New signings, eager juniors, and a beefed up pre-season program can all help the Macquarie Raiders get back into the premiership conversation.
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That's the hope of captain-coach Jack Kavanagh, who's eager to see his side new-look side take to the field for the first time this weekend.
Representative front-rower Kavanagh has been impressed with what he's seen in pre-season training and preparations for the Peter McDonald Premiership season will go up a notch on Saturday when the Raiders hit the road for a trial clash with Bathurst Panthers.
The match will be the first for Kavanagh as sole coach of the side after sharing responsibilities with Alex Ronayne last year while it will also be the first chance for a number of newcomers to impress.
New signings bedding in
The Raiders locked in halfback Jason Boney and the versatile Kyjuan Crawford early and have continued to add new faces, with a quartet of Fijians arriving in Dubbo last month.
Netava Naruma, Aisake Masiwala, Mesulame Rokoivaulevu and Sitiveni Raidriwa have all joined Macquarie for 2024 and are in line to play against Panthers.
"It can take them a little while to adjust to a new environment but they've been showing a lot of promise," Kavanagh said.
"It will be good to actually get out there and see how they go. But they're training well and they compete very hard.
"They're the sort of blokes who you know what you're going to get from them and they're 100 miles an hour."
As well as the Fijian contingent, the Raiders have also been boosted by the arrival of Cameron Dennis.
Dennis played at Bathurst St Pat's last season and got plenty of time at hooker after a season-ending injury to reigning Group 10 Player of the Year, Hayden Bolam.
A previous Dubbo CYMS player, Dennis has caught the eye in pre-season and looks set to share the hooker role with Kane McDermott.
Trials and trusting the kids
As well as this weekend's meeting with Panthers, Macquarie will also play trial games at Nyngan and Mudgee ahead of the blockbuster PMP season opener against rivals Dubbo CYMS on April 28.
One or two trials is often the maximum of any PMP club but the Raiders are optimistic their decision to play more will pay off when the season proper arrives.
"We've got a lot of people fighting for spots so there's going to be a few decisions to make before round one," Kavanagh said.
"Luckily we've got three trials, which we don't normally do. Normally one is enough but we've opted for three ... after three games leading into round one we should be ready to go.
"We want to hit the ground running."
As well as helping new players bed in, the trials will also give a number of Macquarie's young players a chance to catch the eye of Kavanagh.
The club's junior ranks have been boosted this season after a host of St John's under 16s players moved across to the blue side of the city for 2024.
On top of that, young guns Jace Baker and Tyreke Peckham played for the NSW Koori under 17s last month.
"This year I think I will focus a bit on trying to bring a few young fellas through to first grade," Kavanagh said.
"We're going to have a very strong 18s this year. I've heard reports on a few of them and they're pretty good footballers and I've been told a lot of them could handle first grade."
A number of those younger players are expected to get a chance against Panthers as a handful of regular first graders will be unavailable due to a wedding.
Macquarie takes on Panthers in league tag, under 18s and seniors from 11am on Saturday at CSU Oval.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
