The Country Eagles were barely in Dubbo an hour before they hit the grounds at Apex Oval for a training session, before moving over to the grounds at Victoria Park to lend a hand at the Friday night Western Plains Junior Rugby Union bumper night.

READ ALSO:

Teams from across the region were hosted by the Dubbo Junior Rugby Club for a night of spirited games, and no one was more vocal along the sidelines than Hanigan.

"There's plenty of talent here, there's a few kids launching into contact and getting stuck in, it's really good to see," Hanigan said.

Running training drills for the kids, and helping out with the friday night junior's games has also allowed Hanigan an opportunity to take stock on how far the Coonamble junior's come.

"I didn't play at this age, I started playing in the under 12s, so these kids have got a bit of a head start on me, but it's always great to see little boys and girls running around with a football in hand," Hanigan said.

"It feels unreal to be back in the west, I haven't played this close to home in forever, I think the closest we've come is Mudgee, I'm extremely excited and I know all the people here are excited too."

Hanigan says all the men making up the Eagles side are relishing the opportunity to give back to country towns hit hard by the drought.

"From the Country Eagle perspective, we realise that representing the country people is such an important role that we play," Hanigan said.

"All the boys are excited, a fair few of us have country ties and know that footy in the bush is such an important part of life."