'Held a big part of him in my heart': Bone's tribute to the great Jack Woolaston

On April 10, 2024, the 21-year-old was among mourners for the Tamworth funeral of the great Jack Woolaston.

Bone had flew home from Mackay, where he was trying to crack the Cutters' Hostplus Cup side after the high of a breakthrough debut season at the club gave way to the disappointment of non-selection. Three months later, he remains locked in that battle as he tries to keep his NRL dream alive in what is the final year of his Cutters deal.

Despite all that pressure, the second-rower/lock felt compelled to be at the funeral of Woolaston, the man credited with laying the foundation for the unparalleled success North Tamworth have had, and who gave Bone words of encouragement before he helped the Bears beat Dungowan in the 2022 grand final.

"I couldn't miss that," Bone said of the funeral of the Bears' founding president, who was 99 years old when he died. "I had to be there for Jack and pay my respects to him.

"I probably wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for him starting that Bears club up [and] allowing me to meet the people that I did and help me with my footy career. So I had to go pay my respects for that."

Speaking from Mackay, where he is recovering from torn elbow ligaments that will likely sideline him for up to a month and a half, Bone recalled how the World War II veteran spoke to him after a game at Jack Woolaston Oval in 2022.

"Pretty sure we got the win, and he came up to me and said: 'Mate, great game - bring it home this year. And we did," Bone said.

"And honestly, that was a special moment for me. He was an unreal bloke. I held a big part of him in my heart."

Woolaston would undoubtedly be proud of Bone as he continues to pursue an NRL career. But after cementing a spot in the Cutters' starting lineup in his debut season at the club last year, he has only made one Hostplus Cup appearance in 2024.

The 10th-placed Cutters became a Cowboys feeder club ahead of their current campaign.

Bone said: "It's a bit hard to make it at the moment when we're getting about seven or eight Cowboys players back and they're all taking up the positions that I usually play."

He added: "Personally, I'm pretty disappointed because I haven't played much Cup ... That wasn't how I wanted my year to go. I wanted to be playing consistent Cup all year."

But with five rounds remaining before finals, Bone hopes to see more Hostplus Cup action this year once he is fit again. He has been sidelined for two weeks after injuring his elbow playing for Souths Sharks in the Mackay first-grade competition.

"The Cutters have said that they'll be keen to sign me again for next year," he said. "But in all honesty, I'm just waiting to see how the rest of my year pans out with footy, and go from there."

"I want to get more Cup games under my belt," he added. "And hopefully then I can get an NRL deal and go from there."

In the meantime, the former North Sydney Bears junior said he was "just trying to stay focused".

"And hopefully, when that opportunity comes, I can take it with both hands and run away with it."