TITLE HOPEFUL: Hooker Sam Frattini will be a key player for the Warwick Cowboys in Sunday's grand final at Clive Berghofer Stadium.
TITLE HOPEFUL: Hooker Sam Frattini will be a key player for the Warwick Cowboys in Sunday's grand final at Clive Berghofer Stadium. Gerard Walsh

Cowboys out to break long premiership hoodoo

RUGBY LEAGUE: The Warwick Cowboys under-18 side will be aiming to win the club's first premiership in eight years when they play Valleys on Sunday at Clive Berghofer Stadium.

The last Cowboys premiership win was in 2009 when the reserve-grade side won the flag after an unbeaten season.

Since the last U18 premiership win in 2005, the Cowboys have made three U18 grand finals.

Coach Matt Grew was part of the winning team in 2005 and was coach of last year's team which went down by eight points to Valleys in the premiership decider.

The same two teams meet this year. Warwick had a comfortable win in round 1 this season but Valleys won by two points in round 2.

Grew said injured pair Joel Rickert and Brad Grayson had both been cleared to play.

"All 20 players in our squad will be in Toowoomba for the grand final,” he said.

"I was happy with training on Tuesday night, we did some skill sets and planned an opposed session with Collegians under-16s for our second training session.

"Valleys have a strong physical forward pack and are good out wide. I need prop Coen Martin-Brown to step up and lead his side and am looking for Mitch Watson to have a big game at fullback.

"We have won three knockout finals so are travelling well. I am hoping for a lot of support on the day as the boys respond well to a vocal crowd.”

See team poster in Saturday Daily News print edition

SUNDAY DRAW: 9.30am Sec div Pittsworth v Dalby; 11.10am U18 Valleys v Warwick; 1pm Res-gr Gatton v Valleys; A-gr 3pm Dalby v Pittsworth.



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