AT 203 centimetres it's hard to miss Aiden Stait, but over the next six weeks the talented prop hopes it is more than his height that catches the eye.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Stait has been included in the 36-player Illawarra Steelers' SG Ball summer squad and he's hoping that he is one of the 25 who get the nod to go on and represent the club.
From November 1 he will spend six weeks in camp, training four times each week, before a trial against the St George Dragons on December 11.
"It's going to be awesome, I've loved Wollongong since I was a kid so for this to happen, six weeks I'll be up there, I can't wait," Stait said.
While Stait's 2021 season with St Pat's included being part of the squad which won the inaugural Western under 21s title and a starting prop in their Group 10 first division outfit, he didn't really rate himself a chance of getting a call from the Steelers.
Still, he filled out an application.
The COVID-19 lockdown meant Stait did not get a chance to stake his claims for a squad spot via a trial with the Steelers, but his application was good enough for the club to invite him to summer camp.
"Steelers they're one of the best teams up there, they've made the grand final I think the past three-four years," Stait said.
"To be honest I thought there was no point even applying, but then I thought to myself 'You can't be in the team if you don't even apply' so I put in an application.
"They gave me a phone call while I was at work and let me know. I was on the edge of my seat the whole day ready to go, waiting for the email. I was over the moon."
While Stait has previously represented Group 10 at under 15s level and was a member of the Western Rams under 16s, if he makes the cut for the Steelers it will be the biggest moment of his career thus far.
At 17, he is one of the youngest hopefuls who will attend the summer camp, with the 2022 SG Ball being an under 19s competition.
But Stait is familiar with around three-quarters of the summer camp squad thanks to his Combined High Schools representative experience and it appears he is one of five props in contention.
Though he has been doing some training with his father and brother, he is anticipating the fitness aspects of the camp will be a challenge.
"They've been sending me a few of the programs and booklets and they're not too kind, I'm not the fittest," he laughed.
But fitness will come and as both his Saints team-mates and those who have played against him know, Stait hits hard in defence and busts tackles in attack.
He also lacks nothing in terms of motivation, Stait keen to follow in the footsteps of fellow Saint and good friend Josh Belfanti who made his SG Ball debut for Penrith this year.
"It gives you a lot of motivation seeing guys around here make it. My best mate Josh Belfanti, we played at Pat's together and I played 18s last year with him, so two years I played up with those boys, and he was the one who really bought me in," Stait said.
"Watching him make it has been great, he's been on my back, we've been running together, and that's helped me out with motivation, I've worked off him a lot."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.westernadvocate.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
