The Cowra Magpies have wrapped up their 2025 Woodbridge season with plenty to be proud of and a clear sense of progress across all grades.

While first grade fell just short near the end, the youth league’s performance and the rise of representative players provided the club with strong highlights.

Club president Bruce Wallace said the younger squad was one of the year’s standout stories.

“One of the highlights has been the performance of youth league,” Wallace said.

“And as you know, they still got a game to play yet, and league tag going to the next level, which is very encouraging to see,” he said.

At the same time, the senior side gave fans plenty to cheer for.

“First grade were really, really good, they just stumbled at the second last hurdle,” Wallace said.

Despite the disappointment of not going all the way with first grade, Wallace said the efforts of the playing group across the board gave him great pride.

“I’m really proud of every first grader,” he said.

“I’m proud of every player.”

“Every player had their good times during the year.”

“The guys that made rep footy, the guys and girls that made rep footy, that was very pleasing and very encouraging,” Wallace said.

The achievements at representative level were a sign that the Magpies’ development pathways are working, and that the club is continuing to produce talent capable of stepping up.

Looking back on the season, Wallace said discipline had been a major area of improvement compared to the previous season.

“We started off really, really well,” he said.

“We learned a lot from last year, especially our discipline.”

“That was a big key factor from last year, and we started off really, really well, and the results back that up.”

“That sort of fell away a bit towards the end, which probably cost us, unfortunately,” Wallace said.

The lesson heading into 2026 will be maintaining that consistency and ensuring the discipline and sharpness shown early in the year carries right through to the finish.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the season was the sense of unity both on and off the field.

“The vibe at the club has been fantastic, and everything revolving around the club has been great,” Wallace said.

“The committee has been fantastic.”

“The players have been great, and the support’s been fantastic, and the sponsorship’s been great.”

“We finished the year in a very good position,” he said.

With that backing, he hopes the Magpies can push even further next year, saying, “hopefully, moving forward to next year, we can go one step better”.

For now, Wallace said the focus remains on the upcoming games in the Youth League and Women’s sides, with plenty still riding on how the season closes out.

“We’re pretty intense here at the moment with what’s coming up on the weekend,” he said.

“Everybody’s sort of sitting back and holding their breath and hoping for the best possible outcome,” Wallace said.

While the season may not have delivered a fairytale finish, the Magpies walk away with plenty to build on: stronger discipline, a talented youth league, representative success, and a positive culture that continues to carry the club forward.