IN what started out as an announcement from Young High School that two of their students had been selected for a Canberra Raiders train-on squad, soon turned into five lads from the town making the cut.
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Under 16s players Kye Tiedemann and Jake Baker from the school were named as part of the Raiders Harold Matthews Squad, while three others - Jayke Hogan and Matt Murray from Young High and Connor Brebner from Hennessy - were selected for the SG Ball (Under 18s) Squad.
In a major coup for Young, these teenagers follow the footsteps of two other local Under 16s players who were selected for the Raiders’ train-on squads last year.
Trials for the squads were conducted at Northbourne Oval in Canberra on September 27, which saw 15-year-olds Tiedemann and Baker face 30 others from around the state in the open trials.
What is known as closed trials - for Canberra-based only players - were also conducted on the day.
The two Young players were among the only three - all being country players - selected from the open trials for the 36-man training squad.
The third player selected was from Cowra.
The remaining players were handpicked from Canberra.
“I was pretty surprised,” Baker said of his first time selection.
“We were told the standard in the Under 16s was supposed to be better than the Under 18s.
“It’s good to get into the system to experience a higher level of footy.”
Baker has been playing league since he was nine years old, while Tiedemann has been involved in the sport since the Under 11s.
Under 18s Murray and Hogan trialled for their squads on September 22 and were told of their successful selection just two weeks ago.
They were among 143 others who were narrowed down to a 36-man squad through open and closed trials.
Cherrypicker Murray (17) - who was the recipient of Group Nine’s Under 18s Weissel Medal - said the selectors told them they would notify them over a few hours on October 7.
By midday he had almost given up hope.
“I was shocked,” Murray said.
Hogan (17), also an Under 18s Cherrypicker, said he was looking forward to the first-time experience and meeting new people.
It was no surprise Brebner (17) made this year’s Under 18s cut following his selection onto the Raiders side last season.
He was also a member of their high performance tour in 2013.
He said the best moment of the whole experience was the footy culture and his advice for his fellow players making their debut?
“Just train hard.”
The five teenagers will compete in a series of trial games over the next month and a half, training in Canberra three times a week.
The final Under 16s and Under 18s squads will be officially announced in mid-December.
