North Albury sign former player Ben Fulford after he left in 2016

Fulford will combine O and M football at the Hoppers, while captaining North Albury in Cricket Albury-Wodonga provincial.

The two competitions are the strongest in their respective sports in the Riverina, while Fulford represented the zone in cricket last summer.

"It's the right time for me, it would be easy to go to a lower tier and slot in there, take it easy on myself, but I want to add to a club that's given me so much over the years, I feel like I owe the club a fair bit, playing there since I was a little fella," he revealed.

"If I can help progress this group a little further again than they already had last season, that would be a huge tick for me."

Going back a generation or two, players were able to combine playing the highest local level of football and cricket, but the professionalism of both, particularly the O and M, now makes it extremely difficult.

The off-season between the two sports at O and M and CAW provincial level is only a fortnight now, with AB Mackinlay (Lavington) the last player to win flags in the two competitions.

Joe Hansen is currently playing first grade cricket at Corowa and will play for Corowa-Rutherglen next year, while players still combine the two sports at lower levels.

Fulford, 29, was quizzed if cricket is the priority.

"Yeah, I would always say so, I've been a better cricketer than footy player," he replied.

"Obviously cricket is going to take up a fair bit of my time, but I'll still get to as much of the pre-season as I can and Timmy (North football coach Tim Broomhead) understands that."

But while cricket is No. 1, Fulford is fiercely competitive and will give football everything.

"100 per cent, I'm not going to go through the motions," he stated.

Fulford's last season at North was in 2016 in Brownlow medallist Jason Akermanis's final year of coaching.

The 172cm, 68kg small forward joined Canberra Demons for two years in the-then NEAFL, starring with 40-plus goals to be the club's leading goalkicker in 2018.

He joined Echuca United in the Murray League in 2019, but then missed two years through COVID.

Fulford joined Lockington in the Heathcote District Football League in 2022, but missed a stretch of the season with a broken arm, although he recovered to play in a premiership.

He didn't play last year, so has played only half a season in the past four years.

"There's a bit of a buzz (at North), I told a few people I was playing and they were like, 'that's great news, the club's really building' and you see people connecting on social media and saying, 'I'll get down and watch a few more games', that momentum the boys built at the back end of the year is massive. It's good to be back, hopefully I can annoy a few people and kick a few goals," the chirpy Fulford suggested.

North went from the 2022 wooden spoon, with only one win, to within a win and percentage of this year's top five.

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