One of the region's most exciting rugby league talents, Max Altus, has positioned himself nicely for a crack at his long-held goal of becoming an NRL player.
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The 2018 Australian Schoolboy, 19, spent the past season playing hooker for the North Sydney Bears' under-20 Jersey Flegg side. He played one Canterbury Cup match.
Altus, a Farrer alumnus, will begin preseason training in early November as he looks to earn a new contract so he can keep pursuing his NRL dream.
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Playing Jersey Flegg was a "step up" for him, he said, adding: "It was a long season ... three-quarters of the way through it the body started hurting a bit. [I] had some niggling injuries. [I was] just getting used to it, I think."
Signing with the Bears was a "massive step", he said, "and a good step in the right direction, I'd say".
"Massive change, but I'm really enjoying it. It's been awesome so far.
- Max Altus
"'Massive change, but I'm really enjoying it. It's been awesome so far."
Altus has started a vehicle-mechanic apprenticeship. His Coonamble-based parents, Nick and Anna, are, like farmers across NSW and Queensland, doing it tough in drought conditions. They grow crops such as wheat and chickpeas.
Altus said his parents were "struggling". "But, still, we're not the only ones. It's not real nice, but there's not much you can do about it."
He continued: "They didn't want me hanging around at home; they wanted me to go out and do something. I was keen to move down here, and they were keen for me to move down here and have a crack at it."
While the under-20 Bears finished second last on the ladder, winning only two games, Altus described the season as "good fun". "I enjoyed it."
He toured England late last year with the under-18 Australian Schoolboys side as the No 2 rake. He had been part of the Newcastle Knights' under-18 summer development squad.
