CORNISH
Pirates head coach Jim McKay last night expressed his delight at the news that
prop Alan Paver was extending his stay with the Cornish club.
The
28-year-old - who signed from league rivals Plymouth Albion in 2002 - has penned
a new one-year deal with the National One club, who on Sunday tackle the Pertemps
Bees at Kenwyn (2pm).
With his contract up at the end of the season,
the highly-popular forward has wasted little time in pledging his immediate future
to the Pirates and McKay.
"I'm really happy that Paves is staying
with us for next season," said McKay last night. "The past few weeks have been
pretty difficult, what with all the talk about people leaving, and other things
happening around the club.
"Having Paves on board is a big boost
for us. He is a very good professional and he brings a lot to the team, both on
and off the field, which is good."
Now McKay is confident a number
of his other out-of-contract players will follow suit in the coming days and weeks.
Certainly Paver was happy enough to commit for another season, he
added: "I had a few offers from other clubs, but in the end when I weighed everything
up, I was more than happy to stay for another year
"Ever since I've
been down here I've really enjoyed myself. My game has improved and I really enjoy
the style of game we play. We've improved every season I've been here and hopefully
that can continue."
Paver's love-affair with the Westcountry, together
with his dynamic displays on the field, have made him a popular figure among the
Pirates faithful. He added: "People thought I was making a backward step when
I move from Plymouth down to Penzance, but the club are very ambitious and they
want to move on to bigger things. It's always exciting when you're a club that
has big ambitions, and we certainly have those down here."
Now having
sorted out his playing future, Paver's next task will be to ensure the Pirates
get back to winning ways following their disappointing defeat to Nottingham a
fortnight ago.
With the visiting Bees next on the agenda, both Paver
and McKay are confident the mini-break has helped the Cornish club to recharge
their batteries as they look to hunt down Bedford and league leaders Harlequins
for a top two finish in National One.
"Sunday's a big game for us
and we're really looking forward to it," said McKay, who will be without the injured
Will James and Iva Motusaga, as well as Rhodri McAtee, who is away on international
duties with the Welsh Sevens squad.
"They [the Bees] are a very good
side and they have some very good players. They have people like Ben Harvey, Tim
Walsh, Jim Jenner and Dave Knight in their side, so it will be a tough game.
"That said, we've had a really good week training and our mindset is fully
focused on this weekend. We were very disappointed after the Nottingham game,
but we know where we went wrong.
"Our commitment in that game was
first class, it was just the final execution of some of our plays that really
let us down. We've looked at that and at ways that we can improve things a little
bit."
Paver echoed the sentiments of McKay and said the players were
keen to make up for their reverse at Ireland Avenue. He added: "The energy was
there, but we simply weren't clinical enough on the day. I know it's a cliche,
but it was a game we lost, rather than they won. We should have closed the game
down when we had the chance."
One man the Pirates will be looking
to come Sunday is Aussie centre Wade Kelly, who is poised to return to first-team
action following a lengthy spell out with a shoulder injury.
Kelly
- an influential figure for the Pirates last season - has hardly featured this
term. To date he has played only three times this season, his last start coming
in the 50-6 defeat at Harlequins back in mid November.
Pirates (from):
D Roke, W Davies, R Welding, S James, K James, M Jess, T Barlow, L Jarvis, G Cattle,
N Chivers; A Paver, N Makin, N Adams, P Ince, D Seal, H Senekal, J Beardshaw,
J Bearman, S Betty, S Hockings, M Evans.
Meanwhile, McKay
also paid tribute to former Pirates' coach Dave Drew, who passed away at the age
of 59 last weekend.
"It's extremely sad news and our thoughts are
obviously with Dave's family at this time," said McKay. "He was a top bloke and
has played a big part in the club's recent success.
"He was a great
rugby person, well liked and someone who knew the game very well. Everyone will
really miss him."
Drew's funeral is set to take place next Wednesday
at Leedstown Chapel (11am), followed by cremation at Penmount, Truro.
