The Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters played their third straight trial when they took on Guyra on Saturday but the side's makeup was a little different to previous weeks.
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First grade coach Geoff Sharpe rested 12-13 players on Saturday which gave Paul Noldt's reserve grade squad a chance to get some match fitness.
Kooty went down 30-16 in the clash against the Super Spuds but there were plenty of positives. One being the performance of Ryley Mackay who played at lock and hooker in the trial.
"Ryley Mackay was an absolute standout. I'd say he'll be a first grader this year," Noldt said.
"In 2019 he was in reserve grade but Sharpey used him a lot in first grade - he came off the bench in the grand final. He was in form yesterday. He scored two tries and was the one that really got us going forward.
"The same with Brodie Sowter. He's a big body and he's going to be a handful in reserve grade."
Noldt also said Brad Vidler and Dylan Clark had strong games for the Roosters.
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There was also league tag and under 19s clashes on the day. The league tag team kept their strong pre-season going with a 48-0 win.
Sarah Gill led the way with four tries in the match.
In the juniors, the Roosters claimed a 26-14 win over the Super Spuds - a win that "really impressed" Noldt.
"It was under 19s but our boys were only under 18s," Noldt said.
"It's a big thing at their age taking on older players.
"They're under both Nathans [Blacklock and Rush] and they're looking really good."
Kootingal will have a break from trial matches until April 10 when they take on Werris Creek.
The Roosters' busier than usual pre-season trial schedule was a "conscious decision made at the end of last year".
"We normally try for a bit later but there was no footy last year," Sharpe said.
"I wanted to get some footy into them early then have a look, see how we're travelling and what we need to work on for one more trial."
He added: "Other groups start earlier than us as well so we had to take the March ones."
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