The Cowra Magpies league tag side has wrapped up another strong season, marking themselves as a consistent and competitive team.
Finishing third overall and only losing four matches, all against the competition’s top two teams, the women demonstrated their resilience, skill, and potential for further growth.
Their season included a season highlight that will live long in the memory, a finals victory over Canowindra Tigers, the first time in a while the side has advanced past that stage.
Coach Greg Garlick described the season as “pretty successful”, noting the team’s ability to match it with most opponents across the competition.
“Only losing four games all year to the top two teams is a big effort,” Garlick said.
Latest Stories
“No one outside the Grand Finals beat us, so it’s quite nice.”
“Essentially reaching one game from the Grand Final, we were pretty successful,” he said.
That consistency was backed up by the fact that the side rarely faltered against teams outside the top bracket.
One of the proudest moments for the team was the preliminary final against Canowindra, where years of persistence paid off.
“Winning the game against Canowindra, the first time the girls have won a finals game in the last couple of years, and being able to do it at home against quality opposition, it was probably their best game,” Garlick said.
“They played no fuss, no panic.”
“It was a real highlight,” he said.
This breakthrough victory was more than just a win, it showed that the team is ready to push further into finals in coming years.
Despite their successes, the team did face its share of challenges.
Garlick identified self-belief as the biggest hurdle.
“Just that self-belief, I think, was probably the biggest challenge,” Garlick said.
“Believing they are good enough to match it with the two best sides.”
“They’ve still got a bit to go in that area, to be honest,” he said.
But the season also showed clear growth in this department.
With each match, the players gained confidence in their structures, proving that they had the talent and systems to compete at the top level.
Under Garlick’s coaching, the league tag team has developed a strong, defined attacking structure and a game plan that fits the players’ strengths.
“They’ve definitely gone to another level in regards to what they can achieve, and that self-belief has grown,” Garlick said.
“There’s still a long way to go, but they’ve shown they’ve got enough talent and they’ve got a game plan that works.”
“They can just keep developing that,” he said.
With the framework in place, the side is well-prepared for further success under future leadership.
This season also marked the end of an era, as Garlick is stepping down after completing a three-year coaching plan.
“No, I won’t be going on, I had a three-year plan,” Garlick said.
“I’ve had my three years, that’s me.”
“But we’ve got a really clear attacking structure in place, a game plan that suits the girls, and it’s proven to work.”
“I’d imagine they would just continue on that and develop it.”
“Essentially, it’s in the hands of someone else now,” he said.
For Garlick, the decision to retire from coaching was about family, saying, “I’ve got young kids and I want to go watch them play sport”.
While the next season will bring new leadership, the foundation is strong for the Cowra Magpies league tag team.
