WORK commitments have brought him to the area, but for Allister Clarke it was a chance to return to country football he couldn't pass up.
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The Coolamon recruit, who boasts three best and fairest awards at Sydney University and led them to a flag in 2020, will add more flexibility to a Hoppers squad which looks a strong Riverina League contender on paper.
His partner, Lucy, hails from Temora and her parents still live there. Clarke also played a couple of games with Hoppers co-coach Jake Barrett through GWS Giants' development system, and he's excited to return to football away from the big smoke.
Before he moved to Sydney, Clarke played for Murray League outfit Finley and can play a variety of positions, but mostly midfield or wing.
"I think a lot of people have one season at least of country footy on their bucket list," he said.
"You can pretty quickly get hooked, you've got the crowds and it's the big ticket item in town.
"My partner is from Temora and her parents still live there. It's only a 45 minute drive and Finley isn't too far away either. It's a bit different to Sydney when I was five hours away, so I'm enjoying that.
"There's also volunteers around those clubs who make playing enjoyable as well. The Sydney clubs are very player driven in comparison, being around people who have been at the club a long time is enticing.
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"On paper it's really similar to where I grew up in Finley, a small town and a farming-family community, and it's only located 25 minutes away (from Wagga). I wanted to play local footy and meet people in the area.
"I'm not too sure what to expect but it should be quite close in standard. It should be more competitive across the board, Sydney really only had a top three for the past few seasons."
Clarke said he's happy to adapt to whatever role he's required to play. Coolamon looks set to boast one of the league's strongest midfields, with fellow recruit Shae Darcy (Eastlake) joining the likes of Barrett, last year's joint Jim Quinn medallist Jeremy Maslin and a fit-again Jeremy Sykes.
"There's an exciting feel around the group. I don't think they lost many and the ones they've brought in look quality to go alongside everyone they've retained," he said.
"I end up playing out on the wing a fair bit, at Sydney we had a similar points system to what the Riverina League has.
"I was a one pointer because I'd been at Sydney Uni for a few seasons before they brought it in. I might be forward or back or on the wing, it depended on the team we had week to week.
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