As much as Kurt Hancock wants to see his Western Rams side score a rousing victory on Saturday and keep its Laurie Daley Cup finals hopes alive, he knows it's not all about the final result.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Rams need to defeat the Greater Northern Tigers by a large margin in Saturday's final round match at Gulgong but even then they need results elsewhere to go their way to finish in the top four.
Hancock will be keeping a keen eye on other games, some of which will be played next weekend given the amount of washouts in northern parts of the state.
But his focus will always be on his own players and providing them the best opportunity to be noticed by selectors and talent scouts.
"It's not all about winning, as much as we're keen on doing that," Hancock said.
"It's about giving these boys exposure and helping them have a pathway to an NRL club or a country jersey.
"But you did get more exposure by winning, unfortunately."
READ ALSO:
One Rams player who has certainly been noticed this season is Nick Murphy.
The Orange CYMS young gun put his name up in lights last weekend when he scored a hat-trick in a win over the Monaro Colts.
The team performance against Monaro was the best the Rams have produced so far in the cup and Hancock said seeing a player shine like that made it even more enjoyable.
"It's always a good week when Country selectors or NRL clubs call you and ask about certain players," Hancock said.
"That's why we do what we do with the Western Rams and I've had one of those weeks this week so I've been better to live with.
"It's what it's all about. Nick Murphy was outstanding last week. But the way we got him involved from fullback like we did, that shows everyone around him was doing their job."
Everyone will need to do their job again on Saturday against the Tigers.
While the Greater Northern side is yet to win in four rounds, Hancock is expecting a physical battle.
With Murphy at fullback again rather than in the halves, Dubbo's Tyrone Tattersall retains his place in the halves while CYMS back-rower Cooper Ferrari will start on the bench.
Western's under 16s side will also be in action in the Andrew Johns Cup on Saturday.
The Tony Woolnough-coached side is without a win to its name yet this year but have the chance to end the campaign on a high against the Gulgong.
Kick-off in the 16s is at 10am with the 18s, men, and women to follow.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
