# New South Wales Under-18's rugby league team

The New South Wales Under-18's rugby league team, also known as New South Wales Under-18's or New South Wales U18, represents New South Wales in the sport of rugby league at an under-18 age level. Since 2008, the team has played an annual fixture against the Queensland Under-18's team as a curtain raiser to a State of Origin game. The team features players selected from New South Wales's premier under-18 rugby league competition, the S.G. Ball Cup. They are administered by the New South Wales Rugby League.

## History

Prior to 2008, junior interstate matches were contested at under-17 and under-19 levels. In 2008, with the advent of the National Youth Competition, the age levels switched to an under-16 and under-18 format to keep in line with the NSWRL's existing SG Ball Cup and Harold Matthews Cup competitions and the QRL's Mal Meninga Cup and Cyril Connell Cup competitions, which would begin in 2009.
New South Wales saw success in the first four under-18 Origin fixtures, winning every game until 2012. New South Wales would win another two more fixtures in 2013 and 2014 before picking up their second lose in 2015, losing to Queensland 22-18 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Since 2015 New South Wales have won every under-18 Origin fixture, in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

## Players

Players selected for the New South Wales under-18 team are usually contracted with a National Rugby League (NRL) side but play in either the S.G. Ball Cup, Holden Cup or Intrust Super Premiership competitions. Each pre-season the New South Wales Rugby League will select an under-18 squad featuring players in contention for the mid-season fixture.

### Notable players

Since 2008, fifteen former New South Wales under-18 players have gone onto represent New South Wales at State of Origin level:
* Josh Dugan
* Wade Graham
* William Hopoate
* Aaron Woods
* David Klemmer
* Jake Trbojevic
* Jack Bird
* Latrell Mitchell
* Tom Trbojevic
* Nick Cotric
* Payne Haas
* Cameron Murray
* Jack Wighton
* Dale Finucane
* Clint Gutherson

## Results
### 2008

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2008 State of Origin series.
* 11 June 2008
| Queensland U18 | 12 – 34 | New South Wales U18 |
| Tries Gerard Beale 1 Pat O'Hanlon 1 Goals Jordan Rankin 2 | Report | Tries Matthew Wright 3 Lachlan Coote 1 Albert Kelly 1 Mitchel Johnson 1 Goals Lachlan Coote 5 |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

### 2009

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2009 State of Origin series.
* 24 June 2009
| New South Wales U18 | 24 – 6 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Josh Portlock 2 Nathan Massey 1 Joseph Roqoko 1 Goals Chad Townsend 4 | Report | Tries Michael Morgan 1 Goals Jordan Rankin 1 |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Robert Brown

### 2010

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2010 State of Origin series.
* 16 June 2010
| Queensland U18 | 18 – 22 | New South Wales U18 |
| Tries Kirisome Auva'a 2 Lachlan Maranta 1 Aaron Whitchurch 1 Goals Kyle Feldt 1 | | Tries Lachlan Burr 1 Nathan Green 1 Alex McKinnon 1 Goals Jacob Miller 5 |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Peter Gough

### 2011

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2011 State of Origin series.
* 15 June 2011
| New South Wales U18 | 16 – 6 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Sam Coster 1 Michael Lichaa 1 Kyle Lovett 1 Goals Curtis Sironen 2 | | Tries Tautau Moga 1 Goals Anthony Gadd 1 |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney

### 2012

Played as a curtain raiser to Game III of the 2012 State of Origin series.
* 4 July 2012
| New South Wales U18 | 18 – 24 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Mitchell Moses 1 Tyrone Phillips 1 Jake Trbojevic 1 Goals Clinton Gutherson 3 | Report | Tries Caleb Timu 2 Luke Bateman 1 Patrick Kaufusi 1 Goals Anthony Milford 4 |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Matt Noyen

### 2013

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2013 State of Origin series.
* 26 June 2013
| Queensland U18 | 6 – 56 | New South Wales U18 |
| Tries Ellery Tusa 1 Goals Jayden Nikorima 1 | Report | Tries Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 3 Jackson Hastings 2 Alex Johnston 2 Sione Mata'utia 2 Zach Dockar-Clay 1 Michael Morgan 1 Goals Jackson Hastings 6 |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Michael Gordon

### 2014

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2014 State of Origin series.
* 18 June 2014
| New South Wales U18 | 24 – 10 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Matthew Dufty 2 Lachlan Croker 1 Latrell Mitchell 1 Tom Trbojevic 1 Goals Jackson Hastings 2 | Report | Tries Lindsay Collins 1 Kieran Duffin 1 Goals Cooper Bambling 1 |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Liam Nicholls

### 2015

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2015 State of Origin series.
* 17 June 2015
| New South Wales U18 | 18 – 22 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Ryan Papenhuyzen 1 Curtis Scott 1 Reimis Smith 1 Goals Brock Lamb 3 | Report | Tries Joshua Fauid 1 Tristan Hope 1 Thomas Mikaele 1 Jaydn Su'A 1 Goals Joshua Fauid 3 |
* MCG, Melbourne Referee: Jarrod Cole

### 2016

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2016 State of Origin series.
* 22 June 2016
| Queensland U18 | 0 – 26 | New South Wales U18 |
| | Report | Tries Zac Lomax 2 Tui Afualo 1 Isaac Lumelume 1 Ryan Papenhuyzen 1 Samuel Radovu 1 Goals Zac Lomax 1 |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Nick Pelgrave

### 2017

Played as a curtain raiser to Game II of the 2017 State of Origin series.
* 21 June 2017
| New South Wales U18 | 35 – 28 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries Luke Metcalf 3 Sebastian Kris 2 Ethan Parry 1 Goals Zac Lomax 5 Field Goals Zac Lomax 1 | Report | Tries Logan Bayliss-Brow 1 Eddie Blacker 1 Ronaldo Mulitalo 1 Treymain Spry 1 Murray Taulagi 1 Goals Travis Turnbull 4 Field Goals |
* ANZ Stadium, Sydney Referee: Darian Furner

### 2018

Played as a curtain raiser to Game I of the 2018 State of Origin series.
* 6 June 2018
| New South Wales U18 | 16 – 10 | Queensland U18 |
| Tries: Bronson Xerri (45') 1 Jason Saab (55') 1 Stefano Utoikamanu (75') 1 Goals: Jock Madden 2/3 (47', 76') | 1st: 0 – 6 2nd: 16 – 4 | Tries: 1 (13') Tino Fa'asuamaleaui 1 (60') David Fifita Goals: 1/2 Tanah Boyd (15') |
* MCG, Melbourne Referee: Keiren Irons