Cowboys riding high after grand final win
A founder of the Cowboys Rugby League Club had a day to cherish at the weekend. Not only did Nathan Anderson help to start the club in 2011, he is a player-coach in the champion team. Cowboys won the Southland Rugby League final in Invercargill on Saturday, beating He Tauaa 42-16. The score was 18-0 at halftime. ‘‘This is the best year we’ve ever had and the best numberswise for players,’’ Anderson said. He added the team had effective systems in place, players were responding to a good culture in the club, and games against Otago teams also helped the Cowboys to improve, Cowboys were undefeated in 12 games this year and it was the second time they had won the final. Captain Dylan Lovett was elated with the win on Saturday, saying the team spirit had been a big factor all season. ‘‘The team spirit has taken us to the next level. We’re there for each other and everyone’s giving their all,’’ Lovett said. ‘‘We dominated the rucks [on Saturday] and the forward pack set the platform for the backs.’’ He Tauaa had won the final many times but couldn’t match the Cowboys this year. Moses Fa’amoe-Ioane, who coaches He Tauaa, said the Cowboys were always going to be hard to beat after winning all their lead-up games. ‘‘No excuses from us . . . they were the in-form team.’’ Captain Rocky Pettigrew echoed Fa’amoe-Ioane comments. Southern Zone Rugby League general manager Steve Martin arranged for the final to be livestreamed on Facebook. He hopes the same service can be done for games involving the Southland Rams in the South Island tournament. The Rams’ first game is against Otago in Invercargill on August 11. Other teams in the tournament are West Coast, Tasman and Aoraki (Timaru). Meanwhile, He Tauaa’s under18s will play the Central Otago Mustangs’s under-17 team in Queenstown next Sunday.