Warwick Cowboys coach Col Speed reveals hopes for 2023 TRL season
Following a proud win over rivals and 2022 premiers Wattles Warriors in the Barrett Shield, the Warwick Cowboys are gearing up for the season to kick off under coach Col Speed.
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The Warwick Cowboys were victorious in the annual Barrett Shield clash and are now looking ahead to a promising season under new coach Col Speed.
Following a strong performance against rivals and 2022 premiership winners Wattles Warriors, winning 16-4, and showcasing some new players that will be indomitable assets in the season to come.
After making some high profile signings during the summer, Speed said he was excited to see his squad perform.
“It was a well deserved win and the boys performed great to win the Barrett Shield, and two games into our trial series with the A-grade it’s a pleasing result,” Speed said.
“The boys had a lot of pride during that game and was a massive way to start off the season, it was always one of our goals to have some silverware in the cupboard and the Barrett Shield is no better way to start that, so it’s a perfect start.
“We only have eight points against so far, so it shows our defence is in order to a degree, which is what we’ve been focusing on and I think we just need to improve our attack completion.
“It’s a work in progress but we’re on our way.”
Speed said with the season kicking off proper on Sunday, he was confident of claiming an important first round win ahead of a two-week break over Easter.
“We’re always planning to win, not to sound too overconfident, but we’re always planning on it and looking at our goals as a club, but we’re confident going into Sunday’s game,” he said.
“Playing at home is going to be great as we’ll have the local crowd, and coming off a big win the boys are pumped up and keen to get the crowd into it as well.”
One of the Cowboys big pre-season challenged involved dual registration of players for the local side and Toowoomba Q Cup giant, the Western Clydesdales.
“It’s a tough balancing act, but we’ve just got to find a way to make it work, we’ve just got to be pretty smart with that,” he said.
“I have the philosophy of one door shuts and one door opens, we want to make sure our blokes have that chance to further their career with footy, but we’ve got to have depth in the squad too.”
Speed said he was excited to see the return of young gun Morgan Byrne, who spent some time with Redcliffe during the pre-season.
“He’s an exciting young talent to come back, and he’s got a lot to show as he’s still pretty young,” he said.
Brothers and returning to the Cowboys are Harry and Ben Sullivan who are two players to keep an eye on, with Speed labelling them “outstanding”.
Big summer signing Tui Oloapu is another player to look out for according to the coach, who’s keen to utilize his skills on the field.
“I love the job and I don’t feel a great deal of pressure in it, we just have to apply the skills and ensure the boys play at the best of their abilities,” he said.
“I’m not looking at the people looking at me, if I start listening to them, I’ll be sitting beside them so I’m not too worried about that.”
Col Speed’s men kick off their first game of the season against Highfield and District Eagles on Sunday at Father Ranger Oval.
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