Tom Giles in fine form at training.
The Young Cherrypickers have their preseason training well underway with coach Tom Giles saying it commenced four weeks before Christmas.
“We got in a few good sessions then and are now back up and running in the last week.
“We’ve had really good numbers down at training. The young kids are really buying in and showing up.
“I’ve got plenty of numbers in the First Grade squad and the Reggies, which is always good.
“It’s all looking good and shaping up for West Wyalong, which is in three or four weeks.
“The carnival is worth $20,000 and $8,000 for runners-up. The year before I got there the boys won it.
“Last year we lost in the grand final, so pocketed eight grand.
“To my knowledge the only Group 9 clubs going out there are South City and us. Wagga and Temora both pulled out of it. They said too much load on their bodies too early and it burns them out.
Giles is excited for the 2025 season and has made sure he has the troops to get the job done after their historic win in 2024, where they last won in 1991.
“I’ve made a fair few signings. A lot of the Sydney boys who told me they weren’t coming back have decided they would come back. That has always been good because they are worth less index points to us and we can fit them in.
“We lost Jacob Lucas who was a main contributor in our grand final win, but we gained a good fullback in Jonny Mitsias. He played in the World Cup for Greece and recently played in a championship division in England and he played a fair bit of NSW Cup in Reserve Grade and Jersey Flegg for Souths and Tigers.
“He’s a handy footy player and will play fullback for us. The Cherrypickers aren’t losing anything and the second year those guys don’t get penalised as hard because the system is hard to juggle.
“We don’t get penalised with that, I can go out and get an NRL player as he’s only worth 12 or 15 points.
“As I’ve said to a few people it’s all about bringing talent into the Group, which is why I believe the points index was made.
“There’s no coincidence why an ex-NRL player might be 15 and a bloke from Temora that wants to go to Young is worth 25.
“It’s all about bringing people in and bringing some talent in rather than taking it away and that’s what we have looked to do since I arrived in the two years to now and I think we have done a pretty good job of it and still keeping our group of locals there.
“I’m 24 and gaining more knowledge as I go and starting to get the coaching role more down pat. I just keep on learning. Everyone’s got some room to improve.
The talented Giles is a former Australian schoolboy rep and with that experience comes professionalism and the ability to play several positions.
“I can play Back Row and Lock, it’s all the same these days. We have a pretty good forward pack we are comfortable and I will be in the middle.
“We have the West Wyalong knockout on 28th February and then we have a trial against Queanbeyan Roos on 22nd March. They won their grand final, so it’s like a grand final verses grand final winner trial game.
“We will also be participating in the Nines, which I think is at Leeton and that is $16,000 in prize money, so we are going there.
“A few of us are also playing in the Riverina side, Riverina Bulls, which starts in February.
“Basically all my boys declined Rep footy last year just become of the basis that we wanted to really knuckle down and stay in- jury free for Young and now it’s changed as having won the Comp we feel like we’d get a bit of match fitness out of it, so we told Aaron Gorrell that we would be in and available and he has picked a few of us. It’s been a little while, but we are looking forward to it because Western Rams are a pretty good squad. The Rams cover Mudgee, Bathurst and that area.