It was a case of missed opportunities for both Glen Innes Magpies teams when they were down by the Moree Boomerangs at Mead Park on Sunday.
Both league tag coach Andrew Hodgson and men's coach Gav Petersen were happy with the "effort" from their sides but lamented the finishing touches weren't up to scratch.
Hodgson's team were beaten 10-8.
"It was a good effort by the girls, we had our chances and we let it slip away," he said.
"We broke the Moree side's line four or five times and just couldn't finish it off.
"We dropped the ball over the line once and it went out over the sideline there once when we were attacking their line."
The Magpies were due to play competition frontrunners Inverell this Saturday in an away match but due to recent rainfall, Varley Oval has been closed.
Hodgson said there's plenty to work on in the meantime.
"I was quite looking forward to Inverell but we have a week off but we will be training hard," he said.
"Just our support play, I think.
"I am happy with our defence, just supporting each other."
After two points separated the two men's sides at half-time, the Boomerangs finished with a 32-22 victory.
Despite the loss, Petersen saw the positives in his team's performance.
"It was a pretty tough grinding game but the effort was really good," he said.
"We were really impressed with their effort, it was just a bit of execution that let us down.
"We certainly had our opportunities to score some more points but couldn't quite ice the last play but all-in-all it was a great effort really.
"We know if we can convert our opportunities next time we are a good chance of beating them."
With the coming round 10 game against the Hawks postponed until August, Petersen is using the week off for his players to regroup for the following week's match against Armidale Rams.
"We have got a week off now, talking to a few of the players after the game, they were still a bit tender so it is probably a good opportunity to rest up and get ready for Armidale in two weeks," he said.
"They are nipping at our heels on the table so it is important for us to keep into that third position and hopefully push into the top two, that is our goal at the moment."
Ellen Dunger
Originally from the Blue Mountains, I spent my teenage years in the Riverina at boarding school before moving to Bathurst in 2012 to complete Bachelor of Sport Studies/ Bachelor of Communications (journalism) at Charles Sturt University. I started my career at The Blayney Chronicle in May 2015 and worked casually, one day a week at the Central Western Daily later on that year. I moved to Armidale in March 2016 to take on the role as the Northern Tablelands' sports journalist. Played a variety of sports in my lifetime including touch football, league tag, gymnastics, dance, cross country running and equestrian. Always happy to hear news and tips. www.facebook.com/ellendungerjournalist/
Originally from the Blue Mountains, I spent my teenage years in the Riverina at boarding school before moving to Bathurst in 2012 to complete Bachelor of Sport Studies/ Bachelor of Communications (journalism) at Charles Sturt University. I started my career at The Blayney Chronicle in May 2015 and worked casually, one day a week at the Central Western Daily later on that year. I moved to Armidale in March 2016 to take on the role as the Northern Tablelands' sports journalist. Played a variety of sports in my lifetime including touch football, league tag, gymnastics, dance, cross country running and equestrian. Always happy to hear news and tips. www.facebook.com/ellendungerjournalist/
