NPL: Cooks Hill hope fresh approach proves a winner in round one

Cooks Hill take on Newcastle Olympic at No.2 Sportsground (5pm) on a day when the Magpies play Valentine at Maitland Sportsground (2.30pm), Edgeworth host Weston (2.30pm) and Lake Macquarie welcome Lambton Jaffas (7pm) in the NPL men's opening round. On Sunday, Charlestown host New Lambton (2.30pm).

Zoricich, a former New Zealand captain, came to the rescue of Cooks Hill last year when the senior roster was decimated by departures after finishing ninth on 18 points in their 2022 NPL debut.

The new-look line-up, bolstered mainly by fringe players from rival clubs, turned giant killers in the second half of 2023 to rack up 32 points and finish eighth. Among their victims were Olympic, who they beat 2-0 in round 16 to dint their finals hopes. They ended up in seventh (33 points).

Zoricich has kept the same formula, bringing in Cody Nancarrow, Hayden Farley (Jaffas), Kai Bradley (New Lambton), Joey Licata (Rosebud), Tom Kowalski and Charlie Buffon (Lakes) this year.

"We haven't gone and got any so-called big guns," Zoricich said. "Kai was a first-team player at New Lambton and the others were more fringe players where they were. We just wanted to try and bolster our squad and get a bit more depth.

"Pretty much everyone from last year has stayed. We lost only two players from the whole squad. I think we'll be pretty similar to last year."

Preparations, though, have been less than ideal.

"Our pre-season has been horrific," he said.

"We've had only three trial games, and had three cancelled on us. With the date of the season being brought forward, we just can't fit them in, so I think we are going to be a bit short in that regard, but it is what it is.

"I've heard some teams have had to cram games in, but then they haven't had the training so they are getting soft tissue injuries because they are playing so much.

"We are the other way around, so it will be interesting to see how it goes."

Buffon (suspended), Harry Richardson (groin) and Josh Whitten (ankle) are losses this week.

Olympic kick off a new era under coaches Neil Owens and Paul DeVitis, who take over from Joel Griffiths. They have recruited Jacob Pepper (Edgeworth), Rhys Cooper (Maitland), Louis Townsend (New Lambton) and Lachlan West (Jets Youth). Townsend and Steve Theacos are out this week with injury.

Jared Muller, Will Southcombe and visa players Grant Michaels and Hamza Moosvi are losses from 2023.