Group 10 coach Graeme Osborne has sprung a representative round shock by naming a reserve grade player in his squad to tackle Group 11 in the annual Western Division derby.
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Bears prop Nic Barlow has been named in the 17-man squad to take on the red and blacks at Blayney's King George Oval on Saturday.
Barlow is new to the Bears in 2023 having played with Canowindra in the Woodbridge Cup last season, but his signing at the club was completed with the view of the Blayney club making the leap up to the Peter McDonald Premiership's top flight in the near future.
That dream will receive somewhat of a litmus test this weekend, with Barlow - a Rams representative in his junior years - to go toe-to-toe with some of the competition's biggest names for the first time.
Group 11 has named a formidable pack, with Justin Toomey-White, Alex Ronayne and Will Wardle joining Forbes' premiership winning young-gun Charlie Lennon in the visiting side.
For Group 10, the undefeated Mudgee Dragons dominated at the selection table with seven players named to where blue and white.
Dynamic No.9 Jack Beasley headlines the Dragons contingent, with veteran outside back Corin Smith also set to return to Group 10 colours in 2023.
After a stunning win over rivals St Pat's on Saturday in the NRL curtain-raiser, Panthers' quartet of Jake and Jed Betts, Nick Tilburg and Dave Sellers have also been picked. It'll be a return home of sorts for Tilburg, a Blayney junior.
Hawks have been snubbed, with no players named, while CYMS inspiring captain-coach Ethan McKellar has earned a spot in the Group 10 squad.
Injured Mudgee captain-coach Clay Priest was unavailable for selection.
Saturday's clash with mark the first Group 10 versus Group 11 clash since 2021 in Lithgow, with the division's eastern group coming up trumps to make it three wins in a row after victories in Forbes in 2019 and Bathurst in 2018.
The annual fixture in 2022 was meant to be played in September, but the timing of the fixtures forced the cancellation of those divisional contests last year.
- Group 10 first grade: Corin Smith, Jake Durrant, Percy Stockton, Jayden Brown, Andrew Bain, Casey Burgess, Jack Beasley (Mudgee), Jake Betts, Jed Betts, Nick Tilburg, Dave Sellers (Panthers), Ethan McKellar (CYMS), Ash Cosgrove, Luke Single (St Pat's), Nic Barlow (Blayney), Riley Dukes, Dylan Dukes (Workies).
- Group 11 first grade: 1 Mitch Andrews, 2 Josh Nixon, 3 Cale Dunn, 4 Jeremy Thurston, 5 Ash Widders, 6 Alex Bonham, 7 Josh Merritt, 8 Mac Dutfield, 9 Billy Gilbert, 10 Charlie Lennon, 11 Justin Toomey-White, 12 Alex Ronayne, 13 Will Wardle; 14 Takita Mapapalangi, 15 Tom Stimpson, 16 Corey Cox, 17 Tyrone Tattersall.
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