Trying to elicit a comment from Gunnedah coach Sean Hayne about his son Callum is a bit of a fishing expedition.
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And just when you think you’ve got him hooked, he darts away like a spooked mackerel.
The mistake? He sensed an attempt to get him to speak effusively about 21-year-old Callum’s footballing acumen.
Coaching your sons – Callum’s younger brother Marcus is the Bulldogs’ halfback – must be akin to being your child’s boss: you don’t want to be accused of playing favourites.
So an attempt to get Hayne to respond to an astute league follower’s observation that they don’t come any tougher than Callum, a small hooker with a fierce will and no shortage of skill – resulted in a bite and then he was gone.
“I’ll give him that (he is tough). He’s not real big, but he doesn’t take a backward step,” Hayne said.
At Old Boys Day at Kitchener Park in Gunnedah on Saturday, the Bulldogs will need Callum, their skipper, to be at his very best against his former club, North Tamworth.
In 2013 at age 17, Callum made his first grade debut playing on the wing for the Bears. West Lions beat them in the grand final that year.
Since then the Bears have been unstoppable – capturing the past three premierships and again looking menacing with six straight wins this season.
Callum was at the Bears until 2015, before signing with Gunnedah for the 2016 season.
His father and brother, a rookie first grader who, like big bro, punches above his weight, joined him at the club this season.
Callum will play at left-edge centre on Saturday in the absence of the injured Boyde Campbell (knee).
Gunnedah’s only loss of the season came against Norths in Tamworth in round three (34-14).
Bears five-eighth and skipper Scott Blanch provides the extra spark that makes the side so lethal.
Hayne believes he is “probably” the best player in the competition. However, he said it would be a mistake to target Blanch too much.
“You can’t put all your eggs in one basket trying to shut him down, because they’ve got other players who will hurt you – pretty much across the board,” he said.