IT'S an exciting round one Peter McDonald Premiership scenario for Dylan Miles on Saturday: A Bathurst Panthers junior making his homecoming and taking on his former side.
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The returning Panthers fullback and his team are out to start the PMP season with a bang when they play the Lithgow Workies during this Saturday's curtain raiser game to the annual NRL contest at Carrington Park.
Miiles made the move back to Bathurst Panthers when the club announced his signing prior to Christmas.
He was looking at a potential start in the halves before Panthers made the move to get Josh Merritt, allowing Panthers to run the former Nyngan player alongside Nick Tillburg.
That was a move Miles didn't mind at all.
"It was either going to be fullback or halves but then we signed Josh Merritt so I went back to fullback," he said.
"I was definitely happy with that. I played fullback for most of my time in juniors before playing a little bit in the halves at the back end of juniors and I've floated inbetween fullback and five eighth since then."
Miles enjoyed a solid year for a Workies team who struggled to string wins together.
He nearly took the team to a shock win over the Panthers last year when his hat trick of tries led to a 24-22 score line at Carrington Park.
Miles is keen to get things underway after a fun pre-season with his junior club.
"I'm keen to get into it. Hopefully we can start the season well on the weekend," he said.
"Last year Lithgow offered me the chance to play a bit of first grade there but at the end of last year Bettsy [Panthers coach Jake Betts] asked me if I was keen to come back up, and I was definitely keen for that.
"Pre-season's been great. I've been back since that first started up. It's been nice being back seeing all the boys again and getting back into work.
"I've done a heap of fitness and ball work so I'm feeling ready."