There's less than two months until the Group 19 senior rugby league competition will begin and clubs around Armidale have been hard at work preparing for the new season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Group announced a re-structure last year which will see an eastern and western conference setup.
The Uralla Tigers, Narwan Eels, Armidale Rams and Guyra Super Spuds will play in the eastern conference are all well into their pre-season training.
Uralla men's coach Scott Swain started their training two weeks ago and is happy with the turn out so far but is aiming to have a bigger roster by the time they make their way to Sawtell at the end of the month for trial matches.
"We have had reasonable numbers, all up we probably have got about 15 or 16 blokes who have turned up," he said.
"I obviously want more but people like Jack Doran and Kieran Stiff, the regulars, they haven't trained yet.
"I am reasonably happy with the numbers we have got so far. I expect a handful more. I would like to trial with 20, we are a little bit short on that at this point.
"I am definitely not panicking, that's for sure.
Swain's preparation has been bolstered by the inclusion of the experienced Clarrie Moran who will mentor the club's up-and-comers.
The premiership-winning Tigers women's side have also commenced their training but are yet to appoint a coach. The Narwan Eels have also commenced their training after announcing two club coaches will take the reins in 2020. Allan Widders and Mike Ware will mentor the club's teams this season.
They've been training for two weeks now and Widders said it has been slow but they are hoping to pick up the pace as the season draws closer.
"To be honest, it has been a little bit quiet," he said.
"If we can get a trial locked in, it will probably generate a bit of interest.
"They [numbers] have been okay, could be better but I think that we are going to have a different looking squad this year, a lot younger.
"There are a couple of people, I am probably one of them, who say they are going to retire and as soon as it gets a little bit closer they get that itch and get back in the mood.
"But overall I think we will have a younger squad but there will still be a few older heads still about.
Although they are aiming for a trial match before the season begins, Widders said the Eels intend to take the field in the Jack Woolaston nines tournament in Tamworth next month.
Of the new competition, Widders is looking forward to the eastern setup.
"Early on the piece, a lot of people were a bit confused how it is going to pan out but now they have got a better understanding of it, it is slowly building up," he said.
"It probably suits our squad because, last year we won all our home games but struggled to get wins on the road."
The Armidale Rams are set to field three grades - league tag, under 18.5s and men's - this year and began their pre-season late in 2019.
President Jess Smith said they hit the ground running with a good mix of new and old faces showing their interest.
"Everyone seems set to put in their all to have the best 2020 that we possibly can," she said.
"Our calendar is full of off-field activities also which helps to boost relationships within the club but also with the community.
"The men's numbers have been really strong since November.
"With the change in the competition structure, the addition of Aaron Sullivan to the coaching staff, a few changes to how the club is organised, and some new faces in the playing group, they have been really committed to pre-season thus far.
"18s and tag numbers have been a little slow off the mark, but now that games are getting much closer, they are picking up at a rapid rate and all three grades are looking solid for 2020.
"We have quite a few in the club who have moved to town recently who we are really excited to see what they can do on the field.
"We have a couple who have crossed codes for a bit of a change, we have a really healthy number of players returning from last year and some who had a couple of years away from league that have returned looking to make an impact.
"We have a really good team of 18.5s who will play together in both the league and union competitions to try boost numbers and interest in both codes at the junior level as it's well known that both are suffering in recent times in keeping the younger generation playing."
They have also locked in a trial with Sawtell and will play for the inaugural Dylan Keaton Memorial Trophy.
"Dylan was a young Rams player who we lost too early a year ago today (Feb 13 2019)," Smith said.
"We played against Sawtell just after we lost him last year, and they were the most understanding and generous opponents and it was decided that we would play every year in his honour from then on.
"It will remind us how important it is to stand by and check in on our mates, and just how fragile life is."
The Group 19 draw has had to be re-written and will be released in coming weeks but the season is expected to begin in April.
