The WaiCoa Bays sides representing the Upper Central Zone (Waikato, Bay of Plenty & Gisborne regions) in the inaugural National Competition, were put through their paces in Hamilton at the weekend as part of the New Zealand Rugby League's series of Hearts Camps being held throughout the country.

The three captains holding the new 2010 WaiCoa Bays jersey: Parahi Wilson (WaiCoa Bays 15s), Hayden Karena (WaiCoa Bays Premiers) & Regan Haika (WaiCoa Bays 17s).

With players converging on Hamilton from as far away as Whakatane, Tauranga, Rotorua, Tokoroa and Taupo, the Hearts Camp gave the players a taste of what it takes to become a professional rugby league player.
The day started with a seminar from Drug-Free Sport New Zealand and a presentation by New Zealand Rugby League around the pathways available to Rugby League Players domestically. The National Competition will see New Zealand Merit sides picked from the Under-15 and Under-17 grades with a view of playing against Australia in 2011, plus a New Zealand residents side selected from the Premier teams that will play a game at the end of the year.
These were followed by a series of Battery Tests that gave the NZRL high performance team a benchmark to track the players' development. Players will be tested on an annual basis and given advice on how to best train for their position. The day culminated in the launching of the new WaiCoa Bays jersey, which will be worn by all three teams in this year's National Competition.
With NRL scouts likely to attend every game the NZRL are working hard to prepare the junior grade players.
"The payers are under no illusion of what's coming up," says Upper Central Zone general manager Marcus Reynolds.
"Today gave them all a taste of what being a professional athlete is all about and the players stepped up both in the seminars and during the battery tests. We have a mature group of people that have a big opportunity to be seen on the national stage, you could see the excitement building."
The 2010 National Competition will see the newly formed zones go head to head at Under-15, Under-17 and Premier level. Teams will travel across the country and get a genuine look at how they compare to the best players in the country, with WaiCoa Bays kicking off this weekend away to Wellington. The first home game is in Hamilton on Sunday, September 5 at Resthills Park.