Steamers label season a success after return to finals

The Border outfit hasn’t played a final since its 2015 premiership, but it’s a tough test against Tumut in the elimination final in Wagga.

“I think you can call it a successful season,” Musarra said.

“With this squad (though), it would have been really disappointing if we didn’t play finals but, in saying that, the squad at the start of the year was average, we didn’t have much depth and a few leading players didn’t play for a lot of the first half of the season.”

However, the coach quickly added that after a strong run home, winning seven of the final nine games, the club is aiming high.

“It will round it (the season) out nicely winning one (final) at least, but we’re here to move through, we’re not here just to make up the numbers in the finals,” he said.

“But if we do get knocked off and we play well, credit to Tumut and I’ve heard they’ve got their key players back as well.”

Winger Sam Allen scored four tries in the demolition.

“He was great and I took him off with about 20 minutes to go just to rest him,” Musarra said.

“Richie Manion had a really good game, Joe Druce was the players’ player and Tom Boyle was good, he never plays badly.”

The Steamers’ win was even more meritorious considering they were missing four key players.

Fullback James Devlin has a hamstring injury, Dave Cooper-Dunn is battling a minor neck strain, while Roussou Visser (knee) and Arran Macdougall (quad) are racing the clock.

“I expect Cooper-Dunn and Devlin back, Roussou and Arran aren’t much more than a 50-50 chance,” Musarra said.

At the start of the year, the probable loss of the two key forwards would have severely restricted the Steamers’ plans, but with four successive wins, including a 45-17 thrashing of Tumut on June 30, the Border club will be quietly confident.