We caught up with our reporter Down Under, Andrew Ferguson, who gave us the lowdown on Widnes’ new signing from Wests Tigers.
The basics
DOB April 10, 1992 – 24-years-old
Height: 193cm – 6ft 3
Weight: 107kgs – 16st 8
Profile
Came from a South Coast township in New South Wales called Culburra Beach.
He was signed to the Canterbury Bulldogs as a junior, playing in their
youth competitions before being signed by the Dragons in 2011 to play in
their Under 20’s side. Buchanan spent two seasons there before the Wests
Tigers bought him for the 2013 season.
He was immediately elevated straight to the NRL side for Round 1, ahead of
Aaron Woods. Buchanan played 23 games in his debut season. Over the
off-season the Tigers brought in Martin Taupau and James Gavet. This along
with the dramatic improvement of Woods, saw Buchanan lose his starting
spot, playing just 4 games off the bench in 2014.
2015 saw him earn more game time, but unable to make his way into the
starting 13.
He chose to extend his stay with the Tigers at the end of the year.
He probably requires some more muscle mass to help him push through the
advantage line. He is a sound defender and being a lanky sort of prop, is
able to get an arm free and get the occasional offload away.
Played 41 NRL Games (9 were as a starting prop, 32 were as a front row
reserve).
Strengths
Impact player – strong coming off the bench
Defence – high tackle success rate
