Dale Cunniffe is joining his pal Mike Morrison on the plane to Australia.

The back row forward, 23,  is quitting Swinton to move Down Under at the end of the season.

Prop Morrison announced his move to Sydney two weeks ago and now Cunniffe is following suite.

Both players are joiners by trade and have been hit hard by the recession.

They are hoping to get work in the construction industry and continue playing rugby league in the Bundaberg League.

It gives the Swinton coaching staff a major headache because both players have been stand-out performers in the Swinton pack over the last two seasons.

Assistant player-coach Ian Watson said: "Dale has been excellent in his time at Swinton.

"He’s been really professional in his approach to training and team spirit. He works really hard, gives 100 per cent week-in week-out.

"He's brought a lot to the club. He is a leader on the pitch. He’s really good defensively and people follow him. That’s the kind of player we want and he's going to be hard to replace."