The only thing Max Yelland knew about playing on the wing was to stay wide and catch the ball when it comes to you.
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The Manildra Rhinos number five scored two tries on debut - both for club and position as his side beat Molong Bulls 26-6 on Sunday, April 7.
The Woodbridge Cup opener at Jack Huxley Oval was a competitive affair despite the final scoreline with the visiting Bulls showing considerable improvement on their 2023 showing.
Yelland, who most recently played for Yanco Agricultural College where he was a boarder, was quick to shower praise on his teammates for handing him two meat pies in his first game in red and white.
"It feels pretty good," he said at full-time.
"But full credit to the boys, they got the ball to me, I just had to put it down. They did pretty well.
"That was my first time ever playing wing actually."
Orange-born and Cumnock-raised, Yelland linked up with the Rhinos due to a family connection.
"I've been away for boarding school for a fair few years so I came back and thought I'd play with a few blokes from home," he said.
"I just started coming to training. My brother was already playing here.
"They are real good fellas to be around, they all know their footy and they have helped me out a lot."
Red and white delight
In front of a solid crowd, bolstered by a large travelling contingent, the defending premiers picked up where they left off, racing out to a 10-0 lead thanks to tries from Yelland and Lawrence Fogg.
The second came off the back of an amazing one-on-one strip on the Bulls fullback after a kick with the Rhinos shifting the ball left on the next play and putting Fogg through.
Molong didn't make life easy for themselves, escorting Manildra downfield with repeat infringements and found themselves down 16-0 with 30 minutes on the clock.
The CYMS-Hawks connection of Ryan Banks and Ben Blimka showed what Bulls fans can expect in 2024, Blimka putting in a grubber for Banks to get on the end of on the half-time whistle, giving Molong some hope.
They enjoyed better field position in the second half but it was the back-to-back premiers who flexed their muscles, Fogg and Yelland getting their doubles to push the margin out to 20.
Earlier the Rhinettes set the tone for the home side, convincingly beating preliminary finalists Molong 26-4.
Coach Molly Hoswell was once again the star for Manildra, scoring a double and kicking three goals as they got their premiership defence off to the perfect start.
