Orange Hawks winger Joe Coady settling into Peter McDonald Premiership

The first-year Hawks winger bagged a double in what was a comprehensive 40-4 victory on May 27.

But the anticipation heading into the game was almost bigger than the match itself.

"Every bloke you talk to, even soccer players are talking about the derby and how fun it will be," he said of the lead-up to the game.

"There's definitely some build up around it and then when you finally get here, the atmosphere is mad.

"I got a rush coming out of the tunnel with the boys. Even the crowd giving it to us a little bit was good fun."

Coady grew up in Canowindra and most recently played five-eighth for the CSU Mungoes in the Woodbridge Cup.

Having accepted a job as a teacher in Orange following his graduation from the university, the flyer was keen to find a club for 2023.

With a few of his mates already aligned with Hawks, it made the decision of which side to sign up with that much easier.

His first pre-season with the club was tough, but he believes it has done him the world of good.

"There was a lot of fitness, a lot of defensive work," he said.

"It was just a lot of stuff I had to learn that I didn't know. Personally, I feel like I've learnt a lot of skills since coming over here and I think for the team as a whole, that hard work is really starting to pay off."

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It did take Coady a little while to get going in the Peter McDonald Premiership though.

Having gone try-less through his first four games, Coady broke that duck in Hawks' 16-12 victory over Bathurst Panthers. Having added two more this past weekend, he believes he's finally starting to find his feet.

"It's a big learning curve," he said on the move from Woodbridge to PMP.

"Everyone's bigger, stronger and faster. I'm learning a lot because the level is a little bit higher but I'm really enjoying the challenge as well."

It seems those performances on the field have impressed Hawks coach Shane Rodney as well.

"Joe has been great," he said after the derby win.

"He turned up in the pre-season just for an opportunity. He was happy to play anywhere and he's doing a really job for us.

"He's playing on the wing at the minute for us and he's said he's happy to fill a role. I think each game he's gotten better and better."

With Hawks having won three out of their last four, the two-blues have found themselves third on the Group 10 side of the ladder. Barring a big turnaround from either Lithgow or CYMS, Hawks are almost assured a place in the finals with eight matches still to play.

But Coady isn't worried about that just yet. He just wants to see his side continue to get better week in and week out.

"The past month has been really good," he said.

"The talk in the sheds is all about how we want to keep building on this momentum."

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