The ACT Brumbies full squad assembled in Canberra today to begin their preparation for the 2002 Vodafone Super 12 season.

The nine players who toured with the Wallabies on their end of season European tour joined the balance of the squad which has been training under head coach David Nucifora since November last year.

ACT Brumbies and Wallaby Captain George Gregan said it was great to be back
in Canberra preparing for his team`s title defence.

"It was big achievement to win it (Super 12 title 2001) and now our challenge is to hold on to it. We`ve lost a few people with a lot of experience that`s true, but I`m confident the group we`ve assembled both on and off the field, we`ll perform well again," said Gregan.

Head coach David Nucifora says the team will spend the next two weeks
assessing how they will play the game in 2002.

"The game has moved on considerably since the end of the Super 12 season so
we need to take a fresh look at the way we play the game. We`ll spend the
next period looking at the various components of our game before deciding on a way forward," said Nucifora.

Nucifora went on to praise the quality of players available for the Brumbies
in 2002.

"From a coaching point of view it`s encouraging. We have some of the best
players in the world in our team as well as depth across all positions."

"The players are genuinely looking forward to the challenge of defending our title, so if we work hard on the detail and take things one day at a time, I`m sure our supporters all around the world can look forward to some more good rugby."

Nucifora also announced that he`d decided not to proceed with the
appointment of a specialist defence co-ordinator.

"I`m confident that we can handle the role internally and we won`t need to
appoint a dedicated person to that role. We`ve looked at the specific
responsibilities and agreed that we can manage it. The Brumbies have always
been a good defensive side and that to change."

BRUMBIES SUPER 12 SQUAD

Atkinson, Tim
Bartholomeusz, Mark
Barton, Scott
Bond, Graeme
Coutts, Ben
Darwin, Ben
Fava, Scott
Finegan, Owen
Fitter, David
Freier, Adam
Giffin, David
Gregan, George
Hall, Travis
Harrison, Justin
Holbeck, James
Horua, Tamaiti
Howard, Pat
Huxley, Julian
Larkham, Stephen
McGann, Tim
McInally, Damian
Mortlock, Stirling
Ollivier, Todd
Paul, Jeremy
Pither, Cameron
Pusey, David
Ryan, Peter
Samo, Radike
Scott, Angus
Smith, George
Staniforth, Josh
Vickerman, Daniel
Walker, Andrew
Weaver, Matt
Wilson, Joel
Young, Bill

Training Contract Players
Aiken, Warren
Aistrope, Tim
Flynn, Damian
Gordon, Willie
Henjak, Matt
LeNevez, Tim
Shepherdson, Guy

TEAM MANAGEMENT

Head Coach: David Nucifora
Manager: Peter Bradley
Rugby Co-ordinator: Brian Smith
Athletic Performance Co-ordinator: Steuart Livingston
Medical Co-ordinator: Warren McDonald
Physiotherapist: Gavin Malouf
Team Adviser: David Pembroke
Assistant Manager: Garry Quinlivan