Narrabri rugby player Blake Ryan was recently selected into the Lloyd McDermott Rugby National Indigenous Youth Sevens team and will now compete on both the national and international stages in the coming weeks.
The 17-year-old will first compete for the Lloyd McDermott team at the 2019 National Under-18s Sevens Championships on the Sunshine Coast from Friday, November 29 to Sunday, December 1.
The following week Blake will travel with the team to New Zealand where it will compete at the annual World School Sevens Rugby Sevens tournament.
Blake attended a selection camp at the Runaway Bay Sports Complex, Gold Coast, last month where he was one of 25 players who were trialling for a spot on the 12-man team.
The news of Blake’s selection was even more pleasing as it completed a comeback from a knee injury which he sustained at the Lloyd McDermott trials in 2018 which later required surgery.
He told The Courier that he could not wait to link up with the team and play in Queensland and New Zealand.
“After the trials up in Queensland the knee felt good so I’m confident and keen to get into it,” he said.
“I didn’t like sitting on the sideline at all while I was injured.
“I cannot wait to go away and play at both tournaments.”
“Sevens is fun, it’s a lot faster than league and union is and I really like that.”
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