Corrimal Cougars coach Sean Tabet says his side is not getting carried away with its upset 26-14 Harrigan Cup victory over Wests last week, despite it being their first win of the season.
“I don’t think anyone had it in their cards that we were going to rock up and walk away with a win,” said Tabet.
“But rugby league is a crazy sport, and crazy things happen.”
“The biggest challenge this week is trying to get the team back down to earth,” he said.
“We’ve won one game, that’s great, but we must visualise semi‑final football. If we don’t beat Thirroul this week, that becomes very unlikely for us.”
Fresh Start
Down 14-6 just after the break, the Cougars attack came alive in the second half scoring four unanswered tries to post an epic come-from-behind win over the defending premiers.
For Cougars halfback and captain Kamren Cryer (pictured), the win felt like a fresh start for his team.
“It was one that we had to dig deep for. At one point, we had all our guys on the bench injured, so it was a fun win to be part of and one that meant a lot for the club.”
Cryer grew up with rugby league in his blood.
“I started playing rugby league when I was about 10 years old up in the Sutherland Shire for the Aquinas Colts,” he said.
“My old man played, and both my parents were athletes. Even my two younger sisters play Oztag for Australia, so you could say athleticism runs in the family.”
Before making the move to Corrimal, Cryer spent time with the North Sydney Bears before taking a year out of the game.
“I took a year off rugby league last year, and that’s when Sean and Corrimal got in touch. It was an easy decision to come back and play,” he said.
On The Rebuild
Cryer joined the Cougars this year for a reason, to be part of a rebuilding team.
“Corrimal went through a bit of a rebuild this season, and that was something I really wanted to be a part of,” he said.
“There are some guys here I’ve played with or against over the years, and I knew this was a project worth committing to.”
Cryer added that the win felt like the “start of their season” and hoped it would build momentum for the weeks ahead.
“Obviously, it’s a challenging competition and every team is very high quality.
“Not getting any wins until last weekend was tough, but it was worth it. We want to build from here and make a charge for the finals for the rest of the year.”
Cryer also talked about the belief within the team and their approach for upcoming matches.
“We started to really gain confidence as the game went on, and although it was a surprise win for some, for us it came down to belief.
“We knew what we could do, and we executed when it mattered. We’ve had a shift in approach over the last couple of weeks, focusing more on ourselves, and that’s going to be the key going forward,” said Cryer.
He said beating the Devils has given the team a boost in confidence.
“To be honest, it was a surprise win for a lot of people, but as the game went on, the belief started to build”.
“We started doing things we hadn’t done in other games, holding the ball, making fewer errors, and focusing on the things we can control.”
Stepping Stone
Both coach and player agree that this win is just the first step.
“Although we won, we still allowed 14 points, and in a lot of rugby league games, that’s almost enough for a win,” said Tabet.
“We have to work harder defensively, especially against a side like Thirroul, who love to move the ball side‑to‑side.”
Cryer echoed his coach’s sentiment.
“Obviously it was a good win, and it gave us a lot of confidence. But the focus now is making sure we turn up for the next game.
“We don’t want to be a ‘one win and done’ team. We want to finish this season strong and give ourselves a chance at making the finals.”
With another tough match ahead against the Butchers, who won the first ‘Battle of the Beaches’ clash 18-12 in Round 4, the Cougars are keeping their sights firmly set on the future.
Words| Angelina Raula