Rising South Sydney star Beau Champion reckons it's his improved defence rather than his try-scoring exploits that have attracted the attention of the rugby league representative selectors.

The Rabbitohs' centre was called up to play for City against Country in Port Macquarie after an impressive start to the 2010 campaign.

Champion, who crossed for two tries against Manly on Sunday, took his tally for the year to nine, the third-highest in the NRL.

He has consolidated his reputation as a try scorer after notching 11 in just 16 outings last year.

Champion, 23, believes it is his greater application in defence that has earned him a call up to the representative ranks.

"It (try scoring) doesn't hurt, but I think my defence has improved a lot this year and that's probably played a bit of a part in the selection," Champion told AAP.

"Also, looking at it, the team is playing pretty well at the moment. We didn't have too bad a start to the year as we have had in previous years.

"We changed our (defensive) structure a little bit this year under Langy (South's coach John Lang).

"We were coming up and in a little bit more last year and this year we're being a lot more patient and it suits me a lot better.

"I focused very heavily in the off season to get my defence right and I think it's more a mental thing, just going out and being a little more aggressive and being more confident and talking to the guys around you.

"I feel really confident with it at the moment."

Champion represented the Junior Kangaroos alongside players such as Jarrod Mullen and Todd Carney and played with and against several of the game's biggest stars for the Indigenous team against the NRL All Stars earlier in the year.

"It was awesome, it was probably one of the best week's of my life, a lot of players I looked up to as a kid, I got to play alongside," Champion said.

"I learnt so much from that week about how players think and how they approach games.

"To play on that big level gave me a lot of confidence coming back to Souths."

The City-Country game will represent a homecoming of sorts for Champion as most of his family live on the mid north coast, though he was born in Sydney.

City five-eighth Braith Anasta has been ruled out of the clash.

Anasta picked up an ankle injury in Sunday's 12-8 NRL win by the Sydney Roosters over the Wests Tigers.

He will be replaced in the No.6 jersey by Parramatta's Kris Keating.

Another Eel, Joel Reddy, comes onto the City bench while the Tigers' Liam Fulton has been named 18th man.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP