Cory Allen, the grandson of the late Ann Allen (Corrigan) of Doona, Ballycroy has recently been selected for the prestigious Auckland East U14 Representative squad, a team which has been a springboard for All Blacks and provincial players in New Zealand for some time.

Cory has played rugby since the age of five through junior grades at Pakuranga United Rugby Club (PURFC) in Auckland. He was deemed an average player from age 5 to 10. At age 10 he trialed for a team who play and tour in Sydney Australia. This team is part of PURFC Cherrybrook tour. One game in New Zealand against a touring team for U10s and three games in Sydney the following year for U11s. Both series were convincing wins for the team.

Following this, Cory secured a spot in a championship team for PURFC over the next two years. This saw the team compete in tournaments in Auckland, Queenstown and Taupo in New Zealand. The Taupo tournament invited teams from Japan and Australia. All three championships were taken out by Cory's team.

Now, Cory is at Senior College and he made the decision to change his position from winger to hooker. This was a major change but it has proven to be a very apt and successful one. The boy with the Erris heritage secured a spot in the college team and set off on a great adventure which has yielded an outstanding season for the team as they won the college league with 213 points for and 12 against.

Cory’s college nominated him to trial for Auckland East and this was a major step forward in his rugby development. He was accepted into the wider training squad and eventually after four more trial sessions was accepted into the final 22-boy squad as the hooker.

Cory's development is testament to his hard work and dedication and everyone throughout the region will be keeping a close eye on his progress in the coming months and years.