By Nick Kelland

For Michael Snowden and Eastwood, it was a slow start to the season. Running into Norths and Manly in the first three rounds certainly didn’t help, but Snowden was honest about the beginning of their 2018 campaign.

“It was a pretty disjointed start to the year to be honest.”

“We only had two trial games, whereas most teams had three. Going in to the season rusty wasn’t an excuse though – we were twice beaten by better teams in those first few weeks.”

“We’re an older team, and a bigger team – so it’s taken us a while to get up and rolling, but the mood around the group now is really upbeat. We’re excited about what’s to come.”

Now sitting fifth on the ladder, the Woodies face arguably their toughest test of the season to date when they host the fourth-placed Warringah Rats at T.G Milner this Saturday in a blockbuster fixture.

For Snowden, the keys for an Eastwood win lie in their ability to shut down Warringah’s attacking weapons.

“We played well against Randwick on the weekend, so we need to build on that.”

“For Warringah, they obviously have the brothers – Josh and Luke Holmes; as well as guys like Sam Ward and Harry Jones, who can all turn a game on its head really quickly.”

“We need to take away and nullify those strengths – It will be tough to win if we don’t shut down their impact on the game.”

The Holmes brothers have been stalwarts of the competition for a number of seasons now, however Snowden believes that Eastwood have a few new players that can assume that status given the right opportunities.

“We have a lot of new faces around the group coming through this season.”

“Our wingers have been outstanding – Fabian Goodall and Zach Mackay. I’m keen to see what they can produce this weekend.”

“Pama Fou has also been a great find. I spent a fair bit of time with him at the Rebels, and it’s nice to see him on the field and playing good rugby.”

“What’s really impressed me though, is the guys who have progressed through the club and are now playing really well for us in the top grade. They’ve been key to our success in the last few rounds.”

For a “team-first” oriented player like Snowden, it’s not often he takes a minute to reflect on his own representative career.

Now classified as a certified “journeyman” of Australian Rugby, Snowden was rewarded with a Waratahs debut this season following stints with both the Western Force in 2013, and the Melbourne Rebels in 2015/16.

“Getting selected for the Waratahs this year came completely out of the blue.”

“For me, I guess it was a little bit of pay-back for trekking around and spending time with Super clubs and not getting many games. It certainly felt like a reward for the effort I’d put in.”

“Even if it comes about because of an injury or illness, you’re always going to jump at that opportunity.”

“It was a special moment for me.”

Snowden and Eastwood host Warringah in one of the games of the round at T.G Milner this Saturday. Kick-off is at 3:00pm AEST.