Blayney Bears confirm co-coaches for 2023 season, as well as addition of Nic Barlow

The Bears have picked up the Barlow brothers - Nic and Nate - for the 2023 Group 10 reserve grade season, with one eye on making the leap up to first grade the following winter.

Nic Barlow was with Canowindra in the Woodbridge Cup last season, the bustling backrower terrorising opposition halves with his hard-running and blockbuster defence.

While Nate is a young-gun forward in a similar mould.

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Both are joining the Blayney club with the view of helping the maroon and whites form a first grade side in 18 months time.

Vice president Adam Hornby helped nab the talented brothers. Their signatures were confirmed the same day as co-coaches Alex Pettit and Jesse Nixon again agreed to lead the club into the new season.

Hornby said the Barlows will help off-set the losses of Ryan Oborn and Aiden Nunn, who are both off to Newcastle, while veteran, lanky forward Ryley Oborn will likely miss the upcoming season due to a shoulder operation.

"Nic is keen to play with his brother. He's a bit sick of the travelling (in Woodbridge Cup)," Hornby said.

"But both are keen to help build the club up to get back to first grade. We desperately want to try for first grade for 2024.

"Nic Barlow is a superstar. I've tried to sign Nic for the last four years. I rate him as amongst the top players in Group 10."

The club will maintain the nucleus of the Bears side that finished last year with a finals appearance in the Group 10 reserve grade competition.

Hornby said with a joint Group 10 and Group 11 reserve grade premiership on the cards for next year, the Bears' seniors were keen to take on the best in the west.

"I said to the Group 10 executive, when everyone was umming and ahhing, if we had four crossover games and had to travel we would have done it," Hornby said, reaffirming Blayney's desire to push for the top grade, rather than drop back further.

"We don't want to go back to cup footy. It's still second division and we don't want to go that way. We'd lose our better youngsters.

"I'm pretty confident we'll be thereabouts (in 2023)."

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