Up until early this week, Oberon had landed one of Group 10's biggest fish.
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Tigers president Ian Christie-Johnson confirmed his club had been deep in talks with Lithgow stalwart Jono Van Veen, the two-time premiership winner to significantly strengthen the club’s backrow stocks.
But the deal was knocked back just days ago.
“We thought we had him, but on Tuesday he he declined the offer,” the long-time Tigers boss said of Van Veen, who lifted the premiership trophy with Lithgow in 2005 and 2012.
Van Veen is likely to remain with Lithgow for the 2017 Group 10 season.
Having trained with the squad on Wednesday night, the former Group 10 and Western Rams representative gun will line-up in the backrow for the Indigenous All Stars at Blayney on Saturday.
The swing and a miss for one of Group 10’s best players is the latest pre-season blow for the Tigers just weeks out from their premiership opener on home soil against Orange Hawks.
Oberon prop Luke Christie-Johnson ruptured an Achilles tendon at training last week, surgery likely to end his season before a ball is kicked.
While the club was also hopeful of securing the services of a prop from England, but that deal too has fallen through on the eve of round one.
“The frontrow is an area we’ve battled in now for a little while but we were looking good there for a moment,” Ian Christie-Johnson said.
“Our forwards aren’t the biggest, and Jono would have been great for us in the backrow, but now we’re probably looking at pushing some of those players further up front.
“We’re still looking for players, but it’s tough at this time of the year. We looked as though we’d have a solid four props but we’re down to one.”
Christie-Johnson said it wasn’t panic stations ahead of the round one clash on April 9.
But he expected Hawks to be a tougher opponent that the one the Tigers faced throughout 2016.
“We battled throughout the 2015 season, lost most games and ran last. But we turned it around and I think Hawks can do that,” Christie-Johnson said.
“We know what it’s like to be in their position.”