Wests Tigers 2019 Development Players Jock Madden and Tommy Talau will take a break from pre-season training over the next month as they tour the United Kingdom as part of the annual Australian Schoolboys squad.
Madden and Talau — who both joined the club ahead of the 2019 season — have been rewarded with selection in the squad following their strong 2018 seasons at the Newcastle Knights and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs respectively.
The duo were presented with their jerseys by Kangaroos Coach Mal Meninga at Rugby League Central on Tuesday before departing for the month-long tour.
Madden starred in a NSW Catholic Combined Colleges team in 2018 which beat NSW Combined High Schools in the final, while Talau was part of the Bulldogs' SG Ball side that narrowly went down to the Penrith Panthers in this year's final.
Also the pair in this year's Schoolboys squad is Zac Cini, who joins the club from the Penrith Panthers. Cini will be part of the club's Jersey Flegg side in 2019, before beginning his development contract with Wests Tigers in 2020.
Wests Tigers would like to wish all three players good luck on the Schoolboys tour!
2018 AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS SQUAD
Max Altus — Farrer Memorial Agricultural College, Tamworth
Jalal Bazzaz — Illawarra Sports High School, Berkeley
Bradman Best — Brisbane Waters Secondary College, Woy Woy
Zac Cini — St Dominic's College, Penrith
Juwan Compain — Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, Gold Coast
Stephen Crichton — Patrician Brothers College, Blacktown
Harry Croker — Taree High School, Taree
Tom Dearden — Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, Gold Coast
Matthew Doorey — Westfields Sports High School, Fairfield West
Matthew Dragisic — Marist College, Canberra
Ryan Gray — De La Salle College, Revesby Heights
Jock Madden — All Saints College, Maitland
Luca Moretti — Waverley College, Waverley
Ratu Nanovo — Cambridge Park High School, Cambridge Park
Tesi Niu — Marsden State High School, Logan
Franklin Pele — Endeavour Sports High School, Caringbah
Jason Saab — Westfields Sports High School, Fairfield West
Tommy Talau — Westfields Sports High School, Fairfield West
Jayden Tanner — Patrician Brothers College, Blacktown
Peni Teaupa — Holy Cross College, Ryde
Star To'a — Newcastle High School, Newcastle
Bronson Xerri — Endeavour Sports High School, Caringbah
