MITCH Doring, Beau Parry, Zack Leonard and Callan Hayne will be four young Group 4 rugby league players watching tonight’s State of Origin in Toowoomba with their NSW Country Under 16 team as they await their own intense representative rumble.
The four teenagers – Doring and Parry from West Lions and Leonard and Hayne from Farrer – will play for NSW Country Under 16s against a Queensland Maroons Under 16s in Toowoomba on Saturday.
The talented quartet were all part of the Group 4 side which won the NSW Country Plate Final recently at Morrie Breen Oval in Wyong and then helped the Northern NSW Country side beat Southern Country in a representative trial at the same venue.
Yesterday the NSW Country side was heading to Toowoomba where it will have a few days in camp preparing for the interstate clash they are all well equipped for, West Lions Under 16 coach Geoff Dillon said.
“It’s real good for the club and the Group to have four players in the Country side,” Dillon said yesterday.
“It’s great that two of them, Beau and Zack, are from Werris Creek as well.
“All four have worked hard to get there.
“And we missed Mitch and Beau no end against Narrabri last weekend too.”
The two boys elected to sit the game out so as to not suffer any injury leading into the big representative game in Toowoomba.
Without them, West lost 60-12 to the Blues at Narrabri.
“We have the bye this weekend (North Tamworth don’t have a 16s) so it works out well for us,” Dillon said of a big home derby day against the Bears at Scully Park on Saturday.
Dillon said Parry, who played for NSW Under 16s before the first State of Origin in Melbourne, and Doring have been impressive young men, on and off the field.
“They’ve been good for the rest of the side, great around the rest of the boys and helping me out at training. All the side pick up on that.”
NSW COUNTRY UNDER 16s: 1 Callan Hayne (Farrer), 2 Will Day (South Dubbo), 3 Shane Robinson (Southcity), 4 Kith Donovan (Bowraville), 5 Keelan Sharp (Lakes United), 6 Marshall Sing (South Dubbo), 7 Mitch Doring (West Lions), 8 Jayden McPhillips (Coffs Harbour), 9 Hayden Bolam (Forbes), 10 Craig Field (South Dubbo), 11 Troy Barby (Wagga Kangaroos), 12 Tom Field (South Dubbo), 13 Beau Parry (West Lions), 14 Lincoln Smith (East Maitland), 15 Zack Leonard (Farrer), 16 Nick Greenhalgh (Forbes), 17 Shaun Hinton (Wauchope Blues). Coach - Garry Bridge. Managers - Matt Kenny and Mark Harrison. Trainers - Graeme Goodwin and David Bush.