Matt Sandell is another young Waratahs forward hailing from the central NSW town of Wellington, though he spent his formative years in Mudgee. He was one of many Stars teammates, including Tom Robertson, Matt Phillip and Andrew Robinson in the Australian Under-20s side in 2014, all of them going on to join the Sydney Stars' squad for the National Rugby Championship.

Sandell is well on his way with the Waratahs, signing a new two-year deal that will keep him in his home state until the end of 2018.