MID North Coast representative prop and Wallamba Bulls captain, Jeremy Segol, has left the area and will play his rugby union for Nelson Bay in the Newcastle competition this year.
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The powerful loose-head is expected to trial at Tamworth on Saturday when the MNC Axemen's squad meets rival zones, Central North, New England and Western Plains, before finalisation of the Axemen's squad for the Richardson Shield in the NSW Country championships in Mudgee over the March 29-30 weekend.
Segol has been a significant product of Nabiac rugby, a burly, aggressive and confident prop, and he will be missed - if only for his collisions with giant Forster-Tuncurry rival, Ben Manning.
Tight-head Manning and Manning River Ratz hooker, Jon Annand, is another front rower who will take part in the MNC Zone's trials on Saturday.
Jeremy Segol's young brother, Peter, seen as a rising halfback for the Mid North Coast Colts (20-and-under) representative team in last year's Country Colts championship, added 17kgs in the off-season, filling out to the point that Colts coaches Mark Hudson and David Birch have moved him to flanker.
Segol caught the eye with his speed to the breakdown and work rate in the Colts' 35-20 and seven tries to four defeat of an under-strength Forster-Tuncurry Dolphins at Tuncurry last Saturday.
The Dolphins were without nine senior members of the team which claimed the Lower MNC premiership last year, a poor club representation, with the consequence coach Ron McCarthy called up teenagers, halfback Liam Brady, utility forward Lachlan Daczko, three-quarters Justin Hassett, Jack Nicholson and Bodie Vidler, with encouraging performances from the young brigade. Halfback Brady was the Dolphins' man of the match, combining pleasingly with five-eighth Matt Nuku and fullback Mark Hagarty, while backrower Troy Haines made a number of punishing runs. Forster-Tuncurry's new club captain, Jack Woods, won valuable lineout possession until he sustained a shoulder injury, while speedster Nicholson was another to leave the field with a bruised calf muscle, endangering both players for next Saturday's Port Pirates' gala day at Port Macquarie. For the MNC Colts, other players to impress were No 8 Ryan Kenny-Wilson, five-eighth Rhys Martin, hooker James Farmer and loose-head Brad Cunningham.