Lee and Boyd to square off in the U20s State of OriginCanberra Raiders Toyota Cup team mates Edrick Lee and Shannon Boyd will battle it out for their respective states when the two rising stars face each other in the Under 20s State of Origin clash this Saturday (April 21) at Penrith’s Centrebet Stadium.
Lee will line up in the centres for Queensland whilst the blockbusting Shannon Boyd will take his place on the bench for New South Wales after NSWRL Chairman, Mr John Chalk and QRL Chief Executive Officer, Mr Robert Moore, today announced the teams in Sydney and Brisbane respectively.
NSW will be coached by former Origin great Dean Pay whilst QLD will be coached by another former Origin and Raiders great Kevin Walters. Both former stars are interestingly now Melbourne Storm coaching colleagues.
The Raiders Toyota Cup side is currently placed fourth in the competition due to for and against points differential and are widely regarded as one of the most dangerous and highly talented teams in the competition.
Boyd and Lee are definitely two of the reasons behind the side’s early success in 2012. Boyd’s brutal defence and attack and Lee’s incisive running game and ability to set up his outside support players are key features of the young Raiders’ game plan. Coach Andrew Dunemann believes their selection is a just reward for their efforts so far this season.
“Both of those boys spent parts of the pre-season training with the NRL squad and their performances so far this year have been outstanding,” said Dunemann.
“Edrick is one of the best attacking centres in the competition and Shannon attracts plenty of attention whilst carrying the ball and certainly hurts opposition ball runners in defence.”
“I’m really pleased with both players having been selected for their respective states. It’s a well deserved reward for their efforts so far for the Raiders and they won’t let anybody down.”
Boyd and Lee are a strong advertisement for the Toyota Cup both on and off the field with the talented duo most definitely abiding by the “No, work, no study, no play” policy.
Boyd is currently undertaking a Business Administration Traineeship whilst Lee is studying a Certificate 3 in Sport and Recreation at the same time as working as a car detailer.
“The most pleasing aspect about the players selected is that they have embraced the game’s work and study philosophy which has only complemented their development as players,” said NRL Welfare and Education Manager, Mr Paul Heptonstall.
Source: Raiders
Topic: It's Raider V Raider on Saturday - State Against State, Mate Against Mate
