Jake Butler-Fleming and Tom Eisenhuth spent two weeks in New Zealand with the NRL club’s 2010 SG Ball train-on squad.

They lined up against three local sides, coming away with two close wins and a narrow loss to a more battle-hardened Auckland side.

“They were huge (but) for our first time together we played pretty well,” said Tom.

Both players agreed the tour had been a great opportunity to hone their skills, and with Panthers head coach Matthew Elliott joining the squad for part of the trip, there was plenty to take in.

Despite being so far away the boys had a little slice of home-crowd support from their club-mates who had been competing in the Masters of Rugby Leage tournament — also in Auckland.

The 30-strong group managed to create a ‘sea of blue’ to support Tom and Jake in their final tour match.

They are not the only Lower Mountains players making an impact, with three others already in training for the 2010 representative season. Michael Lekkas is part of the same Panthers squad while Chris Nay (St George) and Aaron Bissett (Sydney Roosters) are working with other NRL clubs.

The individual success stories are no surprise for a club that grows in strength with each season. 2010 is set to be a landmark year for the club after its admittance into the Penrith junior league’s first division.

Lower Mountains senior sides will take the step up after strong performances in 2009 including the U16s and A-grade winning their competitions and the U17s finishing third.

“It’s a huge step for the club,” said club secretary Kerri Eisenhuth. “It gives the boys something to aspire to, to stay here instead of having to head down the hill to the big (Penrith) clubs.”