The team put in a strong performance against the competition leaders, the Leeton Phantoms crossing the line six times however it wasn't quite enough falling 30-40.

The second match saw the Short Blacks start timidly against the host club the Cootamundra Bears trailing by 5 tries at the half time interval.

A much more committed effort at the break down resulted in a competitive second half, however they could not match the Bears losing 10-50.

The Griffith Under 10s are fast earning a reputation as one of the hardest teams in the age division following another two superb games resulting in wins over the Tumut Bullants and the Wyalong Pirates.

The Blacks simply overwhelmed Tumut with some rugged tackling and pilfering, running away with the match 35-5.

The Pirates tried to match the physicality of Griffith, and a much of the first half saw the Blacks defending their red zone.

An inspirational pep talk from coach Jason Dossettor had the desired result with the Blacks holding Wyalong scoreless in a 25-0 win.

In the Under 12 division, the Young Yabbies capitalised Griffith Whites disorganisation completely overwhelming the Griffith side 50-5.

It was a stronger performance in the second match of the day with the Whites facing smaller, well-drilled and aggressive host team.

The go-forward from Ollie Randall, Tevita Robertson and Tommy Hornbuckle up front was consistent and relentless taking the Griffith over the advantage line with each and every carry.

Despite having good field position and an equal amount of possession, Griffith could not match the Bears losing 5-28.

The Griffith U12 Blacks had a mixed day, dominating the Hay Whippersnippers 39-0 in the opening match.

The foundation for the win was based on a solid performance from the forward pack which enabled Jasvir Singh-Clark and Luke Cannon to make good use of the ball.

The five hour break between first and second match saw the Blacks go in the match against Cootamundra well rested and full of confidence after a positive first game.

The Blacks came crashing back to earth as the Bears, boosted by home crowd support, exposed flaws in the Blacks defence at the edge of the field.

Despite the 5-40 loss, the Blacks are two and two for the season and sit inside the top six.

Stand-out performers included Matt Webb, Charlie Singh, Ben Willamont, Harry Morshead and Jack Dartnell

Following the round of matches in Cootamundra the Griffith Blacks U14s share the competition lead following another successful day that saw convincing wins over the Wagga Crows and over the Temora Tuskers.

In a game shorted due to an injury in the previous match the Blacks, after a rusty start, had too much firepower for the Wagga Crows winning 33-5.

Dylan McFadzean, Lachie Robertson and Timoci Vuadreu, in his first game for the club, were amongst the best in the opening match.

With the cobwebs completely blown away, the Under 14s were relentless against the Tuskers and it was only unforced errors which kept to score line from being larger than 35-0.

Abbey Brill, Fergus Shelton and Paddy Gunn, who made the tackle of the day with a Sonny Bill Williams special, were stand outs in the match against Temora.

The three week break between rounds saw the Under 16s off to a scratchy start in their match against Temora with simple errors and dropped ball being the feature of the first half, which saw the Blacks hold on to a narrow 12-10 lead.

Led by captain Bryn Francis, the Blacks came out with a different attitude in the second half scoring a 50-13 win which saw the Tuskers opt for two penalty goals when in kicking range.

In the touch rugby competition, the Blackbird U10s produced a mixed back going down 5-25 to the Cootamundra Bears in the grand final rematch before coming away with a hard fought 15-10 win over the Albury Steamers.

The Blackbird U12s came away from Cootamundra with two wins which sees them placed fifth on the ladder.

The first game saw the Blackbirds defeat Tumut 20-10 before putting in a stunning performance against Leeton that saw each player scoring a try in the 60-5 demolition.

Special mention goes to Milly McGregor who crossed for her first try for the year.

The Blackbirds U16s maintained their unbeaten start to the season with wins over the Grenfell Panthers and Leeton with an identical score line of 25-5.

Coach Phil Parsons was particularly pleased with the defensive efforts of Maggie Fry, Malina Burgess and Hayley Burke who put in mighty efforts and leaving nothing on the field.

Maraea Connellan also earned praise for her efforts on the wing, chasing every kick and refusing to let anyone run around her.