The local region has a proud rugby league tradition and that will be on show this season with a huge number of western products set to be playing at the highest level.
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The 2017 NRL season kicks off Friday night, with a number of former juniors hailing from Dubbo and the wider region are set to run out.
Leading local talent Isaah Yeo has been named to start in the second row for Penrith, a side many has touted for premiership success in 2017.
Yeo is firmly established in the Panthers side and recently captained the team at the Auckland Nines.
He will be joined by Wellington product Tyrone Peachey in the Penrith side which takes on a George Illawarra team featuring Forbes junior Joel Thompson in the second row.
Connor Watson, who grew up in Dubbo before making the move to Sydney, has been named on the bench for the Roosters while Wellington product Blake Ferguson forms a boom centre pairing alongside Latrell Mitchell.
South Sydney’s opening round squad features a splash of country talent, with Coonabarabran’s Kyle Turner named in the second row while exciting Coonamble Bears junior Braidon Burns is among the reserves.
It's the aim of every place in the country, to get kids on the TV and play in the NRL.
- Neil Millgate
Canberra will again feature Orange’s Jack Wighton at fullback and Cowra big bopper Shannon Boyd for its opening round clash with North Queensland while two more Orange juniors, James Maloney and Daniel Mortimer, have been as five-eighth and among the reserves respectively for Cronulla.
“It’s good and it’s the aim of every place in the country, to get kids on TV and playing in the NRL,” Dubbo and District Junior Rugby League president Neil Millgate said.
“They get an education and mateship but its really a small percentage that make it.”
But it is a strong percentage from out west who have made it, or well on the way to making it.
As well as those NRL players, the likes of Kaide Ellis at Penrith, Brent Naden at Canberra and Jesse Ramien at Cronulla are all certain to be pushing for places in the top grade during the season.
There is also talent coming through, with a huge amount of former Western Rams players to play their trade in the Holden Cup under-20s competition.
Dubbo Macquarie junior Harry van Dartel will again line up for the Raiders while Kotoni Staggs is making an impact at the Broncos and Blayney’s Lachie Farr and Forbes’ Group 11 premiership winner Mitch Andrews are both at Newcastle.
“We’ve always had a good standard,” Millgate said of western region junior football.
“The country kids are semi-tough (when they move on) because they’re always outside playing and it makes it hard for kids in the city who don’t get those luxuries.”
“It makes them all semi-tough and that’s what people say.”
Millgate said it was particularly pleasing to see Yeo perform so well in recent times, adding the hardest thing was not making it to the NRL but cementing a place in a first grade lineup.
He added the local region was well-placed to continue producing talents, with competitions from under-6s through to under-12s expected to have bumper numbers again locally this season.
The NRL season begins on Thursday night with Cronulla taking on Brisbane.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
