USQ students selected in Australian University rugby league team

Two USQ students will tour the United Kingdom in June after they were selected in the Australian University rugby league team.

Queensland University team members, Daniel Exintaris and Liam Capewell, were named in the squad after they impressed selectors in a game last month.

'We played the New South Wales University team and beat them 31 to 20 and we played well so we were hoping that some of us would make the team,' Liam, a second year Education student, said.

'This will be my first time playing rugby league overseas so I am pretty keen.'

Liam, who plays for Burleigh in the Queensland Cup, only started playing rugby league again last year after a lengthy absence.

'I moved from Chinchilla to Toowoomba last year and played with Valleys, which was the first time I had played since under 12's and I also made the Under 19 Queensland side,' he said.

'With the Titans coming into the NRL this year I was picked up by them and have been playing with their feeder club in Burleigh.'

Meanwhile Engineering Technology student Daniel made the team despite juggling university and full time work.

'I started studying this year and am doing it externally because I am also working full time in Brisbane,' he said.

'I first saw the Queensland side on the Queensland Rugby League website and decided to apply; I wasn't really expecting anything so I was excited about making the team.'

Both students will tour England and Wales for three and a half weeks as part of the side, which will play three games against the Great Britain University team.

'We will play three warm up games and then three test matches against Great Britain,' Daniel said.

'The Australian sides have had the wood over them for the past few years.'

Liam and Daniel are both part of USQ's Elite Athlete program, which helps students balance their study with sport, extensive travel and highly structured training schedules.

Media Contact: Josh Ada, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 1628