FOUR captains uttered almost similar responses to Friday night's Wests Entertainment Group 9s draft selection night in the Ken Chillingworth Room at Wests.
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All four of the captains - Brenton Cochrane, Scott Blanch, Mitch Doring and Cody Tickle - appointed by Group 4 to ramrod their new franchises in the inaugural WEG 9s were "really happy" with the team they and their managers and team sponsors had finished with.
What else were they going to say, you might ask, but reflecting on Friday night's events, emceed so eloquently by Group 4 treasurer Geoff Dunn, it was very rare for four leaders to agree.
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I fib a little though.
Looking back in my notes of interviews with the quartet of outstanding and highly respected players it did vary.
"I was really happy with the make-up of my side," young Werris Creek backrower Cody Tickle (Shay Brennan Construction) said.
To Brenton Cochrane's: "I'm very happy with my side, very happy," he said of the @Carey's Freight Lines squad.
Scott Blanch was back to the "really happy" response when he replied he had finished with a "good mix of young talent" for his Marius Street Family Dental as Mitch Doring also replied he was "real happy with a very talented side" for his franchise in what thought he was a hard and taxing draft.
He and JT Fossey sales manager, Daniel Cini, had agonised a few selections and tactics.
"That was fantastic," Daniel added at night's end.
"Mitch is real happy. He got most of the players he wanted.
"It was exciting. This is a great concept and can only get bigger and better."
He was talking about the structure of the four-team WEG 9s but can see only great things for a WEG 9s, he believes, could morph into a six, eight or 10 team competition.
First and foremost though, for the Lion-supported Group 4, is for it to ensure the inaugural WEG 9's is a success and played in the right spirit by all concerned.
Then ideas of expansion might come into it while also exploring ideas of a similar competition for females as well.
The first win of the night was for Tickle, his manager and tree-dodging hulk, Matt Parsons and their former Wests Robins (before they changed to Lions and then South West Robins) backrower Shay Brennan.
They earned first selection of the night (from a draw carried out by Group 4 Interim Chairman Terry Psarakis) and duly selected Gunnedah excitement machine Dylan Lake.
He's played against Dylan and knows just how quick and gifted the lightweight fullback is.
Fellow young gun, Mitch Doring, was disappointed to draw fourth pick in the first round,
"I think everyone would have picked Dylan," he admitted.
"I would have."
Cochrane was second pick for his Careys Freight Lines franchise and with team manager and sponsor Darren Carey went for Kootingal playmaker Sam Taylor.
"We got all the key players we wanted," Brenton said.
"Sam Taylor, Jacob Nichols and Ben Williams."
Blanch and his Marius Street Family Dental manageress, Lisa Dellar, went for another young gun and flyer, Trent Taylor.
Teenager Trent might have the skinniest set of legs in senior rugby league but the brilliant young fullback is an outstanding and lightning quick custodian.
The former Farrer schoolboy could be one of the stars in the next Lion-supported Group 4 regular season.
"He was a big get," Blanch admitted.
"He's been playing too so he is match fit and the timing from playing."
That left Doring and Cini to claim multi-talented Werris Creek pivot Harlee Millgate as their first choice to complete a buzzing first round.
Easy to see why the four captains were "real happy" too with what would become their final 16-man squad by looking at the quality of their first picks.
For Tickle the weekend now explodes from off-field team selections to on-field desperation at Coonamble Sportsground today.
He plays for the Coonamble Bears in their "do or die" Group 14 Castlereagh Cup final round game against the Binnaway Bombshells.
"Whoever wins finishes fourth and makes the semis," Tickle said after Friday night's draft selection duties at Wests.
"I'll go home and get a good night's sleep action and head out to Coonamble."
He was "roped into playing" for the Bears by former Werris Creek hooker Zac Buckley and enjoyed every minute of it.
"We beat Gil (competition leaders) and we went with Cobar (second) for 60 minutes before we ran out of fitness.
"It's a long way out there," he confessed of the straight drive west only made enjoyable by the fact he was too good for his Bear teammates at euchre.
It means the card sharp spray painter he will be also be match fit for the WEG 9s and raring to go in the razzle dazzle environment that is 9s football at Scully Park on Saturday, October 3.
THE TEAMS:
Player numbers refer to their order of selection in the draft.
SHAY BRENNAN CONSTRUCTION: Cody Tickle (captain), 1 Dylan Lake (Gunnedah), 8 Jake McManus (North Tamworth), 10 Thomas Brown (Werris Creek), 15 Daniel Jobson (Narrabri), 20 Jake Tighe (Moree), 21 Mathew Baker (Gunnedah), 27 Marcus Hayne (Gunnedah), 32 Dylan Porter (Werris Creek), 34 Thomas Boland (Dungowan), 37 Sam Sadler (Narrabri), 41 Thomas Woolaston (North Tamworth), 48 Brad Naylor (Moree), 50 Bryce Daniels (Werris Creek), 54 Nathan Douglas (Werris Creek), 60 Zak Turnbull (Gunnedah).
CAREYS FREIGHT LINES: Brenton Cochrane (captain), 2 Sam Taylor (Kootingal), 7 Jacob Nichols (Narrabri), 9 Ben Williams (Moree), 16 Phil Beaton (Kootingal), 19 Joseph Wade (Moree), 22 Travis Small (Narrabri), Brayden Reid (Kootingal), 31 Lachlan Trindall (Narrabri), 36 Liam Hatch (Kootingal), 37 Isaiah Adams (Narrabri), 42 Jarmarley Jerrard (Kootinal), 47 Clay Frendin (Dungowan), 49 Ryley Taylor (Kootingal), 53 Nathaneal Slater (Werris Creek), 59 Cooper Thompson (-).
MARIUS STREET FAMILY DENTAL: Scott Blanch (captain), 3 Trent Taylor (Dungowan), 6 Mitchell Sheridan (North Tamworth), 13 Jack Rumsby (Kootingal), 18 Lachlan McGrady (Moree), 24 James Cooper (North Tamworth), 25 Mitch Dening (Kootingal), 29 Kieren Williams (Werris Creek), 35 Daniel Kelly (North Tamworth), 40 Brayden Jerrard (Kootingal), 44 Matt Wilson (Dungowan), 45 Deacon Sankey (Gunnedah), 51 Ryan Ingram (North Tamworth), 56 Shuaib Rhodes-Swain (Uralla), 58 Ben Taylor (Kootingal), 29 Kieren Williams (Werris Creek).
JT FOSSEY: Mitch Doring (captain), 4 Harlee Millgate (Werris Creek), 5 Abel Carney (Manilla), 12 Aaron Donnelly (Gunnedah), 14 Matt Gillham (Boggabri), 17 Nathan Vaisey (Manilla), 23 Shannon Swan (Moree), 26 Kobe Bone (North Tamworth), 30 Dwight Millgate (Werris Creek), 33 Zach Hatch (Kootingal), 39 Zack Leonard (Werris Creek), 43 Liam Ireland (Gunnedah), 46 Corey Hall (Manilla), 52 Jesse Glass (South West Robins), 55 Jimmy Pascoe (Gunnedah), 57 Liam Ball (North Tamworth).
