A trio of young North Queensland Toyota Cowboys will make their National Youth Competition debuts when the side lines up for a Round 18 clash against the Canberra Raiders at Goulburn on Saturday.
Winger Kurt Wiltshire, halfback Jacob Bourke and interchange forward Rhein Frank will all play their first games in the pathways competition as the Cowboys look to cover a host of missing personnel through representative selection and injury.
Regular wingers Gideon Gela-Mosby and Marcus Jensen, along with prop Darryn Schonig and halfback Cooper Bambling, will all miss the game after being selected in the Queensland under-20s team to play New South Wales in the State of Origin III curtain-raiser in Sydney next Wednesday.
The quartet go into camp on Friday.
Reshuffling his lineup to cover the rep absences, coach Aaron Payne brings Jesse Pomare-Anderson into fullback, moving recent custodian Michael Carroll on to one wing, while Wiltshire makes his debut on the other flank.
Bambling’s pivotal No.7 jersey will be worn by Bourke, while Nick Lui Toso gets a chance to start at prop in Schonig’s place.
Payne has named a five-man bench at this stage, with Frank slated to wear the No.15 jersey.
North Queensland Toyota Cowboys NYC v Canberra Raiders NYC
4pm, Saturday 9 July, Goulburn
1. Jesse Pomare-Anderson
2. Michael Carroll
3. Bacho Salam
4. Cody Maughan
5. Kurt Wiltshire
6. Ty Carucci
7. Jacob Bourke
8. Nick Lui Toso
9. Brandon Smith (c)
10. Ross Bella
11. Emry Pere
12. Hiale Roycroft
13. Tahanui Tutavake
Interchange:
14. Trey Kemp
15. Rhein Frank
16. Corey Horsburgh
17. Kaleb Fuimaono
18. Jack Lote
Coach: Aaron Payne
