International career beckons for Danny

WARRINGTON student Danny Garcia O’Brien has topped off a successful year with an invitation to play Rugby League for his country, Spain.
Danny aged 18 from Penketh, who is with the Warrington Wolves Education Academy (WWEA) at Warrington Collegiate said: “This is a dream come true!”
Danny has previously played for North West Under 17 and 19 Rugby League teams, before fracturing a bone in his hand, put a temporary stop to a promising career.
Keen to promote this talented young player Steve McCormack, Lecturer in Rugby League, WWEA, and current Scotland Rugby League Head Coach, contacted Darren Fisher, Head Coach for Spain, with the result that Danny has been selected to play for the Spanish national squad in Brussels against Belgium for their first Rugby League international game on Sat 24th May.
Danny added: “Darren invited me over for a trial, which went really well. I played 2 home games for Valencia Warriors both of which they won which felt great. In the first match, I scored two tries against Ciencias which we won 30-8 and against Irreductibles/Edetans I scored the first try and won them the game with a kick making the final score 22 – 20 to Valencia. It was an amazing experience and I’m hoping to do just as well playing for Spain.”
After the second game, Danny received an email from Aitor Davila, the general secretary of AERL (Asociacion Espanola de Rugby League), who also plays for Valencian Warriors, telling him that he was the best player.
“Being named ‘Man of the Match’ was fantastic,” adds Danny who has just come back from a training weekend with the Spanish squad in Valencia, “a great start to my international career.”
Danny pays tribute to his tutors and course at Warrington Collegiate saying, “The course and the facilities at Warrington Collegiate are brilliant. I’ve had so much support and encouragement from my tutors, who are real experts in the industry.”
Liam Bretherton, Course Leader and Lecturer, WWEA, former Warrington Wolves and England player adds, “I shall watch Danny’s career with interest. He has been a star player for the Warrington Collegiate Rugby League team and a motivated and committed student, keen to excel in his studies as well as on the field.”
So what’s next for Danny? Danny plans a long and successful playing career including ambitions to be in the Spanish squad at the next Rugby League World Cup in Australia on 2017. In the long term Danny has aspirations to continue in the industry, training the stars of the future as well as promoting Rugby League in Spain, an emerging sport after its introduction, 2 years previously in 2012.