NSW under 20s captain Jack Cogger capped off a junior State of Origin clean sweep for the Blues when he held aloft the Darren Lockyer Shield in Sydney on Wednesday evening.
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Cogger steered his side to a 36-22 win from halfback with fellow Newcastle Knights squad member Cory Denniss in the centres.
Both players, who made their NRL debuts in 2016, then soaked up the success before the main game and enjoyed a victory lap with Blues fans around the Olympic Stadium.
“It’s an unreal feeling, especially captaining the boys tonight,” Cogger said.
“Holding up that shield in front of a home crowd, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
The silverware was presented to the skipper by Lockyer himself on the ground after full-time.
“He’s a great of the game and someone who everyone in rugby league looks up to,” Cogger said. “To have him shake my hand and present his own shield is something I’ll never forget.”
After experiencing that success, and then watching the senior side claim a last-gasp 18-14 triumph in front of 61,267 spectators, Denniss said he wants to return to the Origin cauldron in the future.
“It was humbling to run out for your state and represent NSW,” Denniss said.
“It means a lot, it was a good experience and something I definitely want to do again.”
This result ensured NSW remain undefeated in under 20s since competition started in 2012
Earlier this year the baby Blues won both under 16s and under 18s divisions, featuring seven Knights players across the two fixtures.
The 3-0 junior Origin scoreline softens the blow somewhat for their older counterparts after NSW slumped to a tenth series loss in 11 years and also bodes well for the future.
It was the nature of the under 20s victory that was also impressive.
The Blues led 12-4 at the break and extended that advantage to 26 points twice during the second half.
“It was tough early and we didn’t complete our sets, but we got back in the grind,” Cogger said.
“We got ahead there before Queensland came back at us right at the end, but we were good enough to hold our own.”
Dennis was pleased with the attitude show by his teammates in sky blue jerseys.
“The boys really got stuck in and had a good crack,” Dennis said. “We just proved too strong for them.”
The Blues were down 4-0 after 12 minutes but replied with the next five tries, all converted, including three in the 15 minutes directly after half-time. Queensland scored the last two tries.
