Cody Tickle is a young man on the crest of a wave.
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The 26-year-old spray painter will captain the Shay Brennan Constructions side in the inaugural WEG 9's at Scully Park during October.
He is one of four captains in the novel and unique 9's competition being run by Group 4.
He's no stranger to 9's too having played a fair bit of the reduced numbers rugby league game through his high school years at Quirindi High.
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Born in Tamworth he's grown up living in Werris Creek and been playing for the Magpies senior side in the Group 4 competition.
He's been one of the talented young backrowers in Group 4 too, a running ball playing second rower who is still learning just how good he could be.
His ball-playing is untapped and could take him to new heights in the 13-a-side game.
Being handed the job as captain of the Shay Brennan Constructions side could help add to his game.
That he has been playing for the Coonamble Bears in their revised Group 14 Castlereagh Cup competition out west is also another step in his germination as a key man on the field.
They are currently fourth with just the one win from their six games.
The WEG 9's offer an extension of that game time too.
Tickle said he is "getting ready for it".
"It's going to be unreal. I played a bit of it coming through school. Speed is important but you can't have too many small, fast players otherwise the other side just rolls through the ruck," he said.
A spray painter with Mahers Smash Repairs in Tamworth since 2011, he's played for a few teams, playing a junior season at North Tamworth and also representing the former Group 4 Second Division as well as playing for the Group 4 senior (Under 23) side.
He skippers a side that is sponsored by local builder Shay Brennan and his wife Jacqueline.
Shay is a former West Tamworth junior (in the days when they were still the Robins and merged with Tamworth City to form the West Lions).
He played in an under-18 side that made the grand final in 1983.
"We should have won," he recalled.
"Had a pretty good side, Bruce Sinclair, Steve Smith, Michael Gould and Podgie. I did play the following year but had a shoulder injury, it kept dislocating and I was also kneed in the back"
He elected to retire and started going to TAFE three nights a week to complete his building trade and has never looked back.
He is also a sponsor of many sports.
"Basketball, baseball, softball, Oz Tag, touch, I sponsor a bit around but I reckon this football is a great thing," he said of the WEG 9s.
"To be honest it's been a prick of a year (with Covid-19), there's been hardly any sport I just think it's great we can get a little bit of normality back and having the 9's is a great way to do it."
He also firmly believes playing a team game such as rugby league is great for your development and he hopes he instills that in his job, employing the tradies and keeping them happy and determined to produce quality jobs.
It's like football, he reckons. Keep them happy and they play well.
