THE strongest Group 16 representative rugby league team for many years will face Group 6 on Friday night, according to team manager Allan Wilton.
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The region’s best and brightest rugby league talent will be on show from 7pm Friday, May 1, at Mackay Park, Batemans Bay, for the opening elimination round of the Greater Southern Region Senior Representative Season.
Group 16 will return to representative football after a three-year hiatus, although Wilton assured that the team is better than ever.
Selectors picked Bega Rooster Ryan Apps to captain the squad, with Cooma Stallions’ Steven Russell as coach, and Wilton, who is also the Group 16 vice-president, as team manager.
“We have been out of representative football for three seasons, mainly because we weren’t very competitive,” Wilton said.
“But the new executive in the Group are strongly behind representative football and fought hard to have it reinstated.”
The Group 16 representative players were selected after the annual Indigenous All Stars and Group 16 All Stars trial game, as well as their form over the past three competition games.
Moruya players feature heavily in the team with nine from the Sharks, four from Cooma, two from Batemans Bay, and one each from Bega and Narooma.
There have been some late changes in the team, with injury worries forcing Moruya’s Patrick McMahon and Merimbula-Pambula’s Trent Skeers to be replaced with Batemans Bay’s Michael Tadich and Moruya’s Dillon Johnston.
“This year because there are some excellent talent the team is a lot stronger,” Wilton said.
“A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to come up with strong combinations.
“We are really happy with what the boys are doing.
“Everybody has been available for selection and the only guys who have pulled out have done so because of injury.”
Despite boasting quality players like Bega’s Apps, Narooma’s Clint Wright, Moruya’s Aaron Brierley and NSW Country representative Jake Clarke, Wilton said Group 6 has also put forward a “formidable and strong outfit”.
“Group 6 have nominated a very strong team. They have a lot of former NRL players who will be very hard to beat,” he said.
Some of those former NRL players include Appin Dogs front rower Bryce Gibbs, who has played for Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks; Appin Dogs hooker Stuart Flanagan, who formerly played for the Cronulla Sharks; and Camden Rams’ Ray Cashmere, who previously played for Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys.
If successful on Friday, Group 16 will go on to play Group 7 on May 9.
After round two, the Greater Southern Stars regional team will be selected from the Group 6, Group 7 and Group 16 teams to play in the CRL Senior Championships on May 23.
Kick-off on Friday night is 7pm and entry to Mackay Park is free.
“We hope a lot of local people come out to watch the game,” Wilton said.
“It will be a great game, very competitive, and there should be a really high standard of football on offer.”
Group 16 representative side
Coach - Steven Russell
Manager - Allan Wilton
Sports Trainer - Steven Meaker
LeagueSafe - Joel Ryan
1. Dennis Green (Moruya)
2. Michael Tadich (Batemans Bay)
3. Jake Clarke (Moruya)
4. Mason Harrison (Batemans Bay)
5. Caine Brierley (Moruya)
6. John Aldridge (Eden)
7. Blake Robinson (Bega)
8. Timothy Weyman (Moruya)
9. Luke Jay (Moruya)
10. Liam Saunders (Cooma)
11. Todd Williams (Cooma)
12. Dean Scott (Moruya)
13. Ryan Apps (Bega)
14. Joel Smith (Cooma)
15. Shane Colebrook (Moruya)
16. Corey Thomas (Cooma)
17. Dillon Johnston (Moruya)