Award a springboard into sporting careers

JOSHUA Curran was named the Blacktown Advocate Local Sports Star last week - and today he starts training with the Roosters.

Joshua Curran with his Blacktown Advocate Junior Sports Star Award. Picture: Danny Aarons

• Sights set on the NRL for Curran
• Bendere is our 2017 Junior Sports Star

JOSHUA Curran was named the Blacktown Advocate Local Sports Star last week - and today he starts training with the Roosters.

The meteoric rise of the teenager has already seen him win a slot with the Australian Schoolboys and the Under 16s New South Wales side.

The Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown student was also selected to represent the under 18s NSW Blues in the latest State of Origin. He ran on for the squad which saw the Maroons defeated in a clear 26-0 scoreline.

“I’m signed as a Roosters junior,” Josh said.

“They’ve been really careful about my game load, so I’m not doing too may things that could see me injured for the next season.”

Josh was selected for the side after putting in a successful season with the local Patties side GIO Schoolboys Cup.

Patrician Brothers' College's Joshua Curran. Patrician Brothers' College Blacktown beat Erindale (Canberra) 50 to 6 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in round one of the GIO Schoolboys Rugby League Cup on May 31, 2017.

Young athlete Tia Rose Matthews of Quakers Hill took out the Blacktown Advocate Young Sporting Spirit title.

Tia was the PSSA zone athletics age champion (10 years), PSSA regional athletics age champion (10 years) and is off to Coffs Harbour in February with the representative team for the Oz Tag State Cup.

Pendle Hill High School student Bendere Oboya capped a stellar year on the track when she won the top honour at the Local Sports Star awards.

Tia Rose Matthews was the Blacktown Advocate Young Sporting Spirit award winner. Picture: Danny Aarons

The 17-year-old Ethiopian-born athletics ace is sizzling her way towards representing Australia at next year’s Commonwealth Games after a golden 2017.

Now in their 13th year, the Local Sports Star awards — sponsored by Rebel — turn the spotlight on outstanding young athletes with nominees publicised each week in NewsLocal’s community newspapers across Sydney and the Central Coast.

NewsLocal would like to thank the sponsors of our program who make it possible to run this program: Rebel, Sports TG, Your Local Club, Rooty Hill RSL and Featherdale Wildlife Club.