SATURDAY'S Ken Chillingworth Oval mudbath probably wasn't quite what Pirates coach Adrian Snowden was picturing when he spoke about the Buccaneers putting the enjoyment back into their rugby.
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But amid the mud-covered bodies there were plenty of smiles after the Buccaneers' 35-nil win over Barraba.
It was a comprehensive performance, and arguably one of their best attacking displays of the season.
Again the Buccaneer forwards set the foundation, with hooker Howie Webster leading the way.
The Buccaneer skipper polled the three zone best and fairest points and was in the thick of most of the action.
"We enjoyed ourselves," Webster said.
"We had a good start and got on a bit of a roll. Scoring early really helped us."
"Our kicking game was really good. (The kickers) kept the ball in front of us all the time.
"The set pieces were good. In the scrum we were very dominant and the lineout was effective in the conditions."
Despite the difficult conditions, which made for plenty of dropped balls, the Buccaneers were still able to retain a good share of possession and create pressure on the Rams.
"In the first half the defence was really good and we were getting past the ball and retaining the ball in pretty ordinary conditions," Webster said.
Another difference was some good straight running in the midfield, which is something the Buccaneers had been lacking, Webster said.
One of the senior members of the side, he said the enthusiasm of the young players coming through was infectious.
"It's been really good playing with the young blokes. There's a lot of talent and hopefully we can build on that," he said.
"Even though we've been losing, we've been trying to improve on things each week.
"We just needed a bit of self-pride and confidence. It's a bit disheartening when you're losing."
And while celebrating the win, the Buccaneers were also looking forward - to Saturday's local derby blockbuster, where they are hoping to return the favour to the Magpies after being beaten in their earlier meeting this season.
BEST & FAIREST
(Unofficial as of July 15):
16 Charlie Street (Walcha),
15 Chris Robson (Walcha),
11 Justin Law (Gunnedah), Dave Simpson (Inverell), Tim Langfield (Quirindi),
10 Elliott Tourle (Quirindi), Jeff Wilson (Gunnedah),
7 Dave Heyman (Gunnedah),
6 Kohl Weir (Moree), Tim Boyle (Narrabri), Jared Hetherington (Narrabri), Mick Grant (Moree), Mick Klasen (Tamworth),
5 Mick Barwick (Moree), Mick Hockey (Quirindi), Mick Picone (Moree), Todd Newton (Inverell), Beau Lamond (Moree),
4 Jeremy Cooper (Pirates), Brendan Rixon (Pirates), Jamie Syme (Narrabri), Jason Mack (Barraba), Tula Vea (Inverell),
3 Tom Taber (Inverell), Phil Witten (Barraba), Drew Chappel (Narrabri), Lincoln Job (Tamworth), Luke Brown (Walcha), Luke Felton (Barraba), Matt Tripet (Tamworth), Mick Hollows (Pirates), Adam Russell (Barraba), Andrew Burt (Quirindi), Brenton Liddicoat (Tamworth), Mark Simpson (Barraba), Luke Thom (Inverell), Matt Trindall (Narrabri), Todd Carey (Tamworth), Hamish Brown (Inverell), Geoff White (Barraba), Mick Snowden (Pirates), Matt Black (Inverell), Tim McHugh (Tamworth), Jack McCarthy (Barraba), John McKenzie (Quirindi), Chris Fowler (Narrabri), Jarrod Doyle (Tamworth), Cameron Wyper (Inverell), Simon Pursehouse (Quirindi), Mick Collyer (Pirates), Howie Webster (Pirates), Adrian Gunther (Moree), Toma Toke (Inverell)