ENGLISH back-rower Piers Morrell had not long been in Sydney when he noticed an advertisement on Facebook from Barraba rugby club looking for players with the promise of farm work.
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Morrell had never seen the Australian outback let alone got his hands dirty on a sheep and cattle farm.
"It was pretty random. I messaged them and they called and asked if I was interested in playing a few games and they would sort me out with some work," Morrell said.
"I had no experience on a farm. The drought is pretty bad up there and I spent most days feeding stock. It was good fun. The Barraba boys were good lads and looked after me. I played the last seven games."
Snow Kelly, who owns the property, is the brother in law of Wanderers old boy Tom Towers. As he has done with a number of quality players who have come through his gate, he suggested Morrell try his luck in Newcastle.
Heading into Wanderers' clash with Maitland on Saturday, Morrell is one of the premier back-rowers in the competition.
"I got a number for him through Tom Towers and it took me two weeks to get hold of him because of the lack of phone reception in Barraba," Wanderers coach Dan Beckett said. "He was enjoying the bush but wanted to try and improve his rugby.
"At pre-seaon training he bought so much energy and just connected with everyone quickly. It was fingers crossed that he could actually play. We have had some comical stories of overseas players coming out and not cutting the mustard. He is an exceptional player. He is all heart and he is not your atypical Pommy. He is quite skillful and has ended up being a human highlights package. We watch him every week and wonder how he does what he does because he is quite awkward the way he moves. He always manages to beat the first defender. You don't often see European players run the ball like he does. They tend to work in tight. If you give him space he has some wheels. He can lift a team with one effort."
Morrell shares a house with countryman Alex Reid and Fijian centre Nimi Qio.
" They are both good lads. It's a typical rugby house," Morrell said. "The rugby in Newcastle is definitely a step up in pace from Barraba. My game is a bit more suited to playing in Australia. At home it rains a lot and you get a lot of scrappy games and it slows right down. Here it is always at a high tempo."
Wanderers accounted for Maitland 35-19 in the qualifying final a fortnight ago. The Blacks bounced back to beat Merewether 25-17.
"Maitland have been quality all year and will come up with a few different scenarios," Morrell said. "Hopefully we can stop them and play our game."
