Just as they were starting to soar with finals on the horizon, the Eugowra Golden Eagles have come crashing down to earth with the news that Woodbridge Cup won't continue in 2021.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The NSW Rugby League said it was a difficult decision to cancel all of the remaining regional NSW competitions but due to the latest Public Health Orders there was little choice.
While the NSW Government recently announced easing to some restrictions in various areas of NSW, the NSWRL were advised the Public Health Orders do not allow for organised or competitive community sport to recommence.
NSWRL Head of Football Robert Lowrie acknowledged it had been a challenging season but said there was no way any competitions could continue in 2021.
"I thank all stakeholders for their tireless efforts in trying to get community football back on the field but unfortunately it is no longer feasible," he said.
The Golden Eagles had a somewhat sluggish start to the season with just one win in their first five games, but captain-coach Brad McMillan never wavered in his belief that his side could compete with the best.
READ MORE SPORTS STORIES:
With a finals spot secured, Eugowra had started to build very nicely, and were flagged by many as the dark horse for the flag.
Sure, the results might say they lost to Molong and Trundle in the final weeks of the season; but those defeats were only by a combined margin of six points - and the games could have swung either way, in particular the former, where the side were 22-nil up at half-time and then went on to loss 24-22.
A 16-8 victory over the Canowindra Tigers in the last round of the regular season was what really stamped Eugowra's premiership credentials.
Despite being down to 12 men for a significant chunk of the game, Eugowra were far too good for the Tigers, and McMillian said there was huge belief amongst the group - and that was something they were keen to hold onto ahead of the 2022 season.
"The way we were building, everyone was fairly confident we were building towards that sort of win against Cano and we were really confident of making some noise in the finals," he said on Thursday morning.
"Throughout the whole year, even the losses haven't been blow-outs...but the last month of footy we were playing the top ranked sides and absolutely giving it to them.
"A lot of the boys are keen to stay together and go around again - there's a bit of unfinished business and they now know what it takes the play at that level," said McMillan.
You get the feeling that something special is building down at Eugowra - and they are set to soar in 2022.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
Bookmark www.parkeschampionpost.com.au
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram