Mudgee Dragons duo Todd Munn and Hamish Bryant star in the Western Rams squad to take on Federation of Italia Rugby League Australia (FIRLA) later this month, with both veteran Dragons among the 30-strong group named this week.
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Alongside the Dragons choices is Brad James, the 2015 and 2016 Castlereagh Cup player of the year and fullback of the Gulgong Terriers, who played in the wing the last time the Rams faced FIRLA.
The now-annual exhibition game will once again be hosted at Bathurst’s Carrington Park and after the pre-season change to the Country Championships – the opens division altered to under 23s – it gives those outside that age bracket the chance to don the famed green and white of Western.
Bryant and Munn are two of 15 Group 10-based players selected in the preliminary squad, still set for revision, which will face a FIRLA side that will include plenty of guns from the Intrust Super NSW and QLD Cups.
“There’s definitely still an appetite for those players outside the under 23s age bracket to represent Western and this is a good way for them to be able to do that, and a good way for club form to be rewarded as well,” Country Rugby League Western regional manager Peter Clarke said.
“It was a really great day last year, we had a big crowd of more than 1,000 so it’s really good to be able to continue it this year.”
As per last year’s inaugural edition, there will also be under 20s, under 18s and under 16s fixtures this year as well.
Dragons young-gun Ethan Butler will line-up in the Rams’ under 20s, though no other Dragons or Terriers made it into the lower grades for the rep squads.
“A number of the Western under 23s players (from the 2017 Country Championship) have been named in the opens squad, so there is a pathway there through this too,” Clarke said.
There’s still an appetite for those players outside under 23s to represent Western.
- CRL's Peter Clarke
“There’s a lot of 19-year-olds in this squad. It lets them throw their hats in the ring for under 23s selection next year.”
The squads will be revised after Group 10 and Group 11’s respective grand finals on Sunday, September 10.
Western will take on FIRLA on Saturday, September 23.
- WESTERN RAMS: Alex Bonham, Jyie Chapman, Keiran Cubby, Lincoln Cavanagh (Dubbo CYMS), Ben Maguire, Jake Grace, Jesse Wighton, Zac Merritt (Forbes Magpies), Blake Lawson, Blake Seager, Brent Seager, Doug Hewitt, Jake Betts, Jeremy Gordon (Bathurst Panthers), Brad James (Gulgong Terriers), Brendan Tago, Chad Porter, Jack Medlyn, Jordan Pope, Sam Dwyer (Parkes Spacemen), Chris Bamford, Tom Satterthwaite (Orange CYMS), Hamish Bryant, Todd Munn (Mudgee Dragons), Jack Nobes, Warren Williams (Cowra Magpies), Jackson Brien, Luke Carpenter (Oberon Tigers), Keelan Bresac (Lithgow Workies)
- UNDER 20s: Brett Howard (Nyngan Tigers), Chris Kirby, Izaac Scott, Mitch Burke (Forbes Magpies), Cody Gooden (Oberon Tigers), Ethan Butler (Mudgee Dragons), Jedd Kennedy, Ethan McKellar (Orange Hawks), Jye Barrow, Jarred Seager, Kade Barrow (Bathurst Panthers), Joe Dwyer (Parkes Spacemen), John Allen (Trundle Boomers), Lochie Hobby (Blayney Bears), McCoy White (Bathurst St Pat’s), Mitch Case (Lithgow Workies), Nathan Whatman (Canowindra Tigers), Phil Combridge (Dubbo Macquarie), Rick Nobes (Cowra Magpies), Ryan Griffin (Orange CYMS)
- UNDER 18s: 1 Charlie Staines (Forbes Magpies), 2 Dan Stanley (Nyngan Tigers), 3 Craig Tarr (Orange CYMS), 4 Brock Naden (Wellington Cowboys), 5 Farren Lamb (Forbes Magpies), 6 Matt Burton (Dubbo CYMS), 7 Bayden Searle (Dubbo CYMS), 8 Joey Hobby (Blayney Bears), 9 Jaiden Burke (Forbes Magpies), 10 Riley Cheshire (Bathurst St Pat’s), 11 Darby Medlyn (Parkes Spacemen), 12 Luke Gale (Dubbo Macquarie), 13 Clayton Couley (Nyngan Tigers); Bench: 14 Jackson Bonham-Phair (Dubbo CYMS), 15 Blake Frost (Dubbo Macquarie), 16 Jack Davis (Dubbo CYMS), 17 Ty-Lee Simmonds (Bathurst Panthers)
- UNDER 16s: 1 Aidan Lake (St John’s Dubbo), 2 Dylan Miles (Bathurst Panthers), 3 Mackenzie Atkins (Bathurst Panthers), 4 Dylan Marmion (Blayney Bears), 5 Jack McLeod (Bathurst St Pat’s), 6 Buster Nelson (St John’s Dubbo), 7 Nic Barlow (Bathurst Panthers), 8 Logan Conn (Wellington Cowboys), 9 Sully Haycock (St John’s Dubbo), 10 Josh Piper (Orange CYMS), 11 Brad Fearnley (Bathurst Panthers), 12 Jarred Peachey (St John’s Dubbo), 13 Nathan Ward (Bathurst Panthers); Bench: 14 Jordan Price (Bloomfield Tigers), 15 Mitch Collins (Orange CYMS), 16 Jarred Burns (Cowra Magpies), 17 Pat Hoarsley (Bathurst St Pat’s)
