NSW have selected the Koori under 16s team that will aim to end Queensland Murri's recent dominance in the annual Indigenous match next year.
The Murri side came from behind last March to claim a 28-20 victory and lift the Steve "Bear" Hall Shield for a second straight year.
NSW chose their final 18-man squad after 60 boys from 45 towns attended a training camp in early November at Narrabeen. NSW State of Origin coach Brad Fittler made an appearance.
Also on hand at the camp were former Indigenous first-graders Scott Mieni, Nathan Blacklock, Dennis Moran, Ron Gibbs and Ian Naden, as well as NSWRL player development manager Colin Sanctuary.
"We had a pretty good quality of selections to pick from, from all over the state as far out as Goodooga, out to Tamworth, up to Northern Rivers and down through the Riverina," said football advisor Mieni, an ex-Gold Coast centre.
"Freddy [Fittler] popped in which was good ... When you have people like Freddy dropping in, it gives a bit of awareness of the professionalism of the New South Wales Rugby League."
The Professionals
Anthony McBride has taken over as coach from Gibbs, who remains involved as the football manager, while Blacklock is a trainer.
Mieni said the Koori side will be focused on maintaining their intensity for the whole match having been guilty of fading away.
"We've jumped out of the blocks for the past two years and we've just sort of been run down in the end," he said.
"We need to change our ways and our momentum in the week leading into the game and focus on a couple of strategies of nullifying them, because we're getting into a lead and we think it's comfortable and they're wising up and coming back at us."
A date and location is yet to be announced for the clash, which is played in honour of longtime NSWRL official Steve Hall, who was devoted to mentoring young Indigenous players.
Hall, who was in key in establishing the Indigenous under-16s program in 2003 and was the NSW team's first manager, sadly died on the day of the 2019 game.
NSWRL U16s Indigenous team
Kane Bailey (Dubbo)
Izayiah Bognar (Moree)
Kye Cameron (Cullen Bullen)
Shane Davis-Caldwell (Kempsey)
Ethan Ferguson (Taree)
Luke Hayes (Tewinga)
Justin Kelly (Kempsey)
Jarrah Mcleod (Nowra)
Bayden Moran (Parkes)
Leroy Murray (Cowra)
Haydan Ritchie (Hamlyn Terrace)
Michael Roberts (Tweed Heads West)
Bailey Scholes (Wallsend)
Lauchlyn Spicer (Fletcher)
Elijah Suckling (Dubbo)
Bodean Tereva (Narrandera)
Nicholas Torrens (Maclean)
Kade Youlten (Edgeworth)
Coach – Anthony McBride (Tamworth)
Assistant coach – Tim Humphries (Wagga Wagga)
Football advisor – Scott Mieni (Coffs Harbour)
Football manager – Ronny Gibbs (Dubbo)
Trainer – Jody Siegwalt (Wagga Wagga)
Trainer – Nathan Blacklock (Tamworth)
