While there has been plenty happening off the field in Perth this year, newly appointed Perth Spirit captain Michael Raru believes the NRC has come at the perfect time for his side, as they look to take their minds off the ongoing saga and continue “preparing for next year’s Super Rugby season.” “We’re just looking forward to ripping in. Having three weeks off has been tough to be honest so it’s great to get thinking about playing footy again,” “I think you could say that we’ve got a bit of a chip on our shoulder. We just want to put in a good performance and show that rugby in the west is still growing and that everyone over there is behind us.” After finishing second in Australia’s Super Rugby conference this year, the defending NRC premiers have named 13 returning players to play alongside 15 NRC debutants, 11 of which come from the local Pindan Premier Grade competition. “Towards the end of the season we started to get some continuity and rhythm