"It was very worrying to be honest for myself as a father of three kids and I've got a fiancee. I got three head knocks in a row and had to have six or seven weeks off," Anderson said.

Fortunately, for Anderson and his family he was able to take part in an NRL sponsored concussion and head injury program.

"I didn't just have the time off, I'm really lucky I was part of what the NRL are doing for blokes with head injuries," he said.

"I was assessed down at the Mater clinic and had an MRI. I was assessed by the best of the best and they gave me the all clear which gave me the confidence but you always have questions am I going to have another head knock.

"Touch wood I haven't yet, so it's been good.

"I was so grateful that being back in a local system, not in a professional system, I was able to get that type of treatment and be put through extensive screening."

Anderson fully endorses the concussion protocols now in place at games, with a doctor at all Newcastle RL fixtures, and the crackdown on head-high contact and tackles.

"If you wind the clock back 10 years ago when I first came into this competition head highs were a test of how tough you were. It was a bit of a badge of honour if you just dealt with it.

"We're miles ahead in this competition from where we were 10 years ago.

"Honestly when I was 18 I thought just get up it was the tough thing to do, but if I could turn back time I wouldn't push through some of those head knocks.

"They still get away with some head highs in this level because there are not the cameras and stuff, but I definitely think you can notice there has been a crackdown.

"We've seen in the games we've played with blokes getting 10 minutes or sent off for the game."

The Pickers have an internal trial on Saturday as their scheduled game against The Entrance was cancelled because of the Covid lockdown.

Anderson is confident the Pickers will be primed for the run into the finals starting with Central Newcastle.

"This year I think we've got a great side together. I think this competition is a lot stronger than the one we played in last year. It's a lot more even in the top four or five sides. If you are not on on the day you never know what will happen.

"We need to be on our game when we do get to play again, that's for sure.

"The positive thing when we come up in big games we seem to start better, we seem to struggle starting well against sides lower down the ladder.

"I think we started really well against Central when we met them at home. We were up for it, we had a really good warm up that's what you need."

Anderson is happy to be contributing to a team he believes can take out the title in 2021.

"To be honest after last year with head knocks and things. I'm just happy to be getting through games and feeling like I'm contributing and not coming out with another knock," he said.

Having played NRL and winning tiles at state cup level, Anderson rates the 2020 President's Cup victory as one of his most treasured footy memories.

"To be honest last year was a great achievement for our club and just what we faced," he said. "We took a chance that not a lot of other teams would have.

"The memories from that year turning a negative situation of Covid into a positive is something that I will hold close to me forever.

"I've won a few competitions and that's up there with one of the best ones because of what we had to go through to get there."