Blayney Bears player and president Ben Pettit hopes the club can use their first Woodbridge Cup men's victory as a springboard for a late finals push.
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Bears defeated Cargo Blue Heelers 30-26 in a keenly-fought battle of the cellar dwellers at King George VI Oval on Sunday, June 16.
Pettit said it was a just reward for the side after a rough start to Woodbridge life.
"I think the boys are pretty ecstatic," he said.
"It felt like we'd won a grand final, it was good.
"But no-one's ever really ducked their heads or pulled out. I think obviously getting that one across the line sort of makes it worth it, actually.
"I think spirits have still been fairly high."
The win takes them to three points and into 11th, five points outside the top eight.
The club made the Group 10 reserve grade preliminary final in 2023 but has battled to retain players.
Pettit said a strong young core, bolstered by the unexpected addition of a youth league team, had the club on the right track.
"You can't obviously blame that too much [lost players]," he said.
"I think moving to a new comp we lost about nine out of our starting side from last year to other clubs.
"So that was always going to be something that would hurt us in the end.
"But we also managed to sort of recruit a lot of younger blokes that have played juniors with Blayney.
"Cooper Miskell has been a good one. He and Connor Hadlow, they're both young guys who have come back.
"They've shown very good leadership for their age and have really been stepping up into those first grade spots and having a crack."
Blayney travel to Oberon next and with the Tigers in free fall, fielding just nine players in their 62-2 loss to an in-form Peak Hill Roosters, it looms as another winnable game.
Pettit said he hoped the Cargo win was the circuit-breaker needed.
"Hopefully we sort of string a few together now and see where we end up," he said.
"Maybe getting one across the line was just the thing we needed to get that boost."