He's had plenty of plaudits in the off-season and now Ash Magaya is ready to put the rest of the Woodbridge Cup on notice.
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The flying CSU Mungoes back was praised by co-coach Ray Sargent as "quicker than nearly anyone else in the comp" after his success at the Woodbridge 10s Knockout last month.
That's pretty high praise for second-year university student, who only played rugby league for the first time last year, thanks to the encouragement of Sargent.
"Everyone's telling me about [Sargent's comments]. I saw all the comments on Facebook," Magaya said about his plaudits in the off-season.
"I don't know [about being the fastest playing in the comp], we'll have to see when the season starts."
The high praise Magaya received came after his starring role in CSU's win in the Woodbridge 10s Knockout plate final.
Following a loss to Cowra Magpies, CSU enjoyed a victory against defending premiers Manildra Rhinos, Grenfell Goannas and competition newcomers Blayney Bears, on the way to winning the final.
From soccer to rugby league
Magaya was a soccer player in Sydney's Sutherland Shire prior to his move to Bathurst in 2023 to study paramedicine.
But after being convinced to come along to training by Sargent, Magaya swapped the round ball game for the 13-man code.
The first few weeks of the 2023 season were a bit of a "terrifying" experience for him though.
"I'd say the first four games, I was definitely really scared until I got the hang of it," he said.
"I like the contact, more than I liked playing soccer. It's heaps good."
Magaya believes the squad the Mungoes have assembled will be strong.
"We picked up heaps of new boys. Big boys as well. I reckon we'll do pretty well this season," he said.
"We've got some new first years but Ray and Pat [Duggan, co-coach] have done a really good to pick up other boys that play in other towns.
"I'm hoping we'll play in the final series this year."
Win over Oberon would be a statement
COME Saturday afternoon, Magaya and his CSU teammates will kick start their 2024 Woodbridge Cup campaign against the Oberon Tigers.
The two teams famously played each other in the 2020 Mid West Cup grand final, the penultimate decider of the competition before it moved to the community cup model in 2022.
It was Oberon that came up victorious following a 23-10 win at Carrington Park, but the Mungoes bounced back to win the premiership in 2021 against Orange United.
Ahead of Saturday's local derby, Magaya said he's feeling a bit of "pressure".
He believes a win over the Tigers would be a statement.
"I mean, they had us all last year, so I reckon if we win the first game against them, it'll show the other teams that we've got it," he said.
The action will get underway at Diggings Oval from 1.40pm with the women's league tag, followed by the men's at 3pm.
