Rory Marshman's experience of packing down for North West at the State CHS Rugby Championships are of them showing plenty of grit and fight but not really challenging for the medals.
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That's certainly not the case these days.
At the 2024 carnival played in Bathurst last week, the Marshman-coached and Jason Walker-managed side fell just short of the title, finishing second after going down to Sydney West in the final.
It equals the zone's best showing at the tournament and follows a third-place finish in 2023, and fourth the year before that.
On top of the team's performance Warialda High's Rowdy Laidlaw-Hodge and Armidale Secondary College's Jack McLeod were both selected for higher honours, named in the CHS under 18s squad.
It's the second year in-a-row Laidlaw-Hodge has made the 18s squad. Previous to that he made the under 16s.
While happy for them, Marshman and Walker were a bit aggrieved that there weren't more North West players selected, given that they did finish second.
It was a big week in Bathurst with the girls 7s championships being played at the same time.
North West didn't fare as well as far as results but did have two players catch selectors eyes with Quirindi High's Scarlett Slade named in the 1sts and Inverell High's Sophie Greentree the 2nds.
Back to the boys, and Marshman couldn't have been prouder of their efforts.
"One of the games we won was in the dying minutes and another match we were down by 14 points and came back to win that game so it was a really great effort from all the boys that went," he said.
He and Walker had gone into the carnival with finals expectations, despite having lost a number of their representative players from last year.
"We genuinely believed that we had the team to make it into the grand final and play off for first and second," Marshman said.
"Our sights were always on that top two finish."
They made no secret of that to the players, conveying that aim to them at the trial at the beginning of the year and then again when they were down in Bathurst.
The final was a tough battle and made tougher by some rough decisions.
Marshman isn't one who usually likes to talk about the refereeing but felt that it did play a part.
"The penalties that came against us in that final I think had quite an impact but also had quite an impact on the morale of the team at some critical points," he said.
"It just felt as though there were some inconsistencies at points that really hurt us."
"But to the boys credit they didn't stop trying to fight their way back into the game."
For his efforts over the three days, Warialda High utility back Vashtan Gallen was awarded North West's player of the carnival medal.
"He came in as a bench player, played his way into the starting side and was critical to some of our wins," Marshman said.
"He was also someone who was completely reliable for the entire tournament whenever he was on and wherever he was."
