THEY were key members of the Bathurst Panthers under 18s side this season and on Saturday Mackenzie Atkins and Nathan Ward helped their NSW Country side to a resounding 56-0 win over the England Community Lions.
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Having opened their tour with a 50-6 crushing of the Lions then producing a powerful showing against the Leeds Rhinos, Ward and Atkins backed it up on Saturday to make it an undefeated tour of the United Kingdom.
Forming part of the Country 18s' forward pack, Ward combined with other members of the Western Rams side he had skippered earlier in the year to set up the opening try against the Lancashire and Cumbria-based Lions.
Ward put through a grubber and rampaging Forbes back-rower Jack Hartwig motored through to plant the ball down.
Wellington product and Country halfback Rylee Blackhall added the extras and from there the tourists remained in control.
Within 13 minutes the score was 14-0, with Country's third try scored by Dubbo CYMS' Ryan after a slick back line movement.
The Lions lifted and stuck it to Country for an extended period before Blackhall put his stamp on the game again by running across to score.
The lead grew to be 30-0 at the break.
The tries continued to flow in the second half and it was Panthers talent Atkins who brought up the half century for his side as he reacted quickest to a Lions' dropped ball, scooped it up and crossed.
It added to the try the centre scored to seal the 34-4 win over Leeds at the new Emerald Headingley Stadium six days earlier and showed why he was given plenty of premier league minutes for Panthers in this year's Group 10 competition.
A late fracas saw a player from each side sin-binned but Country had the last say and scored again to complete a 56-0 result.
Blackhall booted four goals to go with his try.
That win not only made it a clean sweep for the 18s, but the NSW Country touring party as a whole given the under 16s outfit impressed as well.
The 16s began their campaign with a 62-0 win over the Lions, downed Leeds Rhinos 34-4 then on Saturday when again meeting the Lions, were 62-6 victors.
His side led 24-0 at the break and things didn't slow down in the second stanza in St Helen's.
The Australian outfit scored three tries within the first eight minutes of the second stanza to completely take the game away from the hosts.
Parkes' Kyle Mawhinney got himself on the scoresheet before Porter showed his footwork and speed again soon after to get a second four-pointer.
The Lions got themselves on the board soon after that, but the NSW Country side ran riot in the final minutes to complete to clinical showing.
