CENTRAL North selectors have come up with two strong squads for this weekend’s NSW Country Championships in Tamworth.
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The Kookaburras seniors will be led by reigning Country player of the Year Josh Stewart, and includes no less than six former Country players and a host of new faces and returning faces.
Moree’s Damien Kelly and Quirindi’s Mick Hockey and Elliot Tourle are among those pulling on a Kookaburras jersey for the first time in a few years. Among the newcomers are Scone’s Ryan Jackson, Tom Maxwell and Marley and Chris Faaui, Gunnedah’s Peter Hughes and Narrabri’s Brenton Cochrane.
Cochrane has come across from league this season and is just back from the Blue Boars tour of the UK.
Pirates centre Andrew Moodie is one of the Cockatoos contingent and is back after a season in league.
He’ll partner Walcha’s Simon Newton in the centres.
The Rams have three players in the squad in Newton, Richard Young and Lachlan Brown.
Brown was the player of the Country Championships two seasons ago and will with Stewart and Moree’s Matt Wannan form a dynamic backrow.
The Kookaburras play Newcastle in their Caldwell Cup semi-final at 1.15pm on Saturday at Ken Chillingworth Oval.
Just over an hour later (2.30pm) at Scully Park the U20s will tackle Central West.
Pirates backrower Chris O’Connor has been named as captain and is one of two of the premiership-winning first grade side in the squad.
The other is vice captain Jake Hartmann, who was the zone’s colts player of the year last year.
Pirates and Tamworth players dominate the squad after Pirates won the Armidale Knockout for a second successive year on Sunday.
CENTRAL NORTH SENIORS: 1 John Adams (Moree), 2 Ryan Jackson (Scone), 3 Josh Leys (Gunnedah), 4 Peter Altona (Pirates), 5 Damien Kelly (Moree), 6 Matt Wannan (Moree), 7 Josh Stewart (capt) (Pirates), 8 Lachlan Brown (Walcha), 9 Tom Maxwell (Scone), 10 Mick Hockey (Quirindi), 11 Richard Young (Walcha), 12 Simon Newton (Walcha), 13 Andrew Moodie (Pirates), 14 Marley Faaui (Scone), 15 Brenton Cochrane (Narrabri), 16 Matt Jones (Gunnedah), 17 Bart Leach (Pirates), 18 Tom Woods (Inverell), 19 Ben Ham (Scone), 20 Peter Hughes (Gunnedah), 21 Ciaran O’Gorman (Narrabri), 22 Amos Isosa (Pirates), 23 Nathan Hamlin (Pirates), 24 Elliott Tourle (Quirindi), 25 Christopher Faaui (Scone). Coaches - Ross Duncan, Josh Clift. Manager - David Rodgers, Physio - Justine McCarthy, Gear steward - Helen Cameron.
CENTRAL NORTH COLTS: 1 Tyler Galliene (Pirates), 2 Andrew Bowden (Pirates), 3 Richard Hunt (Narrabri), 4 Darcy Barker (Tamworth), 5 Scott De Weymarn (Tamworth), 6 Harry Veitch (Tamworth), 7 Chris O’Connor (capt), (Pirates), 8 Jack Barker (Tamworth), 9 Matthew Blanch (Tamworth), 10 Zeb Buchanan (Pirates), 11 William Gooch (Tamworth), 12 Rheagan Hall (Tamworth), 13 Dan Boland (Pirates), 14 Joseph Henderson (Moree), 15 Jake Hartmann (Pirates), 16 Jacob Budd (Pirates), 17 Beau Donnolley (Tamworth), 18 Jake Williams (Moree), 19 Troy Martin (Tamworth), 20 Joshua Ambrose (Tamworth), 21 Jack Forman (Pirates), 22 Bradley Jeffries (Pirates), 23 Ned O’Neil-Shaw (Pirates), 24 Adam Wollard (Tamworth). Coach - Damian Henry, assistant coach - James Bracken, manager - David Wiseman.
