Reality show contestant included in USA Nines squad

A contestant from reality TV show ‘The Rookie’ has been named in the United States Hawks side for the first-ever Americas Nines on May 18.

Kevin Reed Jr, who will play for Brooklyn Kings this year, featured on NRL’s ‘The Rookie’ TV show back in 2016.

At the time, the American said he wanted to be the ‘reverse Jarryd Hayne’ and go from being in the San Francisco 49ers mini camp to becoming an NRL star.

Reed thinks being on ‘The Rookie’ kept him in the spotlight to be selected for USA’s national Nines squad.

He said: “I don’t think the USA Rugby League would have known about me without that.

“It put something on my resume that I got to be put in front of Mark Geyer and Brad Fittler and these guys. They picked the guys who even got on the show.”

United States Nines squad: Dean Hunt, Nick Newlin (Atlanta Rhinos), Brandon Anderson, Kevin Reed Jr, Jamil Robinson, Dane Wilcoxen (Brooklyn Kings), Khalil Harris, Steven Knight (Jacksonville Axemen), David Ulch (Lakeland Renegades), Alex Foster (New York Knights), Chris Frazier (NOVA Eagles), Kyle Denham, Andrew Kneisly, Tristan Sylk (Philadelphia Fight), Sterling Wynn (Southwest Florida Copperheads), Connor Donehue (Sunshine Coast Falcons), Bart Longchamp (Tampa Mayhem), Matt Walsh (White Plains Wombats).