Griffith High School will have three representatives in two separate Combined High Schools (CHS) rugby teams.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Apenisa Driti and Benjamin Anau will play in the under 16s side whilst Aistan Fidow was selected in the under 18s side.
The three players were chosen following standout performances for Riverina at the NSWCHSSA secondary rugby union titles in Camden a fortnight ago.
Fidow has made the step up to the under 18s side after previously playing in the under 16s CHS side.
For Driti and Anau, it will be their first crack at this level – a task Griffith High School (GHS) teacher and Riverina manager Richard Wiseman said they will handle fine.
“Ben’s got a good rugby brain and he’s been in the rep program for a while with ACT,” Wiseman said.
They [GHS students] were the backbone of the Riverina side.
- Richard Wiseman
“Apenisa, he has a real physical presence and he dominated [at the CHS carnival].
“He scored a number of tries in the opens and he’s still in under 16s.”
Fidow, Driti and Anau were three of nine GHS students in the Riverina side that competed at the open boys carnival.
Riverina started the carnival slowly with a 29-0 loss to eventual winners Sydney West and a tight 14-10 loss to North West.
Riverina then kicked into gear with wins over Western, 24-12, and Sydney East ,28-26.
Five of the GHS players will still be around next year to do it all again if selected.
Wiseman said the Riverina side had steadily been getting better over the years and GHS students were a large reason for the rise.
“They [GHS students] were the backbone of the Riverina side,” Wiseman said.
“We used to be slaughtered every game and now we're holding our own, especially in the country zones.
“We are now one of the strongest country zones.”
The three players have already played one match for the CHS sides and will continue to do so throughout June.