The hard-working backrower, a regular in ND teams in the past few seasons, comes into the squad for injured Scone fullback Wayne Hedley, Northern Division secretary Ross Hamilton said yesterday.

"Wayne was injured playing for Scone last Sunday," Hamilton said.

"So Jeff's come in.

"As to what that means with positions they'll have to work it out as Jeff is a backrower and Wayne a fullback/winger."

Northern Division senior and junior squads assemble at Scully Park this morning (10am) with the seniors training at Scully Park and the under 18s at Jack Woolaston Oval.

The two squads then assemble again at Scully Park next Saturday for a light training run before afternoon trials against North Coast.

The trials are open, free to the public," Hamilton said.

The junior trial starts 2.15pm and the seniors at 3.30pm.

Meanwhile, Tingha Tigers couldn't have picked a worse time to confront Group 19 competition favourites Narwan.

The Tigers enter today's game at Tingha under a worsening injury toll.

Centre Peter Emerson, Tony Baxter and Jeremy Tickle have joined the lengthening queue.

And the Tigers also have a few players away.

"It's going to be interesting," captain-coach Jeff Ting said Thursday afternoon.

"We're going to have to dig in as a club this weekend and play the best we can.

"If we do, anything is

possible."

Tingha meets rampaging Narwan in a lethal mood.

In three games so far, it has scored 200 points and had just 38 scored against it.

The electric Eels lead the Group 19 competition with resurgent Warialda, which has the bye this weekend.

Stifling Narwan's fleet-footed adlib game will be a major hurdle for Ting and his Tigers.

"We've just got to complete our sets of six, that'll be the main aim.

"Complete the sets and get a good kick away and then work in defence, force them into mistakes and get the ball back.

"If we can keep the ball away from them as much as we can, then we can win."

Ting said the long injury toll had made it a tough start to the season.

Tingha has lost to Glen Innes and Warialda and needs big games from the likes of Tarrick Patterson. Ray Craigie, Russell Brien, Paul Leitinger and Ting himself.

Tomorrow's other two games are local derbies.

Glen Innes hosts Inverell at Kerry Mead Park while struggling Armidale goes up against Guyra.

TABLE: Narwan 6, Warialda 6, Guyra 4, Inverell 4, Tingha 2, Glen Innes 2, Armidale 0.