A loss it may have been, but the Mittagong Lions under-18s side displayed how they belong in the top four of Group 6 with a gutsy performance against Camden.
The dark and cold weather at Mittagong Sportsground was in stark contrast to the heat on the field as both sides threw everything at each other for the whole game.
When Corey Shepherd scooted over the line form dummy-half with 10 minutes remaining the Lions were within four points of their highly fancied opponents.
The Lions looked as if they would roar over the line, only to be undone by a couple of crucial mistakes in the Camden half. A late try to the unbeaten Rams sealed Mittagong's fate, but coach Tony Piasevoli was more than happy with the 22-14 result.
"There were some good signs and it's clear we can compete with just about anyone," he said. "I'm pleased with how the boys went and with some more improvement I think we can knock most teams off.
"We made a couple of late errors when we had a roll on, but we will learn from that type of thing.
"I'm looking forward to having another crack at them."
The Lions senior side was again overrun in the main game by a powerful Rams first team.
For full reports of both games see the News on Wednesday.
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