2017 Australian U16s Merit Team announced following National Championships
| Nov 01 2017
An Australian U16s Merit Team has been announced following the inaugural U16s National Championships that were held earlier this year in Queensland.
Two sides from QLD and NSW and sides from ACT, Victoria, WA and Fiji contested the week long tournament in late September, with QLD Red defeating NSW I 21-12 in the final.
QLD and NSW players dominated selection in the merit team, with 12 and 9 players picked respectively, while ACT and WA both had one player each selected.
Australian U16s Merit Team:
| Number | Name | Team |
| 1 | Nick Jones | New South Wales 1 |
| 2 | Sam Finocharrio | Queensland Red |
| 3 | Bradley Kuhn | Queensland Red |
| 4 | Tom Hooper | New South Wales 1 |
| 5 | Zephaniah Tuinona | Queensland Red |
| 6 | Lance Bagon | Queensland Red |
| 7 | William Roach | Queensland Red |
| 8 | Joe Brial | New South Wales 1 |
| 9 | Lachlan Albert | New South Wales 1 |
| 10 | Carter Gordon | Queensland Red |
| 11 | Tolutai Koula | New South Wales 1 |
| 12 | John Connolly | New South Wales 1 |
| 13 | Reesjan Pasitoa | Queensland Red |
| 14 | Lachlan Tenison-Woods | Queensland Red |
| 15 | Dion Samuela | Queensland Red |
| 16 | Blake Males | New South Wales 1 |
| 17 | Harry Vella | Queensland Red |
| 18 | Turirangi Dylan Saunders | New South Wales 1 |
| 19 | Jack Gallagher | Queensland White |
| 20 | Harrison Newby | ACT |
| 21 | William Kirk | Queensland Red |
| 22 | Mason Hill | Western Australia |
| 23 | Daniel Ala | New South Wales 1 |