But despite all he had on his plate at the time, there was a fellow Dubbo junior elsewhere in the national under 20s competition he was keeping a close eye on.

That was Isaah Yeo, a former Dubbo CYMS teammate of Runciman's who was just starting out with the Penrith Panthers.

"As soon as he was in the under 20s he was just so consistent and had those leadership capabilities," Runciman told the Daily Liberal.

The pair had played in the Dubbo CYMS under 18s side together in 2011 before Runciman made the move to the Dragons, while Yeo spent one more season at home before departing the bush to chase his dream.

"It was a bit funny because he didn't stand out straight away when we were younger but as soon as he got older you knew he was going to play first grade," Runciman said.

READ ALSO:

- 'We're getting there': Goannas welcome return to form before finals

- 'Awesome' feeling caps off long awaited return for Toomey-White

- Ram-ping up: Group 11 and Group 10 clubs in favour of united 2022 league

It was Yeo's attitude which stood out to Runciman then and it's what makes his selection in the NSW State of Origin side come as no surprise now.

Yeo will make his State of Origin debut on Wednesday night after being named on the bench by Blues coach Brad Fittler for game two of this year's series.

Runciman, a former NSW under 20s representative, is delighted to see his fellow western product reach the summit of the game.

"He always had that great attitude. It's well deserved and he's had an awesome season," Runciman said.

"He's a great player and I think his style of footy has really suited this year with the rule changes. It's fallen in his favour, the way the game has sped up and he's so fit and strong in the middle."

Yeo was a versatile edge forward when he was starting out with the Panthers' under 20s in 2013 and spent the first part of his NRL career as that as well.

Yeo and Runciman went head-to-head on a couple of occasions during that 2013 season, with the latter starring after being named the Dragons' under 20s player of the year in 2012.

Runciman went on to debut for St George Illawarra midway through 2013 and in total scored six tries in 12 appearances for the club before making the move to the UK Super League in 2015.

Yeo's NRL debut came about in 2014 and while he's been a consistent performer at Penrith ever since, this year was when he took his game to a new level.

The Origin debut follows a season in which Yeo was named the Dally M Lock of the Year while he was also part of the Penrith side which won the minor premiership but was agonisingly beaten by the Melbourne Storm in the grand final.

"Once he made inroads into first grade you knew he was going to be there for a long time," Runciman added.

"It's all down to him, as well. He's got a nice family and it's good to see someone who really deserves it."

The pair stay in touch from time to time now, sharing a few messages usually before Yeo has a big game with the Panthers.

Runciman's own NRL career may be over but he's planning on again being a part of the Dragons reserve grade side in next year's NSW Cup after a COVID-affected 2020.

Helping younger players prepare for the top grade is something he takes great enjoyment in there and he hopes to see even more juniors from the western area push on to make their presence felt at the top level.

"It's been great to see. There's Burto (Matt Burton), Charlie Staines, and Kotoni Staggs had a sensational year," Runciman said.

"Hopefully there's more and more to come because there's a bit of a nursery developing around the Group 11 region."