THERE will be a familiar face lining up for the Manly Sea Eagles SG Ball side at Caltex Park on Saturday and the hope is that it can inspire the next generation to take their career to the next level.
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Brydon Ramien was a junior star from Coonamble and attracted the attention of the Sea Eagles, whose SG Ball and Harold Matthews Cup side will take on the Western Academy under-16s and under-18s on Saturday afternoon.
Ramien and the Sea Eagles SG Ball side will take on the Academy 18s in the last match of what is a bumper day of rugby league action.
"Coonamble and a lot of those smaller towns out west are all rugby league nurseries so to see him here does a lot for the clubs, volunteers coaches and officials who helped and contributed in getting these players to Sydney," Peter Clarke from the Country Rugby League (CRL) Western Region said.
"There's also a lot of other players who played Western Rams or for their Groups who are now down in the system in the city and we watch them all with much excitement."
As well as Manly's two junior sides converging on Dubbo, Sea Eagles first graders Darcy Lussick, Josh Starling and Matt Parcell will also make an appearance and attend a skills clinic in the morning.
Aspiring juniors aged from five to 12 are welcome to attend the clinic and Clarke said the three NRL players' attendance will make the day even better.
"It's going to be great and it's the school holidays and looks like the weather might be a bit cooler so it will be a great way to kick off the day," he said of the training seminar.
"Then there will be some time for the Academy and Manly players to mingle before they play so they can meet and expand their networks a bit."
Following on from that the pre-season matches will get under way and despite it being so early in the year, Clarke expects the matches to be of top quality.
"It's a great opportunity for the players to go up against a team from the city and I know the kids, coaches, parents and officials are all excited," he said, before speaking about the Manly sides.
"They're strong year in, year out but it is a bit hard to gauge where they're at as the age groups progress but I know last season they finished in the top four in the SG Ball.
"I know the 18s side has some NSW pathways players and you don't get there unless you've got a hell of a lot of talent."
The day will also act as the first registration day for the Dubbo's newest junior rugby league club, Dubbo City.
After the demise of the Eastridge Cobras and PCYC Dragons, Dubbo City will ensure all interested youngsters will be able to play rugby league in 2016.