SIMON Woolford is confident the Kangaroos have the artillery to have a strong year, and wants to instil a "compete on everything" attitude in the club.
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The former Canberra Raiders skipper was known for his tenacity and competitiveness in his 262-game NRL career, and he hopes his team will carry the same traits in his first year in Group Nine.
Woolford said he has been encouraged by the depth of his roster after two solid trials against Tuggeranong and his former side Queanbeyan Blues.
"I just want us to compete every week and I think we've got enough talent there to have a good year," Woolford said.
"We just need the mentality of competing with everything. If we do that and really learn to enjoy our defence, that's been a big focus for us too.
"If we get those two things right, I think we'll win more than we lose.
"I saw a marked improvement (against Queanbeyan) on what we did the week before at Tuggeranong, so that was pleasing."
The Kangaroos hope to gain an official clearance for former Junee outside back James Strickland to join the club for this season after the Diesels' withdrawal from first grade.
"We got permission for him to play for us (against Queanbeyan) at the last minute, hopefully we can get that sorted this week so he can come across for the year," Woolford said.
"He can play anywhere in the backline, and one area we're probably a bit skinny in is outside backs. He certainly showed enough on Saturday to suggest he's going to be a quality player.
"Ben Cronin, a young prop out of the 18s got his chance on the weekend and certainly put his best foot forward.
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"The trials are important because I haven't seen any of them play. I'm coming into it with an open mind and there's been a couple of nice surprises in there.
"I'm confident in the players I've got to work with, I believe they're good enough to have a successful year. Our attitude has been good, and we need to maintain that.
"The boys have worked really hard and we've bought into everything we're trying to bring in. I think in a couple of weeks' time we'll be ready to go."
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