Western Rams coach Shane Rodney ready to develop next Isaah Yeo and Matt Burton

The Orange Hawks coach will again take the reins of the Western Rams under 18s Laurie Daley Cup team for the 2024 campaign.

Rams form part of the pathway for Penrith Panthers, with whom Rodney won a premiership in 2003.

Past players who have come through the program include Australian Kangaroos Isaah Yeo, Kotoni Staggs and Matt Burton as well as Samoan international Charlie Staines.

He said he was looking forward to unearthing the next star player from out west.

"We've seen over the years that Western Rams has been a good pathway for players progressing through the ranks to be NRL players," he said.

"We have a great partnership with Penrith and they are very supportive of our Rams program and give the opportunity for a number of kids each year to train and trial with their Harold Matthews,SG Ball and Jersey Flegg teams.

"We have constant dialogue with [Panthers recruiters] Jim and Sam Jones about players out here and I am sure that the next generation of 'Isaah Yeos' and 'Matt Burtons' isn't too far away.

"It's exciting for me that I get the opportunity to play a small role in helping them develop along that journey."

The squad is made up of players from Orange CYMS, Dubbo CYMS, Bathurst St Pat's, Orange Hawks, Red Bend, Narromine Jets, Nyngan Tigers, St John's Dubbo, Bloomfield Tigers, Parkes Marist, Mudgee Dragons, Lithgow Storm, Wellington Cowboys, Parkes Spacemen and Dubbo Macquarie Raiders.

Rodney said the sheer geographical spread of players meant they would have to "make it count" when it came to training sessions.

"I learnt from last season that logistically it is a challenging program as the region spans from Lithgow to Bourke and everywhere in between and if we are lucky we only get one session a week together so we need to really make it count," he said.

"My hat goes off to all the parents, families, friends and carers who give up their time to give the kids an opportunity to progress their rugby league through our program."

While reluctant to put pressure on his players, Rodney said they were determined to improve on last season's outing which saw them win two and lose three games.

"There were a lot of new faces to the trials and there were a few standouts which came from a mixture of younger and older boys all putting their hands up for selection which was great," he said.

"I am optimistic about the season ahead. I don't want to put too much expectation on the group but I will be making sure we're prepared well to give ourselves every chance of competing and having a good year."

The 2024 Laurie Daley Cup will likely begin in February with a draw yet to be finalised.

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