SEVEN Blue Bulls were named in the initial NSW Country Cockatoos squad on Wednesday following Central West’s swashbuckling Richardson Shield campaign, headlined by Orange Emus leading men Josh Ellice-Flint and Nick Hughes-Clapp.

The duo helped Central West to three straight wins at last weekend’s NSW Country Championship and were named in the Cockatoos training squad alongside former Emus bookend John Ellis, Dubbo ‘Roos centre Filisione Pauta, Cowra back-rower Chris Miller, Parkes fullback Riley Byrne and Forbes half Mahe Fangupo.

“(Country selection) wasn’t on my radar initially,” Ellice-Flint, a regular for Sydney University’s Shute Shield side in the past, said.

“I was more focused on playing for Central West ... I’m excited by the opportunity.”

“No, I didn’t (expect it), I guess playing in the second tier competition I’d made the assumption I wasn’t in contention,” Hughes-Clapp, a former CSU Bathurst Mitchell Man and Warringah Rat, said.

“Ultimately it is just the preliminary squad so we won’t get too carried away, it is really exciting though.

“I thought I played to an acceptable level, I can’t imagine I was a stand-out player but I guess I was fortunate to be playing in a position they were looking at.

“It helped all the other Central West guys played so terrifically, there’s a few other guys who are probably a bit unlucky not to make it as well.”

“Definitely,” Ellice-Flint agreed.

“I thought the three hairy guys from Emus, the General (Andrew Cosgrove), Gotagong (Tom Goolagong) and Tommy Green were stand-outs, they’re unlucky.

“It’s great to see Clappy and guys like Riley Byrne make it, they were huge over the weekend.”

The duo will join the rest of the NSW Country squad - which includes representatives from Illawarra, Newcastle-Hunter, Mid North Coast, New England, Central North and Mid North Coast - for a training camp in Sydney in a fortnight.

From that camp, selectors will cut the group down to form the final Cockatoos squad, which plays its first game against the Australian under-20 side on Saturday, May 28.

“Hopefully all the Central West boys get a run,” Hughes-Clapp said.

“I started in country rugby, so it would be a great honour to be able to represent the region,” Ellice-Flint said.

NSW COUNTRY COCKATOOS: Nick Hughes-Clapp, Josh Ellice-Flint, Riley Byrne, John Ellis, Mahe Fangupo, Chris Miller, Filisione Pauta (Central West),Tyler Aitken, Anthony Allport, Niko Degei, Aaron Loudon, Alyd Owen, Rhys Peters, Nik Rangiuira, Paul Tuala, Alex Wilson (Illawarra), Joe Akkersdyk, Sireli Bainvalu, Ben Christensen, Mitchell Howell, Jason Keelan, Steve Lamont, Rapine Mason, Alain Miriallakis, Faava Sila, Phil Bradford (Newcastle-Hunter), Oliver Bartlett, Charles French (New England), Ben Damen, Jerry Faifaise, Robert Richardson, Harry Veitch (Far North Coast), Sioni Halanukonuka, Simon Newton (Central North), Adam McCormack (Mid North Coast)