A hastily put together Hunter team made an underwhelming return to the Country Championships in Tamworth last weekend, finishing fifth.

They went down 21-13 to Illawarra in the first game to end their hopes of winning the Caldwell Cup and then lost a seeding game to the Central Coast 29-10.

Captained by Hamilton prop Lachlan Hodges, the team was vastly different from the outfit which lost the semi-final in 2018 - Hunter's last attempt at the Country Championships.

Hunter withdrew from the men's division in 2019 and the championships were cancelled last year due to COVID-19.

Central West beat Far North Coast 24-19 in Tamworth on Sunday to defend the title they won in 2019.

A NSW Country board meeting next week will determine the format for next season. In previous years, as the fifth placed team, Hunter would be relegated to the second-tier Richardson Shield.

Pinkerton, who led Hunter to the Caldwell Cup in 2017, believes to compete with the best in NSW Country they need to expand the program.

"We want to make the Newcastle rep team attractive and valuable for players where they learn skills," said Pinkerton, who played 41 Super 12 games for the NSW Waratahs. "Now that we know we are back in Country we can plan ahead. In the past, we have had NSW Waratahs players do skill sessions and help with unit work.

"There are a lot of very good players here. We need to encourage them to play for Newcastle. The NSW Country program is strong again. The Cockatoos compete for the Australian Rugby Shield in October against Queensland Country, Perth Gold, Melbourne and the other tier-two provinces outside of Super Rugby teams. It is a pretty good tournament."

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Hunter were a late inclusion at the Country Championships, had three training sessions to prepare and Pinkerton wasn't able to finalise the squad until tournament eve.

Kye Marshall, Dave Puchert and recently-arrived Darwin pair Johan Wistrand and Caleb Niki were drafted in from the Wildfires reserve grade team to ensure they had enough players.

"It was an opportunity to give some players exposure to a level they haven't experienced before," Pinkerton said. "They got too see how the tournament works, what the competition is like and view how serious Central West and Illawarra take it. It was a learning experience for all of us."

"Our scrum was excellent. Marcus Christensen had a good tournament. He made a lot of strong carriers and tackled hard. He was probably our standout forward.

"Jordan Byfield from the Bay was solid at seven, despite being in an unfamiliar role.

"Singleton's Fijians were among our better players. The centres Danny Tabuakuru and Epeli Ratabaca and Sili Are on the wing."

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