There are few other ways to describe the forward pack Central West head coach Col Jeffs will have at his disposal in next month’s NSW Country Championship Richardson Shield campaign after the Blue Bulls squad was released yesterday, following their final trial against Illawarra last weekend.

Of their final, 25-man squad, Jeffs and his fellow coaches named an enviable 15-strong group of forwards, including two incumbent NSW Country stars in Parkes’ Dan Ryan and Dubbo Kangaroos’ Benn Wright.

In particular, the Blue Bulls will boast a gigantic front-row rotation, with Wright to be joined by Orange Emus wrecking ball Nas Havealeta and Trangie Tigers duo John Ellis and George Quigley.

Emus hooker Tom Goolagong is the only specialist hooker in the squad.

“Peter Fitzsimmons [from Bathurst] has hooked before as well, as can Benn Wright,” Jeffs explained.

“It’s a very strong pack but at the same time they still need to perform. We’ll base a lot of our play around the set-piece to try and get ourselves some go forward.”

Emus, the 2015 Central West Rugby Union champions, are the most heavily represented club, with eight players named, while Dubbo Kangaroos, Cowra Eagles, Parkes Boars, Orange City Lions and Bathurst Bulldogs have six, three, two, two and one respectively.

Of the GrainCorp Cup, Trangie have two representatives and Molong Magpies five-eighth Will Oldham is the only other player from the second tier competition.

Oldham is expected to start in the number 10 jersey and will be joined by diminutive Lions playmaker Tom Nell in the halves.

“I’m certainly not disappointed with the guys we have [in the backs]. We’re confident they’ll do the job,” Jeffs said.

“With the pack we have ... we’re hoping Nelly and Will will be on the front foot a lot.

“This wasn’t an easy side to pick. Unfortunately we had to leave out plenty of guys who had something to offer ... we’re happy with the group we’ve named.”

Jeffs is all but certain the group has the potential to claim the Richardson Shield – which also includes Far North Coast, Mid North Coast, New England and Western Plains – and move back into the Caldwell Cup in 2017.

“We’re going there to win. We want to take Central West to the next level,” he enthused.

The Blue Bulls will open their NSW Country Championship campaign against Mid North Coast on Saturday, May 7 in Armidale.

CENTRAL WEST BLUE BULLS: Simon Badgery, Nick Hughes-Clapp, Tom Goolagong, Isaac White, Nas Havealeta, Andrew Cosgrove, Josh Ellice-Flint, Tom Green (Orange Emus), Jake Davis, Tom Nell (Orange City Lions), Riley Byrne, Dan Ryan (Parkes Boars), Benn Wright, John Korff, Filisione Pauta, Brad Pugh, Moa Kavaefiafi, Anthony Golding (Dubbo Kangaroos), George Quigley, John Ellis (Trangie Tigers), Peter Fitzsimmons (Bathurst Bulldogs), Chris Miller, Tom Dewhurst, Matt Spice (Cowra Eagles), Will Oldham (Molong Magpies).