THE local region will be well represented at next week's NSW PSSA Rugby Union Championships with four students from Dubbo and one from Narromine all set to be key players for their respective sides.
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Western will feature Dubbo South Primary School pair Jayden Blake and Lachlan Sinclair as well as Dubbo West's Callum Dowling and Narromine Public's Nash Rodda while St Mary's William Johnston will line up for Polding.
It will be a case of mate against mate when Johnston's Polding clash with Western in the very first match next Tuesday and Western coach Gerard Hart said the local hopes would be key to Western's chances of improving on last year's results.
"It's always hard to say. This year we're playing the Catholic schools in the morning, Polding and Mackillop and you never really know," he said.
"Last year Western finished about 10th or 11th and this year we're hoping top 6. We've got a more mobile team this year and luckily a few more skills in there but there is rain forecast the first two days so that could be interesting."
Blake and Sinclair are shaping up as vital players for Western while Rodda's goalkicking and Dowling's versatility will also go along way to deciding matches.
The Western side has played five trial matches and defeated junior sides from the Dubbo Roos and Wellington before narrow losses to the Central West representative side and Orange Emus and Kinross Wolaroi's under 13s sides.
Hart believes the matches against the two 13s sides will stand his side in good stead with the bigger teams giving Western a real test in the lead-up to next week.
The coach praised his side, saying next week's results would rely on teamwork but did reserve some words for the local players, especially Blake and Sinclair.
"They play locally with the Roos and both are very handy players, we're pretty lucky to have boys of their skill available," he said.
"Nash Rodda is the goalkicker and he's played Central West under 12s before so he's got a taste of rep footy before and he's been handy. In one of our early trial matches a goal he kicked at the end won us the match.
"And Callum played really well in the trial against Kinross, Harry West normally plays the scrumhalf but he was sick so Callum stepped up at nine and played out of position really well, he was crucial to us."
Hart said he expects the Sydney South West side and the hosts, South Coast and Illawarra, to be the teams to beat across the three days but admitted the boys in his Western side were most keen on defeating their regional rivals, North West and Riverina.
"I've only taken on the role this year but I know North West has always been a bit of a bogey team for us and we've had close tussles with Riverina too so if we can get passed them the boys will be very pleased," he said.
The championships run for three days at Kiama, beginning on Tuesday morning.