The Thunder has signed the outside back who's hit the gym and put on 10kgs since his last game.

Ty Fletcher played two seasons of first grade with Leeton in the Group 20 competition, but quickly realised he wasn't strong enough.

"I was tall enough (at around 187cms) to play in the forwards, I played lock all through my juniors, but when I started playing first grade it was a big step up for my body," he said.

"I got thrown around (at 85kgs) and knew I had to put on some weight."

The 20-year-old had been trying to add weight after being "skinny all my life".

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The cancellation of this year's Group 20 competition due to COVID-19 handed him plenty of spare time, so the pacy fullback, winger or centre set about getting bigger.

"I was going to the gym and eating more and it's (putting on weight) finally starting to come through a little bit," he said.

Fletcher now weighs 95kgs and while that's still far from being a 'big bopper', he should be able to at least physically match most of his direct opponents, particularly if he plays on the wing.

Like many outside backs, though, Fletcher's game is based on pace and he admits to losing some speed.

"Yeah, a little bit, but I'm hoping with the pre-season starting up, I'll be able to quickly get that back," he said.

Fletcher made the group's junior representative teams and was a member of the Country Academy at under 15 level.

But he made his breakthrough at open-age level earlier this year when he played for the Riverina team against the powerful ACT and Illawarra combinations.

Those groups are advantaged by the fact they often have former players from NRL outfits Canberra Raiders and St George Illawarra.

"It was a pretty high standard, Illawarra had ex-Dragons' under 20 players, so it was really strong competition," he said.

To highlight the standard Riverina has faced in recent years, it took on South Sydney at Albury Sportsground at the start of last year, with a number of those Rabbitohs playing crucial roles in the club's charge to the preliminary final this season.

Fletcher will start a teaching degree at university on the Border next year.

The Thunder didn't contest this year's shortened Group Nine competition due to COVID-19.

The Leeton Greens also had the year off after the Group 20 season was abandoned.