Cameron Shepherd will remain with the Western Force © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: James O'Connor | Cameron Shepherd | Scott Staniforth

Teams: Australia

Cameron Shepherd has committed his future to the Western Force after agreeing a new two-year deal with the club and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).

The 26-year-old, who has won nine Test caps for Australia, is the leading scorer in Western Force history with 337 points, including 32 career tries during his 47 appearances in the blue jersey.

"It's exciting to think that I'm going to be spending another couple of years in Perth, it is the city I've fallen in love with, the people are fantastic, not only everyone involved with the Force but the friends I've made outside of rugby as well," he said.

"In the five seasons I've been at the Western Force I feel as though I've accomplished a lot of things that I'm really proud of. This includes helping build the club from the ground up, experiencing a Commonwealth Games and playing for the Wallabies.

"I'm hoping to do a lot more and really feel as though I've only just scratched the surface. I want to be able to produce even more for the Force in the coming years."

Shepherd has been restricted by a frustrating run of injuries over the past two years. But having regained full fitness, he is back in top shape and determined to recapture the form that saw him score seven tries a season in three of his five years at the Force.

"What I want to do is put all those things (injuries) behind me and move on and play football. I don't want to look back and say I started well in my career and then got injured and didn't do much after that," Shepherd said.

"I'm definitely ready to step up and get some more opportunities at the top level. When the time finally comes to hang up my boots I hope to look back and have as many fond memories of the second half of my career as I do of the majority of the first half.

"I think the team is definitely heading in a strong direction, the appointment of Richard Graham as head coach from 2012 is great news and he'll continue the good work already done by John Mitchell. It is one of the reasons I'm excited about staying here. The community support, not just for me but for the team, has been massive and they've stuck with us through thick and thin and will be rewarded in the seasons to come."

Shepherd will face strong competition for a place in the back three from team-mates James O'Connor, Scott Staniforth and Nick Cummins.