COOTAMUNDRA captain-coach Simon Vanzanten is confident the Bulldogs can continue their climb up the Group Nine ladder over the final seven weeks of the season.
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The Bulldogs have exceeded expectations after a tumultuous off-season and have a prime opportunity to register another win when they take on Tumbarumba in the hills on Saturday.
Cootamundra are eighth on the table after 11 rounds, just a point ahead of the bottom-placed Greens and too far off a finals berth.
Vanzanten stressed there is still plenty to play for at Cootamundra.
“Our focus, and it has been since the start, is to put a competitive team on the paddock each week,” Vanzanten said.
“We have always been trying to get ourselves around the sixth or seventh spot on the ladder, and to keep away from the bottom obviously.
“If we can beat Tumbarumba this week, and then grab a couple more wins on the way home then I think we can get there and that would be a fantastic result for Cootamundra, given where we were at the start of the year.
“I know we have only the one win and one draw at the moment, and that’s not flash, but there was a stage there where there may not have been a team or club, so it’s been a pretty good effort.”
Significantly, Vanzanten is in talks about staying on board for a second year in charge.
He believes the Bulldogs have great potential.
“I’m in talks with the club about next year,” he said.
“The big thing is trying to get everyone that left Coota, back.
“There is a lot of talent coming through so if you work with that on top of the older fellas coming back, then potentially it’s a pretty potent side.”
Cootamundra hopes to regain Fijian centre lliesa Takubu for the clash against the Greens, but will not know until closer to game time.
A couple of late penalty goals helped Tumbarumba nail Cootamundra 24-20 at Les Boyd Oval last month and Vanzanten said goalkicking and discipline were too areas that the Bulldogs are looking to address.
Cootamundra have even contacted Group Nine Referees Association in a bid to help his team clean up their act.
“If anything at the moment, it’s our discipline. We keep losing the penalty counts which is very frustrating so we have contacted the referees to get some clarification on a few things.”
