Cooper to make debut as Kangaroos chase key win

Ned Cooper will start at centre for the Wagga club in their clash with Junee at Laurie Daley Oval on Saturday.

After impressing in the Weissel Cup this season the 17-year-old has been given his shot by captain-coach Hayden Ashcroft.

Ashcroft has been impressed with his performances to start the season.

"Something we've been looking to do as a club is develop our juniors and he's been going really well in the under 18s," Ashcroft said.

"I watched him pretty closely in some pre-season representative football and I'm pretty confident in what he can do.

"I'm sending the message to all our juniors that this is the path we are looking at doing as a club - bringing young local juniors through and develop them into first graders."

Cooper is excited to get his shot as Kangaroos look to push their claims for a finals berth.

"It's good, I'm excited and was fairly surprised as being so young I was not thinking I was in consideration for first grade," Cooper said.

He could be in for a big task with former NRL player Ben Jeffery named to be in the centres for the Diesels this week.

However the schoolboy doesn't want to focus on his rivals.

"It is a good opportunity and they will be tough," Cooper said. "I'll have to make sure I'm ready for it.

"I just want to play my role, do what's best for the team and hopefully make a difference."

Cooper's inclusion is one of a number of changes Ashcroft has made coming off an eight-point win over Southcity.

Shuffling both the back line and the forward pack following injuries to Eddie Lagaali and Hayden Jolliffe, Hamish Starr moves to fullback with Jordan Coleman replacing Trae O'Neill at five-eighth.

Waisale Ratudina comes into the side on the wing after impressing in reserve grade last week while Bowie Foster and Nick Baker are in the starting side with Matt Henery dropping to the bench.

While looking to cover the loss of Jolliffe, Ashcroft believes moving Henery to the bench will assist in their forward rotation.

"It's not from a lack of performance but more for rotational purposes," he said.

"It is going to be wet weather this week and Bowie has been playing some good football coming off the week so he can run out some big minutes and then we can bring on a bit of punch."

The clash shapes as a crucial one in deciding the finals fate of both sides at the midway point of the season.

Kangaroos, Junee, Young and Southcity are all locked on two points after the first three games.

However Ashcroft doesn't want to focus on ladder positions.

"We don't need to put any pressure on ourselves," he said.

"I think we just need to continue to get better each week and there is still a lot to work on even coming off a win last week.

"It's probably for individually than as a team with a few errors we need to scrap out of our game, in key moments of the game too.

"That is one thing we are looking to improve this week.

"Structurally we are getting close to where we need to be and it is more coming up with too many errors and that is something we need to get on top of."

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