By JARROD POTTER
BUSTING their way through the packs of Western Australian, South Australian and Northern Territory scrums will be nine Hallam Senior College rugby league players.
The magnificent nine will form the core of the Victorian team set to challenge the rest of Australia at the Combined Affiliated States Schoolboys Championships in Adelaide over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
Squad member James Brooks was thrilled to make the schoolboy team and hoped Victoria could hold aloft the Sam Davey Plate again this year.
“Probably to win it – that would definitely be good – we’ve got the side to do it,” Brooks said.
“It’s really good to play alongside my school mates as well.”
Brooks and his Hallam school mates are set to don the Victorian colours and attempt to win their sixth successive Sam Davey Plate.
Hallam Senior College Head of Rugby League Jamie Fardell said the Hallam boys are exceptional players and they can win the championship and earn spots in the combined states team for the national championships.
“We’re definitely stoked and when they (the school) hear how many of the boys are playing at a higher level, I think they’ll be quite surprised,” Fardell said.
Fardell believes the current crop of Hallam-based Victorian players is among the best the school has ever had through their halls.
“I think our dominance at this tournament can continue and we’re hoping out of the Victorian team that we can get 13 boys to go away to Darwin.
“Pretty highly – I think this year’s team and last year’s team are the strongest sides we’ve had for a long time, so hopefully someone like Ben Halfpenny can strive to get an Australian Schoolboy’s jumper.
“We’ve only had one before so let’s hope we’ve got someone in this current group that can do that.”
Hallam Senior College is accepting applications for next year’s intake of budding rugby players for their sports academy. For more information, contact the school on 9703 1266.
Ikapote Tupai, from Cranbourne, will also represent Victorian rugby, but for him it will be for the Victorian Rugby Union Schoolboys 18’s team to compete at the Australian Schoolboy Championships in Sydney this July.
HALLAM SENIOR COLLEGE – VICTORIAN RUGBY LEAGUE AND RUGBY UNION REPRESENTATIVES
LEAGUE – Ben Halfpenny, Melvin Fifita, Paula Fifita, Robert Aratangi, Keenan Pesamino, James Brooks, Tokorima Metua, Eddy Tuilotolava and Tim Merrit.
UNION – Ikapote Tupai.
