Under 17s development squad is an important cog in Western's representative machine

Hancock was captain of the Western Rams under 17s development squad that has spent the past fortnight testing themselves against quality opposition.

Firstly the young Saints talent impressed in games against the Northern Tigers and Bulldogs at Denman, then on Saturday at Cowra he was at it again as the under 17 Rams beat Riverina by three tries and fell by just one try to the Penrith Panthers.

While Hancock has had previous Rams experience - he was in the 2022 Andrew Johns Cup side - development squad coach Lewis Bird was still impressed.

"Riley Hancock, us coaching staff noticed pretty early in him that he was going to be a big leader for the team," he said.

"His attention to detail and ability to not just stick with the guys who had been with him in the 16s but encourage the other boys that were new, it was so great.

"He was really amazing, he was really good just not on the field, but at training. His attitude and willingness to show the other boys the ropes was really, really good, it was kind of like having another coach there."

While it is the under 16 and under 18 Rams who will go on to contest the Country Championships, the under 17s development squad is viewed as an important part of that set up.

Not only did it provide those who had previously worn Western colours another chance to do so against quality opposition, it introduced new faces into the representative program as well.

"It's really important to have this, especially for some of the boys who haven't been in this sort of level rep program. They get the opportunity to come into the development side and get some footy under the belt," Bird said.

"It also gives us in the coaching staff an opportunity to have a look over them again and not just waiting until they come back in as under 18s.

"It's a good way to keep them involved, the development squad is about giving them a chance to pull on that green jersey and show some pride and really go over what it means to be a Western Ram and represent not only themselves, but their families and communities.

"We have boys have everywhere from Cobar to Mudgee in the side, so it's cool to give them the opportunity to come together and play."

While some of the players trained together in November, most of Bird's squad only came together this year.

Not only did they work hard in hot conditions during training sessions, but they combined well in game situations.

Bird used 26 players across the two trial games at Denman and 25 at Cowra.

"It's been a big couple of weeks for the boys and they trained both weeks out at Cumnock in the boiling heat, so they've done well," he said.

"When we got to Cumnock for our first training session it was so hot we got out of our cars and the tar was sticking to our shoes.

"It's been huge for the boys, a lot of them had played before in 16s, but then a lot of them, because it's a development side, they've come in and this is their first crack at representative footy.

"They all clicked and the progress they made was so impressive, there's some good talent out here in the region at the moment, it's about keeping them involved in footy."

Though Hancock was a standout as he captained the under 17s, he was not the only player who impressed Bird.

Bloomfield prop Beau Hartley and Mudgee hooker Te Aamai Dermott Hopa also displayed leadership qualities, while Forbes' Jayden Gill made the most of his opportunity to represent Western.

"Beau Hartley, he had a knee injury towards the end of last year which kept him out of being selected for the 18s, he came back into our side," Bird said.

"He's just a natural leader, he did so, so well and boosted a lot of the boys' confidence, particularly in our forward pack.

"Having those three boys [Hancock, Hartley, Dermott Hopa] there show such maturity and leadership for their age with such a changing team and really tough challenge put towards them to play the quality of teams we did, I think all three of those boys have a really big future in footy.

"Then there was one kid who came out of nowhere, Jayden Gill, he had such a good attitude.

"He's a bit more of a quite character, but when it came to being on the field he was someone we could really rely on. He scored a couple of tries for us both weeks, so he was someone impressive and keep an eye on for sure."

Bird said he's hoping to organise another game for the development squad mid-season.

While nothing is yet confirmed, the players are certainly keen to come together again.

"They showed what we talked about with the Rams, being the green way and playing with Rams spirit," Bird said.

"It would definitely be good to get these boys back together again, you could see them just improving and the feeling of the boys after that last game was that they all want to get back in and have another game if possible. They just all loved playing."

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