Woy Woy trial brings former Bathurst Penguins coach Wayne Fitzgerald back to the city

Bennett was presented with a special ANZAC Memorial jumper by the Woy Woy Roosters on Saturday after he was judged to be Panthers' best in a trial played between the two clubs.

One of the men who made the call on Bennett's performance - Woy Woy president Mal Fitzgerald - is a very good judge of league talent too.

He was the man who coached the inaugural Bathurst Penguins' premier league side. That is the club which became Bathurst Panthers in 2000.

"I was the original coach back in the 1990s when we moved from Bathurst Charlestons over to the Penguins," Fitzgerald said.

"I also used to run the academy of sport's rugby league program here at Bathurst many years ago.

"We had five very successful years where we were undefeated and I coached that infamous under 18s side in 2000 where George Rose was part of the team.

"So I've got some good connections in Bathurst, I lived in Bathurst for about 12 years as well.

"I also had a link with St Pat's during my time in Group 10, but I moved on to the coastal areas for the sea change. I moved up north for awhile then settled on the Central Coast, I've been there for about 20 years now."

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Just as Fitzgerald oversaw some talented Bathurst players when living in the city, Bennett was the Panther who caught his eye in Saturday's trial at Diggings Oval.

Bennett is a product of Panthers juniors and lined up at centre in the first division side which took on Lithgow in the 2019 Group 10 grand final.

Last season he joined the CSU Mungoes and played in the Woodbridge Cup. He was used at halfback, in the centres and as fullback.

That he impressed Fitzgerald on Saturday shows that Bennett shapes as a very good option to share the number seven jumper with Doug Hewitt in this season's Peter McDonald Premiership.

"Andrew Bennett, the halfback, he kept them in it and played really well," Fitzgerald said.

"Jedd Betts, he played really well in the forwards, but their halfback was the guy who kept them in the game.

"It was 35 degrees, it was very oppressing, but look both teams had a good hit out. We had more numbers, so kudos to Panthers for backing up after the knockout."

Just as Panthers used Saturday's trial to prepare for the upcoming season, so too did the Roosters.

In fact the trial against Panthers could very well go down as the moment Woy Woy came up with some positional masterstrokes.

"Toby Marks, he's normally fullback and was in the centres for the Country Championships, but he moved into lock for this trial and I think he's found his new home," Fitzgerald said.

"Toby is only 23 and he captain-coached the club last year.

"Our regular lock tore his bicep muscle at training on Thursday night so he's out for the year. But we're lucky enough to have young Jessi O'Neill, the Country halfback of the year for under 18s last year, and he moved back to fullback for the trial.

"He'll probably slot into that role this season ... and we're expecting big things from that young man."

Fitzgerald said that the plan is for more pre-season trials between the two clubs in the future.

It's a bond between Bathurst and Woy Woy he's happy to be part of.

"One of the reason why I went to the club [Woy Woy] was to help them out. I've got many good friends who were Woy Woy players and I'd played against them, coached against them," he said.

"David Scott and I actually coached against them when I was at St Pat's in 2001, they won the country cup that year and we ran third."

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