PREMIERS North Tamworth Bears have boosted their stocks for 2015 with the addition of former Knights junior and Newcastle first grade front rower Chris Mitchell at a sign-on day at Jack Woolaston Oval on Saturday.
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President Matt Walsh said it was a great surprise for the club.
“He sent us an email a while ago but then just turned up,” Walsh said.
“I haven’t seen him play for a long time but back then he was a gun.”
Walsh and this season’s premiership-winning coach Brad McManus both played with Mitchell at the Knights in 2000.
After moving to Tamworth for work, Mitchell looked for a club and found his old mates.
McManus has ended his coaching career on a high, stepping back to be vice-president of the Group 4 club and leaving centre Zac Russ to captain-coach the premiers.
“Zac has also been talking to a few other players from Newcastle as well but we don’t know much yet,” Walsh said.
Whilst most of the champion side has signed on again, Sam Jacobsen has retired from the game, as has utility Ky Ruru.
“Ky has retired three or four times now,” Walsh said.
“He will probably be back.”
Last season’s Group 4 Rookie of the Year Jake Cocking might also be missing.
Cocking is in the process of joining the army and may be enlisted before the season begins.
Russ already has the boys hard at it, with training starting a fortnight ago.
The NRL Development Officer has the side concentrating on wrestling techniques and other technical areas of the game.
“Some of the training is quite intricate stuff,” Walsh said.
“He definitely knows what he is doing.”
While North goes from strength to strength on the back of an unbeaten season, the Group may be on struggle street.
“I heard they are really battling at Wee Waa to get a side together and I heard that Narrabri have a team but no committee,” Walsh said.
Group 19 and Group 21 are quite strong, although wedged in between them is Group 4, which is battling with one dominant side and a possible competition with only five teams.
“The other groups don’t have a second division,” Walsh said.
“There are plenty of good first graders running around in there.”
North Tamworth also picked up some fresh faces in the juniors on Saturday, especially in the U14s and U15s.
“I think we will have full sides right through,” Walsh said.
“It was a good day and the club looks healthy.”
