TSL: Cody Thorp joins brother Mitch at Launceston

A 197cm, 105kg ruckman, Cody last played TSL for Western Storm in 2015 before sitting out 2016 and joining Longford alongside middle brother Beau in 2017.

His six-year journey back to the State League has also taken in two heart surgeries, professional kickboxing, a 2018 QFA flag with Maroochydore and a two-year break from footy in 2019 and 2020.

Few were as happy to see him back in the TSL system as his eldest brother and new coach.

"It's exciting to have my brother playing at Launceston - there's certainly been a little bit of a thirst for it from me over the last couple of years," Mitch said.

"Cody and I have worked through some off-field issues - he's certainly been a bit of a ratbag over the last few years - but we now feel he's at the point and we're at the point that the football club can be a really great place for him to reconnect with former premiership teammates in Jobi Harper, Jay Blackberry and Dylan Riley.

"He's in a good headspace, [pre-season] camp was a great opportunity for him to share the last few years and give the boys a little bit of an eye-opener as to what he's been up to and from a professional viewpoint his training standards have been great."

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At 27, Cody appears to have many years of good footy to offer the reigning premiers.

The concreting business owner has strong hands above his head, the ability to kick off both feet and clean hands at ground level.

His arrival will do nothing to help the Blues' logjam of A-grade ruckmen, with Tim Auckland, Hamish Leedham and Joe Groenewegen also vying for big-man roles.

Auckland was one of the TSL's most dominant ruckmen in 2020, Groenewegen has lost 10 kilos since returning late last year and Leedham bagged all the major development league awards after being an unlucky omission early in the season.

"We've created an environment that, as an example, Hamish Leedham didn't want to leave - he wanted to earn his spot back into the senior side and he's done a great job over pre-season, he knocked 30 seconds off his 2km time trial PB," Mitch said.

"His attitude has been first-class and the competition for spots will be on again - that's something we encourage, we have a high-support, high-challenge environment."

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Arriving early in pre-season, Cody has done nothing to suggest he won't be right among that group fighting for a senior spot.

"He's probably untapped a little bit of how good he can be," Mitch said.

"He's our strongest young man in the gym, so from a physical viewpoint having a strong ruckman that can play forward and mark the ball above his head, he's probably what we've lacked a little bit.

"Hamish and Tim have both been really good ruckman in their own right, but the ability to catch the ball in front of the ball as a forward is something that Joe Groenewegen's very good at and Cody's also very good at.

"Those two boys I can see working really well together."

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Should they play in the same senior side as planned in 2021, Cody and Mitch will follow in a strong tradition of brothers lining up together at Launceston.

Jake and Jayden Hinds, James and Bailey Gillow, James and Zach Griffiths and Tom, Corey and Ryan Sheppard are among the brother combinations to have played together in Launceston senior sides in the past five years.

Cody said he was happy to be playing under the leadership of 32-year-old Mitch.

"It's the environment I needed, it's given me real purpose," he said.

"I am looking forward to being a valued member of this team."