Young Highlanders duo recommit
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Highlanders’ lock, Tom Franklin, and midfielder, Jason Emery, have re-signed with the franchise for a further two years, signalling their commitment to the team.
Franklin, who made his debut in 2014, has played 15 games for the Highlanders and has been a regular starter this season.
He has formed a very effective locking partnership with Joe Wheeler and has the physical attributes to do the hard work while possessing the natural ball skills to contribute significantly on attack.
“When we first encountered Tom we were struck with the passion with which he played the game.
"He had a bit of work to do physically and in learning his key role, however over the last few seasons he has done everything asked of him and we are delighted with where he is at right now.
"The modern lock has a difficult role, but we believe Tom has all the attributes to go a long way in the game.
"I am excited about his future and what he will bring to our team. A good team man who gets on with the job at hand” said Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph.
“Over the last few years I have learned a lot and I’m grateful to the Highlanders for providing me with the right environment to improve my game.
"Having a guy like Brad Thorn around over the last few seasons was a great opportunity for me to learn from the very best.
"While there are always opportunities elsewhere it wasn’t a particularly hard decision to recommit to the Highlanders.
"Obviously I want to build on the start I have made, I feel like we have got a good thing going on at the moment; I am pretty keen to be part of it.” Franklin said.
Jason Emery joined the team as an 18-year old in 2013 and has played 21 games for the Highlanders.
He has been performing well off the bench this season and has been rewarded with his first start in the No.12 jersey for 2015.
Assistant coach, Tony Brown commented: “It’s great to have Jason re-sign, he has improved every year since joining us and it’s exciting to see he’s staying as I believe he is yet to play his best rugby”.
Emery added: “I'm excited to re-sign for the Highlanders, I've learnt a lot about the game of rugby and that's due to the coaches and the players.
"There's a good balance in the environment down here between rugby and fun.
"I love wearing the Highlanders jersey and I'm looking forward to representing them over the next few seasons and improving my game”.
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