Park on February 14-15.
Davis, who will be playing in his famous jumper number 2 at the NRL Nines, played 168 AFL games throughout his career, the most famous of those games being the 2005 semi-final between the Swans and Geelong Cats at the SCG.
With the Swans down by 17 points, Davis kicked four incredible goals to steal victory for his side in the final quarter. The Swans went on to win the AFL Grand Final that year.
“Rugby league was one of the sports I played growing up, and I’ve always followed the game, so when I first had the chat with Trent about playing with the Roosters at the Nines, it was an easy yes straight away,” said Davis.
“I’m under no illusion about how tough it's going to be, but I’ve been training for a few months now and I’m really looking forward to getting out there with the boys. I’ll definitely be giving it a red-hot crack,” he added.
Roosters Head Coach Trent Robinson spoke about why he approached Nick to represent the Foundation Club at the Nines.
“Nick has been working with our outside backs here at the Roosters for a couple of years now so he knows our game and understands the way we play. He is a natural athlete with a will to win – and he loves a challenge, so we’re looking forward to seeing him switch his Swans Guernsey for a Roosters jersey at the NRL Nines,” said Robinson.
“With the Nines being played in Perth, and the Roosters also taking an NRL game to Perth later in the year, we thought that this was a great opportunity to introduce our Club to a new audience,” he added.
Robinson also acknowledged the role of the Sydney Swans in making this code switch possible.
“While Nick was keen to be part of our Nines team, his participation wouldn’t be possible without the support of the Sydney Swans who are Nick’s primary employer, so I’d really like to extend our thanks to the Swans as well,” added Robinson.
The Roosters have also unveiled the Club’s 2020 NRL Nines jersey design, which will celebrate the jersey of the Fremantle Roosters Rugby League Club, whose colours are also red, white and blue.
Established in 1940, the Fremantle Roosters compete in Western Australia’s 1st Division (NRL WA) competition, and claimed the Premiership for the third successive season in 2019.
Prior to the NRL Nines kicking off, the Sydney Roosters men’s and women’s teams will be visiting the Fremantle Roosters players at training. Further details will be made available in lead-up to the NRL Nines squads’ departure for Perth.
