The front rower - and some time match-winner - and partner Katerina Hinton will suit up for Tamworth in their New England campaign following the cancellation of the Central North season.

For Johnston it is a throwback to his junior days. He played for the Magpies while he was at school in Tamworth, and even won an under-16s premiership with them - under the guidance of current first grade coach Peter Burke.

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Good friends with Burke's son Will, the Magpies' mentor had put the feelers out to Johnston about returning to the Magpies before Christmas. But he wanted to play with the Red Devils.

But then COVID hit and circumstances changed, although while disappointed, Johnston initially wasn't too perturbed about not playing.

"I was pretty content with the idea of having my weekends back and my Tuesday's and Thursday's," Johnston said.

"But then I was getting a little bit bored and I thought I might as well."

The prospect of a winter without any sport not appealing to her, Hinton - a receptionist/property management administrator with Hennessy Real Estate - had already started training with the women's side and suggested he came along.

"Ever since I can remember I've played a team sport both winter and summer," she said.

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Before she moved up to Gunnedah (around this time last year), she was playing a high level of rugby league back in Sydney - suiting up for Mounties for three years and then Cabramatta in the Harvey Norman women's premiership.

"It was good to play in those comps, and I played with Jillaroos and against Jillaroos which was a pretty good experience," she said.

Finding no real opportunities to play tackle league in Gunnedah, Hinton got in touch with the Red Devils.

She wasn't able to actually play for them last season but did play a couple of tournaments with them and just before the pandemic was part of the Central North side that finished second at the country championships.

A self-confessed "leaguie" Hinton admits she still has "a lot to learn" about union.

"I've still got a lot of league habits but it hasn't been too bad," she said of the transition.

"There's so many more rules to learn."

"[But] All the [Magpies] girls are so welcoming and Blake the coach is absolutely phenomenal."

She can't wait to get out there against St Alberts on Saturday.

"I've been training so hard with the girls and in the gym myself and doing my own stuff," she said.

"it's going to be good to put all my practice out there and actually get rewarded for it."

Johnston, who helps run the feedlot his family owns (they also run about 6000 acres), likewise can't wait to rip in.

'I'm pretty excited for it. And with the New England comp I've heard it is a lot different to the Central North comp so I'm excited to see how it is different," he said.

He will bolster the Magpies front row stocks, especially being proficient in all three positions.

Predominantly a loosehead in his junior days, he was "sort of thrown in the deep end" in his first season with the Red Devils.

"There wasn't many [front row] numbers and there wasn't any tightheads so I had to learn on my feet and play that," he said.

"And then Matt Hannay got me and asked if I wanted to learn to play a bit of hooker and I said yes."