More than 200 competitors, both newcomers and club stalwarts, turned out at Harris Park to showcase their talent ahead of a packed season for athletes.

Athletes came from across the North West, including Tamworth, Moree, Manilla, Glen Innes and Inverell.

Club president Robert Herd said there was a range of athletes on show at the day.

“There were new people there right across the age groups, from Little Athletics through to the seniors,” Herd said.

“We had visitors there from the North Coast, and all our regular club people were there.”

The day formed the first outing for the club in both the Little Athletics and senior divisions, and Herd said a long road lies ahead for club members.

One event on competitors’ minds is the Country Club Premiership, in which clubs from around the State compete with others in a bid to prove they are the best club around.

The athletes’ results are sent down to Sydney, and each club’s scores are collated. The club with the most points at the end of the season wins.

Individual athletes are able to see how they measure up against others in the State ahead of the representative season in February.

Herd said it is important for local athletes to get feedback on how they are performing against the likes of those from Sydney and Newcastle.

“Our individual athletes are shaping up well, and it is important for them to know that,” he said.

“I fear that one of the bigger clubs will win the premiership because of the sheer weight of numbers, but our individual results are pretty good at the moment.”

The representative season kicks off in earnest in early 2009, and Herd said local athletes have been training hard, with the more serious ones training over the winter months in a bid to gain representative selection.