Kaiden Lahrs and great mate Logan Spinks make national team

When Kaiden Lahrs assembled for the official photograph for the 2023 Australian Schoolboys rugby league team, his great mate Logan Spinks was by his side.

Almost three years ago, the duo - who went to Farrer and played footy together - were separated when Kaiden's parents left Tamworth and relocated to Townsville.

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The 17-year-old prop's father is former Australia, NSW and Canberra star Tom Lahrs, better known to league fans as Learoyd-Lahrs.

They were reunited at the under-18 national secondary schools championships at Redcliffe this month. Lahrs and Spinks played for Queensland and NSW Combined High Schools respectively. The event finished on Friday, with second-rower Spinks named as the Australia No. 17.

"I hadn't seen him for a while," Lahrs said of Spinks. "And then I saw him at the carnival - and we both left with an Australian jersey!"

"Both of us had tears in our eyes, giving each other a big hug and saying how awesome this is: two county fellas from Tamworth making the Australian Schoolboys side."

Lahrs was speaking from Cairns, where his Kirwan State High School outfit won an Aaron Payne Cup clash on Wednesday. He did not play.

"It's unreal. I still have to pinch myself," he said of his Australian Schoolboys selection.

"To finally get something that I've been working for for as long as I can remember is just a great feeling."

Lahrs said he had listened to his father talk about "what an awesome opportunity" it was to play for the Australia Schoolboys side. While at Farrer, Tom Lahrs made the side in 2002 and 2003.

The teen can remember watching his father play for the Raiders. "To see how far he got in the game has definitely kept me motivated, just to try and be as good as the old man."

Lahrs is in his first season with the North Queensland Cowboys' Young Guns program, having previously spent two seasons with the Broncos' development program. He wants to stay close to his family as he continues his NRL quest.

"I wasn't ready to leave them just yet," he said of his family, adding: "Trying to make a living out of this sport, I just thought that it would be awesome to have that support network around me."

Australia play away to Papua New Guinea in September.

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