A veteran of the NRL and 2014 premiership winner Ben Te'o has been appointed as the new head coach of the Under-19s Queensland team.
The ex-QLD Maroons player will coach the next generation of Queensland superstars in the annual Under-19s State of Origin match later this year.
Te'o's appointment to coach the representative team comes after he coached the Redcliffe Dolphins in the QLD Cup last season
“Every year I get a bunch of young guys around that age of 18 or 19 who come and do pre-season with the Hostplus Cup squad, as well as the NRL squad, so I understand where they are at with their development,” Te'o said in a media statement.
“I think this is another opportunity to gain some experience. It's a different campaign with a four training sessions and one game.
“I'm lucky I'm here (at The Dolphins) with Wayne Bennett every morning and I've had a good chat to him about the process of preparing the week.”
Queensland Rugby League (QRL) have confirmed that Darius Boyd and Jesse Maclean will work under Te'o and be his two assistant coaches.
“It's a great achievement for the players, first of all to be in the squad, and then we're going to have to pick a team for a one off game in Sydney,” Te'o added.
“I feel very privileged to be able to lead them down there and prepare for this game.”
The Under-19s State of Origin match will take place on Thursday, June 20 in Sydney at Leichhardt Oval.
