Giant kiwi Chris Bamford will join the Group 10 powerhouse for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, having played last year with junior club the Canterbury Bulls in the New Zealand provincial competition.

A decorated prop, Bamford was named in the 2016 New Zealand Residents side in October, taking on a Maori invitational outfit that included NRL players Greg Eastwood and Bodene Thompson.

Previous to that, he’s spent plenty of time in Australia, playing with Group 20 club Bidgee Hurricanes, where he went on to represent Riverina and NSW Country, earning praise as the best frontrower in bush footy from Bidgee coach Simon Watson in 2014.

It’s a tag Bamford says he’s keen to regain, too, but his arrival at Wade Park is as much about family as it is about opportunity.

The 33-year-old Bamford is relocating his young family back to Australia in a bid to avoid earthquakes in his hometown of Christchurch.

“We’ve got another baby on the way too, and it’s just too dangerous here at the moment,” Bamford said from New Zealand on Thursday.

“Christchurch is our home and always will be, but we’ve got to do what’s best for the family.”

Bamford’s signature is a boon for the 2016 Group 10 minor premiers, looking to bounce back after falling agonisingly short of the major title in a 14-10 grand final loss to Mudgee.

Size, footwork and representative nous, Bamford has captained NSW Country Bulls in 2013 – providing Mick Sullivan with more than able cover for the loss of Osborne, who will play with Bathurst Panthers in 2017.

“I’m a big guy. I’ll get the team forward and the rest of the boys can play off the back of that,” Bamford said.

The giant prop was keen to take up a coaching role in Group 10, and ran for the vacant position with CYMS’ crosstown rivals before joining the green and golds.

“I actually went for the player-coach role with the Hawkies,” Bamford said.

“But they knocked me back in favour of Willie (Heta). I know Willie, we played footy together in New Zealand, so there’s no dramas there.

“But I thought I’d have a look around. (CYMS life member) Matty King has been chasing me for a few years so I emailed him and it all went from there.

“All my contacts in the bush say CYMS is a great club and a family club. That’s important for me at this stage. I know my family will be looked after.”