Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

A bit of positivity for the day: as a proud New South Welshman, there's one sporting event that I especially look forward to, and of course that's the State of Origin. This year, there will be one more reason for the people of Cowper to be glued to the screen, and that is that our own boy from Dorrigo, Dylan Edwards, has been selected as fullback for the NSW Blues. For those of you that don't know Dorrigo, it's a small but mighty township on the beautiful plateau just west of Coffs Harbour with a current population of just over 1,200. Dorrigo has a rich history of hard work, sacrifice and mateship from the early timber days, through both world wars and recently over the pandemic. From his early days in the Bellingen-Dorrigo Magpies, Dylan displayed these exact qualities, so it was no surprise at the age of 17 when he was selected by the Panthers Juniors and rose through the ranks to the winning premiership side. News of his selection as fullback in the NSW Blues State of Origin squad dominated the headlines last night. It lit up my social media accounts, as well as the local pride. Congratulations to you, Dylan. You've already had a hand in three premiership trophies for the Panthers, and it's time to add an Origin one. I look forward to the 3-0 whitewash of Queensland. Go the Blues!

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