Rising stars of the junior game will have the chance to represent their regions with the announcement today of a new opportunity for Under 16 boys.
In lieu of an interstate game against a NSW side; the Queensland Rugby League will instead be providing more players the chance to experience a representative fixture with the staging of a City v Country match.
The Queensland Under 16 City (South East Queensland Region) v Queensland Under 16 Country (combined Northern Region and Central Region) match is set to be staged as part of a huge day of rugby league at Dolphin Stadium on Intrust Super Cup grand final day on September 29.
Selection in the two squads will come predominately from performances in this year’s Junior State Championships which are currently taking place on the Sunshine Coast.
All you need to know about the 2019 Junior State Championships
Where possible, players will be selected for the team that most closely resembles their initial involvement in the game as an acknowledgement of the work the regions have done to develop their skills.
As an example, current Broncos halfback Tom Dearden played in the carnival in 2017 and would have been eligible for selection in either the City or Country team as he was playing for SEQ, but played the majority of his junior football in north Queensland.
Outstanding performances by players in the representative match will be rewarded with selection in the Queensland Under 16 Merit team which will be selected at the conclusion of the game, with players to be presented with maroon jerseys as part of the post-match presentation.
Both the teams will enter camp on the Wednesday in the lead up to the game, with the team announcements to come post-carnival, closer to the game via QRL.com.au.
Full match details will also be provided closer to the proposed date.
