mmg.com.au

Three local boys have beaten 200 hopefuls to be selected for the under-15 Murray Western Riverina football team.

Barooga Football Club players Jye Noonan, Ben Brooks and Harrison Evans said they enjoyed the games and training and were pleased to be given an opportunity to test their skills in the pre-season.

Evans’ mother Leanne said she was very proud of her son, who has been playing football since he was about eight years old.

‘‘They have been training hard since before Christmas,’’ she said.

The trio found out they had been selected for the elite team in January after trials at Deniliquin.

‘‘I was pretty pumped when I got picked,’’ Noonan said.

‘‘Mum and dad are pretty proud.’’

Brookes, who has played for Barooga for about two-and-a-half years, said he was also grateful for the opportunity to play against teams from Canberra, Albury and Wagga Wagga.

‘‘I was pretty happy to be selected,’’ Brookes said.

He said they had been training every Wednesday at Deniliquin and that he felt even the extra pre-season training had been beneficial and should put him in good stead to perform well for Barooga this year.

‘‘We’ve had to pick our speed up and there has been more of a focus on running, our fitness and (ball handling) skills.’’

The team is coached by Kieran Colling, who normally coaches the under-13s at Deniliquin Football Club.

This is the first time any of the Barooga players have been selected for the under-15 Murray Western Riverina football team.

So far they have had some challenging matches with a lot of travel involved in the past few weeks, first against ACT and then against Albury.

The lads will take on Wagga Wagga at Canberra on Saturday, which will be the final game in the pre-season competition.

All three have a chance of being selected for the NSW Giants Academy, with scouts choosing the best players from each of the competing teams.

Special mention should go to Carmen O’Dwyer who nominated the Barooga Football Club junior players to try out for the team.