In Dave Lane's words it was a "no-brainer".
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As soon as the Tamworth Magpies registrar heard about Cadbury's Volunteer Values Awards, he knew he wanted to put someone from the club forward and he knew who that person should be - Simon Hood.
"He's here every week... he's here from the first game to the last game.. he asks for nothing," Lane said.
"The reality is that Simon's position, he'll never have that opportunity to play rugby but he's done more for this club than the vast majority of people who have put on the black and white and taken the field, and that absolutely needs to be acknowledged."
The judges were of the same mind with Hood announced as one of the 10 winners nationally.
Designed to honour the 'tireless efforts' of the countries 'behind-the-scenes sporting heroes', Lane said the recognition of the valuable role that volunteers play in any club was one of the things that appealed to him about the initiative.
Simply put, without volunteers the "club doesn't survive".
The winners, which were spread across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, were adjudged to represent one or more of the 10 values that feature on the limited-edition Cadbury Dairy Milk blocks: courage, inspiration, leader, legend, mate, respect, sportsperson, purpose, team spirit, and 'Cheer and a Half'.
They each receive $2,500 and their respective club, $15,000.
A significant injection into the club's coffers, Lane said there is "no end of things" that that amount of money "can be going towards".
It hasn't yet been designated for anything specific - the committee will decide that - but it will certainly all go back into the club, he said.
For Hood, that is the "special part" about it; that the club that he loves so much benefits too.
And while he is honoured to be recognised as one of Australia's top volunteers, he pointed out that he's only one of a number of volunteers in the club.
"It takes a group effort to make it work and I'm just the nominee for those other people," he said.
His association with the Magpies stretches back around two decades.
He recalled being a spectator in 2000 when they "lost every game by 100 or more" (they would go on to make the grand final the following year).
A few years later he came on board as a manager of one of the junior sides, and, as they say the rest is history. He's been involved in some capacity, be that as a manager, registrar, on the committee, or the match day official, as he currently is, ever since.
"The club will always be here and I'll always be part of it.
"And that's what I love," he said.
"As has been mentioned I can't play, but I can put back in other ways."
Also a long-time cricket scorer, umpire and coach he's on the countdown to the start of the season next weekend.
