While it might not have been the ideal start to the season that the Mudgee Dragons Women's rugby league sides were hoping for, coach Guy Pascoe warns it's only just the beginning.
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In their second stint of competing in the Western Women's Rugby League competition, numbers have soared, but with new additions comes a need for gelling and training, and that's what Opens coach Guy Pascoe says attributed to some heavy losses over the weekend.
Pascoe's side were up against a Woodbridge Cup team on October 13 at Jubilee Oval and suffered a 30 odd loss, unable to find their way on the board.
"They started very slowly, their heads weren't in the game when they kicked off," he said.
"With the Rugby 7s the day before, there were a few girls backing up from that which didn't help us with preparation.
It wasn't one of their best performances...
- Mudgee Dragons Women's opens coach, Guy Pascoe
"The second half was a lot better after we had a pep talk at half-time. They tackled a lot better and their organisation was a lot better but overall, it wasn't one of their best performances."
Up against the reigning premiers, the Dubbo Gonnas this Saturday at Dubbo, Pascoe says if some things change, this week is bound to be an improvement on last.
"It'll be interesting to see how we go against them," he said.
"Everyone needs to get to training for a start, it's a bit hard if we don't have people there, but if we can get everyone to come and work on our fitness and combinations, I think we'll go a lot better this week.
"We've got quite a few new additions this year, we've got five girls that have come in from Gulgong and also a few newbies from within Mudgee itself. It's quite exciting in that respect that we have some new players.
We definitely have potential, we've got a great team. It's just early stages.
"I'm excited for the year, it's just a matter of getting everyone to training and working on everything."
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As for the other age groups, there was only one team who managed to go toe-to-toe with their opposition.
"The under 18s and 15s were beaten convincingly as well but that was due to a lack of numbers on the day. That did take a toll because the other Woodbridge team had the full quota of players and could run subs, but our two teams didn't which made it very hard for them on a hot day," Pascoe said.
"The under 13s actually had a 28-all draw in their first game which is really positive for the young team. They look like they're going to show some potential throughout the year."
Jay-Anna Sleeman
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
