To help build the profile of the National Rugby Championship, the Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) and Rugby News have engaged a blogger from each of the eight NRC teams and you’ll hear from them on  multiple occasions throughout 2016.

First up, we hear from Greater Sydney Rams scrumhalf Scott Gale, who has made the move from Brisbane to Sydney after being told his Queensland Reds contract would not be renewed for the 2017 Super Rugby season. It’s tough news to take for the 21-year-old, who made his Reds debut in 2014 and has also starred for Queensland Country in the past two NRC seasons. Head to www.rupa.com.au for more.

By Scott Gale 

To me, the NRC is a really important competition, especially for young players. It provides that connection between Club Rugby and professional Rugby, and it gives professional teams the opportunity to identify which players can step up to that higher level.

I’ve only moved down to Sydney in the last couple of weeks. I finished up with the Reds at the end of the Super Rugby season, and even though I had the option to play NRC in Queensland again my manager spoke to Muggo (Rams’ Head Coach John Muggleton) to see if there was an opportunity at the Rams. I want to hopefully secure myself a starting gig down here at the Rams and get some good quality footy in; it’s a different part of Australia and a different opportunity for me, and I can’t wait to rip in.

I’ve got a fair bit of family down here and I’m settling into my new life, living with my uncle and cousin. I headed straight down after the Queensland Premier Rugby Grand Final and it’s been a pretty easy transition; the hardest thing was actually getting someone to move in to my house in Queensland so that I’m not paying double rent!

I had to pay for a fair bit of extra baggage when I flew down, and then as soon as I got here it’s all been about organising myself a car and finding out how to get around everywhere. I’m not too familiar with the Sydney roads so there’s been a fair bit of google maps being used!

As soon as I got to training it was clear that nothing else matters, and that a Rugby field and being part of a Rugby team is the same wherever you are in the world. As soon as Muggo blows that whistle its business time and we’re on, and I’ve enjoyed training with and getting to know all the Rams boys.

We haven’t named our squad publicly yet, but we’re working away behind closed doors and looking forward to letting our footy do the talking. We don’t have a lot of big names in our squad necessarily, but we actually view that as a good thing. We’re training really well and everything’s coming together very nicely. There are lots of guys who want to use this competition to get professional deals, and that’s very obvious at training; everybody is fighting for the chance to play, and there’s a lot of competition for places.

It’s quite a young squad, it’s definitely got a youthful feel to it, and there’s a few guys who’ve really impressed me already. (Flyhalf) Mitch Walton is somebody I didn’t know a lot about before I came down but he has looked really good in training, and then (flanker and former Australian Rugby Sevens star) Jordan Tuapou is another who has really ripped in and is a leader among the blokes. Then there’s also some of the more experienced and obvious blokes, the likes of (fullback Paul Asquith and (centre) Apolosi Latunipulu; I have to admit that I don’t even know how to pronounce his name yet, so I just call him Apo!

We’ve been counting down at every training session ahead of our first game against the Sydney Rays at North Sydney Oval this Sunday. Because they play against them every week in the Shute Shield the boys know a lot of the Rays players and there’s a bit of a cross-town rivalry; we’re pumped and ready to go!

For me personally, I have had a bit of a rough year on the injury front so my first target for this competition is to just stay on the park. When I have played this year I feel like I have put together some really good footy, so I just want to give myself the opportunity to do that at this higher level. Just getting some more minutes and playing some good footy to open some eyes; that’s the plan.

Obviously in the back of my mind is that it would be great to earn another Super Rugby deal and keep playing professionally in Australia. I don’t think I am done with Super Rugby yet, and I certainly don’t want to be done, but the first thing is to get out there on the field, enjoy my footy and play well. I think those last two things go hand in hand, so if I can have a good time then hopefully it will open up some opportunities.

This article originally appeared on www.rupa.com.au