The 2023 rugby league season may only be a couple of months old but it's already delivered a roller-coaster of emotions for Kapene Karaitiana.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Gilgandra young gun was signed by the Canberra Raiders but missed out on selection in their Harold Matthews Cup under 16s side for 2023.
As disappointing as that was, it did allow him the chance to play in the Andrew Johns Cup with the Western Rams.
READ ALSO:
It was an opportunity the powerful front-rower took with both hands and his performances resulted in him being the only Western player to earn selection in the NSW Country under 16s squad.
Karaitiana goes into camp at Sydney on Wednesday before pulling on the Country jersey for the clash with City at Jubilee Stadium.
"I was shocked," the softly-spoken prop said.
"I didn't believe it at first but then I saw the team and saw I was in."
"Honoured and excited" were the words used to describe the feeling of being the only Western player to make NSW Country across the under 16s and under 18s.
In total, four Western players will wear Country jerseys this week after Woodbridge trio Elizabeth MacGregor, Paige Bohringer and Alana O'Loughlin were named in the women's under 17s side.
Karaitiana will fly the flag for the boys after a strong Rams campaign.
In the first two matches of the Andrew Johns Cup, Karaitiana started on the bench but coach Kurt Hancock soon saw the impact he was having.
The prop, who plays his club footy for St John's at Dubbo, was then thrown into the starting side and quickly went about setting the tone up front for the representative side.
It wasn't enough to get the Rams into the semi-finals of the country championships, but it was certainly enough to catch the eye of selectors.
While some of the results were disappointing, Karaitiana said "it was just fun to play with the boys" from around the region.
He'll be alongside a new bunch of teammates on Saturday when Country takes on their City rivals.
The opposition won't be total strangers as there are some of Karaitiana played alongside some of the City young guns when he made the NSW Combined High Schools (CHS) side.
"It will be a hard and fast game, I reckon," he said of Saturday's game.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Bernard Wilson, David Sparshott and Andy Haycock are among the coaches Karaitiana is thankful for while he added there has been plenty of support from St John's as a whole.
The under 16s Country-City match will be live streamed on the NSW Rugby League Facebook page.
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app here. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens.