ORANGE CYMS yesterday signalled their intentions to rebound from a horror 2009 Group 10 season by unveiling one of the highest-profile signings in the club’s history.

Michael Sullivan, who boasts 74 games of NRL experience, will become the highest-profile player in Group 10 from next season after the 29-year-old signed a two-year deal to captain-coach the green and golds.

CYMS have had plenty of captain-coaches with first grade playing experience in Sydney in recent times - including Luke Goodwin, Mick Mullice, Ray Spurr and most recently Pat Gibson in 2008 - but rarely do players under 30 with recent NRL experience venture back out to the bush.

“It’s just beautiful,” CYMS president Ray Agland said.

“We’ve been negotiating with Michael for a few months now and he will not only be a huge asset to the club, but also to the Orange community.”

Sullivan, who played NRL as recently as July in the Bulldogs’ 18-14 win over the Warriors, will take over the role from his older brother Scott and is excited about the challenge of developing CYMS’ young talent next season.

“My last couple of years at the Bulldogs have been plagued by injury but this is the sort of challenge I’ve been looking to take up for a while now,” said Sullivan, who made his NRL debut for the Northern Eagles in 2000 before rising to prominence as Cronulla’s hooker from 2002-2005.

“I know the club’s got some good juniors in the 18s and that they lost their fullback Basso (Tim Bassmann) before the start of the season, he is an exciting young player.

“I’d like to think I can help bring some of those players through.

“If they’re good enough, hopefully even help them play in Sydney through my contacts there.

“Peter Mulholland, who is the Bulldogs’ recruitment manager, has asked me to stay in touch with him for that.”

Agland says Sullivan’s main focus will be on bringing the club’s young talent through, although the green and golds are unlikely to be putting away their cheque book just yet.

“We do have a couple of voids we need to fill. We want to be very competitive next year. Everyone’s in it to win it,” he said.

CYMS are likely to keep nearly all of their 2009 squad, although Gibson will move on and is close to signing a captain-coach deal with a Group 6 club.

Sullivan will move to Orange full-time in February and in the meantime will undergo rehabilitation with Bulldogs physiotherapist Tony Ayoub after having plates inserted in his foot three weeks ago following an injury playing for the Bulldogs’ reserve grade side, Bankstown City.

Before then Sullivan will be a guest speaker at CYMS’ presentation night at the Ophir Tavern on Friday, September 25.