The Moree Boars had a mixed day of results in their trip to Glen Innes to face the Magpies, with both league tag and under 18s enjoying strong wins while A-grade went down against last year's grand finalists.
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It was a tough outing in A-grade grade, with the Boars not travelling as well as they would've liked, with fatigue becoming a major factor.
They went into the half time break down 22-14 but came out firing in the second half and were able to take a 30-28 lead with around 10 minutes remaining.
However, the Magpies ran in three tries in the final 10 minutes to emerge with a 46-30 victory.
"We just ran out of gas," Boars captain coach Stan Swan said.
"We couldn't get much going in the ruck. They were getting the quick play the balls."
"We know that we can score points. We just have to slide it down to our pace when we're in the lead, try not to let any errors creep into our game in the last 15."
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Swan gave credit to the four under 18s players in Adrian Smith, Jacob Robinson, Jaiden Warrener-Taylor and Corey Rickets who backed up for A-grade after playing a full game prior.
"Big hand to them. They really showed they can play first grade footy."
Swan also pointed out Brendan Fox who was very strong for the Boars in the front row.
In the under 18s, the Boars produced a mammoth effort in a 32-16 win despite fielding just 11 players.
They came out of the blocks quickly and raced out to a 26-6 lead at half time, and while Glen Innes were able to claw their way back into it, the Boars held on for the win.
"That was pretty good. It's always good to come away with the win. When you go over there it's always a bit of a challenge," under 18s coach Todd Mitchell said.
"They started to get a little tired in the second half. Glen Innes had the wind at their back, probably held about 70 percent possession in the second half."
Mitchell praised the defensive efforts of his side, particularly when they were forced to play with only 10 players on the field for about 10 minutes in the second half.
"There was a lot of space out there, but they managed really well," he said.
"They closed the gaps, scrambled really well. It was a morale boosting game for them. Their first game of the season, big boost for the confidence."
Mitchell also said it was great to see a number of their under 18s put their hand up to back up for A-grade, and perform well, particularly Adrian Smith and Jacob Robinson who played a full 80 minutes in both matches.
"Both those blokes really held their own, they played really well," he said.
"Jaiden Warrener, he backed up along with Corey Rickets. They came off the bench and got time on the field and they were both pretty pleased with their efforts."
In league tag, the Boars got their first win of the season, defeating the Magpies 24-18.
The Boars will host the Narwan Eels next week. With both A-grade sides on one win apiece, it shapes up as an important match in terms of the make up of finals.