Pat's are bested by Forbes in 10th and final Stubby Collits Memorial

And even though an understrength Saints side were bested 30-6 by the hosts they showed plenty of resilience for a team down much of their fist grade lineup while taking on the defending Peter McDonald Premiership champions.

A solid level of fight and commitment were the main aims for St Pat's in the last edition of the memorial, and they showed plenty of that in a manner befitting the occasion.

That's how Luke Single eventually got a well-earned consolation try for the team with full-time approaching.

Saints player-coach Zac Merritt said that the team should be proud of the way they played, given the situation.

"Last year I put a lot of emphasis on wanting to knock Forbes off at home but this year we had eight or nine of our first graders out, so it was never about going over there and trying to put them away," he said.

"I was happy with some of the defence that I saw. We were a bit scrappy in attack, but with so many first graders out it makes things difficult.

"We've had a few new guys come over from Panthers and Blayney and they've been ripping in throughout the pre-season, so it was really good to be able to give them a crack and see where they're at."

Player of the match for Magpies was Tommy Caldwell and for St Pat's it was Nick Booth.

Merritt said several of his players made a great impression on the eve of the new PMP season.

"Trae Fitzpatrick and Will Poole won the under 21s grand final and then backed up for me. Trae really impressed us in the halves. He went well," he said.

"If we're in a position to do so then they'll definitely get blooded this year. If there's any injuries they're next in line. Trae did himself some real favours on the weekend. Our only try came through him as well, when he set up Luke Single.

"Nick Booth was outstanding for us, and he was our player of the game. Luke Single was very good and so was Cooper Neilsen.

"Forbes obviously defending premiers ... and we went over there trying out a few things. We didn't even kick the ball for the first five to 10 minutes, just to learn how to respect the ball and earn the right to move it wide."

The memorial match began a decade ago after Collits, who had played football for both clubs, lost his life in a car accident.

Merritt said that while the memorial match will be coming to an end there will still remain a strong relationship between the two clubs into the future.

"Stub was a special guy to both communities," he said.

"There's kids coming through now who don't have a clue who he is. It's fitting to finish it now, but he'll always be there in everyone's memory.

"With Forbes, I hope we don't go away from our trial game."

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