DUBBO CYMS star Jyie Chapman admits a combination of incumbency and playing in a dominant Group 11 side has him quietly confident of being named in Western Division squad for this year's Country Championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Chapman has been a shining light for CYMS in recent seasons, and as a former Group 11 player of the year who formed part of last year's Rams squad he carries a few credits in the bank.
With Group 11 expected to have upwards of 10 players in the squad courtesy of a dominant 38-18 win over Group 10 at Gilgandra on Saturday, there is every chance he could be joined by plenty of familiar faces.
New coach Darren Jackson will announce his playing group today but Chapman said he is hopeful of being picked in what is expected to be an 18-man list.
"It's hard going into a selection trial like that with no real match fitness under your bet, but I think I played well and being part of a team that won so easily it gives me a bit more confidence," he said.
"After the game 'Jacko' came into the shed and congratulated us on the win and had a bit of a chat to us.
"He has big plans for Western Division and wants to change the culture a bit so the vibe is all good.
"I would think that because we won so well on Saturday there will be a few Group 11 boys there, so that will be good as well, especially if CYMS can get a few in there again."
Jackson will put his charges through their paces at a training session in Dubbo on Saturday to coincide with the Rams under-16s and under-18s playing in the semi-finals of their respective country championship tournaments.
It is part of the new culture referred to by Chapman, who believes the dominance of last weekend's win came down to that.
"We knew that 'Jacko' wanted to see us perform, no excuses, and the squad that gets picked would be based on that," Chapman said.
"Those Group games are usually pretty tight but I think we just wanted it that bit more, and even though we hadn't played any comp games we were young, fit and keen.
"You learn a fair bit from playing at those higher rep levels, about different styles of football, and it takes you out of the comfort zone of playing with the same guys you play with each week so if I get picked I'm looking forward to wearing the Rams jersey again."
