RHYS Shorney is only 26 but the Newport centre admits he sometimes feels like an old man in the club's youthful threequarter line, writes Paul Tully.

That's because he is older than his colleagues and has much greater experience at the highest level.

That experience has stood Newport in good stead as he can usually be seen marshalling the defence while his awareness has led to many tries.

That has been emphasised in the last two games, his break and delicate chip leading to a Craig Richards try against Neath and a quick long pass and delicate short pass as he was about to be crunched leading to tries against Aberavon.

"I suppose I have got a lot of experience in comparison to the others and I suppose Leigh Jones (Newport coach) is looking to me to use an old head for the benefit of the team.

"But I think we have a lot of young players with good heads on their shoulders so really my job has been quite easy."

Shorney started his senior career at Pontypridd before joining Ebbw Vale.

But he jumped at the chance of rejoining former Vale coach Jones at Newport and said: "I am loving every minute of it.

"I knew some of the players, such as my old Ebbw Vale skipper Chay Billen, so it was easy to fit in.

"And with no disrespect to Ebbw Vale, I'd always wanted to play for a big club and also wanted to maximise my playing potential.

"I have been pleased with the expansive approach of the club and I think the number of high scores reflect that.

"I think in the Premier Division generally all the teams are trying to play attractive rugby and that's good for the game.

"Everything is in place, on and off the field, to do well at Newport and I believe we can carry on as we are and stay at the top of the table.

"Everyone wants to do well. When we didn't perform and lost to Neath it was good to see all the guys were so disappointed. Sometimes young players don't react that way, but that's not the case at Newport where they all want to make an impact."

Shorney would like to play in every game but understands there are some good young players who need playing time so that sometimes he has to be on the bench.

"Leigh has a balanced squad and when he makes changes in a game it's usually in sufficient time for the players going on to make an impact," he said.

Shorney is in the Dragons squad for their Heineken Cup matches but doesn't expect to be called on.

"It's difficult to break into the squad when you're working all day," he said.

"I'm in my final year at Cardiff University where I'm studying to become a physiotherapist and a lot of the time I'm on placement in hospital or at college.

"I make as many Newport training sessions as I can but the club understand my problem and are understanding and flexible."

Shorney doesn't know what he will do when he qualifies, whether to try to play full time or continue part-time or to concentrate on his new profession.

"I'll think about it when the time comes," he said.