League: Schoolboy talent on show

The Northland schoolboy competitions are proving to be a fertile ground for talent. Photo / RLN

Northland schoolboy age-grade rugby league has kicked off again.

Following this year's Adam Blair Cup - in which 11 Northland secondary schools competed for bragging rights - the Rugby League Northland (RLN) Friday night club 16s and 18s junior divisions swung into action last week.

RLN development manager Aaron Thomas said the standard in the region, particularly in the junior grades, was high.

"With many young players realising that rugby league provides an achievable pathway to the NRL, lots of players including rugby players, are now deciding to switch codes or play both," Thomas said.

"RLN has identified that some players want to play rugby league and rugby and this initiative suits that desire."

The Friday night football competition will provide an arena of development for upcoming talent.

The Whangarei games for this year's competition will be played at Hikurangi, the Mid North games at Moerewa and the Far North games at Ahipara.

All 16s age-grade games are to kick off at 6pm, with the 18s age-grade games starting at 7pm. These grades will serve as the breeding ground for the Northern Swords 15s and 17s, who will have their first round of trials in the inaugural Hapu 9s competition in Kaikohe on May 30.

The Swords are fast becoming recognised as a new talent pool, with the latest recruitment being James Dean Fisher-Harris, who signed for the Penrith Panthers and recently debuted for the Junior Kiwis.

Other NRL players to come from the region include Adam Blair, Elijah Taylor and Sam McKendry, ex-Swords players.

The Swords will be selected from the 16s and 18s junior club competition and will be involved in high-performance camps arranged by professionals.

The players will represent their province at the Upper Zone and national age-group championships in Rotorua this year.