Central West Bullettes suffer 55-0 defeat to Super W club Melbourne Rebels at Cootamundra

Central West suffered a 55-0 defeat to the Super W outfit in a pre-season trial at the Cootamundra Rugby Club, but Bathurst Bulldogs star and Bullettes co-captain Mel Waterford said it was an amazing effort from her team.

"The girls got a lot out of it. They not only played a very experienced 15s side, but they also got to learn how to play their position," she said.

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"They got to play against girls that are very good at what they do and it was a great learning opportunity for them."

While on paper it was a heavy defeat, Waterford, who co-captained the representative side alongside Bulldogs teammate Marita Shoulders, said Rebels were forced to work for all their tries.

"They scored a lot of their tries out on the wing, they didn't score anything in the middle and we were quite strong throughout our rucks and digs," she said.

"When they put their good girls on, it actually opened up a bit but they actually had to work to the side to get their tries."

The scoreline was only 19-0 at half-time, however, a change-up to the Rebels line-up in the second half would see the visitors pull away to its massive victory.

"It was definitely a good effort in the first half. They put a quite stronger team on in the second half, so we were quite evenly matched in the first half," Waterford explained.

"They were getting quite frustrated at times because they couldn't get the ball out as cleanly as they wanted to.

"They were definitely a strong opposition. They're really well drilled and so well managed, so they knew what they were doing.

"But it was a really good trial and we got to trial a lot of different combinations and girls in positions that they've never played before.

"They stood out really well in those new positions and we might even continue them in those positions.

"From a Central West point of view, it was really good and that exposure the girls have had at that level will help grow the game out in the Central West."

The likes of Helen Blackmore, Jean Littlewood, Annie Craig, Lilly Bone, Jacinta Windsor and Jacinta Cooper all impressed for the Central West according to Waterford.

The pre-season trial as the Rebels last hitout before their season gets underway later this year.

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