World Cup fever is about to hit Cobar in a big way with one of the town's former sons on the verge of playing in one of the world's great sporting events.
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Kain Cross has been selected in the American Eagles train-on squad that needs to beat Russia and China in the Northern Zone qualifying trials to earn a World Cup berth.
Parents Bill and Daphne Cross still live at Cobar and are bracing for what could turn out to be a memorable month of rugby union.
A goal-kicking centre three-quarter with the Santa Monica club in California, Cross gained selection in the 30 strong Eagles train-on squad having to come to prominence as a member of the Southern California representative team.
Southern California accounted for arch rival Mid West to win the all star championships at Tampa, Florida, and selectors were quick to notice the performance of Cross.
Rugby union has only become a recent passion for Cross after he made a name for himself in Australia as a talented rugby league player.
Before moving to Los Angeles to marry his American fiancee, Cross played with Western Suburbs and Perth-based Western Reds.
Cross learned all his junior rugby league in Cobar but never played senior football with the Roosters as he attended St Gregory's College Campbelltown in his latter school years.
While playing for St Gregory's Cross gained selection in the Australian Schoolboys team where he ran into one of his former junior league team-mates, Nik Kosef.
"Kain and Nik played junior league together right through the 10s, 12s, 14s and 16s and I think they won a heap of premierships during that time," former Cobar president Bob Clark said.
"Kain was actually the captain of those sides and then he and Nik went on to both gain selection in the Australian Schoolboys team in the same year.
"He played under Peter Mulholland at St Gregory's who was also coaching one of the Western Suburbs lower grade teams at that stage.
"When Peter went to Perth to coach the Western Reds he asked Kain to go with him and I think after he left there he spent a bit of time at either the Broncos or South Queensland."
