THE last time Wests broke a premiership drought, it proved a flood that lasted three years.
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Going back-to-back is tough enough, but it's the task returning Devils coach Pete McLeod has set his mind to in 2019.
He’s retained a core group of players from last year’s grand final triumph, though some departures are notable. Five-eighth Zac Greene [Mounties] and hooker Josh Daley [Wests Magpies] are some key ones, as is the retirement of Glenn Stewart.
However, some familiar faces will return, including local junior and 174-game Super League veteran Rhys Hanbury, who’ll bring class to the spine.
Marty Cramp, Daniel Zohar, Will Te Maari, Michael Appleby and Declan Morrisey are some other old faces back on deck in what’s a still a largely youthful squad.
“We had a really young group last year and it was no fluke, we wanted to go that way,” McLeod said.
“We’ve had some guys move on to some higher levels. That’s what happens when you win a comp as young guy and as a coach I’ll encourage any young player to take those opportunities.
“We’ve got a young group again but a lot of them have won a comp now and been around for a little while so they have that experience and know what it takes.
“You have ins and outs every year and, even before any of those guys left, I knew we’d need to be better. It’s going to be tough this year, we know that.
“When you’re defending premiers everyone else is chasing you but I think we’ll have a group as good as anyone’s. It’s just about putting it together on the field.”