A former Melville High Student is making a name for himself in two sporting codes as he juggles between his rugby league and rugby union commitments.
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Triston Reilly has capped off a spectacular season by getting selected to play in the NSW Waratahs rugby U17s Sevens side to compete at the National Championships in Perth on December 9 to 11.
The 17-year-old will be hoping to earn further individual achievement by getting picked to represent the Australian U18s team at the Youth Commonwealth Games held in the Bahamas in July of 2017.
Reilly has travelled across the east coast of Australia to as far north as Townsville to chase his sporting dreams but his recent move to the prestigious rugby school St Josephs College in Sydney has seen him take his game to the next level.
He excelled throughout the 2016 season in the rugby competition and was recognised for his performances as he earned the ‘Rising Star’ award from his team.
The inside centre has an ideal skill set for the position as his running style captures the attention of the defenders, he is a hard runner and gets his supporting players involved with passes or offloads.
Reilly’s talents has attracted attention from rugby league clubs and in his short career he has been a part of the North Queensland Cowboys, Newcastle Knights and South Sydney Rabbitohs development squads.
He is currently in the process of pre-season training with the Rabbitohs and will play in the NSWRL SG Ball U18 rugby league competition which commences in February 2017.
His selection in the NSW Waratahs team is his second state jersey in 2016, having represented NSW Combined Independent Schools in the U18s rugby league team at the Australian Schoolboys rugby league championships in July this year.
Reilly was first chosen for New South Wales in rugby when he was 12 years old and he has continued to be selected to compete at state level including selection for Queensland in rugby league as a 15 year old and NSW as a 16 yr old.
Reilly’s success in both codes will force him to make a tough decision in the near future on which sport to focus his attention on.
“I was advised to commit to league or rugby. I am still at school and enjoy both games, so I will continue next year to play league and rugby but after school has concluded I will have to decide on a league or rugby pathway," Reilly said.
“I train with Souths in the afternoons out at Erskineville Oval or Redfern oval, it is tough but l enjoy it as footy refreshes the mind and gives me the space I need in between the school day and study of a night”
SG Ball competition will not conflict with school rugby as that competition commences in February and concludes in May whilst the rugby season begins in June where Reilly will continue give it his best shot in playing for higher honours in 2017 with a Australian Schoolboy tour of Ireland and the United Kingdom scheduled.
