Despite having battled injuries and form throughout the year, Cowra Magpies coach Kurt Hancock said all of that goes to the wayside ahead of Sunday's minor semi-final clash with the Lithgow Workies.
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"It doesn't really matter what happened during the regular season... It's basically a new competition now," Hancock said.
"This time of the year, you can't really teach them much more. We're just trying to keep it simple."
While the Magpies will, as they have for most of the year, field a side that doesn't quite resemble their best 22 on paper, it still boasts plenty of fire power.
Lee McClintock will return from a minor hamstring injury that forced him to miss the Magpies' loss to the Bathurst Panthers, while Lewis Dwyer has recovered from the knock that saw him benched early in that game.
On the flipside, Braydn Cassidy is still wearing a moon boot, while Logan Harris hurt his knee against the Panthers and will miss.
Mystery also surrounds Warren Williams' availability, who will attempt to train later today to prove his fitness.
Nevertheless, despite the sizeable loss against Bathurst, which he adds was complicated by lots of outside factors, Hancock has seen plenty of positives, plus a renewed sense of confidence, come from his group after the break.
"After all the up and downs they've had... I know they've been frustrated at times, this week's it's a little bit different," Hancock said of his team and their mindset.
"The guy's are pretty confident."
It's a confidence that he hopes will translate into a strong first-half, with the coach saying it is difficult to look beyond the first 40 minutes of Sunday's match.
"[We need to] be positive, and [it's about] being positive towards each other," he said.
"If you can establish yourself, or if you don't let them get away too much, that normally sets up your second half pretty well."
If Hancock's talking more about the team's mindset, it's because he strongly believes his team's brand of footy translates to the intensity of finals.
"Being a bit quicker, and [with] a few less penalties... I'd like think that suits our footy side a little bit more," the former St. Pat's playing-coach said.
"We've got players [that like] to play off the cuff a little bit and that's what makes us so dangerous."
Hancock admits that his team has sometimes defaulted too heavily to their structures on game day on this year, but believes it can be easily altered.
"At times we can play too much structured footy, and it is sort of a bit conservative," he said.
"If you see something... you can't miss that opportunity, you've gotta play it. I'm still pretty confident in the football style we've got. It's just a matter of turning up with the right mindset."
While he is hesitant to look too far ahead, he knows the propulsion a good performance on Sunday could produce.
"[The other teams] know we've had an up and down season... They know if we get it right, we're going to cause some trouble in the finals."
The Magpies take on the Workies from 2.15pm at the Tony Luchetti Sportsground.
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