The Moree Boars have welcomed a new captain-coach into the mix in the returning Ben Williams.
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Williams returns to rugby league after "a couple seasons playing rugby" with the Moree Bulls.
Matt Ryan was slated to coach the Boars but it appears he might be selling his business and leaving Moree, Boars president Todd Mitchell said.
Mitchell believes Williams will be a good leader, on and off the field, for the Boars in their return to Group 4.
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"He's [Williams] 27 and been around long enough. He's got a good footy brain too. Trevor Tighe is going to help him out," Mitchell said.
Tighe is a Group 4 premiership winning forward with the Boars and famously skippered them to a grand final victory against West Lions at Scully Park in 2002. They won 34-18 that day.
As for Williams, he excelled in the WEG 9s in 2020 and was looking forward to the Group 4 season.
"I'm going to give it a good crack," the utility said.
"It's my first time [coaching].
"My first year back playing league after a couple of seasons playing rugby here [with the Bulls] - they are always strong.
"Then Toddy gave me a call and had a yarn about it. I had a good think about it and thought I'd give it a go.
"I haven't got many years left in me and I think it will be good.
"We've been going since late January and had a personal trainer coming down running them. She's been real good."
Jenny Carter has been running the fitness sessions and helping Williams prepare the Boars for their return to Group 4.
"We need to be fit to play in Group 4," he said.
"If we are going to be up there we need to be fit because it is completely different in Group 4 to Group 19."
A faster and more expansive game awaits the Boars while Williams is hoping for a rise in numbers at training.
"We've been getting between 15 to 20," he said.
"I think a lot of the players are waiting to see who is playing."
While the Boars have had a slow start, Mitchell said his club was "not alone in that respect" considering the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on everyone.
He said some of the Boars have been busy playing in a few different sporting competitions but expects the numbers to swell in the next few weeks and is tipping his club to have "between 50 and 60 players by the end of March".
"We've got some good young kids too, between 18 and 20," Mitchell said.