Roosters put last call out for locals
Roosters coach Graham Clark Sr says time is ticking for A-grade players who want to be part of the club’s historic centenary season.
The new mentor, who has taken the reins from Dean Howard, will give locals one more week to front preseason training before looking elsewhere to fill a squad shaping up with plenty of young guns.
Clark said it was his preference to avoid recruiting players from outside the area.
“I’ve sort of made the local guys a promise I’d give them until two weeks after Christmas to show up,” he said.
“I’m going to work with as many of the local kids as we can but if we’re missing them, we’ll obviously have to bring some in. But I want to give them every opportunity.”
The Roosters are on track to possess one of the deadliest spines in the CDRL in 2018 thanks to the return of Ned Blackman from Innisfail and Caleb Foster from Southern Suburbs in the halves.
Jacob Rivett will likely return to the No.1 jersey, while Jack Willis is set to jump into hooker.
Both were finalists for the Gold Medal in 2017.
“I think Jack Willis is going to have a big year for us. He’s been in the gym a bit,” Clark said.
“He’s quite sharp out of (hooker) ... so hopefully we see the best of him.”
Willem Foster is also expected to return to the Tableland, while Luke La Rosa has signed from Brothers.
“They’re mostly a group of local kids and hopefully they have a dig for their home town. That’s what it’s about,” Clark said.
“At this stage there’s reasonable numbers at training, they’re working hard.
“They’re a lot fitter than they were when I first got here and they appear to be happy.
“At the moment there’s a good vibe around the club, but that’s only going to take you so far if you’re not winning games.
“A champion team will beat a team of champions, so if they’re on the same page and working hard for each other, I think we’ll be competitive.”
THEY’RE MOSTLY A GROUP OF LOCAL KIDS AND HOPEFULLY THEY HAVE A DIG FOR THEIR HOME TOWN. THAT’S WHAT IT’S ABOUT GRAHAM CLARK SR