The region will have its strongest presence in the NSW Country Eagles with Tamworth’s Mick Snowden and Narrabri’s Will McDonnell joining Paddy Ryan and Alex Newsome in Eagles colours this season.
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Ryan will again lead the side, who face a tricky first-up National Rugby Championship assignment against a Western Force outfit coming off a strong World Series Rugby showing. He and Newsome have both been part of the Eagles set-up for the past two campaigns.
Snowden played for the Eagles in the inaugural year of the competition. After injury curtailed his season in 2015, the former Pirate lined up for the Melboure Rising in the 2016 edition before injury again hampered him in 2017. McDonnell has enjoyed a breakout year, his Eagles’ selection following an outstanding season for Sydney University, which saw the former Blue Boar earn a call-up to the Waratahs squad for their tour to Japan in June and nominated for the Ken Catchpole Medal.
The Eagles are set to play two games in the region - taking on the Canberra Vikings in Armidale on September 23 and then Country rivals Queensland in Tamworth on October 13.
Eagles squad: Paddy Ryan (c), Matt Gibbon, Cody Walker, Hugh Roach, Andrew Tuala, Mahe Vailanu, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Robert Lagudi, Christopher Talakai, Emmanuel Meafou, Tom Staniforth, Alex Humfrey, Sam Thomson, Will Miller, Brad Wilkin, Rory Suttor, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Patrick Tafa, Jed Holloway, Sam Ward, Jack Grant, Jake Gordon, Mick Snowden, Angus Sinclair, Mack Mason, Rohan Saifoloi, Apolosi Latunipulu, Sebastian Wileman, Alex Newsome, William McDonnell, Denny Godinet, Jaline Graham, Harry Jones, Lachlan Creagh, Alex Gibbon, Alex Northam
