After finishing one place outside of the Group 19 finals last season, the Glen Innes Magpies side are aiming to raise the bar even higher this year.
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The competition gets underway this Sunday with the Magpies taking on the formidable Moree Boomerangs at Mead Park.
Glen Innes finished the 2017 season with back-to-back wins and, with the majority of last year’s side sticking around for this year, co-coach Nick Say believes they can match it with the competition’s top teams.
“I reckon we will be pretty competitive actually,” he said.
“We lose a few fellas which hurts us a bit but we also get a few fellas as well.
“We should give it a shake but it is hard to work out at the moment because you don't know what any other teams are like because you haven't played anyone and haven't seen anyone play.”
Sunday’s season opener couldn’t get any more difficult, coming up against a Boomerangs side who were one win away from a grand final berth last year.
“They are usually a very competitive side, they have been in the finals in the last five years,” Say said.
“It will be tough straight up because we haven't had any trial games or anything.
“We will see where we are at anyway.”
The Magpies hit the training paddock in January for their pre-season and, while numbers have been good, Say said he and co-coach Mitch Swift haven’t finalised the team make-up just yet.
“I haven't really worked out where people are playing. It is just getting everyone to training at once so you can work out a team,” he said.
“You get some fellas one week and then they don't turn up the next week.”
This year’s first division competition features seven teams – Glen Innes, Armidale Rams, Narwan Eels, Moree Boomerangs, Moree Boars, Inverell Hawks and Tingha Tigers.
MacIntyre have withdrawn from the competition while Warialda have dropped to second division.
This year the Glen Innes club will also have the A graders’ jerseys up for sponsorship which will be auctioned off after Sunday’s game at the Services club.
Any successful buyer of a jersey will have their name read out at every home game and when the player scores any points. Games commence at 11.00am.