Max Wolfson rocked up to training with the Illawarra South Coast Dragons rep side earlier this year and knew after a couple of minutes he was in the midst of what he calls "a special team".
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The Dragons stormed to this year's under 23s country championship crown, virtually untouched as well, thumping Monaro 42-12 in Saturday's final at Mudgee to complete a near perfect campaign.
The Dragons chalked up 52-10 and 64-4 round wins over Riverina and GSR Wests Tigers, respectively, before coming out on top 42-22 against the North Coast Bulldogs in the semi-finals.
Wolfson was right - this South Coast outfit was very special.
"It's the strongest rep team I've been part of," Wolfson said following Saturday's win at Glen Willow.
"I remember being at the first training and seeing he boys throw the ball around ... as soon as the coach said go there was never a drop ball, it was really slick.
"I knew it was going to a special team."
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Wolfson was one of a handful of players taking part in the under 23s decider that cut their teeth in Western Division.
Wolfson's former Orange Hawks teammate Tony Pellow starred for the Dragons at fullback while former Forbes half Nick Greenhalgh played five-eighth on Saturday.
Pellow scored a try and was named at fullback in Josh Cale's NSW Country team while Wolfson said Greenhalgh, his Shellhardbour Sharks teammate, was brilliant in the 30-point win at Mudgee.
"Nicko's been given the opportunity to play five-eighth and he was unlucky not to make country," Wolfson said.
"I thought Monaro was going to be our toughest game. They have such a massive pack but the boys flew out of the blocks and didn't give them a chance.
"The boys got up 12-0 for a bit and then never looked back."
Wolfson has been on the south coast now for a couple of seasons but missed out on making the Dragons' rep side in 2018.
After a blazing end to last season where the former two blues gun helped Shellharbour take out the Group 7 premiership, Wolfson earned a represenative call-up and has relished the challenge.
He's now hoping to continue his good form with the Sharks in 2019.
A premiership winner with Hawks' under 18s side alongside Pellow in 2014, Wolfson said he's loving life on the NSW south coast with a Shellharbour club he says "feels like home".
"I wanted to play somewhere that was like Hawks and (the Sharks) feels like home, I love it," he said, with the club gunning for back-to-back Group 7 titles.
"There's not as much depth as we had last year but it's virtually the same team."
- ILLAWARRA SOUTH COAST DRAGONS 42 (C Purcell 2, T Pellow, M Applebee, C Vazzoler, J Dickson, K Sampson tries; C Vazzoler 7 goals) def MONARO COLTS 12 (N Conrish N Halalilo tries; M Geiger 2 goals)