THE Gunnedah Bulldogs will have to enter the 2020 Group 4 season without one of their key stars.
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Halfback Mathew Brady has decided to step back from the game this season due to family reasons.
A vital cog in the Bulldogs' engine room, Brady said the decision was a tough one to make.
"I'm pretty confident I won't play at all this year," Brady told the Namoi Valley Independent.
"I'm getting married later in the year, plus there is a bunch of other things going on this year as well.
"I looked at the fixture not long ago and worked out I was probably only going to be able to play seven games or something.
"That's not a lot in the scheme of things and I'm the sort of person who gives it 100 per cent or nothing at all."
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Brady said playing in the halves would "make it pretty hard" to only be partially committed to the team.
"If I can't commit fully, I dare say I could be more of a detriment than a help to the boys," he said.
"When you're in the halves you've got to be pretty switched on and familiar with the guys around you.
"If you're not there training and playing all the time it makes it really hard.
"I'd feel disjointed if I was only there some of the time and that's not very fair on the rest of the team or the support staff."
Despite not taking the field, Brady said he was confident the Bulldogs could be a force to be reckoned with this season.
"Everyone has been training really hard and is looking pretty good for this season," he said.
"I'm sure they will have enough talented guys to step up and fill that role.
"There's a lot of really talented younger guys coming through, so it should be a pretty interesting season."
Brady's decision to sit out the season comes after the 27-year-old starred for the Northern Eagles open men's team at the National Touch League in Coffs Harbour.
"I really enjoyed having a run with the Eagles," Brady said.
"I took a lot out of it and I haven't ruled out playing in the next touch season.
"Hopefully I can use some of what I learned."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
