While the Cowra Magpies are looking to get a win in this week's home trial game against the Queanbeyan Kangaroos, for new number eight Lewis Dwyer the biggest positive will be another opportunity to flourish in his new environment.
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Recruited after an end-of-season phone call from former senior coach and current assistant Steve Sutton, Dwyer said the decision to come to Cowra was straightforward.
"There's a heap of good blokes there [in Cowra], and there's a good atmosphere," Dwyer said.
The prop also added that increased defensive focus implemented by new senior coach Kurt Hancock has also been a welcome challenge, especially after coming over from Parkes.
"There's a lot more emphasis on defense in group 10, especially Cowra," the prop said, adding that the team has spent a lot of time working on converting defensive movements into attack.
With last week's 34-24 trial game win coming against Group 11 premiers Forbes, it seems the work is paying off, with the return of several players allowing the Magpies improve their structures after the early pre-season loss to Dubbo CYMS in the Challenge Cup.
"We have a lot more players back, so... it makes it a lot easier," Dwyer said.
"You've got the likes of Jeremy Gordon, Claude [Gordon], Warren [Williams] and Josh Rainbow... You just see the ball rolling and it's got a good vibe."
While the Kangaroos will represent another challenge for the home team ahead of the season proper, Dwyer paid tribute to Hancock and the Magpies' broader football-focused culture.
"I don't know how he does it," he said, referring to Hancock's pre-season juggling of work, Daley Cup coaching duties as well as the Magpies' Group 10 preparation.
"[Hancock's] someone who lives and breaths it and who just want to get the best out of his players.
"The coach is very passionate, and [when] you get a group of guys who... get along with each other... it's easy because everyone's committed.
"It means you can just focus on your footy."
The Magpies' first grade team takes on Queanbeyan at 2.30pm at Sid Kallas Oval on Saturday, preceded by a reserves match at 1.15pm.
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