He’s pretty handy with the cricket bat, and it turns out Ryley Smith can impress on the field for rugby league and touch football too.
The 15-year-old from Glenbrook has made NSW teams for the three sports, in addition to being named in the Australian under 16s cricket team to tour Dubai in January 2019.
This week the St Columba’s College student is in Queensland at the Australian Rugby League Schoolboys Championships as a member of the NSWCCC (Combined Catholic Colleges) under 15s rugby league squad, after making it through selection trials in March and May.
There will be selectors watching the games closely, but Ryley, who usually plays hooker, plans to stick to his usual routine – “prepare well, eat well and sleep well”.
“I will play for the team and do what we need to do to win and have a good game with the boys,” he said.
Ryley has been honing his skills with Penrith Panthers under 15s, and it seems the skills are transferrable to touch footy. He’s played in a schools’ competition for just one term, yet made it through trials to be part of the NSWCCC under 15s touch football team. They will compete in the All Schools Touch Football Carnival at Narrabeen in August.
Then in October he’ll represent his state at the Cricket Australia Under 17 Male National Championships in Queensland. “I’m trying to take it all in how I made three NSW teams in a year.”
