The ACT Schoolboys squad have historically placed around the middle of the table at the National Schoolboys Championship, just behind rugby powerhouses NSW and Queensland. But this year, coach Daniel Hawke believes the team can lift, breaking into the upper echelon of the competition.
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“Usually NSW 1, NSW 2, QLD 1, and QLD 2, are the top four teams, while Canberra usually finishes about fifth, sort of halfway up,” Hawke said.
“But with the team we have got this year, we will be looking to definitely make that top four and hopefully get a spot in the grand final.”
Hawke’s confidence in the squad is not misplaced, with talent teeming from the selected list, and the Queanbeyan-bred coach citing specific areas in which his players dominate.
“The strength would be the halves,” Hawke said.
“There is one kid, Ryan Lonergan, who has just signed for the Brumbies as an 18-year-old.
“Mackenzie Hansen from Daramalan is also a pretty talented young fellow, and then there’s Siaosi Pulefale, an Eddie’s boy, and he’s pretty good as well, so between those three they should steer the ship pretty well.”
The 2016 Sebel Australian National Schoolboys Championships will be held at St Ignatius’ College Riverview, in Sydney, between Sunday, July 3 and Saturday, July 9.