As a NSW Blues legend and someone who has spent plenty of time around the currents greats of the game, Steve 'Blocker' Roach is a good a judge as any when it comes to rugby league talent.
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So what Roach said on Wednesday night will be music to the ears of footy fans in Dubbo and the wider Western Rams region.
After St John's junior Matt Burton led the NSW under 20s to a dominant victory over Queensland the former Blues and Kangaroos prop lavished praise on the young five-eighth.
Someone who was playing with Dubbo CYMS in Group 11 as recently as last year, Burton showed how his game has gone to another level at ANZ Stadium against the Maroons.
Roach, who was commentating the game, described Burton as the difference in a match featuring some of the country's most exciting young talents and added he wouldn't look out of place in the NRL sometime soon.
The win was celebrated greatly by the Mark O'Meley-coached Blues after they suffered their first loss to Queensland in last year's one-off match.
Burton scored his side's first two tries in Wednesday's curtain-raiser, the first from his own grubber and the second in a strong individual running effort, while he also laid on two others and never let his side down in defence.
The rangy five-eighth was quick off the line time and time again, often bringing down opponents on his own and forcing mistakes from the Queenslanders.
Making the stellar performance even more impressive was the fact Burton wasn't originally part of the Blues squad and only came in after an injury to Bulldogs halfback Brandon Wakeham.
Parkes Spacemen junior Darby Medlyn, now with the Canberra Raiders, was also a pillar of strength in the win.
Playing at lock, Medlyn never stopped working an was immense in defence for the Blues, stopping the Maroons from ever really getting a foothold in the match.
Former Forbes star Charlie Staines was also part of the Blues squad but didn't make the final 17.
Those efforts, combined with the performances of Orange juniors Jack Wighton and James Maloney and Wellington's Blake Ferguson in the main game made it a night to savour for fans in the western region.
Wighton, in particular, shows what players from the area can achieve as he followed the Western Rams pathway to the top after playing his junior footy with Bloomfield in Orange.
Wighton was a Group 10 and Rams representative as a junior before going on to represent NSW Country before linking with the Raiders.
As well as enjoying arguably his best season with Canberra to date, Wighton played all three games in this year's Origin series as the Blues overcame a game one loss to reign supreme over Queensland.
With back-to-back Origin series now recorded by the Blues, and the under 20s again the champions the future is looking brighter than it has in a long time for NSW.
The stage is seemingly set for a period of dominance, something Maloney spoke about post-game on Wednesday night when discussing if the nail-biting 26-20 win was his last in a Blues jersey.
"If it does end up like that, I can leave knowing NSW can go through a pretty strong period and hopefully say that I had a little bit to do with it at the beginning."
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
