Selector Jim Cox said all 57 senior players on show at Tamworth's Scully Park today had a shot at a Tigers jersey but if a player wanted to be picked he had to bring his game face today.

"When it comes to rep football it's no good waking up the next day and saying 'I should have'," Cox said.

"They've got to put it on the paddock and the only one who can do it is themselves. It's not how they played last week or next week it's how they play this week."

Cox said ND had its best chance at success in years and wanted the very best side on the paddock when the Country Championships kicked off next month.

"We want to pick the best Division side we can," he said.

"This year we've got the best preparation we've ever had because we've got two trials that we've never had. If the players we pick don't stand up in those trials we'll be looking for replacements."

Cox said the halves battle would be an interesting one.

He helped select Michael Watton and Chris Hunt in the Group 4 side last week and said they would take some beating for the ND spots.

"The biggest thing to look at is the halves combination," he said.

"The one we've got is pretty good so if someone beats it we should have pretty good halves."

Group 4 has also made one last change to the squad with Jeremy Ritchie out and West Lion Chris Vidler in. Ritchie was himself a replacement for Scott Watton on the bench and Cox said playing off the bench did not mean the likes of Vidler couldn't make the ND side.

"He'll be handy off the bench," Cox said of Vidler. "He'll be a good impact player. We've had players go right through from the bench. The-y've got as much chance as anyone."

Cox joins Paul Macrae and Blair Mitchell on the selection panel.

The Northern Division title is also on the line with reigning champions Group 21 starting the day against Group 19.

Captain-coach Aaron Watts said last year's championship win counted for little if

his side was not

focussed this time around.

"It puts a bit of pressure on us," he said. "There's been a lot of changes from last year. It's like any game of footy, if you don't show up to play you can't expect to win. We'll be concentrating on our own game."

Some extra youth has been injected into the G21 side but it still looks strong.

"I'm happy with it," Watts said.

"It's a young side and a fairly small side too so we'll have to play to our strengths in that regard. I played with a few of them when I was here originally but there's some young blokes coming through too."

The Northern Division senior and under 18s play their first game in just seven days time.

The Tigers will trial against North Coast at Taree next Saturday before another trial against Western Division at Gunnedah a week later.

ND's first Country Champion-ships clash is at Muswellbrook on May 13 against either Riverina or Illawarra.

• See Sports Details for Group teams and today's draw.