Cowra Magpies committed to finishing 2022 Peter McDonald Premiership season

The club lost key players Jack Buchanan and Warren Williams early in the season and in recent weeks have added Cameron Picker and now Jack Nobes to their injury list.

Captain-coach Nobes was injured in the Magpies' loss to Forbes last week and he is not expected to return this season.

Magpies president Marc McLeish said players and the committee made the decision to finish the season at a meeting on Tuesday.

"Obviously results in the last few weeks and what we're expecting [for the rest of the season] don't reflect what is happening in the club," McLeish said.

"The injury crisis has only gotten worse with Jack Nobes expected to miss the rest of the season so we had a meeting to get a gauge on the mindset of the players and what we are going to be able to achieve."

There was high hopes around the 2022 season for Cowra after returning to top-flight competition.

The Magpies didn't field a side in the 2021 Group 10 first grade competition as it focused on rebuilding.

The appointment of former NRL and Super League player Jack Buchanan as captain-coach alongside Nobes created plenty of excitement while Williams' return was also welcomed.

Injuries have derailed things and player welfare was a major focus of Tuesday's meeting.

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With the Magpies juniors currently sixth in an extremely even Western Premiership under 18s competition, McLeish said the club didn't want to distract from its title hopes by making players step up to first grade.

"To their credit a few of the players have put their hands up and said 'if we have to play a couple of games a week in our 100^th year to keep us going, that's what we'll do'," McLeish added.

"Buchanan and Warren Williams gone in round two, Cameron Picker gone two or three weeks ago, Jack Nobes gone with four rounds to go, there is only so much a club of our size can cope with.

"It's not just numbers, it's the foundation players of the team we've lost. They're very hard to replace.

"For a few of the blokes to put their hands up and say they'll play a couple of games just shows where we are as a club.

"We've travelled 2,600 kilometres in away games in the middle of the season and the morale of the club was low before the meeting but the players now know that from a committee point results don't matter.

"We're not looking at the scoreboard.

"The fact the players hold our 100^th year in such high regard and have taken it upon themselves to ensure we finish it in all four grades is really quite heart warming.

"I was quite proud when I walked out of the meeting," he said.

Cowra was defeated 66-10 by Forbes in last weekend's battle of the Magpies.

"We've had two blowout scores, arguably against two hot sides in Mudgee and Forbes," McLeish said.

"We held our own against [Orange] CYMS, games we probably should have won. You put players like Warren and Jack back in those games and every other game in the competition and we probably win 50 per cent of our games and we're in with a sniff of the top four."

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