Nick Paton will play seniors for Tallangatta when he's not in the Murray Bushrangers side

Paton has been named in the 40-man Murray Bushrangers squad but will mix it with the TDFL seniors when he's not playing in the NAB League.

Tallangatta coach Tim Kennedy, meanwhile, is closing in on making further additions to his list.

"We've got a few that we still haven't secured yet but are a very good chance to play," Kennedy said.

"They've been training and I'm relatively confident we're signing them.

"A few young blokes have committed, who I think will be pretty important for us, including Nick Paton.

"If he's not getting a game with the Bushies, he'll play seniors with us.

"He's ultra-talented, uses the ball really well, he's a smart player and we want the ball in his hands a fair bit this year.

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"If he does play for us, he'll be a real weapon even though he is very young.

"Young Benny Hewatt from Corryong had a bit of a look in town but he's decided to stay with us so those young blokes will definitely give us a little bit of energy and a little bit of zip."

The Hoppers are playing an intra-club practice match on Wednesday, with Kennedy hopeful numbers at training will continue to improve.

"Motivation is a challenge at the moment," he said.

"Blokes feel like they've done a three-year pre-season and they're sick of training with no purpose.

"Those guys who are 50/50, how do you get them over the line?

"You've got to try to draw them back and sell what we're doing well and sell the enjoyment factor."

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