Sport
28 June, 2023
Wolves junior duo relishes State of Origin arena
QUEENSLAND’S State of Origin victory last week was extra special for Stanley River Wolves U14 players Riley Yarnold and Adam Sullivan, as they played in the curtain-raiser at Suncorp Stadium.
Riley and Adam played on the wing, with Riley wearing the number five jersey for the Silver team while Adam donned number 16 for the Maroon team.
A lot of club teammates from the Sunshine Coast Junior Rugby League (SCJRL) opposed each other as the game was live-streamed, with Silver winning 12-4 in front of a crowd of around 50,000.
Adam later said the experience “was awesome and scary at the same time”.
Adam’s dad Shane said it was “heaps better” than Adam expected, as they didn’t imagine so many people would be there for the curtain-raiser.
“The experience inspires him to train more to get to that level,” Shane said.
As it was also the first time Adam watched a live game at a stadium, he said, “It was so much better than watching it on TV; the atmosphere of the crowd cheering so loud.”
Riley meanwhile found it was an extraordinary event that would “not be topped any time soon”.
Wolves president Mary-Anne Hallam said the experience was an amazing opportunity for the duo.
“The club were very proud of their selection and excited for them to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she said.
The players in the curtain-raiser to the State of Origin match were selected from the Sunshine Coast Falcons RISE pathway program.
Eligible players for the curtain-raiser had to be in their second year of participation in the RISE program, while selection criteria included aspects such as effort, behaviour, attitude and attendance at RISE training sessions.
