Forbes will have its first proper hit-out of the season on Friday night at the West Wyalong Knockout.
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The Magpies have been drawn to play Group Nine's Young Cherrypickers in the opening round.
Coach Cameron Greenhalgh said huge interest from his players in this weekend's pre-season tournament has allowed him name a strong squad consisting of a number of Group 11 premiership winners from Forbes' 2016 and 2018 rosters.
"This was actually the players' choice to go along and get some footy under their belt rather than running around the paddock, so we're taking a strong squad over," Greenhalgh said.
"It'll be a similar side [which runs out in round one] we have a lot of experienced players and some good young players who have come through juniors the last few years."
The experienced Jake Grace, Tim Dukes and Ben Maguire have been named and will look to provide the platform for halves combination Mitch Burke and Tom Toohey and the returning Mitch Andrews at fullback.
Andrews' appearance is a much-anticipated one as he played a major role at centre during the Magpies' run to the 2016 premiership before linking up with the Newcastle Knights' under 20s.
He's returned to the nest for the 2020 Group 11 season and is expected to get his hands on the ball plenty at fullback.
While he's hoping to see his side progress deep into the pre-season tournament, Greenhalgh said he won't be fussed if they go out early.
With sides travelling from Groups across the Western, Riverina, Canberra and South Coast regions, he is expecting a competitive tournament.
"Knockout competitions are hit and miss. You do need to start strong otherwise it can slip away pretty fast. We're not going to use it to gauge how we're going. If we progress through a couple of games that's good because it's more time on the field, if we're knocked out early it's still a solid hit-out," he said.
"This is a strong knockout. There's sides from all over the region, South Coast even, who are capable. It's going to be tough, you rarely play an easy game at there [West Wyalong Knockout]."
Forbes plays Young at 7.10pm on Friday night.
Last year's winners Goulburn are returning and meet Wagga Kangaroos at 10.30pm.
Forbes Magpies:
- 1 Mitch Andrews, 2 Zeke Hartwig, 3 Taylor Krause, 4 Ethan Gaffney, 5 Connor Greenhalgh, 6 Mitch Burke, 7 Tom Toohey, 8 Brad McMillan, 9 Hayden Bolam, 10 Tim Dukes, 11 Ben Maguire, 12 Jake Stenhouse, 13 Jake Grace. 14 Jayden Burke, 15 Toby Hurford, 16 Tom Hopkins, 17 Issac Nash, 18 Joel Christie Johnson
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