There's a fair chance all Andrew Pull wanted for Christmas was a cold beer and a 2020 Canterbury premiership but as Woodbridge Cup boss he was gift-wrapped another welcome present.
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The Burrangong Bears look set to rejoin this year's Cup title race, bumping the Woodbridge competition back out to a healthy 10 clubs.
Burrangong folded ahead of last year's premiership but sent Pull and his Woodbridge Cup executive - which includes Erin McCann (secretary), Stephen O'Byrne (treasurer), Peter Seale, Sue Herridge, Andrew Whatman and Barry Shean - a letter of intent ahead of the competition's annual general meeting in December.
Pull said the Bears re-emergence as a Woodbridge Cup club was completely on them, with the competition more than happy to facilitate their arrival.
"If they can get the players we'll be right to go," Pull said.
"The email they sent said as result of a club meeting the members voted to stay affiliated with the Woodbridge Cup, and they've advertised for a coach and players throughout December.
"We certainly want Burrangong in the comp.
"As one of the old Group Nine second division clubs, they're our last link to the past.
"They're one of the originals."
Pull believes the continued growth of the Woodbridge Cup - the competition has welcomed back Manildra and Molong in recent seasons - can be put down to one thing.
"We all need each other," he said, the first grade, youth league and league tag structure adopted seemingly a winning formula.
"Our population base isn't big enough to have the extra sides other Group competitions have.
"Several years ago we decided off the field we'd help each other out. We need football to survive in our towns.
"The feedback I get from players who come to the competition is that they love how community-based all of the clubs are, and that helps with being smaller towns.
"All our towns really have is rugby league. So they embrace it."
No small town has embraced its footy quite like Trundle in the last five years, with the club's historic three-peat in 2019 capping a remarkable run for the Boomers.
Five straight grand final appearances is, Pull says, on the back of being "the best run club" in the competition.
He's tipping Trundle's success to continue in 2020 but not without challengers, and being a Canowindra Tigers life member he's hoping one of those will be the black and golds.
Meanwhile, as many as eight clubs are a chance of fielding youth league sides in the Woodbridge Cup this season.
That, Pull says, will be a massive boon for punters with an extra match on game day at just about every ground.
