The Cobar Roosters will shoot for back-to-back Castlereagh League premierships on Saturday when they take on the Gulgong Bull Terriers in the Grand Final at Billy Dunn Oval.
The reigning premiers, who finished third on the competition ladder, won their way into the match via a come-from-behind 30-22 Preliminary Final win over the Narromine Jets at Tom Knight Oval last Saturday.
The Roosters trailed 22-8 after a slow start, but a Jayden Paul hat-trick proved the difference as Cobar flashed late to put the exclamation mark on an eight-point win.
“I think we know what we did well and what we can work on,” Roosters coach Thomas Plater said.
“We were good with our discipline and didn’t give away too many penalties, but we dropped a few balls in crucial positions, which has been the story of our year.
“We came home strong, and all the hard work in the off-season and beginning of the year paid off, and our fitness won us the game.”
To be playing in a second successive Grand Final is a considerable achievement for Plater’s Roosters, who are the most travelled team in the state.
After Saturday’s trip to Gulgong, the Roosters will have journeyed approximately 7500 kilometres in season 2023, with a dedicated playing group trekking to the likes of Gulgong, Dunedoo, Baradine, Gilgandra, Narromine, and Coonamble.
“There’s been a bit of travel, and on Saturday, it’s about four and a half hours to Gulgong in the car and a bit longer on the bus,” Plater said.
While long trips are part and parcel of Cobar’s campaign, Plater believes they have contributed to his side’s slow starts, and he is looking to take that issue out of the equation when tackling Gulgong for premiership glory.
“We’re trying to work around the travel, so we are leaving home at 2 pm on Friday and heading to Dubbo, where we will stay the night,” he said.
“That way, we are nice and refreshed on Saturday morning when heading to Gulgong.
“We’ve been having a few slow starts, and apart from the home Semi-final on Saturday, we’ve been on the road in recent weeks, and we think it could be the travel knocking us around.
“It should result in a good bit of team bonding, and we’ll have a nice team dinner, and hopefully, having us all together will settle a few of the nerves and have us ready and fresh for a big match.”
For the small town of Cobar, mining, racing, and Rugby League are the community’s lifeblood, and Plater said everyone was backing the Roosters premiership defence.
“The whole town is getting behind us,” he said.
“There are streamers and posters in all the shop windows, and I’m a teacher at the school, and some of my students came up to me and said we should make Friday a red, white, and blue day.
“It’s just been so special to have all the support, and you can see what it means to the town.”
It’s a local group of players representing the town, too, with the Roosters unable to rely on marquee recruits or signings.
“Everyone that plays for us lives in town, and over half the guys are Roosters juniors, so it shows the kids coming through that there are some good pathways,” Plater said.
“Plus, we’re too far away from other towns so that no one would travel, but it means we are close-knit and good mates.
“The age range is from 17 to 34, but everyone gets along, and it’s just a good group of players.”
While the Roosters are the reigning premiers, they will enter Saturday’s decider as the outsiders against the unbeaten Terriers.
It’s nothing new to Cobar, who entered the 2022 Grand Final as the underdogs before beating the Gilgandra Panthers 28-26.
According to Plater, his squad will happily own the underdog tag on Saturday.
“The pressure is on them for sure,” he said.
“Having not lost a game and playing at home, everyone will be expecting them to win.
“Still, I’m backing my group, and we know we must start well and win those crucial moments in the game.
“If they get momentum, we’ll try and hold them out for a bit, but when the momentum swings, we’ll look to capitalise, and I’m confident if we can hold them early, we’ll prevail late.”
Gulgong will enter Saturday’s fixture with bragging rights, having defeated Cobar three times in 2023.
They first met in Round Nine, with Gulgong travelling to Cobar to beat the Roosters 34-20.
In Round 14, Cobar ventured to Gulgong, and the Terriers prevailed 36-24.
In an epic Qualifying Final played in Gulgong late last month, the Bull Terriers fought their way back from 18-nil down to defeat the Roosters 34-18.
It will be another big day in Gulgong, with three Castlereagh League grades to be decided.
Click here for results, ladders, and draws.
