Willie Heta.
ALBURY Thunder star Willie Heta will be out to prove a point after being selected in the Indigenous-Maori All Stars squad to play the Group Nine All Stars at Greenfield Park on March 16.
Heta said yesterday he was eager to play in the showdown after being overlooked for last year’s clash at Wagga.
“I’m really keen,” Heta said yesterday.
“It will be awesome.
“I got here this time last year and this game was coming up.
“I thought I would have got a game, coming from New Zealand, but I didn’t so I’m looking forward to it.”
Heta has been joined in the 17-man squad by Thunder teammates Ben Jeffery, Matt Rose and Dion Belford-Laulu, while Josh Cale, Lou Goodwin and Mitch Davis are set to play for the Group Nine All Stars.
Southcity’s Jay Little will captain-coach the Indigenous-Maori All Stars.
Heta lined-up for Thunder against Dubbo-Macquarie in last weekend’s trial match and hopes to benefit from the hit-out.
“We started off slowly, being a bit rusty, but came good,” he said.
“It was a good start.”
Jeffery missed the win due to family commitments while Chris Seaton, Tom Gemmell and Steve Meredith also sat out the 20-10 win.
The All Stars will train at Wagga’s Ashmont Oval tomorrow night from 6pm.
Group 9 Indigenous and Maori All Star squad: Ben Jeffery, Willie Heta, Matt Rose, Dion Belford (Albury), Peter and Jay Little, Will Merritt, Wayne Goolagong, Pani Manawatu (Southcity), Jade Williams and Toby Keys (Junee), Blake Dunn, Matt O’Neill, Jermaine Packer (Brothers), Logan Wright and Phil Latu (Gundagai), Aaron Byrnes (Cootamundra), Joseph Ioane-Toetu (Tumut), George Maka (Temora).