The club has committed to fielding a first grade men's side this year after only having a third grade men's team in 2021.

Quinten Longhurst has taken on the role of first grade head coach and he will be ably assisted by assistant coaches Paul Hoffman and Dave Troldahl.

The club held its first pre-season training session on January 13 for both men's and women's players.

"We had promising numbers turn out, which was really good," Longhurst said.

"Obviously it's definitely not too late to come along and try out rugby.

"We had a light training run for the first session."

With the club making inroads to rebuilding sides and player ranks, Longhurst said there was a good feeling around the Phantoms.

He said everyone was keen to give the first grade Southern Inland competition a good crack.

"The boys are really keen to get out there and compete again in first grade," Longhurst said.

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"We'll have firsts and seconds. But it's a definite milestone to have that first grade team playing again."

Pre-season training will now continue each week, with Longhurst saying basic skills will be the big focus, as well as getting everyone familiar with each other.

"We want to work on that basic skill set and being familiar with each other's style of play," he said.

"We are definitely in a rebuilding stage still, but we've got promising numbers.

"The more feet on the training paddock, the better."

The Phantoms have long been known as a club that welcomes players of all skill levels and backgrounds and is renowned for being a social and family organisation.

For Longhurst as coach, he has several goals in mind for the year ahead.

"I think what I am looking forward to most is seeing the club grow and the players themselves too," he said.

"Getting good quality rugby on the paddock is what we are aiming for.

"We've got a strong junior base that we should start to see pay off for the senior level this season."

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