Group 4: Werris Creek Magpies edge Narrabri Blues to qualify for finals

Not just in a personal sense, with the various doctors appointments and rehabilitation process, but in his capacity as the Werris Creek Magpies co-coach and captain.

Tickle knew he would struggle to sit on the sideline when he felt his side needed his help - but it could have been worse.

"If I didn't have the 16s Tigers [coaching] job at the start of the year, I reckon I would have found it a bit more challenging," Tickle said.

"But because I had that experience, and having Rocky [Magpies co-coach Dave Stewart] here, he's a very calming influence on me."

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After their blazing start to the year, in which they won seven of their first eight games, the Magpies were stricken with injuries starting from the time Tickle was sidelined.

As he put it, "everything [had] gone wrong".

That struggle culminated in a five-match losing streak which threatened to see Werris Creek excluded from the Group 4 first grade finals.

In the end, their place in the top four came down to today's game against the Narrabri Blues.

"We didn't make it easy for ourselves," Tickle said in assessment of their 30-26 win.

Given that the Magpies were playing to snap their losing streak and earn a place in finals for the first time since 2019, the players entered today's game under a mountain of pressure.

"I always say pressure is a privilege," Tickle said.

"I thought they handled it well today. We went away from the game plan, but once we went back to it, I thought we did pretty well."

For the duration of the 80-minute fixture, Tickle was stressing out on the sidelines.

So when Nash Porter dove over in the last five minutes of the game to break the 26-all deadlock, and the final horn rang soon after, Tickle found it hard to describe his emotions.

"I was pretty relieved," he said.

"The club hasn't played finals for four years, and all the work the boys have put in over the last two or three seasons, in particular this preseason, they deserve to play finals.

"I was pretty happy for the boys."

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