Greg Garlick will lead the Cowra Magpies into the 2027 season after being appointed club president for the first time, with strengthening pathways between junior and senior teams and building a more united, community focused club among his early priorities.

Garlick takes over a club he has been involved with for several years, including three years on the executive committee and three to four years coaching.

Having previously stepped away before returning to the Magpies, Garlick said taking on the presidency was particularly meaningful.

“It’s a privilege to lead the club I’ve been a part of for such a long time,” Garlick said.

“It means a lot, and it’s an exciting time for where we’re at. We’re in a good position, so I’m really excited.”

His decision to nominate for the position followed several years of involvement behind the scenes, where he began to see an opportunity to contribute further to the Magpies’ future.

“I’ve been working on the exec committee the last three years, been coaching there for three or four years prior, and just felt that there’s a real opportunity to be a really successful club,” he said.

“I’m excited about just being a part of it and thought I’ve got something to offer.”

One of Garlick’s major priorities will be creating greater unity between the different playing groups.

Rather than viewing the Magpies’ teams as separate parts of the organisation, he wants to strengthen connections from the girls’ competitions and under-18s through to First Grade.

“I want to see if we can unite the club a bit more in the grades, so the girls to 18s to First Grade,” he said.

“So a bit more unification of the club, and then community.”

That community focus will extend beyond rugby league, with Garlick keen for the Magpies to become involved in local activities and strengthen relationships with other sporting codes.

“Connecting with different community activities, being a part of the community in any way we can, connecting with other codes, and just trying to build that mentality of a community based, family style club atmosphere,” he said.

Garlick inherits a Magpies club with encouraging junior playing numbers, something he believes provides both an opportunity and a challenge heading into coming seasons.

The club’s under 18 playing group enjoyed an undefeated premiership campaign in 2026, leaving the Magpies with a promising group of young players approaching senior football.

Without a reserve grade side providing an intermediate step, Garlick said finding a way to successfully transition those players into First Grade would be an important focus.

“We’ve got really strong playing numbers, particularly in the 18s,” he said.

“We’ve got a good group of juniors sitting there that won the comp undefeated.

“So the challenge will be, with no reserve grade, trying to foster those juniors through into our First Grade side over the next few years.”

Garlick wants the club to establish a clearer pathway so emerging players can remain with the Magpies as they progress through the age groups.

“Creating, streamlining a process for a pathway for the junior kids to come through,” he said.

The same priority applies to the club’s female players.

Garlick pointed to the strength of the Magpies’ junior girls programs, including successful under 16 League Tag and junior tackle teams, as an area the club can build upon.

“Same with the girls,” he said.

“They’re really strong in junior league.

“Successfully transitioning and building pathways for those girls to come through to our Open Women’s team, that’s probably where the improvement or the connection I want to focus on is.”

While Garlick has clear ideas about areas he wants to strengthen, he is reluctant to define his presidency by one distant target.

Instead, his approach will be to establish smaller goals, work through them and continue setting new priorities as the club develops.

“I don’t look too much into the future,” he said.

“I look where I want to build small goals and where to start.”

His immediate focus includes strengthening meeting protocols and subcommittee structures while encouraging more people to become involved in the club away from the football field.

“At the moment, I’m looking at tightening up some of our meeting protocols, tightening up some subcommittee work, and getting more people within the club involved in the committee and outside of football,” he said.

“I’ve just got short term goals.

"I don’t really look too far long term at this point because if you achieve those, then I set new goals along the way.”

Garlick said ultimately he would like to leave the Magpies in a stronger position than when he began, although he acknowledged he is taking over an organisation already in a healthy position.

“I’d like to leave it, like most people in leadership positions would, in a better place than they came in,” he said.

“But that’s going to be difficult because we’re in a pretty healthy place.

“Bruce has done an amazing job, and the people before him have done well to build it up.

"So I’m quite lucky, to be honest, in that regard.”

Garlick also enters the presidency with an understanding of what the role can demand after watching his father hold a leadership position in rugby league while Garlick was playing in the under 18 and senior grades.

“I grew up seeing what the president’s job was,” he said.

“My dad was president of the league for a long time back when I was playing in 18s and through into grades.

“I guess I’ve seen what the job entails and I’ve seen the successes and the failures and whatnot.”

Now preparing to take on that responsibility himself, Garlick will enter the 2027 season looking to build gradually on the foundations already established at the Magpies.

“I’m excited,” he said.