A wave of nostalgia swept through the Cowra Jockey Club race meeting on 22 November 2025, as members of the Cowra Rugby League Magpies’ 1995 First Grade and Reserve Grade teams reunited to celebrate one of the club’s greatest achievements.

The gathering was organised by incoming 2026 Magpies coach Craig Jeffries, who brought the players back together to remember a year that remains a staple in Magpies history.

In 1995, both Magpies sides entered their respective Group 10 Grand Finals as underdogs and both were stunned with victories.

The First Grade side produced a upset, defeating the heavily favoured Bathurst Penguins 19-16 in a tense finish.

Reserve Grade delivered an equally dominant performance, overpowering Orange CYMS 28-2.

Together, the dual victories cemented the 1995 season as one of the most celebrated in Cowra Magpies history.

One of the highlights of the reunion came with the playing of the late Barry Doyle OAM’s commentary.

Doyle, who served as 2LF’s Group 10 Rugby League broadcaster and sports editor at the Cowra Guardian, delivered a thrilling call on that day, a recording that continues to stir memories three decades later.

Adding to the prestige of the event, former Cowra Guardian journalist Peter Clark, now working with the NRL, helped secure the return of two prized trophies for display.

The Western Challenge Cup for First Grade, now known as the Peter McDonald Memorial Cup and the Western Cinemas Challenge Cup for the Reserve Grade.

Both cups, normally housed in Bathurst, were brought back to Cowra for the race day celebration, allowing past players and supporters to once again stand proudly beside the silverware they fought so hard to win.