Former Sydney Uni guns Will McDonnell, Daniel Calavassy, Hamish Dunbar and Josh Schwager are locked and loaded for Central North's first Caldwell Cup tilt for a number of years.
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The quartet's inclusion in the Kookaburras squad for this weekend's NSW Country Championships in Tamworth is a big boost as they prepare to match it with the heavyweights of bush rugby.
All four have recently either returned or moved to the region after extensive careers in Sydney.
Along with the obvious ability they bring, Kookaburras head coach Ed Nankivell said the big thing they bring is experience and a winning mindset, with Sydney Uni one of the most dominant clubs in Sydney.
From playing alongside Calavassy and Dunbar at Quirindi, what they also do is they "buy into whatever's around them".
And in rep football that can be as important as the calibre of the players.
"Everyone there can do a job, do the right job for us," Nankivell said of the squad.
"It's about getting them all to buy in.
"And that's what we're trying to do, just create an environment where there's no egos and then get out there and try your best for the region.
"And that's what I think the team has."
"Obviously Central Coast and Central West and those blokes they've had that buy in, so if we can match it, I think we've definitely got some of the best players in country footy.".
Another player Nankivell is "very excited about" is Pirates five-eighth Jayden Kitchener-Waters.
"He played 15 last year but he's going to play 10 this year and I reckon he's playing the best footy in Central North that he's played," he said.
Kitchener-Waters is one of eight Pirates in the 25.
He is joined by co-captain last year Andrew Collins, his brother Tim, Mitch Mack, Nick McCrohan, Jack Edwards, Michael Purtle and Jackson Sharpe.
All bar [Tim] Collins and Edwards were involved in the Kookaburras' victorious Richardson Shield campaign last year. All up around nine of that side are backing up this weekend.
A couple of injuries and unavailabilities have led to a few new faces coming into the squad from the preliminary one that was announced last month, among them Quirindi duo Bailey Swain and Ryan Hodson, Inverell's Harry King and Narrabri's Toby Knight.
It will be an early start with the Kookaburras drawing Illawarra first-up at 8am on Saturday.
They then tackle Central Coast at 3.40pm.
CENTRAL NORTH SQUAD: 1 Andrew Collins (Pirates), 2 Tim Collins (Pirates), 3 Henry Leslie (Walcha), 4 Mitch Mack (Pirates), 5 Daniel Kahl (Narrabri), 6 Josh Schwager (Narrabri), 7 Hamish Dunbar (Quirindi), 8 Nick McCrohan (Pirates), 9 Dan Calavassy (Quirindi), 10 Jayden Kitchener-Waters (Pirates), 11 Harry King (Inverell), 12 Will McDonnell (Narrabri), 13 Jack Edwards (Pirates), 14 Toby Knight (Narrabri), 15 Bailey Swain (Quirindi), 16 Sam Avard (Quirindi), 17 Michael Purtle (Pirates), 18 Will Ciesolka (Narrabri), 19 Lachlan Elworthy (Moree), 20 Ratu Vuiba (Gunnedah), 21 Duncan Woods (Moree), 22 Jackson Sharpe (Pirates), 23 Will Ellis (Scone), 24 Angus Roberts (Moree), 25 Ryan Hodson (Quirindi).
