Sharks Holden Cup squad members Isaac Lumelume, Jesse Ramien and Billy Magoulias have been selected in the NSW Under 20’s team to play Queensland in a curtain-raiser to State of Origin game one.
Named in a NSW team to be coached by former Newcastle and Blues hooker Danny Buderus, the trio will assemble for a medical and team dinner at NSWRL Headquarters on Friday, May 26, before departing for Kiama to begin a training camp.
They will then travel to Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane ahead of the game against the Queensland Under 20’s on Wednesday week.
The selection for Ramien continues an exciting year for the 20-year-old Coonamble product, with the centre/winger playing in the World Club Championship Final for the Sharks against Wigan and then for the Junior Kangaroos in a recent Test Match against the Junior Kiwis.
After starting the season in the Holden Cup under 20’s, Ramien has been playing against more experienced opposition in the Intrust Super Premiership with the Newtown Jets.
For Ramien’s backline partner Lumelume, his naming in the NSW team is a welcome boost in what has been a difficult season so far.
A member of the NSW Under 18’s squad in 2016, Lumelume suffered a serious injury towards the back end of last season and has only recently returned to the field. His performances for the Sharks in the handful of games he has played, in combination with his impressive display for the Blues 18s last year, appears to have been enough to earn him selection this time around.
As for Magoulias, the Sharks Holden Cup lock has been one his teams’ best through the first 11 rounds of the current season with his consistent form a major reason they sit on top of the NYC table.
Playing his junior rugby league for the Cronulla Caringbah club, Magoulias was involved in the Sharks junior development and academy program as a 14-year-old and has progressed through the Junior Rep system and into the NYC squad in the years that followed.
The NSW Under 20’s side were successful in beating Queensland by 36-22 in the corresponding match last year.
The NSW Under-20 team is as follows:
1. Nick Meaney Newcastle Knights
2. Isaac Lumelume Cronulla Sharks
3. Jesse Ramien Cronulla Sharks
4. Curtis Scott Melbourne Storm
5. Reuben Garrick St George Illawarra Dragons
6. Jai Field St George Illawarra Dragons
7. Troy Dargan Parramatta Eels
8. Emre Guler Canberra Raiders
9. Reece Robson St George Illawarra Dragons
10. Blake Lawrie St George Illawarra Dragons
11. Cameron Murray South Sydney Rabbitohs
12. Jack Murchie Canberra Raiders
13. Nat Butcher Sydney Roosters
14. Victor Radley Sydney Roosters
15. Ray Stone Parramatta Eels
16. Stefano Hala Penrith Panthers
17. Billy Magoulias Cronulla Sharks
18. Jai Whitbread Brisbane Broncos
