Westcott hopes Canberra move kick starts NRL career
He moved to Canberra to kick start his NRL career, and Belconnen Sharks halfback Toby Westcott hopes he can help his new team knock off the Canberra Raiders Cup top sides in the process.
Westcott joined the Raiders under-20s about five weeks ago, having previously been in the Penrith Panthers junior system before that.
He originally hails from Orange - the home town of current Raiders fullback Jack Wighton - but moved to the ACT and was allocated to the last-placed Sharks.
Westcott's played just one game for Belconnen - their narrow 18-16 loss to the West Belconnen Warriors two weeks ago - and will double that tally when they take on Goulburn at Goulburn on Saturday.
He's hoping to impress for the Sharks and force his way into the Raiders under-20s - who play under the Mounties banner in the NSW Jersey Flegg Cup.
"I signed with Canberra about five weeks ago just before I moved down and I was previously living in Penrith for a year and a bit, but I'm loving it down here," Westcott said.
"In the system there [at Penrith] for a little while through [Harold Matthews Cup] and SG Ball junior reps and into 20s this year and played a few games early on. Down here and I'm loving it.
"I'm hoping to make my mark on the competition and see how it goes from there. Hopefully get noticed from up a little bit and transition to under-20s, just hold a bit of consistency and a bit of form and see where it takes me."
Westcott said the Sharks' aim was to cause a few headaches for the teams at the top of the Canberra Raiders Cup.
"We've been unlucky in the first part of the season, but if we have a bit of consistency coming into these last few rounds we could get a few wins and knock some top sides off," he said.
He'll be up against fellow Raiders under-20s player Josh Fattore - Goulburn's five-eighth.
Fattore's from the Riverina and has been part of St George Illawarra's junior system.
He felt the seventh-placed Bulldogs needed to win a majority of their remaining games to play finals.
From Darlington Point, Fattore has been impressed with the level of the competition.
"It's much quicker than back home - at home it's physical, but it's nowhere near as quick. This here in Canberra, it's really quick and physical. It's good, it's what I need to be honest," he said.
CANBERRA RAIDERS CUP ROUND 10
Saturday: Woden Valley Rams v Tuggeranong Bushrangers at Phillip District, 3pm; Queanbeyan Kangaroos v Gungahlin Bulls at Freebody Oval, 3pm; Yass Magpies v Queanbeyan Blues at Walker Park, 3pm; Goulburn Bulldogs v Belconnen United Sharks at Goulburn, 3pm.