Al Kanaar
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Weight | 112 kg (247 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Al Kanaar is a Lock / Flanker signed to the NSW Waratahs.
Career
Born and raised in Nowra on the NSW south coast, Alex was schooled at Bowral’s Oxley College before moving to Sydney to continue his education at Sydney University. Studies in behavioral science and natural resources fuelled a love of the environment that continues to thrive to this day.
While at College Kanaar began his career with the Sydney University club, spending three seasons in Colts before breaking into first grade in 2004. He achieved Australian Universities selection in 2003 and represented Australia at U21 level in 2004, just months before joining the Waratahs on their development tour of Argentina.
The 10 months that followed that tour were nothing short of outstanding, seeing Kanaar make his state, Super Rugby, Australia A and Test debuts to finish the 2005 season as one of this country’s form second rowers. His Test debut, against the All Blacks at Auckland’s Eden Park, also saw him become the 100th Wallaby produced by the Sydney University club. Although he was ruled out of Australia's spring rugby tour of Europe after being suspended for three months for stamping on an opponent's head.
Cruelly, the Brumbies trial match was Kanaar’s first since an ankle injury in late 2006 that ruled him out of Sydney University’s winning Tooheys New Cup campaign, the Waratahs Australian Provincial Championship and Gulf Air Development Tour squads, and the Wallabies spring tour.
Alex Kanaar spent the entire 2007 season recovering from a knee injury suffered minutes into the Waratahs opening trial match of the season, against the Brumbies at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium in January. After undergoing reconstructive surgery Kanaar was the subject of numerous setbacks, including two further bouts of arthroscopic surgery, seeing him spend the past nine months on the sidelines. He will be out to add to his current tally of 30 provincial and 26 Super Rugby caps in 2008.