Wests Tigers have continued to develop its strong partnership with Keebra Park State High School — located in Southport, Queensland — with four more young players joining the Club’s extended NRL and NYC squads for pre-season training.
JJ Felise and Te Kapua Murray have joined the full-time NRL squad this week and will spend five weeks with the squad in the lead up to the Christmas break.
Two more players, Aranui Tiawharangi and Ryland Jacobs, have joined the Club’s NYC Holden Cup squad for the next five weeks under Head Coach Brett Kimmorley, and will be joined by Felise and Murray in the NYC squad for the start of the 2015 season.
Taylor said that he expected the young players would greatly benefit from the experience of training alongside quality players in a professional environment.
“I think it’s a great thing that both JJ and Te Kapua can train with us, and that Aranui and Ryland can start training with Noddy [Brett Kimmorley] as well," said Taylor.
“It’s a great experience for them personally to be alongside first-grade players in that intense pre-season training environment, and it’s one that will no doubt benefit them and the Club next year, as well as going forward into the future.
“The talent that this Club has seen come out of Keebra in the last few years has been fantastic, and we look forward to seeing what these boys can do in years to come.”
The four players continue a rich and strong partnership spanning more than a decade between Keebra Park State High School and Wests Tigers, with a number of players making the transition from one environment to the other in that time.
Starting perhaps most famously with Benji Marshall, several players have gone on to make their first-grade debut with Wests Tigers — including current member Kurtis Rowe — with a number of others are currently plying their trade in Wests Tigers' NYC squad in 2015, including 2014 Junior Kiwis Te Maire Martin, Watson Heleta and Lamar Liolevave.
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