Cowra will host its first ever Group 10 junior rugby league grand final day on Saturday.
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With seven grand finals to be decided from under 10s through to under 16s it’s expected to be a bumper day of junior rugby league at Sid Kallas Oval.
While its a historic day for the club, Cowra’s under 14s are aiming to make the day even more memorable with victory in their respective grand final over Bathurst Panthers.
It’s the teams second straight grand final appearance after finishing runner up in under 13s in 2017.
This year, the Magpies 14s took out the minor premiership and have won every game except their opening match of the season.
Most of player group has been together since under 6s and under 8s, coach Ken McNamara explained.
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“Because the team have spent so much time together and have such a strong skillset it’s allowed coaching staff to expand training experiences in order to reach higher levels of performance,” he said.
Coaches Ken McNamara, Dean Murray and Craig Negus were at the helm last year and have again provided the group with huge assistance.
Ken said a goal to “go one better this year” was set at one of the first few training sessions.
“Back-to-back grand finalists is a fantastic achievement. The young guns are striving to go one better this year, that’s been the side’s goal. It’s been the focus of players and coaches with everyone committing 100 per cent to achieving the goal.”
The player group has been keen to train since January, listens well to instructions and are able to implement instructions swiftly to improve performances, Ken said.
“They have discipline and a good attitude to training.
“They’re resilient to the challenges that arise throughout the season. When you have a side like this you are going to be competitive and win more games than you lose.”
Cowra’s under 14s had help along the way in 2018 with experienced senior bush footy coaches Luke Branighan, Kurt Hancock and Ian Bourke running them through sessions, and the Magpies’ minor premiership winning premier league team has been involved at various times.
“It has been an amazing season and the boys deserve credit for training hard, and working together to achieve their goal,” Ken said.
“We’d like to thank the junior rugby league committee, Cowra’s premier league team and coaching staff for their involvement, and Kurt Hancock and Luke Branighan for their respective coaching sessions during the season.”
The team, along with family and friends, will enjoy a grand final day breakfast at the Rogue Carriage on Saturday morning before making their way to Sid Kallas Oval with a light warm up on the way at River Park.
