Describing last Saturday as nerve-wracking for Corrimal Cougars President Grant Plecas would be an understatement.
To secure a spot in the finals for the first time in 16 years, the Cougars needed to win against fourth-placed De La Salle in the final round of the Harrigan Cup. They also had to rely on their traditional rivals, Collegians, to defeat Thirroul.
But the Cougars had every reason to be confident, having beaten defending premiers, Wests, twice this year and defeated De La Salle 36-0 in their last encounter.
And it turned into a pretty special day for the hard-working clubman, as the Cougars secured a crucial 40-12 victory, elevating them above Thirroul into fifth place and ensuring their first postseason appearance since 2009.
“We were definitely going in there as best prepared as we could; we had a belief because we’d beaten them so well the last time we played them,” he said.
“A few things needed to go our way, Collies needed to beat Thirroul, we needed to make sure we were set and going to be able to get the win.”
Breaking the drought
Having not played finals for a decade and a half, and with a premiership drought stretching back 51 years to their 1974 triumph, Plecas said it was a great feeling to finally return to postseason football this year.
“It’s pretty special for the whole club, our club is one of the stalwarts of the competition, been around since day one [and] always had a first grade side in there, even through the tough times,” he said.
“We went about eight years without an Under 18s side, so it was really hard when we’re not as financially [stable] as some of the other clubs to be able to prop up that first grade team year in year out.
“But now we’ve got the fruits of some great juniors coming through, and we’re starting to build something special at the club.
“The feeling was just fantastic at the whole club the week leading into it,” Plecas said.
“For 16 years, this is what they’ve been working towards, and to get this result, it’s huge for the club and huge for the community.”
Words | Tallon Smith