It is only early days in 2017 but the Thunderbolts are showing plenty of promising signs.
The Thunderbolts have been in preparation for the new season since November with around half of the squad back for a second NYC season.
That added experience has been holding them in good stead throughout pre-season.
“It’s been really good,” Thunderbolts coach Eric Smith said.
“Compared to last year when we pretty much had a completely new squad, this year we’ve got about half the boys back.
“They’ve really taken well to pre-season. It is really good having those guys with that second-year experience to help the first-year guys settle into the Club.
“We are really happy with where we are at right now but obviously we’ve got to turn that into some good trial performances as well.”
The Storm family will converge on the Sunshine Coast on February 11 when the NRL squad heads up north for a trial match against the New Zealand Warriors.
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The Thunderbolts will also play a curtain raiser prior to the NRL game.
It will be a weekend to look forward to for the entire Club and an exciting learning experience for the Under-20s.
“Hopefully we are going to get a really good crowd up there. It is going to be the first opportunity for the two teams to come together for this season,” Smith said.
“We’ve got some new players there who haven’t had the opportunity to be around our NRL players yet.
“That is going to be a really good experience for them so we will hopefully get to train against them and get a gauge on where we are at.”