Despite some setbacks in filling their grade teams, the Lithgow Workies Wolves will enter the Group 10 this weekend with four sides for the first time since 2015.
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Workies premier coach Graeme Osborne said it was a credit to coaches and the committee that the club has fielded a reserve and under 18s side in 2018.
“In 2016 we lost the reggies and in 2017 we lost the juniors,” he said.
“It’s been a while in Lithgow since people could come down and watch four good games of footy.”
With Brendan and Johnno Van Veen retiring, and the Workies 2017 player-coach Chris Rhodes out for the year, Osborne has had to assemble a premier side without some long-standing workhorses.
The team playing the opening premier grade match against St Patrick’s this Saturday was only announced on Thursday night.
“I think we’ve put together a pretty good squad for the first game,” Osborne said.
“They’ve been training really hard and they’re excited about the weekend, which is really good.”
Circumstance has interfered with the grade teams.
Jake Gale, who returned to the Workies from the Portland Colts, broke his thumb in a trial match putting him out of play for five weeks.
Sam Elrefaai, who Osborne brought in from the Hills District as a five-eighth, will be playing in reserve grade for the early rounds due to work commitments.
Osborne said Cody Godden, who has been playing with Western Rams in the pre-season, will take the five-eighth spot.
Fullback Keelan Bresac has returned to Lithgow after a trial period with the Sunshine Coast Falcons and will be playing on Saturday.
Young guns Riley Allan and Nick Miller who have moved through Workies junior and reserve grades, winning the premiership last year, have also been named in the top side.
Osborne said the team was aiming to win the first run of home matches.
“We’ve set ourselves a goal, we’ve got three out of four of our first rounds at home,” he said.
“It’s a good opportunity for the players to perform and set the season for us. If we could get three wins at home in our first four games then that puts us in good stead for the season,” he said.
Last time the wolf pack met St Pat’s at home, Workies dominated securing their place in the 2017 premier league finals.
“They’ve bought up big in the off season,” Osborne said of Pat’s. “So they’ll have a pretty strong forward pack.”
Osborne said he was hoping to see a big turnout for the club’s opening games.
League Tag will kick off at 11am on Saturday at Tony Luchetti Showground with the premier league due to start at 2.45pm.
