Winter’s grip lingers on the Riverina orchards, but the heat is already building at Alfred Oval. Fresh from a gut-wrenching preliminary final loss this season, the Young Cherrypickers are not just patching holes in their premiership-winning roster – they’re forging a dynasty.
With only two confirmed departures in powerhouse props Tom Giles and Jake Walker, co-coach Dan Barclay has raided the coasts and pathways for four high-calibre recruits whose resumes scream potential premiership impact.
This isn’t blind recruitment; it’s a masterclass in blending experience, youth and X-factor. Kane Ball’s coastal brilliance, Toataua Porima’s forward grunt, Charlie Woolford’s family legacy, and Brent Hawkins’ professional polish form a spine that could redefine Group Nine.
“We’re not rebuilding,” Barclay insists. “We’re reloading.”
Kane Ball: The Electric Half Who Conquered the Coast
At the heart of this influx is Kane Ball, the 25-year-old halfback whose wizardry lit up Group Seven like a summer storm. A product of the Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles – one of the Illawarra’s most decorated clubs with seven premierships between 1998 and 2009 – Ball has been a cornerstone since breaking into first grade.
In 2024, he orchestrated the Eagles’ charge to the top of the ladder, capping a stellar campaign by clinching the Michael Cronin Medal as Group Seven’s player of the year. The award, named after the legendary hooker who captained Souths to the 1970 grand final, is the competition’s highest individual honour, voted on by coaches for consistent excellence.
Ball’s 2025 season was no less dazzling, though cruelly overshadowed by a runner-up finish in the best-and-fairest race despite guiding Albion Park to the preliminary final. His stats tell the story: pinpoint kicking, line-break assists that turned games, and a try-scoring tally that belied his No.7 jersey.
“I’m really excited to see what he brings with his speed and decision making in that spine,” Barclay said, envisioning Ball as the spark in Young’s attack. Ball is a coastal import ready to etch his name into the cherry-and-white lore.
Toataua Porima: The Wrecking-Ball Prop Ready to Rumble
If Ball is the scalpel, Toataua Porima is the sledgehammer. The 28-year-old front-rower, tipping the scales at 110kg, joins from the same Eagles nest that nurtured Ball, bringing the raw aggression that defined Albion Park’s 2025 prelim push. Porima’s journey in Group Seven has been one of relentless forward packs: a try-scorer in the Eagles’ 50-10 demolition of Warilla-Gorilla in June 2024, where he crashed over along-side stars like Ryan Jones and Jack Walsh, showcasing his offloading flair and bone-jarring defence.
Porima’s experience runs deeper than highlight-reel moments. He’s a veteran of the Illawarra’s brutal middle battles, known for his metres-gained carries and tackle efficiency in a competition that prides itself on grinding out wins. With Giles heading to Manly’s coaching ranks and Walker jetting overseas, Porima slots straight into the void.
“He’s a complementing signing to our playing group; Toataua playing in the front row,” Barclay said. “I’m excited for his aggression and ball-playing ability.”
In a Group Nine that’s as much about heart as horsepower, Porima’s coastal toughness could be the glue that binds Young’s revamped pack.
Charlie Woolford: Legacy in the Hoops, Forged in Family Fire
No signing tugs at the Young faithful’s heartstrings quite like Charlie Woolford’s homecoming. The 22-year-old halfback or hooker – versatile enough to dictate from six, seven or nine – returns to the club that launched his father’s legendary career after a 2025 stint with the Picton Magpies.
There, under the watchful eye of Dad Simon, Charlie honed his skills in the Macarthur Rugby League, a proving ground for gritty contenders. Simon Woolford’s shadow looms large: a 233-game NRL warrior who debuted with the Raiders in 1995, became their third-most capped player by 2006, and added stints with St George Illawarra.
A Country Origin rep in 2002, Simon’s granite toughness – think 100-plus tackles a game in his prime – was born on these very fields. Charlie, the youngest of his sons, carries that DNA: sharp passing, evasive footwork, and an unyielding work rate spotted early at Queanbeyan Blues, where he played alongside his old man before Simon’s 2023 coaching return.
