Noa Fotu has been brought out the representative wilderness to tackle South Sydney at Albury next month.
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Six years since representing Group Nine for the first time, the Gundagai winger is part of the Riverina side taking on the NRL club.
The 29-year-old was surprised to receive a call up.
“I thought they must have been hard up for numbers when I got the email,” Fotu said.
A premiership winner in both Group Nine and Group 20, Fotu spent a year with West Tigers as a teenager before returning home to Leeton.
He struggled to remember the last time he played representative football, but believes it is a good opportunity at Albury Sportsground on February 16.
“It’s a bit daunting when I saw who we are playing, but we’ve got a pretty good squad,” he said. “Hopefully we can be competitive.”
Coach Josh Cale is pleased with the 23-man squad assembled.
He’s confident there’s a good mix of talent to really test the Rabbitohs outfit and was thrilled by the response from players, with most jumping at the opportunity to take on an NRL side.
“With the depth we’ve got I think it is a great squad,” Cale said.
“We got a great response from it and it is a great reward for the service we have done to the group.
“It’s something for them to look forward to and is a great opportunity to come up against a side like that.”
Eleven clubs are represented with Group Nine premiers Gundagai providing the most with five while Southcity has four.
Albury is next best with three.