New Southcity halfback Ben Lucas has certainly come the long way to get his crack at his first grade debut with the Bulls.
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Lucas has been rushed into Southcity’s starting team for the duel with Tumbarumba at Harris Park on Sunday.
Lucas has been given the call following Kyle McCarthy’s move to hooker and an concussion to last week’s replacement Thomas Besgrove.
At 26, Lucas has made only three previous appearances off the bench in first grade for Southcity and missed last week due to concussion.
But like any football odyssey that is only part of the story.
Lucas cut his teeth in rugby league in Wagga at Kangaroos before abruptly making a dramatic switch in codes in 2011.
“I actually went and played Aussie Rules with Nathan Dowdle at North Wagga,” Lucas said.
After four years with the Saints, Lucas decided the time was right to return to rugby league, but with a different Group Nine club.
For Lucas, the transition from football at McPherson Oval to Harris Park has had its moments.
“I certainly wake up a bit sorer (after playing league),” Lucas laughed.
“There’s obviously bit more contact ... and there’s also a different type of fitness needed.
“You do a lot more running in Rules.”
Remarkably, Lucas has also needed to contend with a radical change in position from his earlier experience in the second row at Kangaroos.
However injured captain-coach Skinner is confident he will step into the role easily.
“He’s probably been reserve grade’s best player this year so it is a good opportunity for him to have a good crack,” Skinner said.
Without Skinner on the field, Southcity was right off their usual relentless pattern in struggling to a lacklustre 30-16 win over Junee last Saturday.
Skinner will again be missing on Sunday because of a hamstring problem, throwing extra pressure on stopgap prop Jordan Shepherd to support Hayden Jeans.
He is hoping to be back to play Temora next week.
However, the Bulls will welcome Jake Dooley back at fullback while Nathan Rose is expected to play despite an injury scare last week.
Meanwhile Greens captain-coach Robbie Byatt is looking for his team to take any opportunity following a narrow loss to Kangaroos last week.
Byatt thought a fade out cost them a win and knows his team can’t afford to miss a beat against the ladder-leading Bulls.
“We had a 10 to 15 minute lapse when they scored a couple of tries on us and we couldn’t get back at them,” Byatt said.
