Launceston Tigers, Devonport Bulls and Burnie Emus picked for Northern rugby side

The two sides will meet at Royal Park on Saturday in what promises to be an entertaining battle.

The Northern side looks strong after the three Northern Tasmanian sides (Launceston, Devonport and Burnie) finished in the top three places last season with the Bulls and Tigers contesting the decider.

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The Northern side is represented by 12 players from Launceston, 11 from Devonport and one from Burnie with some big names included in the side.

"We've got a fairly strong mix of experience, pace and skill so we're certainly hopeful that we can put it all together and those new combinations can gel quite quickly," Launceston Rugby Club president Isaac Anderson said.

"Fineasi Palei is one of the Launceston wingers that is playing for the side and he's very elusive if you give him any sort of space, he scored a bucket-load of tries last year and he'll certainly be a big threat out wide.

"We've got a young number eight in Tom Curtis, he's been playing for Devonport for a number of years now but I think really elevated his game last year and was one of the powerful ball-runners in the competition so it will be exciting to watch."

Anderson said the return of the derby fixture was a positive step for rugby in Tasmania.

"This is the first time I think in close to 10 years we've had the opportunity to come together as the Greater North," he said.

"I think we've got a fairly strong team that we're able to send out there, there's been a bit of resurgence with rugby in the North in the last couple of years."

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