Bulldogs star recruits Jade Porter and Sam Wooden have been named in a 20-man squad for Saturday's inaugural A-Plus Contracting Kurri Nines.
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Kurri fans will also get their first look at Jono Maloney and George O’Brien in Bulldogs colours after their moves from the Maitland Blacks and Maitland Pickers respectively.
The eight-team tournament at Kurri Kurri Sportsground kicks off with the first game at noon and culminates in the final at 6pm.
Bulldogs coach Ron Griffiths has handed the reins to assistant coaches Rod Leggett and Mark Chenery for Saturday’s tournament and the Coogee Nines next weekend.
“I wasn’t able to get to Coogee so it was an ideal opportunity for Rod and Mark to look after the boys. You bring quality people into a club and you need to trust them. I suppose its something we are conscious of right throughout the club and playing group,” he said.
Griffiths said he was looking forward to sitting from the stands and watching his squad in action in the more unstructured style of Nines.
“I think Bulldogs fans will be looking forward to seeing Jade and Sam in action as well as seeing Jono and George in Kurri colours,” he said.
“The boys are really looking forward to getting on the field and playing after all the pre-season training.
“It’s a great reward for the younger guys like Jordy Mitchell and Reid Alchin to stake their claim after their first grade debuts last year.”
The eight teams have been divided into two pools with Pool A featuring Mindaribba and Newcastle RL teams Western Suburbs, South Newcastle and Lakes United.
In Pool B, Kurri Kurri will face Coogee, Northern Lakes and Redfern. All teams will have three round-robin games with the top two teams from each pool playing in the semi-final. The top team of each pool plays second from the other pool.
Griffiths said a tremendous amount of work had gone into organising the event with Mick Campton taking a leading role along with Angie Peterkin.
“A big thank you to Andrew Hughes from A-Plus Contracting for sponsoring the event which is a fundraiser as well for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter,” he said.
Kurri Kurri play Coogee at 12.50pm, Redfern at 2.55pm and Northern Lakes at 4.35pm. The semi-finals start from 5pm. The final is at 6pm. Full draw online.
Kurri Kurri: 1 Mark Walker, 2 Kade Hardy, 3 George O Brien, 4 Jono Maloney , 5 Tyme Nikau, 6 Mitch Cullen, 7 Jade Porter, 8 Sam Wooden, 9 Ben Wyborn, 10 Brady Hammond, 11 Jordy Mitchell, 12 Adam Hamilton, 13 Brock Gilmour, 14 Reid Alchin, 15 Ben Edwards, 16 Tom Mackenzie, 17 Liam Leggett, 18 Joel McCann, 19 Lochie McBeth, 20 Kahn Junke
