On a sunny and temperate summer morning at Farrer's superb rugby league ground, John Simpson Oval, Knights coach Adam O'Brien declared: "We consider this place our region. We enjoy coming up here."
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It was January 19, and the Knights had returned to Farrer for a second-straight year for a week-long preseason camp.
In town at the same time for a one-month training block were the New Zealand Warriors, whose relationship with Tamworth was forged through necessity because of the coronavirus, but radiates mutual respect.
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The Warriors' new consultant, legendary rugby league guru Phil "Gus" Gould, promptly declared that while there were "other great regional facilities" for rugby league, "certainly none were better than Tamworth [Scully Park]".
Last Sunday, Wests Tigers returned to Tamworth for a week-long training camp.
With the Warriors and the Knights having departed town, the Tigers had the city and region to themselves - and set about charming locals with a host of community-engagement activities.
Like the Warriors, Scully Park - whose precinct includes the Mercure Hotel - was the Tigers' Tamworth home.
Prior to being bused to Tamworth, the Tigers said they had "formed a rich connection" with New England after playing their first game at Scully Park in 2018 and earmarked one "home game" for the city in each subsequent season (their 2020 match was cancelled due to COVID).
On August 21, a Saturday, the Tigers and the Sharks will clash at Scully Park.
A year earlier, the Warriors gave the Knights a touch-up at the same ground.
Tamworth's 2340 postcode was on their jerseys.
The act and the match were a thank you to the city for hosting the team when they quarantined there in May last year.
Another NRL club with a presence in the region is Canterbury, who formed a partnership with NSW Rugby League's Greater Northern Region in 2019 that would provide players with pathways "to get to the big league", according to the then-Country Rugby League chief executive officer Terry Quinn.
Wests Entertainment Group CEO Rod Laing said Tamworth was receiving an unprecedented level of attention from NRL clubs. WEG operates the Scully Park precinct.
"It's exciting for us developing these relationships that will have the top-of-their-game NRL clubs setting up their summer camps in Tamworth," he said.
"It's just great news to be part of that and be part of the planning for that."
Hosting NRL clubs was a "huge boost" for country rugby league in terms of promotional value, he continued, and was "a shot in the arm to the local economy".
"I love the association we have with Wests Tigers. It's rock solid," he said.
He added: "And out of nowhere, because of COVID, we've developed something very similar with the Warriors.
"And they're obviously friendships and partnerships that will go on for years."
Laing said there was a "relationship just waiting to be developed" with another NRL club, but he decline to elaborate.
Gould praising Scully Park was music to Laing's ears.
"I'm glad he said it, because I can say it now: there's no facility better than Scully Park as far as these training summer camps are concerned," the CEO said.
He added: "I don't have a problem having two or three relationships with these clubs, because there's plenty of room to do this at separate times.
"I know the Tigers wanted to stay for a longer period, but they wanted to come in January and, unfortunately for them, the Warriors jumped in and took out the whole month."
Laing said the sale of tickets for the Tigers-Sharks clash had been delayed until early March in order to "get a better understanding of where we may be with [COVID] restrictions in August".
However, it was expected a capacity crowd would watch the match, he added.
The Warriors were "blown away" by Tamworth's "embrace" of them, Laing said.
"They just thought that, 'Tamworth gave to us when we were in dire straights and had a major need' - and they just have the attitude that they keep wanting to give back."
Warriors CEO Cameron George's relationship with Tamworth is a deep one.
He spent four years in the Country Music Capital after there as a 21-year-old horse racing steward.
He echoed Laing's comments, saying the club had "a fantastic relationship with the community of Tamworth".
"We are grateful for the support we received from both businesses and individuals during our time in town," he said. "We will continue to explore opportunities to work with the local community in the short, mid and long term."
Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe caught up with the Leader before the club left town on Friday. The Tigers' "intent", he said, was to "entrench" themselves in Tamworth.
"I think it's a privilege and a responsibility of NRL clubs to go to regional areas of NSW," he said.
"The depth and the success of the NRL competition really starts at the junior leagues, and it's no different in country regional areas.
"So if we can come out here an increase that interest in the game and that participation level, it's gonna deepen the roots and strengthen the competition as a whole."
What Pascoe said is not lip service. While in town, the Tigers took part in a host of community initiatives: a meet-and-greet, two junior rugby league clinics, including one in Gunnedah, and a coaches workshop among the whirlwind of activity.
"The more time we can spend here, without being disruptive to the football program, is really important," Pascoe said, adding that he "congratulated" the players "on the way they represented themselves and also the club".
"It's been outstanding," he continued. "The longer you can be here, you become more genuine and more authentic about your intent - it's not just a fly in, fly out. We're conscious of that."
In fact, Pascoe said he would "like to think" the Tigers would return to Tamworth, in some form, before the Sharks clash in order to engage with their "fan base".
As for the match itself, he said the side would arrive in town ahead of the encounter and stage community-engagement activities.
The match was scheduled late in the season, he continued, in order to enhance the chance of a capacity crowd watching it.
"Obviously, we were conscious of the COVID situation, and historically we've had games [in Tamworth] earlier in the year.
"It's not ideal for a football side to be travelling close to finals time. But wanting this [the clash] to be an absolute success, we worked with the NRL and also with Rod [Laing] to make sure the game was late in the season ... That makes it commercially viable."
He added: "If COVID keeps progressing the way it is, it's expected there will be a full crowd - which will be awesome."
As for the Tigers' relationship with WEG, Pascoe said "there's no reason it won't continue".
Group 4 chairman Terry Psarakis - who is also WEG deputy chairman - said Scully Park was "ideal" for NRL preseason camps given its one-stop-shop appeal.
He commended Farrer for "also doing a very good job" catering to NRL sides.
Knights mentor Adam O'Brien described Farrer's facilities as being "second to none".
"Great accommodation [and] the field, which is the No 1 priority for us, is in outstanding condition," he added.
