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NRL hails National Youth Competition a success

Roar Guru
2nd September, 2008
2

The NRL has hailed the inaugural National Youth Competition a roaring success after it helped launch more than 50 young players into first grade.

The Toyota Cup’s team of the year was named today and included a host of emerging stars including South Sydney halfback Chris Sandow, Penrith fullback Lachlan Coote, Bulldogs utility Ben Barba and Parramatta winger Tony Williams.

All were relatively unknown before the season but have established themselves in first grade after using their form in the under-20s competition as a stepping stone to the big time.

With growing concerns in the game about top talent being enticed overseas, Toyota Cup boss Michael Buettner said the competition had shown plenty of encouraging signs for the future.

“You don’t want to see your star players leave these shores but I guess when you do lose a couple you also know having seen this competition throughout the season that there’s plenty of good young players coming through,” the former North Sydney and Parramatta star said.

“There was a lot of criticism in particular about whether forwards would be able to cope, but I would say about 40 per cent of the players that have stepped up have been forwards.

“That myth that it would not provide a strong enough competition has gone now.”

A total of 52 players made the transition between Toyota Cup and the top grade this season, with NRL chief executive David Gallop saying it had proved an even greater pathway than expected.

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“I think the whole competition has exceeded expectation. It’s been a great stepping stone for those who’ve made it from Toyota Cup to NRL,” Gallop said today.

“The competition itself has been followed by fans, it’s been followed by television and that’s unique in Australian sport.”

Also among the squad named were Canberra winger Justin Carney, Gold Coast’s Jordan Rapana and Panthers hooker Masada Iosefa.

Each player will receive a $2000 education grant from the NRL.

The inaugural Toyota Cup player of the year will be named at the Dally M Awards night on Tuesday, with Sandow in the running for both that award and the NRL’s rookie of the year.

“When I first came down here, I wasn’t expecting to play first grade and I just wanted to come down here and give it a go but it’s turned out that I’ve played 12 games now,” Sandow said today.

“I’m really proud to be in this. Coming from an (Aboriginal) community, it’s a big honour to be playing footy in the big NRL.”

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