Sale Sharks fans will be happy to hear that highly-rated youngster Raphael ‘Raffi’ Quirke has committed his future to the club after putting pen to paper on a fresh new contract.
The 23-year-old scrum-half has been dubbed as “one of the best signings in years” by supporter and now the England international is looking to further repay their faith and support by staying with the Sharks Family for the foreseeable.
Confirmed via the club website on Tuesday, 11 March, Quirke has now signed a two-year contract extension with his boyhood team
“Northern born and bred”, as the club have proudly proclaimed and having once been described by the Daily Telegraph as being “as North West as Coronation Street” Quirke played his junior games at Broughton Park Rugby Club before joining the Sharks Academy at the age of 18.
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After playing rugby since he was five years old and above his age group on many occasions, not to mention having become a North West champion triathlon champion at just 13, he was always bound to be an athlete – Sale fans will just be glad every day that he stuck with this sport and chose dark blue.
Bursting onto the Gallagher Premiership scene in the 2020/21 season, becoming the youngest Sale Shark in his position in league history when he made his debut against Harlequins at the age of 19, he’s proven to be an extremely impressive member of the squad.
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It wasn’t long before the pacey half-back’s talent earned him his first call-up to Eddie Jones’ England squad for the 2021 Autumn Nations Series.
He’s about as quick a nine as you’ll find.
Speaking on the new deal, the Manc sporting star said: “It’s such an exciting time to be a part of this club because I really believe that we’ve got the team and we’re close to winning some big trophies.
“Everyone wants to win trophies but to do it here, at my hometown club, playing with some of my best mates and with my whole family watching every week would be so special. Training and playing with some of my best mates is brilliant.
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“I love coming into Carrington every day because it really feels like home. I’m fully focused on playing as well as I can for Sale but I want to be involved with England too. With so many of our lads in the current squad, I know this is the best place for me to be.”
Put it this way, if you’re getting edits like this made in your honour, it’s fair to say you’ve got a pretty passionate personal following:
Quite the highlight reel already, even at such a young age.
As for Sharks Director of Rugby, Alex Sanderson, he said of Quirke extending his contract: “We wanted Raffi to find form so he could come to the table and get what he deserves for the calibre of player that he is. We feel like he has done that in recent games and he’s shown what a brilliant player he is.
“He’s a gamebreaker, he’s homegrown, he’s devoutly Northern and he’s got the ability and potential to be one of the world’s best in his position. He’s got work to do to get there, but we want to go on that journey with him.
“He’s the latest of many of our young, homegrown lads who have committed to the club because they understand our higher purpose, and they know how special it is to play and train with their best mates.
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“They want Sale Sharks to become the team and the club we know it can be, and for Raffi, that commitment is as much of a plus point as his talent.”
The future’s looking bright for the local rugby union outfit, especially as they look to keep investing in young players and the next generation of international talent.
Manchester Storm’s ‘own and loan’ scheme returns for 2026/27
Danny Jones
Manchester Storm have relaunched their much-loved ‘own and loan’ programme once again ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Having gone from a cult favourite option for die-hards to an increasingly popular choice among their growing number of supporters, it’s a great way for fans to get their hands on what could go on to be priceless collectables.
Set up over a decade and a half ago, the initiative has gone on to be replicated by multiple clubs in the Elite Ice Hockey League, across the country, and indeed beyond.
For anyone unclear on what exactly this scheme means for them, here’s all you need to know.
The own and loan sponsorship is essentially an opportunity not only to support the club and your favourite player, but to essentially reserve a valuable piece of match-worn memorabilia.
Put simply, fans can buy a squad member’s jersey and then loan it back to them for the season.
The shirt – be it home, away, created for cup tournaments or a special limited-edition sweater (of which MCR Storm have designed many over the years) – will then be worn throughout the course of the campaign before being given back to the owner, i.e. you.
Not just simply buying the shirt, but helping back the team’s talent, it’s one of the most direct ways people can contribute to the club.
The Greater Manchester side pioneered the push for this initiative here in the UK in the early 2010s, and with the local side now set to return to the AO Arena, where their journey began way back in 1995, you can expect plenty to mark the comeback with a special sponsored jersey.
Anyone who purchases an away strip will have their name featured throughout home games for the duration of the season – not a bad gift or way to secure a potential future collectors’ item.
You can see every player available to sponsor and find out all the information you need right HERE.
For regular matchgoers at the ‘Storm Shelter’, we’re sure it’ll be bittersweet to say goodbye to Planet Ice Altrincham, but just how excited are you about heading home to the AO Arena later this year?
Featured Images — Manchester Storm (publicity picture)/The Manc Group
Sport
League One set for an all-Greater Manchester playoff final as Bolton book trip to Wembley
Danny Jones
It’s official: we’re all set for a fully Greater Manchester League One playoff final as Bolton Wanderers are the latest to secure a return to Wembley against Stockport County.
The resurgent old Lancashire club clinched their spot in the knockout conclusion of the third division with a single strike in the second leg of the semis, and it wasn’t a bad finish, either.
Beating Bradford City 2-0 on aggregate, Bolton will now play familiar regional rivals Stockport, with Wanderers set to clash with County in a decisive derby once again.
Bolton‘s instinctive volley from Chelsea youth product and former Hull City man, Xavier Simons, resulted in some very satisfying limbs at Valley Parade.
The home fans did have plenty to cheer on the night, with efforts from Metcalfe, Power and Wright all either hitting the woodwork or being deflected just past it.
They thought they were level in the tie at one point after Kayden Jackson put the ball in the back of the net, but it was ultimately ruled out.
Agonising stuff for the Bradford supporters to burst into bedlam before the flag was raised for offside.
Many supporters will argue that the key moment came somewhat against the run of play, but The Trotters won’t care one bit as they book another trip down to the capital.
You can watch the rest of the highlights, including those scenes in the away end, down below.
Speaking even before the game, head coach Steven Schumacher told Sky Sports: “It’s a club we believe is bigger than this division, but this division is not easy to get out of.
“The expectation and the demand to get to the Championship is there, and once you’re in the building and you feel the mood when you win games, when you lose games, you can sense that this is a club that is desperate to get out and get to the next level.
“When you look at the size of both Bolton and Bradford and how well they are supported, both clubs are probably too big to be in League One. But that’s where both clubs find themselves, and one of us has got to find our way out of it if we can.”
You’d dare say he can practically smell promotion via the playoffs now; the local side has come quite a way since the lows of administration in 2019 and the bottom tier of the EFL – not without some heartbreaks in previous playoff finals – but could he be the one to get them back where they belong?
In case you missed the action from the other game, you can see more HERE, and to hear Schumacher’s thoughts after the decisive result, look no further…
Danny Jones -
11th March 2025 
