TWO brothers from the Kalamunda Districts Rugby Club have been named in the 2024 Western Force Fortescue Academy.

Dane Sawers, 19, and Max Sawers, 21, have played with the Kalamunda Bulls for more a decade and according to club president Barry Jordan the pair have always stood out.

Mr Jordan said the club couldn’t be prouder of the brothers and their return to the academy reflects the club’s high standard of training.

“It’s a huge honour for us, it’s also great as it recognises the work we’ve been doing. But a lot of it comes down to Max and Dane,” he said.

The Fortescue Academy offers promising young players the weekly opportunities to train with some of the state’s best rugby players and be a springboard for their athletic careers.

Head coach of the men’s academy – and former All Black – Jeremy Thrush said the academy is a pathway system to increase the skills of the athletes to where they can graduate up into the Super Rugby competition and the Western Force.

Last year the brothers were both selected in the 2023 Academy team, but Max was tapped on the shoulder about transforming from his role as a loose forward into the prop position in the front row due to his toughness and mindset.

This transition has seen him transform his body type and strength over the last year to meet the demands of the position.

“It’s been unreal to see him (Max) take some really good steps in the last twelve months,” Mr Thrush said.

The former All Black continued to add both brothers are great to coach and eager to get better.

“He’s a very coachable kid, the same as Max. They ask questions and challenge you in the right way and then take on board what they’ve been taught and implement it into their game,” he said.

Mr Thrush also said Dane Sawers’ work ethic was a key reason he co-captained the Western Forces team during the four round U19s Men’s Super Rugby Competition last October.

“He has a great attitude towards training and the game, real physical mindset. Really high work rate for loose forward,” he said.