The Cowra Magpies Youth League team is gearing up for a crucial finals clash against the Orange Warriors, a side they’ve already split wins with earlier in the season.
While the stakes are high, coach Marc McLeish is keeping the focus on consistency, team culture, and sticking to what they’ve built over the past six weeks.
“We’ve had a game each, one win, one loss, with those guys this year,” McLeish said.
“We know they’re going to be a challenge, but we’ve never focused too much on who we’re playing.”
“Our preparation has been about us,” he said,
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That inward focus has paid off.
Cowra has made noticeable improvements across the board, particularly in ball movement, winger involvement, and defence.
“Our kick chase has been very good this year, probably one of the main reasons we sit where we sit,” McLeish said.
The Youth League side sits atop the ladder as minor premiership winners, and are confident in approaching the next game.
“Our game overall has improved in the last six weeks,” McLeish said.
“I think we’ve hit our potential at the right end of the year.”
Heading into this must-win match, with a Grand Final spot on the line, McLeish is keeping things grounded.
The message is clear for the team, stay calm, play smart, and enjoy the game.
“We’ve taken things one week at a time during the finals,” McLeish said.
“We’re not changing too much.”
“We don’t want to overhype it.”
“We just want to keep playing the footy we’ve earned.”
“If we own our space well enough, we’re 80% there,” he said.
The key to success, McLeish believes, is maintaining energy and discipline.
“If we stay in our game and don’t get drawn into something we haven’t prepared for, we’ll put our best foot forward,” he said.
The Orange Warriors, however, are no easy opponent.
McLeish acknowledged their speed across the field and size through the middle.
“They’ve got some big blokes up the middle who create space for their quicker players,” McLeish said.
“We’ve got to dominate the ruck and stop their momentum.”
Still, the Magpies are coming off strong performances and a particularly dominant effort against Narromine in Manildra.
“It was a real team effort,” McLeish said.
“We were struggling to pick our player of the match, that’s a great place to be.”
“The whole team is putting in,” he said.
McLeish is proud not just of the on-field performance but also the way his players have embraced the club culture.
“They’ve really contributed and bought into the club environment this year,” McLeish said.
“They’re proud of our club and that’s a really good thing for the future of the pack.”
While the long-term goal is to win the club’s first-ever Woodbridge Cup premiership, McLeish knows the path forward starts with one game.
“Hopefully we can be that team,” he said.
“But we’ve got a job to do this week before we can even think about that.”
The team is united, focused, and excited, not just for what’s at stake, but for the journey they’re on together.
“It’s just about us enjoying our footy, enjoying each other, and enjoying the team environment,” McLeish said.
“If we play our best footy, there’s not too many teams that’ll trouble us.”
