Teenage Glen Innes rugby league player Lachlan Chard will line up for Greater Western under 18’s at the NSW Combined High Schools trials in two weeks after playing a starring role for the North West team.
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The backrower and his Greater Western teammates will face the best school-aged rugby league players in the state with the chance to make the NSW squad.
“Lachy was selected in the back row due to his exceptional ability to read defence and his attacking skills,” coach Tim Polson said.
“We played Western and started slow, were very dominant and worked our way back into the match but some poor last tackle options cost us the match.”
Chard plays for the Glen Innes Magpies under 18’s in the Group 19 competition and coach of the side Gavin Peterson said it was a well-deserved selection for the versatile forward.
“He is a very skillful backrower and he is a great leader,” he said.
He is pretty hard to contain for most of the other teams, he can generally get an offload away and a bit of second-phase play off him.
- Gavin Peterson
“He is very committed – he puts a lot of time into training and preparing himself the best way he can.
“Last year he played a fair bit of five-eighth but he is finding that playing in the backrow now he can still play with the ball a bit but take the line on and he is doing really well at that.
“He is pretty hard to contain for most of the other teams, he can generally get an offload away and a bit of second-phase play off him.”
Chard is no stranger to representative-level rugby league with an appearance for the Greater Northern Tigers this year.
“He played in the second row for the Greater Northern Tigers and played quite well and impressed a number of people in those games that he played for them so I think he will handle this fairly well,” Peterson said.
“It is pretty exciting times for him and hopefully he can progress further and stake a claim for the state team.”
Greater Western 18’s rugby league side: 1. Charlie Staines - Forbes 2. Ashley Cosgrove – Kelso 3.Harrison Hopkins – Lithgow 4. Nathan Swaine – Orange 5. Jack Stafford - Inverell 6. Ryan Manning – Orange 7. Brayden Bourke – Bathurst 8. Elijah Smyth – Orange 9. Max Altus – Farrer 10. Alek Hall – Farrer 11. Colby Peckham – Dubbo 12. Lachlan Chard – Glen Innes 13. Ethan Campbell – Inverell 14. Trent Taylor – Farrer 15. Pat Halsley – Bathurst 16. Jarrod Peachey – Dubbo 17. Cody Burne – Farrer