RUGBY LEAGUE
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BONDED by blood, 15-year-old Wagga rugby league star Jesse Thompson is treading in his cousin's footsteps all the way to the gates of Suncorp Stadium.
While idolising the NRL success of his cousin and Canberra Raiders enforcer Joel Thompson, the Kooringal High School student has burst onto the NSW rugby league scene with representative selection.
Outshining a group of 52 hopefuls, the young prop was named in the NSW under 16s indigenous team to take on Queensland in a curtain-raiser to the annual NRL All Stars clash in February.
With the potential to share the field with his 24-year-old NRL Indigenous All Stars cousin, Thompson's mother Selena said her son was thrilled to snare selection when the announcement was made yesterday.
"He's over the moon he was nervous and anxious about not knowing, but he was quite confident," she told The Daily Advertiser yesterday.
"The weekend that he attended the camp he was named prop of the day, so he was excited.
"It's very exciting for him.
"We took him to the Gold Coast last year to watch Joel play and he loved it, he was so excited."
The news of Thompson's selection broke yesterday as the 20-man squad was announced by NSWRL.
Along with his teammates, Thompson was a standout for selection during a camp held at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern over the weekend.
While Thompson plays for Turvey Park in the Group Nine Junior Rugby League competition, Selena insists he likes to keep his options open with all sports.
"He started his football career in Griffith when he was four and he hasn't looked back since - he loves it," she said.
"He's played ever since, but he loves all sports.
"He's played a bit of rugby union and basketball as well, and he's just taken up golf too."
Thompson will join his NSW Indigenous teammates in a weeklong camp in Brisbane in February before the clash at Suncorp Stadium on February 9.
NSW under 16 Indigenous squad: Ngangarra Barker (Raworth), Adam Campbell (Thirlmere), Phillip Combridge (Dubbo), Kiah Cooper (Raymond Terrace), Michael Doolan (Casula), Djanni Dowd (Matraville), Dylan Grant (Leichhardt), Troy Dargan (Prestons), James Ferguson (Waterloo), Keeden Kelly (Kempsey), Robert Lane (Goodooga), Jayden Merritt (Dubbo), Trayden Mundine (Redfern), Ryan Milgate (Garden Suburbs), Ethan Roberts (South Grafton), Jesse Ramien (Coonamble), Reimis Smith (Hurstville), Tyler Terare (Doonside), Jesse Thompson (Wagga), Cody Walker (Yamba).
![Fifteen-year-old Jesse Thompson will follow in the footsteps of cousin and Canberra Raiders enforcer Joel Thompson when he plays in the annual All Stars clash in February. Fifteen-year-old Jesse Thompson will follow in the footsteps of cousin and Canberra Raiders enforcer Joel Thompson when he plays in the annual All Stars clash in February.](/images/transform/v1/resize/frm/storypad-xhi9gmXHj93h4bBH6YrLKD/d07da809-b53f-4647-b430-b384c8430215.jpg/w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)