While the media worry about what Sonny Bill Williams is going to do, there is quite an interesting match between the Junior Kangaroos and Junior Kiwis coming up this Sunday. This match will bring the most talented Holden Cup players together to represent their countries and if you’re any sort of league fan, this is a match you need to watch. Future stars of the game will be on display and they’ll be out to prove a point with the Aussies the firm favourites and their Kiwi counterparts will be the typical underdog. Can’t bloody wait!

The Kangaroos are stacked with the crème de la crème of Holden Cup players as well as some with NRL experience. Those who have done well in their first season in the NRL are David Nofualuma, Charly Runciman, Hymel Hunt, Vai Toutai, Junior Paulo and interchange player Jake Trbojecic. Besides Trbojevic, these players got their chance thanks mainly to their struggling teams, but if you can’t recognise their names you’re obviously not much of a league fan.

Besides these players, other notables to watch out for are Bryce Cartwright, Michael Lichaa, Mitch Cornish, Moses Mbye and Lloyd Perrett (brother of Sam). The Kangaroos boast a back line with plenty of strike power, enough strike power to restrict George Jennings to an 18th man role. The Raiders have supplied two of the more important pieces to the puzzle in Cornish and Jack Ahearn. Cornish was close to getting a run in first grade this season and has been a dominant figure in the Under 20 grade. The other two players forming the spine of the team are also very experience, talented young players. Cronulla hooker Michael Lichaa has had a stellar Under 20s career while Moses Mbye has led the Bulldogs admirably and is in the same boat as Lichaa. This is where the Junior Kangaroos will be their most dangerous. This spine has played a lot of football, much of it together in various representatives teams and they are hugely experienced. When you compare this to the Junior Kiwis, these players know what to do and when to do it.

The Aussie forward pack has a couple of big boppers in Lloyd Perrett and Junior Paulo leading them. This where most of my interest will be. Will the Junior Kangaroo forward pack provide enough oomph and x factor to really dominate the Kiwis. The Aussie pack has a nice combination of big boppers and skilful guys who can create – Bryce Cartwright but I think the opportunity is there for the Australians to be physically dominated which will leave their halves with a lot of work to do.

Watch out for - Charly Runciman. Great young centre from St George who’ll be out to impress.

Kierran Moseley – Young Panthers hooker who was a key contributor to their Grand Final win. He’ll come off the bench and add a spark.

The Kiwis are boosted by strong performances from many Junior Warriors who had very good seasons. There is a mixture of experienced campaigners and a few fresh aces who will benefit greatly from the experience. While the Kiwis squad doesn’t have the type of experience that some of the Australian players do, many were lucky enough to play for the Auckland Vulcans which will put them a level above everyone else. Albert Vete, James Taylor and Raymond Faitala-Mariner will lead the NZ forward pack and should do a fine job having played against grown men for much of the season. Other notable inclusions include West Tigers fullback Kurtis Rowe who had scored two hat tricks and four doubles in his tally of 24 tries in the 24 games he had played up until September 10. Another talented youngster who many Kiwi officials will be pleased to see in a Black jersey is Dallin Watene-Zelezniak who has been earmarked as a future star for the Panthers, so much so that you could see him playing plenty of first grade next season.

The work of Albert Vete and James Taylor for the Warriors will encourage any Kiwi fan. These fellas are workhorses who inspire through their actions and follow me type of attitude. They are obviously large human beings who love to play a physical style but they are also smart. Well front rower smart, they know which angles to run, how to get quick play the balls and how to wrestle to slow the play the ball down. The other Warriors beast is Faitala-Mariner who plays on the edge and is an almost unstoppable ball runner. The edges will be an area where the Kiwis should look to attack, after ofcourse going up the guts as they have plenty of size and power with Joseph Tapine and David Minute joining Faitala-Mariner. Size is never an issue with age group NZ teams, but effort and attitude can be a bit of an issue. This is where David Bhana will forge a long and prosperous career for himself. The Junior Warriors lock is your typical 13, plenty of tackles, loads of effort and willing to lead by his actions. This could hold the Junior Kiwis together as Bhana will take the tough carries and ensure that the middle of the D line is water tight.

The play makers for the Junior Kiwis will again be courtesy of the Warriors with Mason Lino and Tuimoala Lolohea likely to form a dynamic halves pairing. Both offer different skill sets with Lino more likely to do a lot of the organisation and kicking while Lolohea will provide a threat every time he runs the ball. They don't have as much class as their opposition but will still offer stiff competition if they can ensure their weapons around them are organised and given early ball. It will also be interesting to see how Manaia Cherrinton and Zach Docker Clay are used. Both can play hooker and dummy half so whether these two rotate through the hooking spot or one of them finds himself starting in the halves, they will provide plenty of options and opportunities.

The Junior Kiwis back line has plenty of strike power with David Fusitua, Ngani Laumape, Watene-Zelezniak and Kurtis Rowe to name a few. These guys need to make an impact and go looking for opportunities. This means getting in to dummy half, sniffing for chances through the middle and creating chances for each other. They are all powerful ball runners so hopefully they can do some damage and get the Aussies going backwards. The dilemma is, who to play at fullback? My guess is that they'll start with Rowe and find a spot for Fusitua in the centres or on the wing, but who knows! They're both great young talents.

Watch out for - Takai Moeakiola is a beast of a human from Parramatta and could start at centre.

Adam Tuimavavae-Gerard can cover many positions very well so keep your eyes peeled for where he'll pop up.

It's hard to go against the Junior Kangaroos team as they have class and experience all over the park. The Junior Kiwis will give them a run for their money however as they have plenty of attacking weapons but they deciding factor will be whether they can actually stop the Aussies scoring points. Plenty of talent on display though so it should be a entertaining game and an interesting watch for all league fans.