The Harden Hawks will be boosted by the return of former Harden Hawk James Smith.

   James spent 2011, 2012 and 2013 in Harden where he played in the Backrow. A product of the Cootamundra Bulldogs, James debuted in Group 9 in First Grade as a 19 year old before making the move to the Hawks.

   He began playing Rugby League as a 5 year old and describes his time in the game since as a journey.

  He has gone on to play for the Coogee Wombats in the  Premier Division in Sydney, the Tuggerananog Bushranger’s First Grade side in the Canberra Cup and played for the Belconnen Sharks in Reserve Grade in 2018 due to work commitments.

   His focus returns to the Hawks with the full support of his partner Samantha. James is excited to be playing for the Hawks in the 100th year and there is no doubt the he and his new young family including Amelia 18 months and Oliver 4 months will be spending plenty of time at Mclean Oval supporting James.

 He said “Im going to put all of my efforts into winning a premiership for Harden in 2020. It’s a great chance to get in and play some footy again while I’m still young enough and Samantha fully supports it.”

James runs a successful construction company in the ACT which currently sees him and his staff working on a number of projects. At the moment they are half way through the fit out of the Yass Hospital. This will also come in handy when James needs to train with the Hawks. He can continue down the road to McLean Oval from Yass

  At 6 foot 1 and tipping the scales at 100 kilograms, James 30, has proven himself to be a dynamic ball runner and tackler over his career and also has the added ability to fill other positions due to his athleticism.

  James said, “Being a bit older now and having been around a few clubs in Canberra and Sydney, I feel that I can  bring some leadership and some things that I have learnt to the team. Having been there before, I have a good relationship with the locals and the community. I just want to bring everything to the club in their 100th year and make it a memorable one and hopefully win the comp at the end of the year.”

   He said, “The big selling point for me was the 100th year and a few mates are going back to Harden aswell. I can’t wait.”