Harry Hosegood among returning faces at Waratahs

Hosegood has returned to Wagga after two years away looking to have another big impact on the Southern Inland competition.

Arriving for the 2017 season, where Waratahs were just beaten by undefeated Leeton in the grand final, Hosegood then took out back-to-back Rivcoll Olds Boys Medals in their premiership double to follow.

Coach Jonno Andreou is thrilled to have the talented loose forward back with the club.

He believes he'll add plenty to the side who are looking to return to the top after struggling to get the better of Wagga City in the past two COVID affected seasons.

"A guy who has won best and fairests in the competition for a few years in a row is good to have back," Andreou said.

"He's a real leader."

READ MORE

However Hosegood is not the only familiar face back at the club this season.

Charlie Sykes is another premiership player who will return this year.

However there are set to be plenty of changes to the side's backline.

Southern Inland representative player Will Wennerbom will not return for a second season with the club, Dan Selmes has not committed to a return while James Grimmett and Harry Morrow have also left.

However Andreou is confident they have plenty of depth to cover the losses.

"It's almost a whole new backline but it's alright," he said.

"We've got George Mallat back in Wagga working full-time, Gerard McTaggart is staying on as is Harry Tyson.

"Rob Selosse is back from his head injuries and we've got a pretty good back line really.

"A lot of those were playing second grade last year as they couldn't get a run in first grade."

Waratahs will only have one hit out before their season starts with a clash against Tumut at Jarrah Oval on April 2.

They will once again head to Boorowa's carnival on March 26 but the new coach has been pleased with how the pre-season has unfolded.

"We're starting to get into the team structure after smashing out fitness for a couple of months," Andreou said.

However one concern is a lack of front row options after the loss of Rob Wiltshire.

It's an area Andreou hopes to be able to address before the start of the season and the club is exploring a number of different avenues.