There's at least one thing that Ryan Witherdin is happy to have in his rearview mirror.
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"I wasn't really a big fan of school," said the 17-year-old apprentice electrician from Tamworth.
However, it was the teen's association with Calrossy Anglican School - which he left after year 10 - that led him to Pirates this year.
The school's Pirates connection of Barton Leach and Conrad Starr steered the Central North under-16 representative to the champion club.
"I had a chat with Leachy and Starry ... and they kind of sold me on it," he said of joining Pirates.
"So I come down and gave it a crack - and glad I did."
At Ken Chillingworth Oval on Saturday, Witherdin will line up on the wing for fourth-placed Pirates against first-placed Gunnedah.
It will be his third straight first-grade appearance, after debuting in a win over Walcha on July 23.
Perhaps no one is more surprised than Witherdin over his elevation to the premier grade.
"Coming into it [the season] I was thinking I wasn't gonna get any game time at all. I'm only 17," he said.
"No," he replied when asked if his top-grade promotion felt like a natural progression.
I was more surprised than anything.
- Ryan Witherdin
He added: "I was more surprised than anything. It's good to do it, but it's a big progression."
At Pirates he has encountered "a great bunch of boys".
"And it's good to be around older people that have a lot more knowledge than you."
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