After consistent early season performances and securing victories players from Cowra Magpies' first grade and league tag teams earnt their spots in the Woodbridge Cup representative team to face against George Tooke representative team last weekend on May 11.
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The senior men's team lost a hard-fought game 18-10 against the George Tooke team.
The League Tag team was also defeated with a George Tooke 42-18 victory.
From the Magpies first-grade squad, Ricky Whitton, Daniel Hatch and Simon Samson were selected to join the representative side. Thomas Rose was also selected but withdrew due to injury.
Emilie Browne and Carla Hill were selected in the League Tag side with Tahlia Williams on standby. Casey Brien was also selected but had to withdraw.
Jesse Durning, coach of the Woodbridge men's representative team, praised his players' efforts following a closely contested match, despite their narrow loss.
"I thought it was really good, and I couldn't really fault anyone's effort from our side," Durning said.
Acknowledging the unpredictable nature of rugby league, Durning emphasised the importance of adapting to certain circumstances.
"That's rugby league though," he said. "Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesn't."
Reflecting on the challenges of limited training time for the representative team, Durning recognised the inevitability of some missed opportunities.
"You're only supposed to train once together and play once together," he said.
"Everyone who got picked on our side was picked for a reason," he said.
Cowra Magpies coach, Phil Ingram, watched the game, commending the the players on the field, "the boys played really well".
Speaking of Saturday's game, Ingram described it as a "grindy kind of game".
Looking ahead to the Magpies fixture this weekend against Cargo, on Sunday May 19 at Cargo, Ingram emphasised the importance of maintaining focus and not underestimating their opponents.
"It's just a matter of us now getting back into the groove and hopefully we can continue on with our winning way," he said.
Despite Cargo's lower standing on the ladder, Ingram stressed the need for respect and concentration to secure another victory.
"We've got to go over there and focus on the job that we need to do, and hopefully we can come away with another victory," he said.
He acknowledged the upcoming month playing away from home as a test for the team.
"A month away is gonna test us but hopefully we can keep the wins rolling."
