He's impressed selectors to get the nod in Penrith Panthers' SG Ball Cup squad for the 2021 season, but now St Pat's back rower Josh Belfanti faces the biggest test of his young rugby league this Saturday.
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Belfanti has been picked in the Penrith squad - alongside fellow St Pat's junior Ash Cosgrove - that will take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Penrith Stadium this Saturday and he believes his trial against Parramatta Eels last month has helped him prepare for Saturday's game.
"The trial was good. It was good to get a feel for it out there," he said.
"It's definitely a bit different from playing local footy and playing with the Rams. It was a big step up.
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"It's been a really good experience and I've been enjoying it a lot so far. I've learned heaps and they're a great bunch of boys."
Belfanti has had plenty of experience at a representative level in the past, both for Group 10 and Western Rams. Last year he helped the Rams into the finals of the under 16s Andrew Johns Cup finals before COVID-19 forced a premature end to that competition.
Ahead of Saturday's game against Souths, he said he doesn't know too much about the players in the opposition line-up, but said playing alongside Cosgrove will make a big difference to his game.
"We don't know too much about [Souths] but I like to keep it that way. That way you're never worrying about anyone on the other team and you're just going out there to play your own game," he said.
"Having Ash out there makes a big difference, and also having a couple of the other country boys out there like Aston Warwick and Brandan Hamilton. Having them out there helps heaps."
Both Warwick and Hamilton are Group 11 juniors that play for the Dubbo Macquarie Raiders and have previously represented Western.
Belfanti, Cosgrove and their Penrith's teammates to get their game against Souths underway from 1.30pm.
Belfanti and Cosgrove aren't the only Bathurst juniors to be playing in the SG Ball Cup this weekend, with former Bathurst Panthers talent Noah Griffiths set to feature for the Newcastle Knights in its campaign.
Griffiths was the star halfback who featured in Panthers' Western 18s Youth League season last year and he's set to line-up for his new club Newcastle, after previously signing a four-year contract with the Melbourne Storm at the start of 2018.
Griffiths' Knights are set to clash with St George Dragons at Mascot Oval in Sydney on Saturday, with his game getting underway at 1.30pm.