Saints flier Kellaway aiming for rebirth at centre
SINGLE-MINDED Aussie Andrew Kellaway says he is hoping to extend his stay at Northampton rather than chase a Wallaby cap.
Kellaway has been a solid addition to the Saints ranks since joining from the Waratahs in June. Now, after bucking the trend by quitting Super Rugby early in his career, the 23-year-old is keen to banish his ‘utility back’ tag and cement himself at centre.
Currently on a shortterm contract, Kellaway told TRP: “I’m here for one year at the moment and I’ll leave it until post-Christmas and think about it then, but the people here have made my settling in super easy and I could definitely see myself staying.
“I’m still 23 so I see myself going home at some stage and playing for the Wallabies, whether that’s in two years, four years or whatever, but it’s been nice to get a good run of games here at Saints and I’d like to sort something out further down the track.”
While much of Kellaway’s contribution for Saints has been on the wing, his reason for leaving Australia was to follow the footsteps of recently retired centre, Rob Horne.
Kellaway said: “I needed to get away from home, get out of my comfort zone and try a different lifestyle.
“There’s a few Aussies in England now and the financial side is very motivating for some of the older guys. But for me it was purely a rugby decision and getting away from the stereotype image I’d built up, to rebuild how people see me.
“I was looked at as a winger and played a lot of Super Rugby for Waratahs at full-back as well, but I needed to test the waters elsewhere and coming here was about playing as much as I can in the centres.
“Rob Horne was very influential in my decision and was a close mentor of mine coming through at the Waratahs. He had nothing but good things to say about Northampton and I’m glad I listened.”
Saints are slowly getting to grips with the running style espoused by Kiwi boss Chris Boyd. Kellaway adds: “If we get it right, we’ll be a force to be reckoned with over the remainder of the season.”