The Northern Inland Academy of Sport (NIAS) has announced applications for the Tamworth Services Club Rugby League and the Teys Australia Rugby Union program are now open.
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The Tamworth Services Club NIAS Rugby League program will again be a feature squad for boys turning 15 in 2019 and will kick off later than usual after the 2018 squad toured Fiji last September.
The squad will again be headed by Peter Stevens with Scott Bone, Craig Macleod, Jake McManus and Scott Blanch either coaching or managing the squad.
Of the program, head coach Peter Stevens said “since its reintroduction into NIAS three seasons ago, this program has allowed the boys to access programming that aligns with the CRL Greater Northern Tigers 16’s and 18’s Academies”.
The squad will complete regional training camps before touring Sydney to play against development squads from NRL Clubs.
CRL Regional Manager Scott Bone has said, “for the boys who we select into the NIAS program, they’ll all get an opportunity to test themselves against some of the best juniors in the country.
"We toured Sydney three years ago and that squad played against Albert Hopoate of Manly, he’s now in their NRL squad and a real chance of playing in the NRL this year”.
It will be expected that all players who are selected into the NIAS program make themselves available for selection into the Group 4 and Group 19 U15 squads for 2019.
In more exciting news for NIAS and following a 12 month hiatus, rugby union will return to the fold again in 2019 with the Academy welcoming a new sponsor for the program in Teys Australia.
The program will be for boys turning 13 in 2019, with a squad of 23 to be selected from the Central North and New England rugby regions.
NSW Rugby regional manager Garry Walsh, who will be involved with the program, is thrilled to have rugby back in the NIAS program.
“It’s absolutely great to be back with NIAS, we will run a squad for U13 boys in 2019 that we’ll select from Central North, New England and the Friday night rugby competition,” Walsh said. The NIAS rugby squad will tour New Zealand in September.