Nick McCarthy is heading up an expanded program for 2019 which kick starts with trials next month.

The early date hasn’t attracted a lot of interest so far, but the new dates were only announced late last week.

However McCarthy believes starting early will see a better response to playing representative football.

“We’re aiming to have games in the pre-season, as we did a couple of seasons ago when we had the Brumbies trials in town,” McCarthy said.

“We had great feedback then and a lot of players wanting to play rep football in those seasons as we put in front of mind for the start of the year.

Stepping into the head coaching role after being an assistant coach Richard Skellern this year and team manager before that, McCarthy is looking to build the junior representative program alongside the seniors.

It’s a change he hopes will increase potential pathways for the region’s best footballers and see more want to get involved.

“In the last few years we’ve done quite well in what we’ve been able to achieve as a zone and it is exciting for guys to go and play that NSW Country side, if they do get picked in the Brumbies Provinical Team, but I think we need to really show them there a pathway past that side towards opportunities to being able to play in higher zones,” McCarthy said.

“It’s always going to be difficult for guys who are based in Wagga and playing in our comp to be selected in those elite programs, but it gives the opportunity for those players to be seen by those higher grades and higher clubs.”

Southern Inland are the dominant force in the Brumbies Provincial Tournament but plans are being made to have more than just the annual two-week gap in the middle of the season.

There is a proposal for the return for the City v Country concept plus a game against a Canberra outfit before the Southern Inland season starts.

Also among the changes is the plan to have training dates outside of Wagga.

McCarthy hopes it will be more of an incentive to have a broader range of players involved.

“We’ve been really excited with what rep has offered over the last few seasons, but are really looking to expand the program and have more players from other clubs in the competition and potentially give them a better pathway through to higher representative honours,” he said.

Will Mitchell has also come on board as an assistant coach.

Planning to combine rep coaching with his Ag College commitments, Mitchell believes the new program will lure more to become involved.

“Our goal is to take a stronger squad to the provincial championships and for that NSW Country game and we’ve set it as a main goal as a coaching staff and program is that we want to beat NSW Country this year and need all our best players to put their hands up and enjoy it,” Mitchell said.

Open trials will be held at Conolly Rugby Complex on December 15.

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