Mounties v Illawarra Cutters on Saturday at 3:00pm at Ron Costello Oval, Shellharbour
Promising prospect Andrew Heffernan has been selected to make his NSW Cup debut on Saturday when Mounties take on the Illawarra Cutters.
Able to play virtually anywhere in the backline, Heffernan, who is still eligible for the Holden Cup, will play fullback against the Cutters.
Regular fullback Jack Ahearn will slot into five-eighth with Ryan Carr shifting to halfback following the promotion of Mitch Cornish to the Raiders NRL side.
Mounties will also be without hooker Matt McIlwrick and prop Mark Nicholls. McIlwrick joins Cornish back in the NRL line-up whilst Nicholls will travel to Darwin with the Raiders as 18th man.
As a result, Reece Goldsmith is elevated to the starting side at hooker whilst Nicholls' place in the side will be taken by Mitch Cahalane.
Heffernan’s team mate in the NYC, Mitch Barnett, will continue to further his development in the NSW Cup this week after making his debut in last week’s 42-4 win over the New Zealand Warriors.
Mounties are situated in third spot on the ladder and are locked with Illawarra on 28 competition points however the Cutters sit in second place due to their superior for-and-against.
As such, the match prevents a great chance for Mounties to leapfrog Illawarra and advance to second place on the VB NSW Cup ladder.
The full team line-up is:
1. Andrew Heffernan
2. Wayne Dargan
3. Mosese Pangai
4. Jeremy Hawkins
5. Dave Cahalane
6. Jack Ahearn
7. Ryan Carr
8. Kyle O’Donnell
9. Reece Goldsmith
10. Mitch Cahalane
11. Jake Foster
12. Tevita Pangai Junior
13. Lagi Setu
14. Clay Priest
15. Mitch Barnett
16. Adam Tangata
17. Joey Bond
