It will be the biggest test to date for both players as they line up for the Group 11 under-18s and press for Western Division selection in the trial against Group 10 at Apex Oval.

Jake, 16 and in his first season of under-18s, will start in the front row while Ben, 17, will come off the bench.

The younger of the two, Jake recently returned from a rugby league training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport. He revealed a competitive rivalry that exists between he and Ben.

"There has always been a bit of stiff competition between us in the backyard," he said.

"I am constantly trying to get the edge over him."

He was also quick to stick up for his brother and indicated that they both had something to prove on Saturday.

"Ben was unlucky not to be picked in the Group 11 side last year and I know that's motivation for him to have a big game," Jake said.

"My aim is to make it to the next level and fingers crossed I can do that against Group 10."

Group 11 has the pressure of defending last year's title at home. But the players chosen for the Western Division under-18s will face the added task of backing up last year's Country Rugby League Divisional Championship grand final win against North Coast.

Both Ben and Jake have already been named in the Western Area Combined High Schools team to play North West on May 2.

Ben is in Year 12 but is also completing a 12-month development officer traineeship with Country Rugby League. Jake is in Year 11. Both are signed on two-year scholarships with the St George Dragons.

Last year their roles in the forward pack for Dubbo Senior Campus played a major part in the school's progression to the semi-finals of the University Shield.

Jake acknowledged that this year they would be senior players in a competition that the school holds a lot of pride in.

"While we were lucky to have the likes of John Gray and Kurt Beahan last year, we had a young team and most of us are there again," he said.

"We were disappointed that we lost the first round of the Arrive Alive Cup last month but we pride ourselves on the University Shield."

The Josephs won't be the only family combination on the field for Group 11 under-18s kicking off at 1pm with highly rated Parkes duo Jamie and Brad Graham also in the forwards.

At the end of the day 560 players competed in ages from 7 years to Open Secondary in front of a very large crowd, probably the largest for some years. This was a great effort from these schools with some of these players never having played rugby League before.

Quirindi entered a 14 years team, which is good see them compete again.

However, Singleton Public and Singleton Heights being the only schools in the Singleton area to enter any teams.

Merriwa Central made a welcomed return to the Carnival with their 10 years running out eventual winners. St Brigids of Branxton competed for the first time now that Greta/Branxton Colts are a part of Group 21. The number of players was around the same as the previous year.

This year the Carnival clashed with the junior cricket grand finals which meant that some schools could not field open primary sides.

Next year consideration is being given to have this Carnival on a Sunday.

During the day 43 teams competed in some closely contested games. An under 8 years game between Denman and Merriwa finished in a draw and was decided on a count back on the first try scorer.

The Finals were also very close and some entertaining football was played. With the “Safe Play Code” in place it makes the game more attractive to young players as well as parents being able to see the safety side of football.

The Carnival was a huge success with each player getting his or her pie and drink. This is still one of the very few Carnivals that offer no entry fee, a free lunch and an opportunity to play a sport in school teams.

This would not be possible if it wasn’t for the way in which this Carnival is organised.

Debbie Watts and her team of workers in the canteen go a long way to make this possible. They put in a huge effort and all should feel proud of the work they did.

Chris Brennan (CRL Development Officer) and Geoff Todd (CRL Regional Manager) were delighted with the number of students who had played on the day. They were also pleased with how smooth a Carnival of this size can run when all parties come together for the same cause.

This is a Thiess Services Group 21 Senior League event and is organised with the assistance of Scone Junior League Club, who receive no financial benefit from the day. However, if it wasn’t for the assistance of other organisations, such as Scone Senior League, Scone Rugby Union Club the event would not be possible.

Thanks to the First Aid officers on the day and the countless people who helped set up the grounds and take the gear down.

The time keepers/ground managers were also a big part of this day in keeping the games on time. Thanks to Henry Page and Sue Rowland who gave their time freely.

The referees on the day, Adam Cook, Corey Stafford, Mick Bowd, Darren Ward, Evan Bridge, Sean Spear, Matt McLean and Paul Tudor, also gave their time freely and had a huge work load to get through and should be proud of themselves for their efforts.

Thanks to Lawrence Hardware Mitre 10 for their donation of raffle prizes and of course who could overlook the time and effort from carnival convenor Rod Bowd to ensured that all things were attended too in a o’clock work precision