WESTERN NSW coach Mark Rooke can't wait for the National Premier Leagues 4 season to resume because he has a big surprise to spring on his rivals.
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He's talking 188 centimetres big.
Before Football Federation Australia's decision last Wednesday to suspend all grassroots competitions and the National Premier Leagues until Tuesday, April 14, Western had signed three new recruits.
Rooke had already revealed Western had signed 21-year-old Canadian native Daniel Baumgartner to add starch to the midfield.
He also mentioned Tom Miller, a Queenslander who has moved to Bathurst for university.
"Tom, he's a fantastic looking player and from a good pedigree," Rooke said.
"He had a couple of seasons with Brisbane Roar Youth followed by a season with an NPL1 team up in Queensland, Gold Coast United."
But there's another foreign recruit who has inked a deal with Western - imposing American Cameron DeJong.
"He's a six-foot-two central defender with a bit of mongrel which is something we've been missing," Rooke said.
"It would be great to get him on the pitch.
"The last week of that transfer window, I was absolutely rapt with who we picked up, we picked up three boys who I felt were going to be really beneficial to our squad.
"Their clearances will come through during this little break and they are busting, they just want to play."
DeJong progressed through the American college system, representing San Francisco State and Monterery Bay.
He spent time playing for Ventura Fusion and more recently DeJong lined up for the Texas-based Laredo Heat and the Oxnard Guerreros in California.
The experience he gained from playing with those semi-professional clubs will be a huge asset for Western.
Rooke hopes it will help his side climb the ladder - they were sitting ninth when the competition was suspended with a 6-2 loss to Parramatta followed by a 2-all draw against Camden.
He is not sure when Western will return to action, but has his fingers crossed it will be the intended April 14 date.
"We do play through most things and I do know Football NSW are very much on the fact they want to get things played, they want to get things done and moving," the coach said.
"The sport is an important part of people's lives and they love to play it. People want to do it week-in, week-out, but as it stands right now, it is difficult to see when it's going to clear I guess."
With no squad training sessions permitted - Western's first grade side was working alongside the under 20s and under 18s - Rooke and fellow coaches Clint Mutton and Josh Ward have asked players to maintain their fitness.
"The coaching staff, myself, Josh, Clint ... we've got the boys out a running program. Individually they just have to keep themselves fit I guess," Rooke said.
"We'd worked really hard on our pre-season, worked hard on our fitness and it had been showing in our games, we had been finishing off games really strongly.
"To lose that initial fitness we had built is going to be disappointing."