St George Illawarra Dragons second-rower Will Matthews knows the importance that comes with representing your state after being selected for the NSW Cup Representative squad.
The Kyogle Turkeys junior, alongside teammates Peter Mata’utia and Nathan Green, are part of a 19-man squad who will compete against the Queensland Residents at Tapout Stadium, Varsity Lakes on Sunday.
Matthews admits he did not know whether he would be selected given a pre-season thumb injury compounded with a two-match suspension limited his playing time, but is privileged to be considered.
“It’s a big honour as I played in this game two seasons ago and on that occasion we were fortunate to get the win,” said Matthews.
“It’s always a pretty big occasion playing for your state in any capacity and an honour doing so.
“My season in general started off with a slow start through injury and then later being suspended for two fixtures so I was happy to get the call-up when it was offered to me.
“I got a bit of a shiner while playing against the Roosters last round but that should go down in time for when I take to the field this weekend.
“It’s great that both Nathan and Pete have also been selected into the team as they have both been training hard with the Dragons and playing well wherever they’ve been needed.”
