BRILLIANT Bentley McConnell, awesome Angus Kelly - they might be under 10s, but they are players who could add another exciting chapter to the history of two proud Group 10 Rugby League clubs.
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Watching McConnell in action at hooker for St Pat's White and Kelly operate at halfback for Mudgee on Saturday morning at Jack Arrow Oval in the Group 10 Junior Rugby League revived memories of some of the region's finest.
St Pat's is well known for having quality number nines in blue and white - think Jack Arrow, Trent Hemsworth, Benjamin John and most recently Hayden Bolman.
They are men who could pinch big yards from dummy half, turn markers inside out, put team-mates into space and score tries.
That's what McConnell brings to St Pat's.
Saturday's game was less than four minutes old when McConnell showed he's a crafty operator.
He darted out of dummy half, caught the Mudgee markers unaware, beat a cover defender with a nice step then dived over the line to score.
As for Mudgee junior Kelly, he certainly packs star power too.
Just like former NSW Country representative and two-time Group 10 player of the year Warwick Colley, Kelly is a playmaker who is a genuine match winner.
Just like former Manly Sea Eagle and Wests Tiger turned Mudgee five-eighth Jack Littlejohn, Kelly weaved magic.
He scored five tries against the Saints and would've had a sixth had he not opted to unselfishly pass to Toby McFarlane.
Kelly showed an ability to step off both feet, when scoring his third try he sold a pair of dummies, he could fend and he had speed too.
What Kelly and McConnell also had in common with the Dragons and Saints greats is that they stood out even though they had some talented team-mates around them.
Prop Max Harper took some good carries for the Saints while Isaac Saban scored a nice try and Samson Kele pulled off tackles on bigger opponents.
Mudgee fullback Tyler Kapeen scored a pair of tries with his speed and support play a feature, while front rower Ebony Price took tough carries out of defence.
It remains to be seen if any of these junior talents grow up to become local legends, but for now McConnell is fine in nine and Kelly in heaven at seven.
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