NSW Waratahs, Sydney University lure Aiden Stait to rugby union

The towering front rower who was named Group 10's joint under 18s player of the year for his outstanding 2022 campaign had fully intended to rip into another season of league.

But New South Wales Waratahs coaching staff had seen him in action. They came knocking, they told Stait of the potential they saw in him and the talented teenager liked what he heard.

"With league, I had a couple of cracks down in Sydney and got turned away, but Waratahs hit me up and said 'Look mate, with your size and shape it'd be rude not to give union a crack'," Stait said.

"So yeah, Waratahs approached me and said with my height and shape I was built for an international second rower. They said the last person to come through the system my size and my shape was Will Skelton.

"I was gobsmacked to be honest, I thought I was going to be in Bathurst again. But after that I thought to myself I had to give it a crack."

At over 200 centimetres tall it is easy to see why Stait has been compared to former Australian representative Skelton.

He combines that height with strength, while last season Stait also added leadership skills to his resume as co-captain of the under 18 Saints.

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He helped the Saints qualify for the Tom Nelson Premiership grand final against Nyngan.

"I had a good year in league, our 18s side got all the way to the grand final but couldn't get it done and I was absolutely devo," he said.

"Then we had our Group 10 [representative] game and we lost that, so I just needed a win, I needed to win another league game. Then I had the trial in Sydney and had a good game but I didn't get a run with their squad, so I thought I'd go home and play footy for Pat's, they're a good club, I love Pat's.

"So I wasn't going to go to union, I was going to stay at Pat's, but then Waratahs jumped in.

"Dad had a similar opportunity when he was young and didn't take it, so he's not letting me do that same thing."

As well as training with the Waratahs, Stait has been signed by Sydney University to play Shute Shield with them.

"Sydney Uni, I'd been in talks to them for about a year, but I'd never really had the eyes for union. But when I had a dig up in Sydney and got turned back they offered, they'd been nice and and been chasing me, so I knew they must be keen," he said.

"They're looking after me, they got me a house and everything, it's been a real eye-opener."

With his only prior union experience coming as a handful of games at primary school, Stait admits it has been a steep learning curve.

But he's soaking it all in and enjoying the chance to work with some of the nation's elite union talents.

"It's completely different, the amount of rules and the changes compared to league, it's crazy," he said.

"Like the scrums, in league I loved a good scrum because it was sort of my break, but in union, it's one of the biggest parts of the game.

"But training with the best at Waratahs training, like we're doing opposed sessions against all the top players like Angus Bell.

"We've seen the boys come back home after being on tour with the Wallabies boys and now we're training with them. It's pretty cool.

"I just can't believe I'm doing this. Being a leaguey, I never in a million years thought I'd be playing rugby union. But I've had this perfect offer."

The 2023 Shute Shield season will kick-off on April 1.

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