A desire to win another premiership before time finally tracks him down has resulted in Chris Vidler looking north-west.
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The veteran prop has verbally agreed to play for Moree and will sign with this year's beaten grand finalists ahead of the 2024 season.
He will depart Kootingal-Moonbi after five seasons at the club.
The 37-year-old said the Roosters were "a great club". "But the way Moree play their game is kinda the way I like to play footy," he said, adding that joining the Boars was "just another challenge too".
On grand final day at Jack Woolaston Oval in August, Vidler told Moree player Aaron "Big Foot" Robinson that he was interested in joining the club.
"And, obviously, the word got out - and Mick [Watton] rang me two days later," Vidler said of Moree's 2023 captain-coach and his former West Lions teammate.
On Tuesday, October 3, Vidler spoke to Boars president Todd Mitchell and verbally agreed to sign with the club.
The prospect of linking with a host of players he has opposed over the years is highly appealing to Vidler, who won four premierships with West Lions.
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He also likes what he described as Moree's "controlled aggression", as well as their strong premiership credentials: the 2023 minor premiers were beaten 26-16 by North Tamworth in this year's grand final.
"Like I said, I grew up with a lot of them - playing against them - and now it's time to have a year with them," Vidler said.
One of those players is Brenton Cochrane, whom Vidler teamed up with at the Goodooga-based Country King Browns at the recent Koori Knockout at Tuggerah.
Vidler texted Cochrane after he spoke to Mitchell on Tuesday.
"I think he wants to retire," he said of Cochrane. "But I may have convinced him to go around again, I'm hoping."
"He's a great leader .. I'd love to have a year with Brenton," Vidler added.
Moree eliminated Kootingal-Moonbi in the finals the past two seasons.
And Vidler said the Roosters' failure to win a debut first-grade premiership, after entering the premier competition in 2018, had got "tougher and tougher" to handle.
"We were so close, yet so far away," he said, adding that the Roosters were still "building".
"And we've tried for five years [to win the premiership]. And we've done well, don't get me wrong," he said. "But the Moree boys have got that experience, and I wanna have a year with them."
One of Group 4's ageless wonders said his playing career was a "year by year" proposition.
"I'm not getting younger, but I'm fit. I feel good - the body feels good. So while I can do it, I'll keep doing it."
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