The Cowra Eagles 2nd Grade side has wrapped up another impressive season, reaching the finals for the second consecutive year.
While the grand finals win slipped through their grasp once again, the coach Chris Miller described the year as a success marked by resilience, growth, and pride in the players and support staff who carried them through.
“Yeah, I think it’s successful, getting the finals in two consecutive years,” Miller said.
“It’s still disappointing that we couldn’t win a finals game, unfortunately, but that’s the way it goes.”
For Miller, the true highlights of the season weren’t just about results, but about the development of the players themselves.
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“Probably just watching the growth within the players, to be honest,” Miller said.
“Not skill-wise or anything, just the growth within the players, regarding how they were as people and how they reacted to certain situations throughout the year.”
“That was probably pretty pleasing,” he said.
This focus on personal development was seen as a key part of what makes the team strong: a group of individuals becoming better teammates, better competitors, and better people.
Like most seasons, the journey wasn’t without its difficulties.
Injuries, absences, and the constant movement of players between grades tested the side week after week.
“There were always challenges, probably challenges with personnel week after week, with either blokes being away for personal reasons, or then having to go to first grade because of injury,” Miller said.
“That was probably our biggest challenge.”
He added that the way the players adapted to these changes showed their maturity.
“How we overcame them was telling in itself, what I said before about how blokes dealt with certain situations,” Miller said.
“That’s what really stood out.”
Looking ahead, Miller said the next step is for the side to realise just how good they can be and learn to push harder when it matters most.
“Probably to realise their potential, and then also realise when you need to sort of put the foot down and go hard in games,” Miller said.
“Go hard to win games, rather than just try and be in the game.”
“The biggest thing is probably to try and understand the gravity of winning games,” he said.
Above all, Miller made clear how much pride he takes in his players and how grateful he is to those who support the team behind the scenes.
“I’m extremely proud of the reserve grade players that played for us throughout the year.”
“I think we had a squad of 35 to 40 odd reserve graders, which is a lot of people over the course of the season.”
“I’m very proud and thankful I was able to coach them,” he said.
He was also quick to acknowledge the tireless efforts of support staff and fellow coaches.
“I’m extremely thankful for the support staff as well,” Miller said.
“They were all extremely helpful, and I’m extremely thankful for what they’ve done throughout the season.”
While the disappointment of missing out on a finals win still lingers, the achievements of back-to-back finals appearances, combined with the clear growth of the players, has set a strong platform for the next season.
