NAVY HOPEFUL FOR RAJAPAKSA REUNION
From the heights of winning its only league title in 2014, Navy Sports Club have sunk to become the second worst team in the league table last season, but they are hopeful of a possible reunion with their former captain Yoshitha Rajapaksa who was reinstated to the Sri Lanka Navy last September.
“I know he was reinstated in the Sri Lanka Navy but I don’t know if he is playing for Navy Sports Club. If he does play, that would be massive for us given that he has played for Sri Lanka and is a very experienced player,” Navy first XV captain Richie Dharmapala told Daily Mirror.
However, the nippy scrum-half is satisfied with the experience he has already got in that squad.
“We have already got a lot of senior players such as Mushin (Faleel), Thilina (Weerasinghe), Pieris (Supun) and Radeesha (Senevirathne). So with their support I am confident of doing well this season,” added the former Science
College player. Navy have also signed up a few school-leavers from Trinity College, Vidyartha College and St. Anthony’s College as they look to get back to the winning ways.
Unlike the last season, a bottomhalf finish meant that Navy are allowed to field one overseas player this season which should strengthen them.
“It is a huge boost that we have a foreign player, but as we all know this is a team game and we need every player to perform well. So I think this will encourage all the players in our squad and hopefully we can put in some good performances this season,” the elder brother of Richard Dharmapala, who led Kandy Sports Club to league glory last season, stated.
Thilina Weerasinghe, their golden boy who went on to become the highest points scorer a season ago, had a knee injury which kept him out of action for a long period of time, but Navy assistant coach Dev Anand is confident that the full back will be back by the second or third week of the league competition.
“Thilina had a somewhat big injury on his knee and it took a while, but he is recovering well right now. I would say he is almost ready to play. He is practicing now and we hope to get him back to his favoured full back position by the second or third match,” Anand told Daily Mirror.