Castlereagh ready to cause a shock, earn Rams honours, and build a legacy

There wasn't any great need to - everyone knows James after he led the Gulgong Terriers to the premiership and the NSW Rugby League's Clayton Cup last year - but he was eager to send an early message.

"I said 'look, I'm the old bloke here but I'm here to try to help you guys progress in the rep scene'," James said.

"I think our comp is getting better and better every year ... I don't see why we shouldn't be able to play a bit of rep footy.

"My aim out of this is to try and get one, two or three of the guys to get picked for Western Rams."

It's been much more than talk, as well.

While Group 11 and Group 10 coaches and selectors have been forced into making changes to the respective squads last week and will train a maximum of once before Saturday, it's been a professional build-up from Castlereagh.

Despite the competition stretching from Cobar to Gulgong, interested players had a number of sessions together before a group of roughly 30 was trimmed down to a final 19-man squad on Sunday.

Coolah leaders and Burgess brothers Chanse and Casey - who played for Peter McDonald Premiership grand finalists Dubbo CYMS and Mudgee last year - headline the squad while former Western forward Luke Thompson has also been selected.

As well as the old faces, there are exciting newcomers like young Narromine fullback Darby Gordon and premiership-winning Gulgong centre Mitch McWhirter.

"I said the only way we're going to get selected for Western Rams is if we match these teams. If we get flogged, there's going to be no chance," James said.

"If we go in with the right intent and match it, I'll be over the moon if one of the young blokes or any of the boys got picked for the Western Rams."

The list of Castlereagh players to earn Western selection in recent history is a brief one.

James is one of those, having been a part of the Western side which took on the Federation of Italian Rugby League Australia (FIRLA) in 2016, while Jeremy Thurston and Brad Pickering are others who first made a name for themselves in the small town competition.

The preparation is one reason James is quietly confident of a strong showing at Wellington but another is the improving standard of play in his competition.

Just a few years ago the Castlereagh League was like so many other small town competitions as it allowed unlimited interchanges and larger squads.

But a change was made to limit interchanges to 12 - and it could be soon further cut to 10 - forcing players and teams to simply be fitter and better.

Now, all those involved are keen to showcase that improvement in 40-minute matches against the much more-fancied Group 11 and Group 10.

"I've talked to them about how we're not even talked about in the lead-up," James said.

"It's about Group 10 and Group 11 and we're not even mentioned.

"Those comps are the premiers comps, and I'm not denying that, but it's a really good opportunity for us to show what we've got.

"I think our game plan will work and I'm just hoping that with the excitement around it, we just out-enthuse them. I think we'll go really well."

One of the main reasons James has set such a high standard and worked to create a culture around the squad is so it can continue for years to come.

At 32, the five-eighth knows he doesn't have many seasons left in him but he's determined to see his competition play its part at representative carnivals long into the future.

"In future years, I want Castlereagh to be playing Group 10 and Group 11 every year, not once every five years," James said.

The work has gone unnoticed with representatives from Group 16 - on the south coast - having already reached out and asked about taking on Castlereagh given they don't have many representative opportunities of their own.