Caithness rugby player confirms retirement ending career of 17 years
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Grant Anderson has played his final game for Caithness as he has called time on his rugby career after 17 years with the club.
The Number Eight played his final game against Moray last weekend, when he was forced off with a knee injury.
Afterwards, he informed the club that he was retiring from playing the game due to a change in his work circumstances.
Head coach Kenny Russell paid tribute to Anderson’s service to the Greens saying he had made an incredible contribution to the club for almost two decades.
“His (offshore) shift pattern has changed and he’s decided to hang up his boots, said Russell.
“I would like to pay tribute to him for his 17 years of effort and toil with the club. He leaves behind a big gap.”
Meanwhile Caithness are still recovering from a 60-12 thrashing at Moray on the opening day of Caledonia Region League Division One season.
Russell believes a clutch of retirements and injuries have created ‘a perfect storm’ for the Greens.
The dwindling pool from which he can draw from has led him to make an emergency appeal for loanees from other clubs.
The crisis has deepened following Saturday’s 60-12 humbling in Elgin in their first outing in the Highlands and Islands conference of Tennents Caledonia League Division 1.
Two more players added to the growing casualty list, with back rowers Sinclair Bremner taken off with a suspected broken wrist and Max Kennedy with a head knock.
Bremner and Kennedy face spells out and Charlie Quinn, Cameron Ryder and Reece Coghill are among a string of regulars already sidelined.
While the Webster brothers, Scott and Dougie, are going to be missing during harvesting season.
Russell said the absence of key players is not ideal.
He says he is looking to other clubs and seeing who is available in loan deals to ensure they can play matches.
“With all the experienced guys who have retired over the past couple of years, the injuries and unavailabilities make for a perfect storm.
“We don’t have any depth to our squad and there’s no doubt it’s going to be a tough season. It’s got to the point where I have been emailing Ross Sutherland, Highland and Orkney to see if they have any players they could loan us this weekend.”
Regular scrum half Euan MacDonald could be back for Saturday’s trip to Stonehaven to take on Mackie if he has recovered from a hand injury he picked up versus Orkney.
