Boggabri has begun preparations for a huge 2019 Group 4 season by signing Kurri Kurri lock Kahn Juhnke.
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The signing of the forward, who was named in the Newcastle team of the year, is huge news but it could be just the tip of the iceberg for Boggabri.
“Kahn is a massive signing for us,” coach Shane Rampling said.
“Hopefully he’s the first of four or five more. We’re having negotiations with a few more too.”
Boggabri found their newest Kangaroo a job as well.
“He’s already started,” Rampling said.
“His family is moving up in March or April. He’s looking forward to what Group 4 can offer him and help us too.”
The potential signing spree is part of plans for the Roos to enter a reserve grade side in 2019.
To help them “get an idea” of just where they lie in that regard the club will hold a sign-on day at Gunnedah’s Railway Hotel this Saturday from 6pm.
“We just want to get an idea on whether we nominate a reserve grade side for 2019,” club president Greg Haire said.
“This will give us an idea so we can go to the Group 4 AGM the week after and nominate a reserve grade side. It would be great to have four sides. Boggabri has never had four sides before.”
While the Railway Hotel is in “enemy territory” it has been a sponsor of the Kangaroos for a few years.
“We stop in there on our way home from all our homes [apart from Narrabri],” Haire said.
“Have done for a few years now and they have been a good sponsor for us.”
The fact the Kangaroos have doubled their sponsorship shows just how strong the club is functioning.
It had its annual general meeting at the Boggabri RSL on Sunday and while Haire was re-elected president backed up by a 28-strong committee.
“That’s awesome for a little town and club like us,” Haire said.
“Two of the committee live at Muswellbrook but they will help out when they come home. We want to achieve something here. We’re putting up a new grandstand, a new fence, new goalposts and an electronic scoreboard. Jubilee Oval will be looking great. We’ve just top dressed half of it and will do the other half shortly. Hopefully we’ll have four teams on it.”
Rampling reckons all that is “unbelievable” as he entered the second year of his three year coaching term.
“It’s phenomenal what they are doing out there,” Rampling said.
“But it just shows what can happen when you have such a proactive committee. Having 28 on a committee is unheard of. And every one of them is so positive. This time last year we were so far behind the eight ball. We might be a little club competing against the big boys but the club is so proactive.”
He’s confident the side will be able to run a second grade team and has slated a mid-November start to training.
“We’ll get a few weeks in before Christmas, have a couple of weeks off before kicking off again because it’s an early start next year, end of March I think,” Rampling said.
