Group Nine players including Young’s Jesse Corcoran, Casey Wall and recently signed Haydn Cowled dominate the Riverina squad for the Country Championships.
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Coming off another win in the Kelly Cup in September, there are 19 Group Nine players in the 27-man squad.
Among those are Country representative prop Zac Masters and new Albury recruit Luke Ingram.
Former Wests Tigers assistant coach Jody Rudd will coach the side, replacing Josh Cale.
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Rudd returned to Leeton over a decade ago and led the Greens to a premiership in 2007 but hasn’t coached since 2008.
After coaching the Group 20 under 18s he thought it was a good time to get involved.
He’s pleased with the squad assembled.
“We’ve got a big squad so you expect a bit of natural attrition through the summer, and you’ll really find out who is keen and who is not,” Rudd said.
“I’m familiar with the Group 20 players and from what I’ve seen of the Group Nine players at the trials there are some really good signs, particularly with the style of game they play.
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“They play very fast and technically they are pretty sound.” Corcoran is a five-eighth while Wall will be hoping to fill the No.9 jersey and newly signed Cowled will train as a second-rower.
With this year’s under 23s championships starting in March, the squad will gather in Wagga at 10am on Sunday for their first training run.
It kicks off the summer program with another trial with Victoria under 20s penciled in February before the first round of the Country Championships.
Riverina under 23s:
- Edward Ansell (Brothers), Troy Barby (Kangaroos), Mitchell Bennett (Southcity), Liam Carey (Brothers), Josh Cochrane (Southcity), Jesse Corcoran (Young), Haydn Cowled (Cootamundra), Aistan Fidow (Griffith Waratahs), James Girdler (Griffith Waratahs), James Hay (Brothers), Luke Ingram (Albury), Rusiate Kaliseiwaqa (Junee), William Levu (Griffith Waratahs), Joe Lumb (Albury), Pili Maiava (Griffith Waratahs), Zac Masters (Tumut), Luke McBeath (Southcity), Connor McCauley (Brothers), Mitchell Monaghan (Griffith Waratahs), Hayden Philp (Leeton), Josh Siegwalt (Southcity), James Smith (Cootamundra), Peniona Tamanisave (Griffith Waratahs), Timoci Vatubuli (Junee), Ziggie Vincent (Griffith B&W), Casey Wall (Young), Liam Wiscombe (Albury)