While New England director of coaching Luke Stephen was delighted with what he saw from the Lions, for the Kookaburras it highlighted  they’ve got a lot of work to do.

“In trouble” was co-coach Barry Everingham’s blunt assessment.

“That was exacerbated by today,” he said, with the Lions outplaying them.

Already battling for numbers, their cause wasn’t helped by picking up a few injuries.

“Which means we’re now chasing more players,” he said.

He thought the Lions would be tough and said they looked sharp.

“They were too strong and too organised.”

It didn’t help that a lot of the boys were busted from big games the day before.

“We didn’t retain the ball well enough,” he said.

“And our defensive alignment was out of place.

“We’re going to have to lift 100 per cent.” 

It wasn’t all doom and gloom.

They had some new players come in and there was some “good stuff”.

Among the new faces were Jake Packer and Colby LaChiusa and Everingham was impressed with what he saw from them.

“They’ll be strong in the backs for us.”

Stephen said  the Kookaburras weren’t at their best but at the same time there was a lot to be enthused about.

“There’s no doubt there is the potential in this squad to go down and give it a real shake,” he said.

The key now is injury management.

Many will be playing next weekend, with New England playing their round three games on Sunday.

The thing he was most happy with was the composure.

“There were some really good individual efforts but they were on the back of a good team display,” he said.

Stephen was also keeping a close eye on the main event – the special centenary clash to commemorate the Anzac landing at Gallipoli.

He coached the Town side but also had a keen interest in how the Gown players performed, with the game doubling as a selection trial for the Lions seniors.

The Town side claimed the bragging rights, kicking away in the last 15 minutes to win 57-31.

It was a see-sawing battle, with the Town boys running in the first four tries to lead 24-12 at one stage.

They produced some slick interplay through the backs, with John Roberts and Keith Ellis causing havoc.

The students eventually got a bit of consistent territory and ball, and closed to 24-12 at the break.

Then after the Town boys had scored first points in the second half, they fought back to level at 31-all with around 15 minutes to go.

But the Town boys hit the afterburners and ran away to a comfortable win.

The day wasn’t about that though.

It was about remembering the sacrifice made by those who have served their country over the past 100 years, with proceeds from the day donated to “Soldier On” and Legacy.

“We commemorate not only the centenary of Gallipoli but also ensure we continue to support our current service personnel, our veterans and their families,” NSW Centenary of Anzac Advisory Council member Jessica Lewis said.

Currently studying at UNE, she said they thought a rugby game was “a fantastic way to involve as many people as possible” and people who might not necessarily attend Anzac Day services.