YOUNG captain-coach Neil Thorman is playing a waiting game on three major recruits before finalising the Cherrypickers squad for the West Wyalong knockout.
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Stepping out of the off-season shadows, Thorman has revealed Young is within reach of pulling off a triple recruiting coup ahead of the knockout on Friday.
“We’re talking to three players and potentially they could be playing with us in the trials,” Thorman said.
“It just all depends on a few things, but we’re definitely looking to recruit them.”
With Thorman’s English heritage, it is expected the new faces at Young will be from overseas, but the Cherrypickers are also in the hunt for a prominent Group Nine player.
Cootamundra playmaker Matt Forsyth has already trained with Young, but is yet to gain a release from the Bulldogs.
With the departure of Luke Branighan, Matt Wakefield and Jake Dawe, and the retirement of warrior Nick Hall, the Cherrypickers have lost a lot of last year’s team.
However Thorman is adamant the addition of Tom Bush and James Woolford, and a rousing pre-season training campaign, has the club in a strong position.
Recalling his initiation to Young in 2015, the English star said the Cherrpickers had come a long way in 12 months.
“I think back to this time last year when I went to my training session here and there was only me, Branno, Matt Wakefield and a few younger players,” Thorman said.
“The other night we had 25 players at training.
“I’m very happy, really pleased.”
For Thorman, taking over from Branighan after his four-year reign is not a monumental challenge.
“Branno and I are good mates and it’s not like I’m competing with him,” Thorman said.
“He (Branighan) was confident in what he had (players) to be very successful.
“I’ve got my side of coaching and it is probably a bit different.
“It’s all about training and not so much about meetings and that sort of thing.”
Thorman has been putting the finishing touches on the team’s preparation that, significantly, involved brutal bush training camp on the weekend drawn up by fanatically fit Nick Hall.
“It [was] all outdoors and Nick [said it was] really tough,” Thorman said.
“Nick actually did it last week and was so excited about it even though he came back filthy.
“Obviously it’s about team bonding... there’ll be plenty to do.”
Full story on the training camp in Friday’s edition.
The Cherrypickers will face Forbes in the first game of the knockout on Friday.
