A first round finals exit typified the Cowra Magpies' 2019 Group 10 campaign - lots of promise, not a lot of delivery.
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So, returning coach Steve Sutton is keeping it simple for the black and whites in 2020.
In his Set Of Six responses, Sutton makes it clear the Magpies will be focused on consistency this year, with a swag of local players to be given plenty of opportunity to prove their wares.
He's also touches on the plight of being a club in a small town, and says attracting players, and keeping juniors, can be tough in such a competitive competition like Group 10.
CWD: What needs to go right for your club to be crowned Group 10 premiers?
STEVE SUTTON: Seriously? We're just looking to be competitive.
(A grand final appearance) is a totally unrealistic goal for us at this stage.
CWD: Who's the player to watch from your club in 2020?
SS: Probably Mitch Browne.
He's been a good player for a couple of years but I can see him becoming more of a leader in our team this year and taking his game to a new level.
Toby Apps is another one I'm hoping will take the next step.
This will be his second full season in first grade, he's quiet and unassuming but he's competitive and turns up on every play.
CWD: Which game have you got circled in your calendar and why?
SS: Game one versus Hawks, because I'm not looking any further ahead at this stage.
CWD: Which opposition player do you think is the most dangerous in the competition?
SS: Hard to narrow down to just one player. Every team has a player that can be the difference on any given day.
CWD: What would you like to see change in Group 10 in 2020
SS: There's not a lot that needs to be changed from the group perspective but I would like to see more direction coming from the NSWRL and Western Division.
The prevalence of second division football and the impact that is having on first division clubs is something that I think needs to be looked at for the long term good of the game out here.
CWD: Do you think more needs to be done to help smaller clubs such as Oberon
SS: I don't know what can be done to help out the smaller clubs, to be honest.
The problems we face in Cowra are on a broader scale than just a football issue. Things such as lack of employment opportunities really make it tough to attract new players to town.
The number of males playing junior league is also dropping and this was once of Cowra's real strengths.
If we have less people playing the game and we can't attract players from other areas it makes it difficult to put a team on the field week in and week out
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