NATHAN REIDY (Pictured Left)
Living, and having been brought up in Westhoughton, it was with his local side, Westhoughton Lions, that, at the age of twelve, Nathan Reidy started his rugby league career, initially as a centre three-quarter. Being a relatively new club, the Lions operated in the lowest of the Youth leagues, but far from struggling there, they won the League Title, on two separate occasions during his time them.
As he got older, so he bulked up, and found his way into the forwards, where he settled at prop, and this was followed by his being coaxed to join the Salford Scholarship side, from whence he has graduated, this season, to the U19s. Undaunted at the prospect of facing players three years older than himself, Nathan tells me he merely regards it as an exciting challenge.
HARRY MADDERS (Centre)
Originating from Oldham, Harry Maders’s family moved to Perth, Western Australia, when he was a mere three years of age, where they settled for three and a half years, before returning to their native Oldham. By that time, the young Harry was old enough to start taking an interest in rugby league, which he did with his local amateur club, Waterhead, with whom he remained for the rest of his amateur career.
His transition to Salford began shortly before his fifteenth birthday, when he joined our Scholarship, playing in the U16s the following season. Having always operated as a loose forward, his graduation to the U19s has led to Head Coach, Garreth Carvell, recognising his potential as a centre, and this season we have seen the majority of his appearances in the three-quarters.
BRAD WHELAN (Right)
Although also able to play on the wing, Brad Whelan’s preferred position is fullback because he enjoys taking on the organisational role that this brings. His first taste of rugby was with his local club, the renowned Leigh Miners, where he started out as a winger, scoring tries with a regularity which anyone would have found rewarding.
At the age of thirteen he moved to join Golbourne ARLFC, primarily as a result of the encouragement of a few of his friends who played there. The change of club also brought about a change of position as he became their regular stand-off, but the distance involved in travelling led to his returning, after twelve months, to a more conveniently sited club, Leigh East, where he first started to make the transition to fullback.
At the end of his first season there, however, he was approached by Salford to join our Scholarship, followed by his recent move up to the U19s, where he is endeavouring to work hard and achieve as much as he possibly can.
