Group 4: Brett Jarrett contemplates future in footy after challenging 2023 campaign

The Dungowan Cowboys captain-coach is still recuperating from a mentally, emotionally, and physically draining season, in which the club's first grade side narrowly missed out on finals in dramatic fashion.

It was not the end to the season Jarrett had envisioned at the outset of the year, when he took up the coaching reins for the first time with what many across Group 4 believed was the strongest squad in the competition.

Both the mental and physical demands took a toll on the 31-year-old, who is tossing up whether or not he will continue playing in 2024, though he said it was "too early to make those sorts of calls".

"I probably won't come back as captain-coach, to be honest," Jarrett said.

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"It wasn't something that I thoroughly enjoyed ... I'll probably just weigh up how I can best be of use to the team, whether that's as a player or just as a coach and not a player.

"I haven't been able to put two good games back-to-back this year, in terms of my fitness and my body. It's something that I've got to sort out. It's definitely been challenging, and that's disappointing on my behalf."

The long-time Dungowan lock said the team's biggest issue this year, despite a star-studded roster, was an inability to consistently step up in pressure situations.

They lost a handful of close games, such as the round 13 match against North Tamworth, which Jarrett said "probably ended up costing us".

"Things added up, and those couple of [bad] games cost us," he said.

"At the start of the year, I thought we definitely had the best squad. And even though we're knocked out, I thought we could have done a lot of damage if we got through. The sides that made the finals are probably breathing a sigh of relief knowing we didn't make it."

But while the first grade team's season ended in heartbreak, there is also plenty to smile about for the club as a whole.

The Dungowan women's side will play in this weekend's preliminary final against North Tamworth, while their reserve grade and under 18s teams have both qualified straight through to their respective grand finals.

"Even though first grade didn't reach their potential this year, there's still three sides playing in the finals," Jarrett said.

"That's a great coup for our little club."

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