Things might be far from ideal in the Dubbo Rhinos camp but there is still signs of progress.
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This time last year, the club was in a similar place on the Blowes Clothing Cup ladder as the season approached its finale.
Then, the motivation for success was to avoid the wooden spoon.
And despite the side currently being third from bottom and just five points clear of the last-placed CSU Bathurst, the side continues to look upwards.
“I haven’t even thought of that, to be honest,” Rhinos coach Dave Stuart said of the wooden spoon.
“At the moment we just want to finish the season without any more injuries because they’re really building up.”
Much has been made of the injury crisis which has enveloped the Rhinos since the side won two of its first three matches early in the year, with Ricky Weatherall’s broken jaw the latest blow.
And while that extensive casualty list has seen the Rhinos fall down the ladder as the season has gone on, it has given a chance for others to stand up.
A host of players from second grade have had to move up, or even play both grades in some instances, and Stuart said there have been positives there.
“Codi (Riley) has come in and put in good performances every week,” he said.
“There’s been a few others but he’s really stepped up in the second row and had a crack.”
Young winger Rodney Jackson was another singled out by Stuart, who is focused on producing a strong performance at Cowra this weekend.
While finals is out of the picture for the men in black and gold, the Eagles are still firmly in the frame for a top five finish.
Some mid-season recruits and the recoup of points has seen the Cowra side launch back into contention and the Eagles are currently seven points behind Orange City, which occupies the all-important fifth spot.
“We’re motivated to get out and do the best job we can but it’s just such an issue with injuries mounting up and the non-availabilities,” Stuart said.
“We would love to avoid the spoon but this weekend Cowra has obviously improved … they’re back up there so we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
In a posiitve for the Rhinos, no player was forced to back up and start in first grade after playing seconds last week but it couldn’t stop the side being handed a 65-0 thrashing at the hands of Orange City.
Providing further motivation for the Rhinos is the fact this weekend’s match is followed by a derby clash against Dubbo Kangaroos.
That day will be extra special for the Rhinos as the club will also be celebrating its 25th anniversary dinner following the derby clash.
Kick off at Cowra is 3.15pm.