Yenda may have been bundled out of the West Wyalong Knockout in the quarter finals but coach Michael Mogliotti said his side was moving in the right direction.
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The Blueheelers went down to Albury 10-6 on Saturday but Mogliotti wasn’t too disappointed and said the side’s comradeship kept them in the hunt.
“I think we’re coming together real good,” Mogliotti said after the loss.
“You ask one bloke to do something and you've got 12 there to do it with you.”
Yenda scored the only try of the opening half when Todd Granger plucked an Albury pass out of the air and went the length to score. However, Albury rallied in the second half as Etu Uiasele and Levi Freeman scored a try each to claim the 10-6 win.
Group Nine teams historically play quicker than Group 20 but Mogliotti said his side handled the speed of the game well.
“It was pretty fast, a bit out of Group 20 standards but I think our boys really stuck it to them,” Mogliotti said.
“I think we were there with the speed of it but just had a few unlucky calls that didn't go our way.”
Heading into the second day of the tournament, Yenda was carrying the torch for Group 20.
Yenda had progressed straight through thanks to a first round bye.
West Wyalong, Tullbigeal-Lakes United and Leeton all bowed out in round one.
Of them all, Leeton went the closest to progressing.
The Greens showed promising signs and drew with eventual champions Gundagai 10-10 on the opening night.
A few players were in new colours on the weekend, too.
2016 Darlington Point-Coleambally players Robbie Simpson and Jarrad Williams were two new players to pull on the black, white and blue of TLU.
Yenda had prop Apolo Taeiloa – who is still to be locked in for the full season – Jayden Conaghan and former DPC Rooster Trey Eldridge turn out. In bad news for Yenda, Sam Hollands suffered a knee injury.
