They say when one door closes another opens, and that couldn't be more fitting for the situation at the Penrith Panthers.
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Dubbo's Isaah Yeo will miss the rest of the 2019 season for the club following shoulder surgery, but that has provided Parkes junior Billy Burns with his first call-up to the NRL.
The 20-year-old has been named on the bench for Saturday night's meeting with the Sydney Roosters.
Burns has received a huge amount almost ever since he made the move from the Parkes Spacemen to the foot of the mountains in 2016.
A fleet-footed back-rower with an eye for the try-line, Burns will start on the bench in Saturday night's clash with the defending premiers.
When speaking to the Daily Liberal earlier in the year, Yeo tipped Burns as a "smokey" to make his NRL debut in 2019 and while the call-up was because of injury, it is a deserved one.
"He's trained really well and I expect him to push his case," Yeo said at the time.
Burns will become the eighth player to make his debut for Penrith this year, the most of any club in the NRL.
He follows on from Matt Burton, the former Dubbo CYMS young gun who starred in his Panthers debut earlier in the month.
The path from the Western Rams region to the Panthers' NRL side is a well-worn one with the likes of Yeo, Kaide Ellis, and Brent Naden all having stepped up to the top grade, while other up-and-coming talents like flying fullback Charlie Staines and prop Brad Gaut are waiting in the wings.
Gaut is also a Parkes junior, giving the Spaceman a chance to lay claim to another NRL player in the near future after having to wait some time to see a product in the top grade.
Burns is the first Spacemen junior in more than a decade to play in the NRL, with the last one being Dave Elvy in 1998.
While the selection has created joy for Burns, his family, and all those back in Parkes, it provides more frustration for Yeo.
Yeo had initially chosen to delay surgery when he busted his shoulder in a defeat to Canberra in late May, which was a part of their six-game losing streak.
The 24-year-old St John's junior returned four weeks later and appeared in 11 straight games before copping another blow in the first half in Townsville.
Yeo bravely came back on the field in the second half and scored a try but the Panthers eventually fell to a fourth loss in five games.
The Panthers now sit one point outside the top eight in 10th spot with games against the Roosters and the Newcastle Knights remaining this season.
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.
