It might have been brought to a disappointing and crashing halt by COVID but Tamworth coach Peter Burke said there are "a lot of highlights" to take away from what could be his final season in charge of the Magpies.
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The veteran mentor has indicated that he probably won't put his hand up to coach next season.
"I doubt very much I'll be coaching next year," he told The Leader in the aftermath of the announcement of the remainder of the season being cancelled.
"I think the boys need a new coach, a new face, a new mentor."
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He reflected that it has been "four wonderful years" after returning to the club he played for as a teenager to guide them in their foray into the New England competition.
"I came back to help the club, and I hope the club feels I did," he said.
A life member and passionate rugby man, he certainly though won't be lost to the game and the club. He'll still be "helping from the sidelines".
Reflecting on this season, Burke thought it was a good season from both the team and a club perspective.
"At the start of the year we were throwing together a new first grade side, and that affects the other grades as well," he said.
As far as first grade they had a lot of players that were either new to the club or new to rugby altogether, or stepping up from the lower grades. Witnessing their progression was one of the highlights for him.
Col Fogarty was a prime example.
"He was new to the club and new to the game and was a regular at hooker by the end of the year," Burke said.
Adam Wallace was another he made mention of.
"I remember talking to Wal about three years ago and I said to him with a lot of hard work you can become a regular first grader. And he did and he became a valued member of the first grade squad," he said.
He also enjoyed seeing the development of the likes of young five-eighth Liam Allan.
After joining the Magpies last season and steering the ship in the lower grades, he cemented the 10 jersey and went on to be the top pointscorer for the competition for first grade.
"There were some other really gutsy efforts by blokes playing out of position," Burke added.
Like fullback Gus Cameron. Before this season he had played mostly in the centres.
Burke had originally been intending to move him into the forwards, the second row more specifically.
"Then all of a sudden the first game came along and we were short a fullback and I said to Gus would he have a crack," he said.
He ended up playing most of the season there.
