Jayden Blake was selected in the Junior Wallabies 45-player squad

Blake was one of several NSW players picked in the Junior Wallabies squad which will meet in Canberra on February 20 to prepare for the Oceania U20s Championship which is set to take place in early July.

A total of 45 of the best under 20s players from across Australia were selected for the camp which is the first of three before the Championships.

A surprised Blake said he didn't expect to be selected but is looking forward to getting around some of the game's best young talents.

"I'm keen to get into the new environment and be around all that sort of next level of footy," he said.

Blake believes the crop of NSW players will help him ease into the camp after knowing several of the players already through the Waratahs Academy.

"It will help settle the nerves a bit, I was pretty shocked," he said.

"I'm grateful to get picked but nervous as well. So I think the fact there are a few boys I've been training with already in there will help me settle a bit."

It's been a quick rise for Blake who was playing for the Dubbo Kangaroos back in 2020 before moving to Sydney in 2021 to pursue a rugby union career and link up with the NSW Academy.

An outside back, Blake admitted he could not believe how fast things have happened to him.

"No not really, more the fact the way I've been bought into it," he said.

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"Coming through the country system and was lucky enough to get seen and put in that side. I don't know it's all a bit of a shock for me. I only moved to Sydney last year because I got picked in the academy and now I'm being picked in the Junior Wallabies squad, it's pretty exciting."

Not looking too far ahead, Blake is hoping he can continue rising through the grades and impress the coaching staff at the camp.

"Hopefully, I'd like to keep getting selected and make the final side to play in the Oceania Championship," he said.

"But again, I'm going to be around a whole different type of training and facilities and all that kind of stuff. I'll just try and learn everything I can get from some of those coaches."

A perfect example of how strong the NSW Country Rugby system is, Blake believes some of the tougher games he has played in recent years at representative or Sydney level have helped prepare him for the next level of rugby.

"The City v Country games has probably helped me the most considering I would've been playing against those boys I would be playing if I was down in Sydney," he said.

"We had the academy game at the end of last year which was a pretty intense game so that helped. Even the Shute Shield first Colts comp has been a pretty big step up from footy back home so I think that has helped condition me for it."

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