The pair have been joined at the hip ever since.

They were in the same NSW Country junior teams and three years ago decided to head to Sydney and have a crack with Manly. There, they started in colts and graduated to grade together.

Ulberg moved back home last year. Wood has followed suit.

Now, they are keen to kick on with the Hunter Wildfires.

"During the Sydney lockdown I was stuck not doing much and started to look at options," the 195cm lock Wood said. "I had an opportunity to go to Spain but with COVID, I opted against it. I was keen to get out of Sydney. I sent [Wildfires coach] Bubba Coleman a message. We had a good chat and what they had planned for the Wildfires sounded pretty good. I was sold on that. To be fair, it has been awesome."

Wood is living at the family home in Largs and working as a carpenter with his brother.

"It is a lot of weight off my shoulders being back home and playing for the place you grew up in," he said. "My parents are glad to have me back home. It has been a pretty easy transition. It's good for other Hunter boys, whether they are in Sydney or elsewhere in Australia, to see the Wildfires are putting heaps of resources into it and having a crack.

"Isaac and I have been playing together since under-10s at Maitland. At Manly we lived together, worked together and basically spent every single minute together."

Coleman said the aim of the Wildfires program was to give Hunter players "a choice".

'We want to give all kids in Newcastle a choice. They don't have to go to Sydney or to the Knights to play high-level football," he said.

Wood, 22, played a handful of games in first grade last season. He is in a four-way battle with Jordy Magner, Rob Puli'uvea and Ngharue Jones for a lock spot at the Wildfires.

"He is a big, raw-boned, aggressive kid," Coleman said. "He still has a bit to learn but he has a lot of upside. In two to three years we will see the best rugby out of him."

The Wildfires' trial against Manly at Marcellin on Saturday has been cancelled due to waterlogged pitch, leaving just hit-outs against West Harbour and Canberra Wests for top-grade hopefuls to press claims.

"In the past couple of years the Wildfires have lacked depth," Wood said. "That's not the case this year, especially in the forwards."

Ulberg, a fleet-footed winger, was among the Wildfires' best in the 28-17 win over Newcastle Pasifika a fortnight ago.

"Isaac came back from Manly last year, got injured, then started a job in Maitland and was finding it hard to commit," Coleman said. "He finished the season at Maitland. He has had a full pre-season with us and has improved out of sight.

"He and Ben are definitely pushing each other. They travel down from Maitland together for training and inseparable."