A team of locally based Victorians has won through to this Saturday's semi finals of the first ever National Junior Representative competition.
In 2009 the Australian Rugby League embarked on a radical restructure of its junior representative program to build a nation-wide competition at Under-16 and Under-18 levels – Melbourne coach Kim Williams says his team is a perfect example of the competition's success.
In the Under-16s, traditional NSW heavyweights Western Suburbs, Parramatta, Bulldogs and Newcastle will clash for a spot in the final in a huge day of junior Rugby League at St Mary's Leagues Stadium.
Having beaten Newcastle and Illawarra in successive weeks, the Melbourne Under-18s now face off against Manly in the semi finals on Saturday while Brisbane's Norths Devils clash with the Bulldogs.
But Melbourne coach Kim Williams says the stunning performance of his 25-man squad – 17 of which are local players - during its debut season has had a profound effect south of the border.
"The [national junior reps] competition has been massive… not just for our side but the whole Victorian league down here," Williams said from his base in Melbourne.
"The majority of our squad are Victorian boys and this is the biggest stage that they've been on.
"But the best thing is it’s stirred a lot of interest in the local juniors – they are talking about it a lot.
"There's now that pathway here that they can see – a kid can play Under-7s in Victoria and now know he can stay in the state and play until he reaches the NRL.
"It's been a huge step forward for not only the club but for Victorian Rugby League and the game as a whole."
Brisbane's Norths Devils Under-18 side have proven just as successful with coach Gary Bishop likening the restructured competition to a junior State of Origin that had the ability to unearth the game’s next batch of stars.
"For some of our players, playing in this competition is the closest thing to playing something like State of Origin," said Bishop, whose side beat Parramatta 26-20 in last week's quarter finals.
"And a lot of our guys have started to get noticed by NRL clubs, particularly as we're coming up against strong NSW clubs.
"A few of our players have got clubs chasing them now as a result of this competition so that's a great positive.
"It has given the kids a little bit of exposure."
ARL Chief Executive Geoff Carr said the inaugural National Junior Representatives had demonstrated the outstanding depth of Rugby League talent on offer across the nation.
The tournament has seen 1600 of Australia's most talented junior players in the Under-16 and Under-18 age groups compete in 66 teams from the Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
"Melbourne reaching the semi finals in their first year of Under-18 competition is an exceptional achievement and confirmation of the headway we are making down south," Carr said today.
"Likewise, Brisbane's win in last week's quarter finals over a traditional heavyweight such as Parramatta shows Queensland teams can be more than competitive at this level."
The National Junior Representative semi-finals take place at St Mary's Leagues Stadium on Saturday 2 May, 2009.
WHAT: 2009 NATIONAL JUNIOR REPS – SEMI FINALS
WHERE: St Mary’s Leagues Stadium
WHEN: Saturday 2 May, 2009
|
|
|
|
H Matthews |
SG Ball |
Venue |
|
Western Suburbs |
v |
Parramatta |
10.30am |
|
St Marys Leagues Stadium |
|
Bulldogs |
v |
Newcastle |
12.00noon |
|
St Marys Leagues Stadium |
|
Bulldogs |
v |
Norths Devils |
|
1.30pm |
St Marys Leagues Stadium |
|
Manly |
v |
Melbourne |
|
3.00pm |
St Marys Leagues Stadium |
