The Cowra Eagles stormed back into form with a steamrolling 58-7 win over rivals Forbes on Saturday, reigniting their finals campaign and restoring confidence after a string of close defeats.
Coach Adam Meiklejohn praised the team’s renewed energy and focus following a well-timed break the previous week.
“We had a bye the week before, which was good because the four weeks before that we were in a bit of a slump,” Meiklejohn said. “We didn't have a lot of momentum so the bye came at a really good stage for us, to reset and regroup. The goal was to get two wins on Saturday, to kickstart the running into the finals. It has rejuvenated the squad.”
The Eagles wasted no time taking control of the match, asserting dominance in the opening quarter.
“Forbes are among our closest rivals in the comp. There's a fair bit of history between the two clubs. The first 20 minutes I think is where we set ourselves up for the win,” Meiklejohn said. “We absorbed a lot of pressure, and while we did make a couple of little errors finding our groove, once we weathered the Forbes storm we really clicked.”
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While recent results had not gone their way, Meiklejohn noted the team had remained competitive throughout.
“We haven't been far off, even in the losses we had previously,” he said. “We had some individual errors and at times put pressure on ourselves. Individual errors were down a lot, and when you do that you have the ball and the way we play; when you have the ball you can score points.”
“So the confidence just came from that, some great tries, really good play in terms of backing ourselves and our ability to make fifty, sixty metres each run. Not necessarily even making a try off it but making progress.”
The team’s improving form has also been aided by consistency in selection, with Saturday’s game marking a rare opportunity to field an unchanged first-grade side.
“We've been lucky at the minute, without injuries – most of our injuries were up front in the season,” Meiklejohn said. “Saturday was the first time we had an unchanged first grade team put forward in some time. It's good to have a bit of continuity so we can work on a fair few things.”
Looking ahead, Cowra will host Bathurst next weekend in a pivotal clash as the competition nears its finals run.
“Bathurst is two points behind us in fourth, and we're at third. To beat Bathurst would put some breathing space between them and Orange City is very key,” Mr Meiklejohn said. “I think our defence on Saturday was the best we've had all season. Having that attitude to get off the line and shut down their attack, particularly against Bathurst, will be key.”
The mood in the Eagles' camp is upbeat, with the entire club rallying around the win.
“There's a lot of great camaraderie after the games, so it's just about the next however many weeks to make our mark,” Mr Meiklejohn said.
