Don't be shocked if you see the name Addison Williams lining up for the Penrith Panthers sometime very soon.
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The Orange CYMS young-gun has been selected in the NRL club's 2022 Jersey Flegg squad and he is keen to show everyone what he is made of.
"I was surprised to be honest," Williams said of his squad selection for the upcoming NSWRL under-21s competition.
"I'd had a couple years off footy just to try and gain some size and a bit of muscle and get my confidence back, which is what I did. This year I was just playing footy, focusing on myself and doing what I had to do."
To say Williams enjoyed a stellar season with the green and golds would be an understatement.
From nailing a match-winning penalty goal from the halfway line against the Bathurst Panthers, to more recently being named the club's rookie of the year, Williams certainly showed he deserves a shot at the big time.
"It would've been good to stay at CYMS for a couple more years to show them what I'm made of, but there are bigger and better things coming," he added.
"There are a few proud boys, a few of them are sad, not disappointed but sad because they're losing me and I've been there for a while.
"I'm going to try my hardest to make the top 13, or even the top 17 in the Jersey Flegg side. In a couple years time, honestly my goal would have to be NRL at this stage. I've smashed all my goals out for the past couple of years. I don't see why not to set a massive goal and work towards it."
Williams wasn't the only CYMS recruit signed up to the Panthers junior squad either, with Jack Cole also given the nod.
"Having someone that you know in the squad is also really, really good," Williams said on Cole's selection.
"Moving 3.5 hours away from home, it helps that you've got some kind of friendship already.
"I probably won't be moving back to Orange for a while."
The Jersey Flegg squad began training on Monday. Now it is full steam ahead until the squad gets cut down shortly after the new year.
"I think it's really good that Penrith has those kind of connections out in the country so that they come out and watch the boys," Williams added.
"I think some of the talent in the country is wasted a little bit because some of the kids are born and raised there and they don't really want to make the move unless they've already been looked at. It is hard for the country boys to come down and give it a shot in the city. I want to show them what I'm made of."
The 2021 competition was cut short after COVID forced its cancellation.
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