The Bulldogs have deepened their own player pool to include the North Coast region in a deal that will benefit everyone.

Previously, teenagers still at school had to transition from a country area to chase an NRL contract, but the partnership will keep players on the North Coast for longer.

“This isn’t about grabbing the 15-year-old boy and bringing them to Belmore, far from it – it’s the exact opposite,” Hill said.

“What we want to do is create an environment where that player stays in a loving, nurturing home environment with great education.

“One of the things I’ve been impressed with is the school system and the community spirit in towns like Port Macquarie.”

Hill, however, conceded there would be a point in a player’s development where they would have to leave the region to pursue a career in the National Rugby League.

“At some stage if they want to play in the NRL they will have to leave Port Macquarie until Port Macquarie has an NRL team,” he said.

“It’s inevitable they’ll have to leave, but we’ve learnt from the mistakes of previous years and it’s about staying and playing in the right environment (in the meantime).”

The club already had a link to the region through current first grader Aiden Tolman who became a vital ingredient in ticking off on the partnership.

Tolman grew up at Hat Head before he moved to Sydney to pursue his career as an 18-year-old.

“When Aiden heard about the opportunity he walked in and said we had to do it,” Hill said.

“We understand (the North Coast) is a growth area; it’s a very strong sporting community up and down the coast.”

Penrith currently have a similar partnership with the Western Rams which is into its sixth year and the Bulldogs chief executive wants to develop something similar for the North Coast.

He said it would be a long-term plan, but overall it was important for all 16 NRL clubs to play a greater role in growing the sport in the bush.

“We need to continue to grow the game,” Hill said.

“The first thing is if we collectively invest in the areas and spend some time with the next generation, we’re all going to benefit.

“It’s a long-term strategy.”

Hill stressed there were no short term wins and they wanted participation rates to grow.

“We want pathways programs, we want coach education, we want to improve the resources in the region and we want to improve the profile of our clubs.”

It would be a collaborative effort and for it to work, Hill said the entire region needed to “buy in.”

“Today is day one,” Hill said.

“Where we are in five years time will come down to how involved and how invested everyone wants to be.”

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