THREE of the Gunnedah Bulldogs' brightest young stars have been selected to represent the region as part of the Northern Heat deveolpment side.
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Jasper Thomas, Hayden Baker and Des Tuckerman have been selected as part of the 24-strong squad, made up of youngsters from the North West and North Coast.
Tuckerman's selection comes after his debut year for the Dogs, while Baker and Thomas both represented the side last year.
The six-month-long program will consist of a range of fitness, skill and leadership drills before culminating with a game against the Surfers Paradise/Southport Colts in March.
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Thomas said it was an honour to be selected in the squad for a second consecutive year.
"I'm really excited to be able to train and then play with the group," Thomas told the Namoi Valley Independent.
"There will be a majority of new faces in the team and I'm looking forward to playing with them and training under the coaches again.
"I think it is also pretty exciting for Des to be picked in the side after his first year.
"I know how much it helped my game last year, I'm sure it will do the same for him."
A vital member of the Bulldogs' grand final victory over the New England Nomads, Thomas said he was still nursing a shoulder injury from the game.
"It is still on it's way to being 100 per cent," he said.
"I'm hoping to be back into training again later this week, or next week, to get some prep in for the program."
Thomas said he had benefited from taking part in last year's program.
"The conditioning and skills training really did help with match fitness and technique for the season," he said.
"It worked in well with my gym work, training with the Dogs and gave me new insights on how the game is played.
"I'm hoping I can learn even more after another year with the Heat and improve my game as much as possible."
Training sessions will be held in each region with the first scheduled for Saturday, 27,October.
Full squad:
Angus Anderson, Sawtell Toormina Saints (North Coast)
Kade Bagnall, Grafton Tigers (North Coast)
Hayden Baker, Gunnedah Bulldogs (North West)
Tim Beattie, Inverell Saints (North West)
Danny Brown, Moree Suns (North West)
Tyler Donovan, Sawtell Toormina Saints (North Coast)
Morgan Dunn, New England Nomads (North West)
Nick Fisher, Moree Suns (North West)
Bill Gibbeson, Coffs Harbour Breakers (North Coast)
Lachie Martin, Inverell Saints (North West)
Dylan Moore, New England Nomads (North West)
Hayden Proctor, Coffs Harbour Breakers (North Coast)
Alex Pyke, Sawtell Toormina Saints (North Coast)
Riley Sandral, Inverell Saints (North West)
Ronan Singleton, Sawtell Toormina Saints (North Coast)
Camden Sparke-Gaukroger, Inverell Saints (North West)
Liam Spencer, Coffs Harbour Breakers (North Coast)
Ryan Swann, New England Nomads (North West)
Noah Swarski, Grafton Tigers (North Coast)
Jasper Thomas, Gunnedah Bulldogs (North West)
Mal Troutman, Sawtell Toormina Saints (North Coast)
Des Tuckerman, Gunnedah Bulldogs (North West)
Evan Whitty, Grafton Tigers (North Coast)
Kye Wilson, Port Macquarie (North Coast)