By Cara Kemp
Coach Adam Mieklejohn is optimistic about the upcoming rugby season, welcoming the reshuffled draw and the challenges ahead, particularly in the first five rounds.
He emphasises the importance of starting strong, regardless of venue, and highlights key matchups against Orange City and Forbes.
"I'm looking forward to it,” Adam said.
“It’s nice to have a fresh draw with a different order from previous years.”
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“It presents a good challenge, particularly in the first round.”
“Everyone's still feeling each other out, and with so many team changes, we won’t know what to expect,” he said.
The Cowra Eagles will begin their Ferguson Cup campaign against the Orange City Lions on April 12 at Orange City Rugby Club.
Adam is particularly looking forward to the first two rounds, acknowledging the strength of their early opponents.
"The first two rounds will be exciting,” Adam said.
“Orange City has improved a lot, and they’ll be a strong force this season.”
“Then, having our first home game against Forbes on such a big Saturday will be fantastic.”
Traveling to away games presents challenges, especially with player availability due to work commitments, but Adam said it’s something the team has learned to manage.
“Absolutely, every team traveling has challenges with players unavailable who work Saturday mornings, particularly if you’ve got to go to Dubbo.”
“It’s not always easy, but that’s part of the draw, and we’re sort of used to that.”
“Most blokes will work around their rosters to be available to play.”
Pre-season training has focused on fitness and core skills, with careful management of player workloads due to the heat.
“We're still really just focusing on our fitness and some core skills.,” he said.
“We haven’t done too much rugby-specific training yet, and given the last couple of weeks with the heat, we’ve been mindful of managing player loads.”
“The heat here in Cowra is very different compared to some of our counterparts in Orange and Bathurst.”
The ultimate goal for the team is to be competitive in every game while maintaining a strong club culture.
“We want to be competitive week in, week out, in both grades.”
“It’s not all about winning and losing.”
“It’s about the way we play and how we carry ourselves.”
“The players have been really positive and bought into what we’re trying to achieve.”
“There’s a great feeling around the club,” Adam said.
