North Companions coach Jackson Zifodya is preparing for the unknown when the new Northern Inland Premier Division kicks off on Saturday.
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Zifodya told The Leader he has no idea what to expect from their first round opponents Quirindi FC, who are one of five sides stepping up from the local Tamworth competition under the premier league revamp.
"They've never played premier league and we've never played them at that level before," he said.
After the COVID disruption he said the players are excited that the season is finally starting.
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"We can't wait for Saturday and maybe that will give us a good gauge of where we are at," he said.
They have had a bit of a player turnover with a few players going back to their old clubs now that they are playing in the same competition (Nick Bowden has also joined Oxley Vale Attunga), but Zifodya is pretty happy with their preparation and "pretty satisfied" that they have enough players to "be competitive enough".
They have filled in "one or two spots" with senior players that have played in the premier league before and are coming back to help out, and also have some exciting young players stepping up.
Zifodya made specific mention of Alex Tucker and James Wallace.
Tucker was part of the Northies side that were beaten by Gunnedah FC in the Tamworth first grade grand final last season.
Wallace meanwhile played for the [North Companions] under-16s side that Zifodya coached a few seasons ago.
"After the 16s he changed and became a referee," he said.
"Now he's come back which is very pleasing to see."
They will play down in Quirindi.