Players from Western Sydney have dominated selection in the Sydney U18s representative side with 17 of the 23 players selected coming from Penrith, Parramatta or West Harbour. The squad will play matches against ACT Schools, NSW Country and GPS in June before a NSW U18s side is selected to play Victoria later that month. The majority of players selected are currently playing in the Shute Shield colts competition and while schoolboy rugby has traditionally been the main development pathway for young players, NSW Junior Rugby president Ben Gregory says this program gives more kids an opportunity to be identified. “We have done a lot of work to the club pathway in the U17 and U18’s which has traditionally seen player numbers either move to schools rugby or even other sports,” he said. “We are trying to offer a meaningful program to the aspirational club player and keep him in the game they play in heaven.” The NSW U18s side will also play NSW Gen Blue U19s later this year g