A lack of match fitness proved costly for the Glen Innes Magpies against the Moree Boars on Sunday as the club fell to the hosts in all grades.
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The league tag side were downed 28-4, the 18s missed out narrowly 22-18 while A grade were beaten 40-14.
Glen Innes had only taken the field once this season, in round one, with Narwan Eels forfeiting last week’s round two clash on game day.
“We were in the game for a long time but a bit of match fitness came back to get us,” A grade captain-coach Nick Say said.
“We were leading 14-6 with about 10 to go before half-time and then they got a couple of tries before half-time.
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“We just ran into a bit of fatigue and missed a few tackles, dropped a few balls.”
The Magpies also faced limited preparation in the lead-up to the game and Say believes they need more time to gel together and find momentum.
“When we got inside their red zone we panicked a bit and tried to score off every play instead of just trying to take our time and work it out a bit,” he said.
“That just comes back to playing more footy together because the side we had on the weekend, I don't even think we trained as a team.”
This Sunday, Glen Innes host Armidale Rams who are one win and one loss from their opening two matches.
The last time the two sides faced-off on Glen Innes turf, the Magpies thrashed their Armidale opponents 96-nil but Say is expecting a tougher challenge from the Rams in round four.
“I don't know what to expect from Armidale because we haven't played them yet but I don't think they will be an easy walkover like they were last year,” he said.
“They will probably be pretty competitive so we will just have to work hard.
“I know the scoreline doesn't really say it but we can take positives out of Sunday [against the Boars] and work on a few things and everything should come together hopefully.”