Brisbane Broncos forward Matthew Lodge has been named in the 23-man Emerging Blues Squad following a strong and incident-free year for the Broncos.

Following a controversial return to the NRL, Brad Fitler has seen the forward’s dedication and has rewarded Lodge with a spot in the 23-man squad alongside Sydney Roosters hooker Victor Radley, and young gun Cronulla Sharks halfback, Kyle Flanagan.

Every Test, ODI & T20I live, ad-break free during play and in 4K. Only on Foxtel. Get 1 month free Sport HD plus Entertainment with no lock-in contract and no iQ4 box fee. T&C apply. SIGN UP NOW!

Round 20

Before making his NRL comeback with the Brisbane Broncos, Lodge made his debut in the NRL with the Wests Tigers, playing twelve games before being sacked following an incident in New York.

In light of the New York incident, Lodge was contracted to the Redcliffe Dolphins, the feeder club for the Brisbane Broncos, following reports that Lodge was on Brisbane’s radar.

After spending the 2017 season playing for the Dolphins in the Intrust Super Cup, Lodge secured a spot with the Brisbane Broncos NRL Telstra Premiership side where he played 25 games in 2018.

Brad Fitler was excited to name the young, standout 23-man squad.

“The majority of players named are young, have stood out in their age groups and representative teams and had a big influence, and any time they make these types of squads is important,” Fittler said.

“We’re giving time to meet these players and while we don’t have time to train it’s very important to get to know them for the future plans of NSW.”

Brisbane Broncos players Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs have also been named in the squad.

Penrith Panthers have seen several of their players selected in Waqa Blake, Shawn Blore, Jack Hetherington, Dylan Edwards and Moses Leota.

St. George Illawarra Dragons also have a strong presence in the squad, seeing five of their players named in the squad, including young gun Zac Lomax.

MORE NRL NEWS

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS: EVERY NRL TEAMS CHRISTMAS WISH-LIST

COACH SWAP: BENNETT AND SEIBOLD COULD STILL TRADE PLACES

GLOVES ARE OFF: GALLEN AND WALKER IN UGLY WAR OF WORDS

COURT BATTLE?: NRL AND PLAYER AGENTS CLASH OVER SCHEME

SALARY CAP INVESTIGATION: FAKE INVOICE SCAM UNCOVERED

The NSW Emerging Blues squad

Payne Haas (Brisbane Broncos)

Matt Lodge (Brisbane Broncos)

Kotoni Staggs (Brisbane Broncos)

Jayden Brailey (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)

Kyle Flanagan (Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks)

Curtis Scott (Melbourne Storm)

Jesse Ramien (Newcastle Knights)

Daniel Saifiti (Newcastle Knights)

Mitchell Moses (Parramatta Eels)

Waqa Blake (Penrith Panthers)

Shawn Blore (Penrith Panthers)

Jack Hetherington (Penrith Panthers)

Dylan Edwards (Penrith Panthers)

Moses Leota (Penrith Panthers)

Campbell Graham (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Robert Jennings (South Sydney Rabbitohs)

Euan Aitken (St George Illawarra Dragons)

Blake Lawrie (St George Illawarra Dragons)

Zac Lomax (St George Illawarra Dragons)

Cameron McInnes (St George Illawarra Dragons)

Reece Robson (St George Illawarra Dragons)

Victor Radley (Sydney Roosters)

Luke Brooks (Wests Tigers)