Chevy Stewart and Mitch Woods light up U19s State of Origin battle amid Phil Gould warning

Canberra Raiders prodigy Chevy Stewart and Bulldogs youngster Mitch Woods have shown their credentials as future NRL superstars, despite Phil Gould warning fans not to get too excited. Stewart was the standout player on the field having won player-of-the-match in the U19s State of Origin game in the Blues 14-12 win over Queensland.

Stewart had Raiders fans on the edge of their seat earlier this year when making his NRL debut in round six against the Sharks this year after Jordan Rapana's injury. The 18-year-old played three games, scoring one try, for the Raiders after finding out how tough the NRL can be as a youngster.

Having returned to the NSW Cup in recent weeks, Stewart was selected as the fullback for the Blues to take on the Maroons on Thursday night. And the Raiders prodigy showed why he has a huge future in the NRL having scored a stunning solo try, before providing the assist for the game winner.

Stewart ran for 175 metres, made three linebreaks and had a massive 13 tackle busts. This is to go along with a try and a try assist. Stewart scored the opener in the 11th minute having stepped a defender on the Queensland line, before accelerating and burrowing between three Maroon jerseys for a try.

He showcased his electric speed at the start of the second half after a stunning carry saw him run 50 metres up the field. And he was also involved in the match-winning try having caught a knock-back from a kick and provided the pass in the 59th minute.

Former Blues forward Aaron Woods was full of praise for Stewart after the teenager showed he had plenty of energy and talent to make the full-time switch to the NRL in the near future. "He was outstanding tonight," Woods said in commentary.

Woods wasn't the only one full of praise for the youngster. While only having three games under his belt at NRL level, many fans can't wait to see more of the fullback for the Raiders in years to come. Another standout was Mitch Woods for the Blues in the close win.

Mitchell Woods shines for the Blues

While Stewart rightfully won the honours for best on field, Blues halfback Woods was also a standout. The SG Ball Player of the Year showed a different facet to his game to many current halfbacks, as Woods made 11 runs for more than 100 metres to go with 25 tackles across the 80 minutes.

And it was his short kicking game that had Woods impressed with the 18-year-old halfback from the Bulldogs. “He was outstanding. The carries he had were like front row carries and almost sliced through a couple of times,” Woods added in commentary.

“He showed great touch with his grubbers as well and almost set up two tries.” Bulldogs director of football Phil Gould was on hand to watch the U19s game and wanted to curb some of the excitement around Woods to allow him to develop his game. The youngster only recently signed for the Bulldogs having had offers in the AFL and Rugby Union.

"He's very promising and he's a great kid, that's the most important thing," Gould said on Channel Nine commentary. "He is still at school, he's a great learner, he is a really polite and humble kid. He was in the Swans AFL academy, he's in representative academies for rugby - he is still playing rugby at his school, we are allowing him to.

"He had to make a decision at the end of last year, we sat with the Swans and rugby and said we would all love to have him - but we agreed he needs to play one if he's gonna be really good at it. He chose rugby league, that was his decision. He played in our Harold Matts winning premiership side last year. We've got him contracted for four years and we'll give him plenty of time to develop and mature. You wouldn't meet a nicer kid."