It was a sprouting that has left Cody Tickle feeling buoyant about the Magpies' cause despite the abrupt end to a disappointing Creek season, in which Tickle faced his logistics "stress" test as a first-year coach.
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The player-coach was not talking like a man who had just presided over a three-win, nine-loss season and a seventh-spot finish.
A "pretty good season", was Tickle's reply, adding that while the club's expectations did not materialise, table wise, the Magpies "took a lot of positives" out of the COVID-ravaged campaign.
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The first-grade blooding this year of youngsters, following the launch of the under-18 Pies in 2021, was an "added bonus", he said.
Players such as prop Charlie Parsons (the son of ex-Knight Matt Parsons), second-rower Riley Leonard and winger Malik Hunt emerged via the new pipeline.
"They really excelled," Tickle said of the under-18s, adding that the club's future was "pretty bright".
Although Werris Creek, he continued, under-performed in all grades last season, "it's really the best spot our club's been in for a long time.
"I'm quite looking forward to the next five-10 years."
He added: "We've been building [since] we came to first grade."
That was in 2018.
Tickle was at Werris Creek that year, and he will be there next year.
He "thinks" he will apply to again coach.
"I'll be there again next year [but] whether they take me or not [as coach] is another thing, I suppose."
The logistics involved in coaching was the bane of Tickle's existence last season.
He seemed open to calling it a "nightmare", before settling on: "The logistics side of things is a little bit stressful ... But all the footy stuff I really enjoyed."
Last season was a "learning experience" for him. He added: "You're not gonna land on your feet, running; you're gonna miss a few things.
"But, yeah, I think we're going pretty well."
A highlight of last season was a long-desired defeat of North Tamworth.
But Tickle downplayed the significance of the 32-24 home triumph, saying that while it was "pretty good" and the club's Old Boys were "ecstatic", Werris Creek wants "to be stable and win titles".
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