Keeping their defence consistent has proven key for the Wellington Cowboys who, after flogging the Narromine Jets on the weekend, will look to maintain the momentum.
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The Cowboys won 46-0 in the Group 11 round seven match on Sunday at Kennard Park.
Taking a leaf out of the State of Origin's NSW Blue's book, Wellington Cowboys co-coach Aidan Ryan said they wanted to work on defence so had a plan coming in after analyzing some of the Jets highlight games.
The Jets have been on fire in recent weeks, winning against the Nyngan Tigers 24-22 in round five, which they followed up with a 86-16 victory over Westside, in round six.
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Ryan said the Cowboys started well, scoring back-to-back tries which allowed them to get on the front foot.
"We just kept plugging away and working hard as a team," he explained.
The Cowboys defence was magnificent in the first half and they didn't let the Jets put any points on the scoreboard and by the first 40 minutes it was 34-0.
Ryan said they had a similar mindset coming into the second half which was to clean up their error rate and be more disciplined which he admitted they lacked at times.
"We probably defended our line for 20 minutes which is a credit to our boys for working hard in defence and (they) kept showing up for each other," he said.
Wellington ended up scoring a few late tries and when the final whistle was blown it was 46-0.
Ryan said it was a pleasing effort for the side who week in and week out have prided themselves on their defence despite allowing rivals a couple of late tries in.
"Or there's been a point where we lapse for 20 minutes and to win a comp we need to be consistent for 80 minutes. I think we've finally done that," he said.
"It's only taken seven rounds but it was a massive team effort. Everyone just kept showing up which was awesome."
The Cowboys currently sit second on the Group 11 ladder with 10 points, just four points below the Dubbo CYMS who they will be playing at home this Saturday.
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It will be a "top of the table clash", according to Ryan who said the side are confident going in to the match and he is sure it will have a lot of "fireworks".
"CYMS are a benchmark of the competition so it's going to be a good test for us. I think all of the boys are going to be prepared as best we can for the match," he said.
"We've prided ourselves to not lose at our home ground and we've got the home ground advantage (this weekend), I think that will be a big factor for us."
Both Cowboys coaches have praised the sides defensive efforts in recent weeks, with co-coach Justin Toomey-White previously saying Wellington's defence has been winning them the games.
"I actually think we're the best defensive side and they (CYMS) are the best attacking side so far at this point in the competition... so I think it's going to be pretty interesting," he said.
The pressure will be on the CYMS though, as Wellington have experienced loss and they were the team trying to keep a clean record, Ryan said.
"We're fairly confident but it's footy, anything can happen," he said.
The last time the Cowboys and CYMS met was in round one with Wellington losing 12-10.
Ryan said the round seven match this Saturday will be fairly even and they were looking forward to the challenge
"Whatever comes of it, comes of it," he said.