IS this the season the Warwick Cowboys will go one step further than the preliminary final?

After making the Toowoomba Rugby League grand final in 1999, the Cowboys next featured in the final fortnight of the A-grade season in preliminary finals in 2008 and

2009.

My first entry in my note book at the Cowboys clash with Gatton on Sunday was “Fisher tackle, ball loose on Keleli”.

There was forward Adam Fisher who I thought had joined the army.

Right, but he came home from Singleton in New South Wales to play at the weekend and hopes to return next week for the Saturday night game at Pittsworth.

The reality is if Fisher is returning to play, he and the Cowboys are deadly serious about the 2010 season.

Fisher puts enthusiasm into his side and fear into the opposition, just like Scott Trehearn in the 1990s.

Gatton hadn’t lost a game in eight and Warwick took a 10-4 lead with 12 minutes of the first half to go on Sunday.

One wondered if they could hold the form Gatton side late in the half, they didn’t concede points late in either half.

There was plenty of talk in the Cowboys team.

Centre Jesse McIvor played in the mould of a Gene Miles (former Origin star) and proved almost impossible to stop.

Halfback/hooker Trent Achilles threw the ball wide time and again and there was plenty of tough tackling from hooker/lock Aaron McVeigh.

There was fullback Hayden McNicol taking kicks on the run with winning confidence.

Last year’s grand finalists Valleys and Brothers are still the top dogs, Dalby beat Valleys in the Madsen Rasmussen Trophy final, Gatton beat Valleys last weekend and now Warwick has beaten Gatton.

Can the Cowboys make it to grand final day, why not?