When Canberra Region Rugby League named three Goulburn City Bulldogs players in its representative teams to play Newcastle last weekend, First Grade coach Tyson Greenwood was unsurprised.
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Max Flack and Jack Peppernell were named in the CRRL Under 20s side, while Dillon Rota was the sole selection in the Open team, both of which faced off against the Newcastle Rebels outfits in Maitland on Saturday.
"All three of them have been playing consistent footy and they all deserve to be wearing that jumper, and I wasn't surprised when they were selected," Greenwood said.
"Max Flack's been doing a really good job for us in First Grade, and Jack Peppernell's been doing a really good job in First Grade as well as playing Under 19s too. There were no surprises when those two boys got picked in the 20s.
"Dillon was lucky enough to be a part of the Monaro side that took out the Country Championships, so I was half-expecting him to be picked again."
Flack played at fullback for the Under 20s, while Peppernell donned the number 13 jersey at lock and Rota was on the wing.
Tom Croker, who has played at centre for the Bulldogs' First Grade side this year, was also named in the Under 20s squad but was unable to take part due to a prior commitment.
Though the matches themselves went the way of the Rebels (36-18 in the Under 20s and 48-8 in the Opens), Greenwood was heartened to see the club's young talent recognised.
"We had three of our boys playing well in First Grade get rewarded with selection," he said.
"It's very good to see and very promising for Goulburn. And it's also good for those boys to get rewarded for the efforts they're putting in locally, too."
At 28, Rota is one of the oldest members of the Bulldogs' First Grade team. He initially joined the club in 2019 as an import from New Zealand during Adam Kyle's tenure as head coach.
During his time in Goulburn, Rota has consistently stood out, but due to his age and the 23-year age limit on the Monaro men's team - which was in place until this year - representative opportunities were scant.
That changed this year with the introduction of an Open Men's Country Championships division, for which Rota was immediately selected. Throughout March, he played at centre for the dominant Monaro outfit which eventually won the grand final.
"He's a very good player, but he was too old for the Under 23s," Greenwood said.
"They've gone away from that format, which is really good for blokes like Dillon. It's good to see him finally get rewarded and his age not be an issue.
"He's deadly wherever he goes and is playing good footy. He has the physical build to play wherever he wants, and he's got the talent to keep turning up week in, week out. It's really good to see him get rewarded."
This Saturday, all three will return to the Bulldogs' ranks when Goulburn takes on the West Belconnen Warriors at Raiders Belconnen.
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