The Barbets may have missed out on the points against the Pirates on Saturday but coach Will Green knows exactly what his side needs to do to mix it with the best.
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A host of new players have joined the Barbets for the 2020 season and Green said they're still finding their feet.
"We looked pretty rusty ball in-hand but the way they [Pirates] ran their defence, it was really good and shut us down," he said.
"For us, it has been a while between drinks and we have picked up a few new players since that knockout in March and we just are trying to work on getting our combinations, get them right again.
"You could see a lot of their [Pirates] middle have played together a long time. I think the main thing was our ruck contest, theirs was better. They were better at isolating us and turning the ball over."
The Barbets were beaten 26-14 and 22-5 in their opening two matches for the season with their three tries coming through schoolgirl Tori Brazier.
But Green hopes they can be lethal across the park as the season progresses.
"She [Brazier] has been a key pickup but once we settle into how I want them to play this year, the team dynamic, if we can get that happening we will be a lot better for it," he said.
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"Sometimes you can be a bit one dimensional if you are relying on one player and that can get a bit old on that player as well."
But Green was very positive about the performances.
"A couple of bounces of the ball and we were right in that game. I don't think we were massively disappointed with how we finished up. We will be much better for the experience this week coming up against Albies," he said.