On Wednesday night, Kaden Williams and Anthony Smith will be two of thousands of junior rugby league players watching NSW Blues take on Queensland in the State of Origin decider.
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But this pair of Bloomfield Tigers will be doing so with the very real ambition of one day donning the sky blue themselves.
Both Williams and Smith have just made their respective Australian Secondary Schoolboys rugby league teams after starring for their schoolboy sides at Red Cliffs in Queensland in a week-long carnival.
Williams lined up for the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges side which won the championship division, the bullocking second-rower starring in a 16-6 victory over NSW Combined Independent Schools in the final.
I just wanted to play footy ... it was good, a lot faster.
- Anthony Smith
Meanwhile, Smith played hooker for the Australian Secondary Schools ATSI invitational side, crossing the line twice and being named player of the match in a grand final where his side beat Victoria 20-12.
Both 15-year-olds, who play alongside each other for the Bloomfield Tigers, were named in their respective Australian Secondary Schools 15 Years merit sides.
Williams said it was a "good experience" to play "good hard footy".
"I'm proud of the boys I played with, they put in the effort and we got the result at the end," he said.
He hadn't played alongside any of his teammates in Queensland, but has been involved with Canberra Raiders youth squads, which he said is a similar level to what the second-rower enjoyed on the weekend.
Williams was able to see a few of Smith's games and vice-versa, and while he'd had the chance to play at higher levels, Smith was making his debut at the top grade and echoed his teammate in loving the chance at higher level.
"It was a good experience," the lock said."I just wanted to play footy ... it was good, a lot faster. I adapted pretty quickly."
He said he "learned a fair bit" off coaches and teammates, which culminated in the two-try, best on ground final.
"It came off the hard work of the boys really, I just played off them," Smith said.
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