True Blue Blake Ferguson headlines a star-studded Newcastle Rebels outfit that will be out to defend their Men’s Country Championship title when the NSWRL Major Competition kicks off on 2 March.
An unchanged team from 2023 will see Ferguson joined by former NRL players Will Smith – who played for Penrith, Parramatta, Gold Coast and Wests Tigers and Peter Mata’utia – who had stints with Newcastle and St George.
The Rebels were victorious in 2023, defeating the Riverina Bulls in a convincing 49-16 Grand Final win at Woy Woy Stadium.
Head Coach Garth Brennan believes that his team has what it takes to go all the way for the second consecutive year.
“I wanted to reward all the players that were part of last year’s successful campaign,” Brennan told Newcastle Rugby League.
“They have all been selected again this year and with the new players we’ve added, I think we have a very competitive squad.”
The Men’s Country Championships features 10 teams from across regional NSW that have been split into two pools of five to compete over two weekends.
The final four teams will progress through to the Semi-finals before the Grand Final.
The competition continues to offer players from Regional NSW an important pathway to continue to grow their skills and grow their success.
The Newcastle Rebels will kick off their campaign on Saturday 2nd March against the Central Coast at Cessnock Sportsground.
