The next generation of Rugby League players, including the son of Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler and the grandchildren of True Blue and Immortal Bob Fulton, will showcase their skills when the Junior Representatives season kicks off tomorrow.
Fans will be able to catch all the action from the opening round on NSWRL TV, with the Harold Matthews Cup and Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup matches between the Sydney Roosters and the Parramatta Eels at Mascot Oval being live streamed on the NSWRL Facebook page.
Fittler’s son, Zach Fittler, will line up in the backrow for the Roosters while Fulton’s grandsons, Jake and Kobe, will play respectively in the Sea Eagles teams for the Harold Matthews Cup and SG Ball Cup to face the Canberra Raiders at Belconnen Oval.
“I love watching my kids play sport,” Fittler said. “I’m sure every parent enjoys sitting on the sideline and the bigger the occasion the more exciting it gets.
“I love watching Zach play footy, he’s very different to what I was, but he has his own way of making an impact for his team.
“I’m really excited. Just watching him pull on a Roosters jersey is a great moment.”
Other players with Rugby League pedigrees featuring this weekend include Yillara Widders, the daughter of former NRL star and Parramatta Eels NRLW coach Dean Widders, and Kasey Taaffe, the cousin of South Sydney Rabbitohs young gun, Blake Taaffe.
Both players will turn out for the South Sydney Rabbitohs to face the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup at Belmore Oval tomorrow. It is the first time the Rabbitohs are playing in the competition, after Souths Juniors fielded a team in 2018.
“It’s really special for a lot of us and being the first team for Souths is a big accomplishment,” Taaffe said.
“A lot of teams haven’t seen us play before so it’s good to be the underdogs and no-one knows how you will go.”
Widders said: “I grew up around footy with my uncle and Dad playing. I get a lot of knowledge off them and they teach me what I have to do to make it. They lead me and guide me.”
The NSWRL announced last week that NSWRL TV will showcase 188 games this season across all formats of game from the Sydney metropolitan area to regional NSW.
The competitions being covered include the SLE Andrew Johns Cup, Harold Matthews Cup, SLE Laurie Daley Cup, Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup, SG Ball Cup, Men’s and Women’s Country Championships, Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership, Country v City and The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup. All the action is live and free.
The live stream will commence tomorrow at 10am. Click here to watch NSWRL TV.