“He’s looking to get in and around his family ties and play for the Cherrypickers,” Barclay noted. With brothers like Zac – the ex-Raiders hooker now terrorising Super League with Huddersfield – setting the bar, Charlie’s Picton apprenticeship promises a seamless fit. In a town that reveres its bloodlines, Woolford’s return isn’t recruitment; it’s resurrection.
Brent Hawkins: The NSW Cup General Seeking Country Spark
Rounding out the quartet is Brent Hawkins, the battle-hardened half whose professional pedigree could captain this ship to glory. A fixture in the pathways for years, Hawkins has logged extensive minutes in the Jersey Flegg Cup – NSWRL’s under-21s powerhouse that feeds the NRL – turning out for the Western Suburbs Magpies across multiple seasons.
From Round 1 of 2025, where he quarterbacked alongside talents like Samuel Taylor, to gritty Round 7 clashes and 2024’s Round 10 battles against the likes of Aiden Doolan, Hawkins has racked up starts in high-stakes fixtures, honing a game that’s equal parts vision and venom. His NSW Cup cameos – the second-tier grind that birthed stars like Nathan Cleary – added polish: territorial kicking, dummy-half snipes, and leadership under floodlights.
Seeking a reset after “a few years of NSW Cup,” Hawkins was drawn by Young’s siren call. “It’s an awesome signing,” Barclay said. “He’s mates with Che (Hyslop), and he got in contact with the club as all the boys who have played for us over the last two years have raved about how the small country town community and Group Nine are. It’s attracted players, and Brent was looking for a change to spark his footy up after a few years of NSW Cup. He’s keen to jump on board, come down and be a part of it.”
Barclay’s verdict? “With that Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup experience and direction as a chief playmaker, he’s a Cooper Cronk sort of player that can be a general marching us around the field. He’s got a really good kicking game and running game.”
A Spine Stacked, A Premiership Primed
Tie it together, and Barclay’s vision snaps into focus. “We’ve got Brent, Kane, Matt Murray has signed on again as well, so between those three, Charlie Woolford and Jesse Corcoran, there’s a strong spine combination,” he said.
“We’ve just got to work out the balance when they get on the ground to see who is going to play where between six, seven and nine as Matt Murray had a strong season last year and really owned that edge.”
The forwards? “It’s all about complementing what we’ve got, what we can bring through and where we need that experience,” Barclay added. We’ve got a couple of conversations going on at the moment, mainly looking around the middles after losing Gilesy and Walks to add depth there, but we’ve got some players coming through from reserve grade that can do the job, and we’re pushing them to do the job there. We’re almost done, and then we’re just waiting on a couple of our travellers from the last two years to confirm what their intentions are and what they are doing. No one is lost at the moment except for Gilesy and Walks.”
Locals jest that this haul – four outsiders with serious chops – might warrant a nickname tweak to the “Riverina Renegades.”
But for a club with eight Group Nine titles and a conveyor belt to the NRL, it’s business as usual: turn imports into immortals.
As the cherry blossoms tease their return and pre-season drills echo across the paddocks, the 2026 Cherrypickers aren’t just contenders. With this quartet’s grit and genius, they’re the team everyone else is measuring up against. Group Nine’s grand final? Circle April on the calendar. The roar from Alfred Oval is about to shake the orchards awake.
– Tully Potts
The South West Slopes Times covers an area approximately the size of Fiji in country NSW. We look after a population of more than 50,000 people with our staff servicing 7 major towns and dozens of villages with our story telling footprint.
We offer weekly print editions at $3 a copy and we also offer digital subscriptions across 3 months $30, 6 months $60 and 12 months $120.
We are one of the last truly local independent family run newspaper businesses in the state.
Contact us today to find out how we can promote your business or organisation across our huge network by emailing ads@thetimes.net.au or by calling 0413 763 216.
If you have a news tip, lead or scoop for us please make contact as we love celebrating our communities. You can contribute articles via our South West Slopes Times website.
