“I know that’s a cliche, but in this case it’s extremely true

“We were certainly right in the game until probably about the last 10 minutes. They just shut us down in the end,” Conn said.

“We’ve been extremely competitive again, but we need to start getting some wins on the board. 

“Being competitive can only get us so far.” 

Conn fully admitted the ferocity of the Goats threw his boys out a little at the start of the match, but he was pleased with how they responded.

“Geurie started off with much more intent than our guys, but it didn’t take too long for us to settle down.

“Once we did get into the flow of the game, I think we were really able to hit back well and regain some ground we might have lost early.” 

Conn said the first half especially was a quality display of local footy, but Geurie took advantage of a few more of their chances. 

“There were a few times where they managed to get through our defensive lines, probably a little too easily.

“Acknowledging our weaknesses is the only way to improve on them,” he said. 

“We did have some very positive moments throughout the match. 

“We scored some very classy tries and really pushed a quality side, in Geurie,” Conn said.

Several factors contributed to the loss, but Conn said with a little bit more work the issues can be rectified. 

“We need to work more on out defences, tightening up our set plays and really working on our scrum.

“These are all little things but it’s usually the little things in a game that are the difference between winning and losing.”

Conn said several boys stood up, delivering quality performance all day. 

“The best player of the day was probably Henry Redfern. He was really solid all day and played with real heart.”

The Redbacks will line up against Coolah for their third home match in as many weeks.

“I’m confident about this game, but we’ve just got to turn that into a win.”