Former Windsor Wolves players Lachlan Coote and Reagan Campbell-Gillard have been named in their teams’ respective squads for the Auckland 9s competition this weekend.
The pair will potentially face off against each other too, as both the Penrith Panthers and North Queensland Cowboys have been placed in the same four team division.
The competition, which features nine rather than 13 players on a field, has become quite a hit since its birth two seasons ago.
The Panthers were one of the first teams to announce their squad, which included front rower Campbell-Gillard, who will make his second appearance at the competition in New Zealand.
Coote missed last year’s series, and in 2014, his first year with the Cowboys, he suffered a season ending injury.
It will be interesting to see how the Panthers use Campbell-Gillard in the fast paced game, where sets of six can routinely go the length of the field, although he impressed at last season’s tournament.
Coote, who primarily plays fullback might be shifted to the halves to accommodate club legend and former fullback Matthew Bowen, who will make a cameo appearance at the tournament.
With Johnathan Thurston a confirmed no show for the tournament, the Cowboys could let Coote spend a little game time in the halves with likely five-eighth and grand final hero Michael Morgan.
