“I am just helping Fish (Nathan Hamlin) out,” Moodie said.

“He is an old friend and it will be good to play with him again.”

“I don’t mind where I play for them.”

Group 4 president Mick Schmiedel was there with some new technology where players register online and have their photo taken by the web-cam to finish it off, rather than actually signing up with the now old-fashioned pen and paper.

Captain-coach  Hamlin was running the show that looked a lot like one of last season’s training sessions.

There were few faces missing from last year’s crew, which went into the grand final undefeated but lost, and is  now back to get the job done.

Matt McCulloch claimed he was just holding some drinks for a friend at Kooty on Sunday but you can be sure to see the veteran hooker directing the troops again come the first round against Boggabri at home.

Five-eighth Jordan Sharpe and halfback Ben Williams were both in a shout.

The beard of big-hitting prop Grayson Bradbury couldn’t be missed, although he probably had some trouble fitting the growth on the photo register, along with fellow bearded front-rower Ryan Moore, who boasts a more proportionate   effort.

The only notable absences were Kayden Saunders and Paul Ford. Ford has retired while Saunders might be returning to Werris Creek.

With the draw just out, it looks like last year’s minor premiers have a good run in.

Boggy is followed by Manilla and then Bendemeer before heading to Barraba to meet the Bulldogs who will be out to prove something.

Reigning premiers Dungowan played Barraba three times in four weeks to get to the final, and will go straight back there in the second round after hosting Bendemeer in the opening match.

With Quirindi dropping back in from playing reserve grade, and Uralla re-joining the competition, there will be no byes this season.

Ten sides in the competition will play each other twice, home and away, with five games every weekend.

It will take until round seven to see a replay of the grand final, with Dungowan hosting that.

This season’s competition already looks tight, with five or six sides looking like they could win.

Kick off will be  April 11, with Walcha, Uralla, Quirindi and Dungowan the other sides hosting in the first round.