Khadr Al Jassem

Khadr is the team's number 8, its enforcer, and an intelligent reader of the game. He is also very hard to stop.

The number 8 sits at the very back of the scrum, picks the ball up and decides what happens next. Carry it, pass it, or set it up for somebody else to run onto. It needs power, but it needs a head too, and Khadr has both. He reads the game well, gets himself into the right place before the ball arrives and uses what he sees. That is what the Ferndale coaches noticed when they picked him as forward of the match, calling him superb in attack and defence and a real threat every time he was near the breakdown or with the ball in hand.

Then there is the physical side, which is where the enforcer bit comes in. Khadr never shies away from contact. If there is a collision to be had, he is generally already halfway into it, and the opposition tend to know about it afterwards. It makes him exactly the sort of player you want alongside you on a bad day, and exactly the sort you would rather not be running at on a good one.

Commitment

What really sets Khadr apart is his commitment to the team. Whatever the fixture and wherever it is, he makes every effort to be there, to support the lads and to wear the colours. That is not something you can coach into a player, and it is a big part of why he is in the leadership group.

Turning up is the first thing you ask of a team mate. Making the effort to be there, every time and without any fuss, tells the rest of the squad exactly what the standard is.

#uppachurch