Galbraith Shield final: The skipper's big week
Saturday will be the Gore-based Eastern-Northern Barbarians’ second shot at playing in a Galbraith Shield final since the team was formed in 2012.
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Mark this week down as a big one for Jacob Coghlan.
On Monday Coghlan put pen to paper signing for another National Provincial Championship campaign with the Southland Stags.
Next Monday he’ll unite with the rest of his Stags teammates for day one of their preseason campaign in the lead-up to Southland’s August 6 opener against Waikato in Invercargill.
But before that, Coghlan’s got another significant rugby assignment to tend to.
The loose forward will captain the Eastern-Northern Barbarians in their Galbraith Shield final showdown with Pirates-Old Boys at Rugby Park on Saturday.
It will be the Gore-based Barbarians’ second shot at playing in a Galbraith Shield final since the team was formed in 2012.
The previous trip to the final was in 2016 when they beat Woodlands to etch their name on Southland club rugby’s prized award - the Galbraith Shield.
The Barbarians have lost just one game in its march toward the 2023 decider. It included a draw against Pirates-Old Boys during round-robin play.
Captain Coghlan points to a couple of reasons why the Barbarians’ campaign has been a good one to date.
It includes the growth of players and some added depth this year.
“I think the biggest thing is probably the development of our young guys. When I come to the Baabaas, or a couple of years ago, we had a handful of boys straight out of school and they’ve just got better and better every year and really hit their straps this year.
“You also chuck in the mix a bit of recruitment with Leroy [Ferguson], Daniel Thwaites, and Levi Emery being down for the whole season, it’s pushed us from being that good scrappy team that could be in the fight, to really mixing it with some of the big teams.”
The Barbarians have been known for their hard-nosed forward play and being able to get into the grind with teams, but they’ve added a bit of spark to the attack and probably have played with a bit more width.
“We haven’t lost that scrappiness which is good. Being hard-nosed on defence is what we pride ourselves on, but our backs have come a long way and our attack is more potent than it used to be, which is really nice.”
Coghlan has got a big job on his hands on Saturday, not simply because of the captaincy duties.
He’ll start at No 8 in what is expected to be an intense looseforward battle against the Pirates-Old Boys trio of Jakob Harrex, Dustin Coveney, and Ben Keenan.
Coghlan will likely be joined again by Ferguson and Caine Taylor in the Barbarians’ looseforward trio.
Saturday is also another prime opportunity for Coghlan to put his best foot forward in the lead-up to the Stags campaign.
He’s one of seven loose forwards expected to be included in the initial Stags squad to be announced on Monday.
The others are likely to be Ferguson, Hayden Michaels, Grayson Knapp, Blair Ryall, Dylan Nel, and Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa.
Coghlan’s father Kelvin and grandfather Gerald both also played for Southland.
He initially played most of his rugby in the No 7 jersey while coming through the grades but in recent years has shifted into the blindside flanker role.
This season - after discussions with the Stags decision-makers - he has made the shift to No 8 for the Barbarians.
To help that he’s bulked up a little putting on about six kgs to aid his physicality.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been a really good change. I was maybe a yard short of pace to be a genuine 7 but I’m really enjoying 8.”
Coghlan previously played provincial rugby at the Heartland level for North Otago before spending time in the Stags set up in 2020 and 2022.
He’s played 10 games to date for the Stags, with most of those coming off the bench.
Coghlan is now well aware of what he’s in for come the 2023 NPC season.
“The first [NPC] game I played it didn’t seem that much more physical to me, but the speed of the game is so much faster.
“I remember I debuted against Tasman in Nelson in the heat against basically a Super Rugby team. I just felt like I couldn’t catch my breath for the whole second half.
“So just the pace of the game is the biggest difference.”
Win or lose on Saturday Coghlan will have little time to either lick his wounds or celebrate before the focus switches to the Stags.
He said they are being sent up Bluff Hill on day one so he is ready to get straight into the hard work.
Saturday’s Galbraith Shield final will kick-off at 2.30pm at Rugby Park.