The trial against what was a predominantly second grade Pirates outfit was their first hit-out together and a chance for coaches Garry Walsh, Tom Davidson and Damian Henry  to get a gauge on what they’ve got to work with.

They only really saw them for the first time a couple of hours before.

“We trained this morning at 11am,” Walsh said.

“And then we only just gave them some structures and shapes.”

They wanted to see how they executed them in a game scenario.

“Some of it was okay,” he said.

But there is certainly something there to work from.

“There was some quality out there,” Walsh said.

“Billy Urquhart has grown in the last 12 months  and Nick McCrohan is quality.”

He provided some good go- forward for them.

Walsh was also impressed with how Nick Sweeney went at outside centre.

“He did some good things, and Luke Klasen was good at 12 and on the wing,” he said.

They didn’t quite have enough for a full side  but do have players still to come in.

Walsh is hoping they’ll be right for their trial against what will be a strong New England 20s at Gunnedah this Sunday.

The Kookaburras seniors will also tackle the Lions.

They are looking in pretty good stead, co-coach Hunter Harley said, although he and Tom Cullen are still wrestling with the make-up of their final squad.

“We’re still running with a preliminary squad of 30,” Harley said.

They’ve still got a bit of time  and will monitor this weekend’s first round of club games and possibly the second as well.

“It’s a good predicament to be in,” he said.

In a lot of ways it’s been forced by the response from players wanting to be involved in the Kookaburras’ tilt at the Caldwell Cup.

There’s been a few welcome surprises among them.

Ben Colley, John Adams and Simon Newton have all put their hands up, which Harley said they are “tickled pink” about.

All three are ex-Country players and, while they didn’t play last year, have been long- time Kookaburras servants.

Harley is also conscious of “trying to usher in a new dawn”.

Hence they’ve been carrying the likes of Jake Packer and Henri Knight in the squad to give them the experience.

The Lions’ game will be the Kookaburras’ second after narrowly going down to Darling Downs last month.

“That’s twice we’ve gone down in a pretty close game,” Harley said.

He didn’t feel there was much in it. 

“They were more prepared than us,” he said.

They’d had a game or two before that and were more match-fit, the Kookaburras running out of legs.

Before they did there were some really good signs.

“There were some outstanding individual performances,” Harley said.

“I also thought that in the first 20 minutes there was some outstanding phase play.”

A couple of their tries came on the back of seven or eight phases.