When York lines up at outside centre for Tamworth in a trial against the Dubbo Kangaroos at Rugby Park on Saturday afternoon, he will keep alive an incredible, unbroken sequence of winters where he has played rugby union or rugby league.

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That sequence began when he debuted in first grade at the Barraba Rams as a teenager (he believes he was 14 or 15).

Some two decades later, he has also played league for Barraba, West Lions, Dungowan, Kootingal-Moonbi and Norths, and rugby for Pirates.

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York joined Tamworth after Covid-19 resulted in the Group 4 season being cancelled. He is just shy of his 34th birthday.

The physically imposing, try-scoring speedster played on the wing in North Tamworth's premiership-winning side last season, having joined them in 2019 from the Rams.

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"That's how we've grown up doing it: winter is football," he said.

Lining up next to him in the centres on Saturday will be his Bears teammate, Richard Clegg.

"We [he and Clegg] spoke about it, and said, 'Ah, yeah, we'll go to training and see how it is'. And we ended up getting put in the centres for first grade for tomorrow [Saturday]."

"We've just gone across to get some run in our legs," he added, "and get some footy in for the year."

The veteran duo have been joined at Tamworth by two of the Bears' new Fijian signings, who are expected to play halfback and winger against the Kangaroos - giving the Magpies a new-look backline.

York - a Tamworth-based Wurth sales rep - said Norths were "very strict and structured", while rugby was more "flowing".

"It's a little bit different, so you've gotta sort of change everything," he said. "But it's just what you've gotta do if you want to play football."